“Then Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants!‘”
Daniel 3:28a
It was the time of the Babylonian captivity. Daniel and three fellow Hebrews, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, were chosen to enter the king’s service because they were “young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified…” (Daniel 1:4). You might know them better as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
It is unfortunate that they are remembered for the pagan names given to them. Each of their Babylonian names had the name of a pagan god embedded in them, whereas their Hebrew names had the name of God embedded in them. In spite of their oppressors’ attempt to erase God from the men’s identities, they remained steadfast and true to Him, and are most remembered for their bold stand in the face of imminent martyrdom.
These four young men were on a special diet, but they also served a special God. It wasn’t the false god that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up for everyone to worship. The Lord blessed them in the eyes of the king and elevated them as “administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court” (2:49).
An image of gold was set up by King Nebuchadnezzar, one that was 90 feet high and nine feet wide. Because Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah refused to worship it, they were reported to the king. Their response to him is so inspiring and worth fully quoting:
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (3:17-18).
We’ll come back to their stand in a minute, but you remember the rest of the story. The three men were bound and thrown into a massive furnace to be burned alive. The flames were so hot that the soldiers who threw them in were killed. Yet an angel, perhaps the Lord Himself, came to them in the flesh. The unharmed men were freed, and Nebuchadnezzar praised God, but he didn’t learn his lesson. That didn’t really happen until after he had lost his mind for seven years (Daniel 4).
What is our lesson to be learned from the fiery furnace? God can rescue us from any hardship, persecution, or martyrdom if He so chooses. “But even if He does not”, we already have the victory with our eternity secured. Let us have the confidence of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah as we – with God at our side – face whatever this fallen world and Satan may throw our way.