1King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. 3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it. 4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “Nations and peoples of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: 5 As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Whoever does not fall down, and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” 7 Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and all kinds of music, all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Daniel 3:1-8
Every organization—every living thing—has an innate need to survive. Self-preservation applies not only to governments but also to businesses, ministries, and individuals. Self-preservation is the core of competition and military action. When we combine self-preservation with love for others, we will give up our preservation to ensure the preservation of those we love. This quote captures this sentiment well: “A true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front him, but because he loves what is behind him.”[1]
When I asked the Lord why a guy who was already the most powerful man on earth would do such a thing, his response was that out of fear (paranoia?), Nebuchadnezzar was trying to preserve that which he couldn’t control: his power[2] and his future.[3] Hence, I find self-preservation in Nebuchadnezzar’s erection of this statute.
Saying that Nebuchadnezzar’s erection of the statue was out of self-preservation is another way of saying he was consolidating political power. “The events associated with the king’s erecting the image suggest that he wanted to unify his empire and consolidate his authority as ruler. The image was to become the unifying center of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom.”[4]
Besides, it was not uncommon for kings to extract oaths of loyalty from their subjects. Here, Nebuchadnezzar’s oath of loyalty[5] was conducted through a religious ceremony. If we take the view that the statue was not of Nebuchadnezzar himself but of one of his gods, either Bel[6] or Nebo,[7] then the use of religion to endorse political power formed a powerful combination nearly impossible to resist.
I have worked with many small business owners. Whether or not they are Christians, I can attest that their need to maintain their ownership, position, power, reputational standing in the community, revenue, and income while continuing to live their dream of being successful—in short, self-preservation—operates far more powerfully and pervasively in these owners than one might initially think. It is the rare Christian business owner who holds her business with an open hand and is content to let God give her business to another so that he can move her along to other tasks that he has been preparing her to do (Ephesians 2.10).[8]
When working for a demanding boss, you may want to consider that self-preservation (and perhaps some insecurity) is part of the springboard for their demands. When demanding bosses twist the organization’s core values to suit their own ends and then give directives that align with their twisted values, they will do whatever it takes to get anyone who resists off their team, either through a transfer or by terminating their employment. In these situations, Christians should be willing to lose their jobs to preserve their allegiance to Christ.
For example, I know of one Christian who was a server in a high-end restaurant known for its excellent food and service. Their menu stated they had “freshly squeezed orange juice,” but my friend knew it came in a carton as a concentrate. Their orange juice was never “freshly squeezed.” The owner was lying on his menu.
While a (seemingly) minor thing, my friend wrestled with how he would present this lie to his customers. If a customer asked, he concluded it would be the right thing to say something like this: “we don’t have any freshly squeezed orange juice today, but we have it in a concentrated form. Would this be OK with you?”
The value of this restaurant was to lie to their customers if it meant greater profits, even on something as small as a glass of orange juice. They directed him to lie to the customers, noting that “it’s not a big deal, and they (the customers) won’t know the difference.” Surprisingly, my friend’s compromise was not challenged by his manager. But had it become a point of “do this or leave,” my friend was ready to leave. He would not sin to earn a paycheck.
Christians don’t bend the rules to preserve their jobs. Instead, we submit our innate self-preservation tendencies to God. Several passages essentially ask us to subordinate our self-preservation to God. The sum of these verses teaches us that disciples of Jesus Christ trust God’s preservation of our lives in place of our own efforts:
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Matthew 10:39 ESV
If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Matthew 16:24-26 ESV
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:28 ESV
Christ gave up his self-preservation when he obeyed God and came to earth on our behalf:
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!
Philippians 2:5-8
Christ already gave his life as a ransom for us (Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45, 1 Timothy 2:6). He jettisoned any sense of self-preservation under God’s direction so that we could have an eternal relationship with him. While self-preservation is part of our nature, God reminds us to lose our lives for his sake—his agenda and interests. Hendriksen describes the choice about right:
The person who, when the issue is between me and what he considers his own interests, chooses the latter, thinking that by so doing he is going to ‘find’ himself, that is, secure a firmer hold on the full life, will be bitterly disappointed. He will lose rather than gain. His happiness and usefulness will shrink and shrivel rather than increase. At last he will perish everlastingly. On the other hand, the one who, confronted with the choice, gives himself away, that is, denies himself out of loyalty to me, being willing if need be to pay the supreme sacrifice, will attain to complete self-realization. He will have life and will have it more abundantly until at last he will share with me the glory of my return and of the new heaven and earth.”[9]
In business and life, Christians do not seek to preserve their own lives. Instead, they seek to preserve and further God’s glory and kingdom on this earth while trusting God for their preservation, both now on this earth and for eternity in heaven. Let’s remember that our lives are in God’s hands, and he will preserve us on this earth for as long as he desires; then, he will take us home to be with him.
[1] This quote is widely attributed to G.K. Chesterton, in an untitled article he wrote for the Illustrated London News on January 14, 1911. You can read the article here: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001578/19110114/036/0004. However, this quote does not appear in this article. I’m thinking the reference is often copied, without anyone actually looking at that paper, to verify this source. So I was unable to find the exact source of this quote or even whether Chesterton said or wrote these words himself. Yet, I still find the sentiment of the quote helpful for this chapter.
[2] Recall that it is God who sets up and deposes kings. Daniel 1:21. Anytime a ruler attempts to hang on to power when it is clear his rule is coming to an end, in a very real sense, he is fighting against God.
[3] I don’t doubt there was a heaping amoung of arrogance in his actions too.
[4] Pentecost, 1337; see also Carpenter, 350.
[5] Pentecost, 1337.
[6] Calvin, 201.
[7] Archer, 50
[8] This is part of the reason why family businesses fail so often in the 2nd generation. By the time the founder reliquishes full control of his business (often at death), his adult children are far enough along in life—perhaps in their 50’s or even 60’s—that they don’t really know how to run the business by themselves, even though they have been working in the family business most of their adult lives. This can be surprising to those around them. Perhaps they make critical mistakes with cash or they finally find themselves with enough power to retaliate against those whom they have held grudges (perhaps for years) or they others conclude they make lousy #1’s when they were great #2’s. This failure rate can be improved by having a strong governance board. Founders who hang on too long—and there are tens of thousands of them—actually contribute to the demise of the business they have given their lives to building. Thius phenomena of holding on too long is true for ministries as well.
[9] Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew (Vol. 9, p. 477). Baker Book House.
