"Then King Nebuchadnezzar, in a terrible rage, ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be brought before him. 'Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,' he demanded, 'that you are refusing to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I set up? I'll give you one more chance. When the music plays, if you fall down and worship the statue, all will be well. But if you refuse, you will be thrown into a flaming furnace within the hour. And what god can deliver you out of my hands then?'" ~ Daniel 3:13 - 15 LAB * Bible Commentary:  "The three men had one more chance. Here are eight excuses they could have used to bow to the statue and save their lives: 1) We will bow down but not actually worship the idol; 2) We won't become idol worshipers, but will do this one time, then ask God for forgiveness; 3) The king has absolute power and we must obey him. God will understand; 4) The king appointed us -- we owe this to him; 5) This is a foreign land So God will excuse us for following the customs of the land; 6) Our ancestors set up idols in God's Temple! This isn't that bad! 7) We're not hurting anybody; 8) If we get ourselves killed and some heathens take our high positions, they won't help our people in exile! "Although all these excuses sound sensible at first, they are dangerous. To bow down to the image would violate God's command in Exodus 20:3; 'You may worship no other god than me.' It would also erase their testimony for God forever. Never again could they talk about the power of their God above all other gods. "What excuses do we use for not standing up for God?" ***