Standing Firm in the Face of Fire
Daniel chapter #3
We are going to look into a story of three young Hebrews who stood boldly before a king after defying his command to bow down and worship a false idol and false gods.
A back story of this account…
Israel has been taken into captivity by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. The king has requested that certain (a particular set) of Israelite children be brought to him. These children were to learn the education and language of the Chaldeans. There were four youth picked and their names are Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; also known as Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
For this story we are learning of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
And now we come to the Kings command that these young men disobeyed.
Vs 1-15 We read in these passages that King Nebuchadnezzar had a statue erected that was between 90 and 105 feet tall. He had set this statue in the Plain of Dora which is a province of Babylon. He brought all the officials together and decreed that when they heard a certain music that they were to bow/fall down and worship this statue or they would be thrown into the fiery furnace (vs 6).
Well the music played, and everyone bowed down and worshipped but the three Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshach, Abed-nego.
Did everyone really bow and worship? You see there was a group of Chaldeans that came and reported to the king that the Hebrews weren’t bowing and worshipping. How did they know unless they themselves weren’t bowing and worshipping?
Any way on with the story. The King was furious that they dared to disobey his command. So he had them brought before him and questioned them concerning this matter, threatening to place them in the fiery furnace. Their response is found beginning in verse 16.
Verse 16 -18 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered the King and didn’t beat around the bush. They said (I’m paraphrasing) “if it be so, our God will deliver us but if not, we still won’t bow and worship the golden image you set up”.
To these young men it didn’t matter whatever doom the might be facing they had purposed in their hearts that they were going to serve the living God and him alone.
They didn’t worry about the world around them, what others may think, or if it was the right thing to do or not. They held firm to their faith trusting God would work all things to the good (Romans 8:28). They knew whether God saved them from the fires or called them home that it was for His glory and not for them.
Verse 19-25 The king was full of fury and demanded the fires in the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than the furnace was usually heated (verse 19). This fire was so hot that when the men went to place the three in the furnace they were consumed by it (verse 22). The three were placed in the fire but as the King looked in he saw four men up walking around (verse 25).
Verse 26-30 The king came down to the furnace and called in and asked them to come out. When the three had risen / walked from the fire there was no evidence they had ever been in the fire (verse 27). The king had witnessed the mighty hand of God that day and began to worship Him.
So not only were the three Hebrew young men saved /rescued from the fire that day, but they were also promoted to a higher standing in the province of Babylon.
Just like the three Hebrew children in this story you are faced daily with choices of whether or not you are going to bow down to the sins and idols in your life. Will you stand firm in your faith trusting that God will deliver you from whatever may be tempting you to turn from him? Will you bow down to those sins and idols? These young Hebrew boys placed their faith in the living God and held firm to their faith knowing that God would protect his children and deliver them from the fiery furnace. They held firm to their faith and believed that even if God chose not to rescue them that they were still not going to bow before another god.
Learn from these young men and hold firm to your faith no matter how God chooses the outcome
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