Daniel 3:24-27 Christian Standard Bible
Delivered from the Fire
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm. He said to his advisers, “Didn’t we throw three men, bound, into the fire?”
“Yes, of course, Your Majesty,” they replied to the king.
25 He exclaimed, “Look! I see four men, not tied, walking around in the fire unharmed; and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”[a]
26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and called, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God—come out!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire. 27 When the satraps, prefects, governors, the king’s advisers gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect on[b] the bodies of these men: not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them.
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
King Nebuchadnezzar had made an image of gold and had ordered people to bow down and worship it (Daniel 3:1-6).
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego steadfastly refused to do that, because they did not worship statues, idols or other gods. They worshiped only the true God.
So the king’s astrologers spoke harshly against these men and said they should be thrown into a blazing furnace for their very public display of disobedience .
Let’s look at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s reply:
Daniel 3:16-18 Christian Standard Bible
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego 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[a] rescue us from the power of you, the king. 18 But even if he does not rescue us,[b] we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”
They said they would not worship the image of gold for any reason, even if God did not deliver them.
They were hardcore determined to obey God, and they trusted in God to protect their souls even if the fire killed them and burned them up. Many people might expect “realistic compensation” for their actions, but Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego declared that they would always obey God, no matter what happened.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew that their first allegiance was to God and they should worship only him.
Nebuchadnezzar did not recognize any authority above his own; he wanted to be the object of worship. He had commissioned a great statue and ordered that everyone must bow and worship his image or face execution by fire in a furnace.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were willing to face the harshest anger of the king and even die rather than deny their heavenly Father, in whose image they were made.
They faced adversity with courage and modeled for the king what it looked like to honor the convictions of their faith.
Their testimony is compelling.
In effect, they resolutely said, “We believe God is able to save us, but even if he does not do that in this life, we will not worship anyone but him.”
This statement enraged the king so much that he raised the temperature by 7 times to the point the soldiers in charge of these men were killed by the heat.
But God protected his servants from the fire, allowed them to leave the furnace unscathed.
After the dramatic rescue of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the king had a major change of heart and praised God. Their faith mentored the king himself.
Do we have the courage to stand up for our convictions in the face of adversity?
What incredible faith!
God protected them from the fire when they refused to compromise their faith.
Only God can bring hope to the hopeless, and fearlessness to those who fear.
Sometimes, in the middle of our challenges, there might seem to be no end in sight of the mess.
It could be one event after the other that piles upon us, making us so heavy-laden with trepidation that we lose sight of where to turn. Instead of declaring,
“Only God,” we ask, “Why God?”
Even though it might seem like an impossible task to hold on to verses when we are in the middle of problems that seem to have no solution, be assured that Jesus promised to be with us even until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20)
Only God can bring hope to the hopeless, and fearlessness to those who fear.
Sometimes, in the middle of our challenges, there might seem to be no end in sight of the mess. It could be one event after the other that piles upon us, making us so heavy-laden with trepidation that we lose sight of where to turn.
Instead of declaring, “Only God,” we ask, “Why God?”
Even though it might seem like an impossible task to hold on to verses when we are in the middle of problems that seem to have no solution, be assured that Jesus promised to be with us even until the end of the age.
Let us be mindful — when we are facing financial burdens, family problems, or sickness — that our mess could just be the makings of something else: a future message for another brother or sister experiencing a similar hardship.
They might need our story to give them hope and keep the holding steadfast to the Lord.
Let us labor to model our steps after those three rebellious young men of the Old Testament.
Their names were some of my favorites that I loved to repeat as a child: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Faced with conditions forcing them to come face to face with their faith, they bonded together and took a stand against King Nebuchadnezzar’s commands.
Even though they were thrown into the fire, they did not feel the flames.
You might be standing in the middle of a blazing fire, but trust in the Lord to deliver you from your circumstance.
You may see the flames or hear the crackling, but you will feel no heat because you serve a mighty Father that will bring you through this trial. And when you have broken free from your mess you will have a testimony to say, “Only God.”
The story did not end with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being rescued from flames unsinged.
It could have, and it still would have, been the glorious testimony of the faith of a few and the power of God.
But, reading this text further, we see King Nebuchadnezzar’s hardened heart was softened.
He even promoted them within the kingdom for their display of integrity and commitment.
Your time is coming.
Hold on to that unwavering faith that can move mountains:
“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Matthew 17:20)
In the flames, repeat that nothing is impossible with God.
When you walk away, praise His name and say, “Only God!”
What does it look like to live with courage, clarity, and conviction when everything around you feels uncertain?
The book of Daniel tells the story of faith under fire—of ordinary people who stayed rooted in God while living in a culture that didn’t share their values.
From exile in Babylon to lion’s dens and prophetic dreams, Daniel shows us that even the very smallest acts of faith can anchor us in our uncertain times.
In the name of God, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit …
Praying …
Psalm 46
God Our Refuge
For the choir director. A song of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a helper who is always found
in times of trouble.
2 Therefore we will not be afraid,
though the earth trembles
and the mountains topple
into the depths of the seas,
3 though its water roars and foams
and the mountains quake with its turmoil. Selah
4 There is a river—
its streams delight the city of God,
the holy dwelling place of the Most High.
5 God is within her; she will not be toppled.
God will help her when the morning dawns.
6 Nations rage, kingdoms topple;
the earth melts when he lifts his voice.
7 The Lord of Armies is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah
8 Come, see the works of the Lord,
who brings devastation on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease throughout the earth.
He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces;
he sets wagons ablaze.
10 “Stop fighting, and know that I am God,
exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”
11 The Lord of Armies is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 