Daniel
3:13-30 The
Fiery Furnace, Part 2
Then
Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
be brought in; so they brought those men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar said
to them, ‘Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not
serve my gods and you do not worship the golden statue that I have set up? Now
if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp,
drum, and entire musical ensemble to fall down and worship the statue that I
have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be
thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, and who is the god that will deliver you
out of my hands?’
Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no
need to present a defense to you in this matter. If our God whom we serve is
able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand,
O king, let him deliver us. But if not, be it known to you, O king,
that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that
you have set up.’
Then
Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
that his face was distorted. He ordered the furnace to be heated up seven times
more than was customary, and ordered some of the strongest guards in his army
to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of
blazing fire. So the men were bound, still wearing their tunics, their
trousers, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the
furnace of blazing fire. Because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace
was so overheated, the raging flames killed the men who lifted Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. But the three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell
down, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.
Then
King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up quickly. He said to his
counsellors, ‘Was it not three men that we threw bound into the fire?’ They
answered the king, ‘True, O king.’ He replied, ‘But I see four men
unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the
fourth has the appearance of a god.’ Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of
the furnace of blazing fire and said, ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!’ So Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors,
and the king’s counsellors 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 tunics were not harmed, and not even the smell of fire came from them.
Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. They
disobeyed the king’s command and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and
worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any people,
nation, or language that utters blasphemy 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 deliver in this way.’ Then the king
promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
****
They fully
trusted in their Lord and Savior! If the God we serve is able to deliver us,
then he will deliver us from the blazing furnace and provide for us not only on
this earth but through eternity! God’s Blessings on us all!
Ken Mongold
is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Brewster, NY
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