[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during July 2022]
As we delve into the book of Daniel we see that king Nebuchadnezzar had an image problem – in fact, several. In chapter 2 we read of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a multi-part statue which illustrated the progressive decline of successive empires. Nebuchadnezzar himself dominates the image, as its golden head, then there are representations of other empires made of silver, bronze and iron. The image crumbled when the footings of the final empire were attacked. This final empire is often associated with the Romans, who developed concrete (essentially a mix of iron and clay) and, incidentally, also democracy!
Chapter 3 gives the account of the image of gold, which Daniel’s three friends refused to worship. In his anger, the king instructed that they be cast into a fiery furnace; when they survived he threatened to vent his anger on those who had instigated the incident. It is not just in modern times that being an advisor to the head of government has certain career limitations.
Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman? Or an image that teaches lies? For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak.
Habakkuk 2:18 [NIVUK]
In chapter 4 the king recalled how the future was revealed to him through the image of a large tree. This luxuriant, fruitful tree provided food and shelter for a large number of people, animals and birds but then it was cut down to a stump and left at the mercy of the weather. Daniel explained the image, foretelling how Nebuchadnezzar will be deposed and humiliated but eventually restored.
We see that Nebuchadnezzar takes a central role in each of these accounts, not only in the images themselves but in the way he reacts to them. They challenge his self-image and he tends to react violently to what he sees as threats to his own sense of invincibility. We might argue that those characteristics are not unique to him.
Do you ever look at the bathroom mirror and wonder just who is looking back at you? Would you really like to be someone different? Maybe you too have an image problem.
It may not just be physical; our behaviour can have an effect on how other people see us. We like to project an image to other people, to encourage them to look at us in a particular way. Of course, we accept that God knows what lies behind the image but leaving that aside … wait! Can we, in fact, leave that aside?
We were created in the image of God, we are fearfully and wonderfully made[1], the work of his hands, but have we maintained or marred that image? What aspects of God are at risk of being distorted when people look at us? Do we project an image of judgement and rebuke or one of love and acceptance? Can people recognise God at work in and through us? We return to Nebuchadnezzar for his last words as he describes the God that he now recognises:
Everything he does is right, and he does it the right way. He knows how to turn a proud person into a humble man or woman. Daniel 4 v37 [MSG]
Does your image need a make-over?
[1] Psalm 139 v14
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © the Author
