3:1 尼布甲尼撒王造了一個金像，高六十肘，寬六肘，立在巴比倫省杜拉平原。
3:2 尼布甲尼撒王差人將總督、欽差、巡撫、臬司、藩司、謀士、法官，和各省的官員都召了來，為尼布甲尼撒王所立的像行開光之禮。
3:3 於是總督、欽差、巡撫、臬司、藩司、謀士、法官，和各省的官員都聚集了來，要為尼布甲尼撒王所立的像行開光之禮，就站在尼布甲尼撒所立的像前。
3:4 那時傳令的大聲呼叫說：「各方、各國、各族（原文是舌：下同）的人哪，有令傳與你們：
3:5 你們一聽見角、笛、琵琶、琴、瑟、笙，和各樣樂器的聲音，就當俯伏敬拜尼布甲尼撒王所立的金像。
3:6 凡不俯伏敬拜的，必立時扔在烈火的窯中。」
3:7 因此各方、各國、各族的人民一聽見角、笛、琵琶、琴、瑟，和各樣樂器的聲音，就都俯伏敬拜尼布甲尼撒王所立的金像。
1 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of
gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on
the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent
to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the
treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the
provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had
set up. 3 Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors,
the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the
provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had
set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 And
the herald proclaimed aloud, "You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and
languages, 5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon,
harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the
golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 And whoever does not fall
down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace."
7 Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe,
lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations,
and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar
had set up.
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尼布甲尼撒王造了一個金像，並命令眾人都要俯伏敬拜金像，否則將有重懲。這個金像的建立，與其說是為了宗教目的，不如說是為了政治目的。巴比倫王希望營造出「萬眾一心，服從王權」的景象。這種耗費大量資源，只是希望維繫自己權位鞏固的行為並不罕見，我們會有這種誘惑嗎？
我們從這段敘述，發現人士政治性的動物，也是宗教性的動物，藉由造神來強化自己的地位，更可怕的是人為了求一時的安全與利益，情願被蒙騙，接受有權勢之人所造的神。我們也從這裡看見世界的控制力，就是威脅人的性命和剝奪人的財富，就可以達到控制人的手段。
但是基督徒若是敬拜真神，世界的手段—就是以性命和財富做威脅，就影響不到，因為基督徒相信生命和財富的主權在上帝，而不是世上的權勢，世上的權勢是上帝賦予的，本使要實行上帝的公義與眷顧，不是用來控制人的！因此，基督徒會勇敢抵抗那些濫用權勢的人，盼望上帝主權的實現！
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