Today’s Reading: Daniel 3:13-30 (English Standard Version)
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated.20 And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.21 Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace.22 Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, Did we not cast three men bound into the fire? They answered and said to the king, True, O king.25 He answered and said, But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here! Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire.27 And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.28 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.29 Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
Takeaways:
- Do you remember reading the story of the Three Little Pigs as a kid? I am picturing King Nebuchadnezzar huffing and puffing here!
- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew that the price of their disobedience to the King/obedience to the Lord would cost them an afternoon in a furnace…a super hot furnace lit up especially for them!
- They still refused to bow down. How often am I guilty of bowing down when it gets just a little warm? I’ve never even encountered the fiery furnace!
- God was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Have you ever considered that statement carefully? He was WITH them in the furnace. He will be with us in the fires of life!
- Again, we see that the faithfulness of these 3 guys caused the King to glorify God and proclaim that others do the same. In fact…he proclaimed that with a pretty harsh consequence for those who didn’t!