Friday – Prophets

Reading – Daniel 3-4

Highlight Verse:

“King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

You’ve probably all heard of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery furnace.

It’s an amazing story with a miraculous ending.

But did you know it is backed by historical evidence?

The Plains of Dura were to the east of Babylon.

The fact that the statue was not in the city of Babylon may explain why Daniel wasn’t there or he would have be right there with his three friends.

My curiosity about the site brought a fact to light that I had never heard before.

There is a man-made mound that is just the right size after millennia of erosion, to support a statue of the dimensions listed for Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue.

Did you notice how big it was?

Given the dimensions and the practices of the cultures of that era in that area, it was likely an obelisk dedicated to Nebuchadnezzar instead of a likeness of him.

Again, that would fit right into the practices of that time and place.

Why would I point this out?

A lot of people look at stories like this one and Daniel and the lion’s den and assume that they were just fairy tales.

While some details may be left out of the stories, I believe they really happened as told in the Bible.

These archeological and anthropological facts support that belief.

Are there any stories in the Bible that you have a hard time believing were true?
What would it take to change your mind?