Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Tucked away in the book of Daniel is a story of 3 young Jewish men of extraordinary courage. Living in Babylonian exile, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego defied the most powerful king on earth, even when threatened with a painful, fiery death.
King Nebuchadnezzar ordered a gold statue 90 feet high to be built in Babylon. Then he summoned all his government officials together and his command was clear. When the music starts, fall down and worship the golden image I’ve created. Refuse and you’ll die.. Because I’ll burn you alive in a blazing furnace.
Nebuchadnezzar gave his officials no time to decide what to do. Because after the announcement, the musicians began playing. Panicked, all the people from different nations immediately fell down and started worshipping the gold statue. It was the prudent, safe thing to do. But to the Jews present, the king’s order violated the first of the 10 commandments which Moses brought to the Israelites.
Because the giant gold statue was an idol.
And God spoke all these words:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God… (Exodus 20:1-5 NIV)
We don’t know how many Jewish exiles freaked out and dropped on their faces, committing idolatry that day. We only know the names of the 3 Israelites who didn’t; Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
The Impossible Choice
Have you ever imagined being in a crowd of people who all kneel, while you remain standing? I don’t know how big the plain of Dura was, but trust me, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s disobedience was very noticeable. People promptly told King Nebuchadnezzar, who became furious. He saw their refusal to bow as a sign of rebellion and contempt. Angry, he gave them one more chance to obey. If not, the 3 would be thrown into a giant, fire-filled furnace.
He ended his threat with a question.
…But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” (Daniel 3:15 NIV)
It was a rhetorical question, because of Nebuchadnezzar’s natural assumption. The Jewish deity they served had to be weaker then his own gods and goddesses. After all, he’d easily conquered and re-conquered Israel 3 times. So he didn’t expect them to answer. Plus, prisoners don’t brazenly talk back to an angry king, who is thinking seriously about burning them alive.
But Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered the king and displeased him even more.
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. (Daniel 3:17 NIV)
What god is able to rescue the 3 of us from a horrifying, fiery death?
Funny you should ask—our God will. But even if He choses not to, we still won’t bow down to your 90-foot idol or worship any of your foreign gods.
Cast into the Fire
Tied up. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego tumbled into the blazing furnace. The heat was so intense it killed the soldiers who threw them in. King Nebuchadnezzar sat back to watch his 3 rebellious officials catch fire like kindling. Instead, he saw 4 men freely walking around in the midst of the flames and heat. The ropes had burned away, but when Daniel’s friends stepped out of the furnace, they didn’t even smell of smoke.
It was a divine, eye-popping lesson for a pagan king and his court.
For the Jewish God did indeed rescue His 3 faithful servants from the blazing furnace.
The Spiritual Point
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego displayed great personal courage. No panic and no threat of a hideous, flaming death swayed them. Why? I believe it’s because as teenagers in exile these three friends firmly decided never to bow down to any of the foreign gods in Babylon. So did Daniel. If they couldn’t serve Yahweh in Judah, they’d remain faithful to Him in Babylon.
So long before the Babylonian king ever built his 90-foot gold idol, these three Jews had already chosen the fiery furnace by default. Because they would not bow.
These image came from Pixabay.com.
Resources:
This isn’t the last time King Nebuchadnezzar tangles with the Hebrew’s God. Daniel 4 tells of a much more personal encounter later on.
Author’s Note: Yes, the man in the fire is actually a Jedi master on Mustafar, the lava planet where Obi-wan and Anakin had their lightsaber duel. I watch the same movies you do. But when looking for a good “man in the fire” illustration, I didn’t have many options.
For the same reason, my second image is an industrial blast furnace, smelting iron or steel.
