Any of us who grew up in church, went to Sunday School, know the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abendnego from Chapter 3 of Daniel. There is so much going on in this chapter of the bible it is amazing. First we know Ol King Neb just does not learn very quickly. In Chapter 2 of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream about a statue which Daniel interprets for the King. In verse 47 the bible tells us that Nebuchadnezzar says Daniel’s God is indeed God of gods, Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries. Yet as we pick up in Chapter 3 the King is building a gold statue 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide for everybody to fall down in front of and worship, it they do not they will be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. Next we learn about hatred and jealousy by the Chaldeans of the Jewish people, a reflection really of the hatred of the Jewish God. So as soon as they see Shadrach, Meshach and Abendnego are not going to bow down and worship, they say oh yea here is our chance. They immediately tell the King, remember what you said, they are not bowing down, so now what are you going to do. The King brings them before him and gives them a chance saying to them ok guys when you hear the music you need to fall down and worship the statue and if you don’t, off to the blazing furnace for you and by the way who is the god who can rescue you from my power? Maybe he forgot who he said God was. What happens next my bible tells me is one of the strongest examples of steadfast faith in the bible! I love that! Verses 16-18 tell us
16) “Shadrach, Meshach and Abendnego replied to the king, Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. 17) If the God we serve exists, then He can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He can rescue us from the power of you, the king. 18) But even if He does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.
Amazing isn’t it? Even if our God does not rescue us He is still our God, he is in control. There is nothing you can do to us, because our God trumps whatever you can do. We know what happens Ol Neb gets really angry now demands the furnace be heated to 7 times more than it was, to bind Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to be cast into the fiery furnace. When they are thrown in the men who cast them in are killed, by the fire. Then Ol Neb, not believing his eyes jumps up and says to his men around him, did you not throw 3 men into the fire? What is going on I see 4 men in there and the fourth is like the Son of God. Old Neb calls the three out of the furnace, they come out and not one thing is burned on them, not one thing is singed and they do not smell like smoke. God is amazing, our God is going to see us through each fire we have in our lives. I pray we can go through our lives with the attitude of these three young men. When our fires come we can say, Father God, you see this fire, you know what I am in the midst of, but I trust you to deliver me. Any way you chose for me to come through this fire, I will give you the honor and the glory. When you have seen me on the other side of this fire, I will give you all the glory, I will share the testimony that yes you are my God, who delivered me through that fire and yes indeed, I don’t even smell like smoke. You, Father are the only one who can do this for us.
