Daniel 3 - Fiery Furnace

by Katrina

LINK: Daniel 3

BACKGROUND
During the events of this chapter, Daniel was apparently away on government business. Nebuchadnezzar, likely inspired by his dream, had a huge statue made of gold and erected on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. This is the province where Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were administrators under Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar required everyone to worship the image he had made. . . . but you can read the story . . .

REFLECTION
When threatened with death for refusal to bow down to the image, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego didn't budge. I love their confident answer to the king:

O Nebuchadnezzer, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.

They expressed confidence in God's ability to rescue them, yet did not require that God rescue them from the furnace. They made it clear that they would worship God alone and never bow down to any other god or idol. They would remain true to their God even if it cost them their lives.

God chose to rescue these young men in such a miraculous way that Nebuchadnezzar was thoroughly impressed with the power of their God. God had a bigger plan than simply rescuing these Jewish men. He was working in Nebuchadnezzar's life as well. Twice now, the king has seen something miraculous - the telling and interpretation of his dream by Daniel, and the deliverance of Daniel's friends from burning in the furnace. Stay tuned to see what happens next!


PRAYER
Lord, help us to be confident in our faith in you. May we increase in our knowledge and understanding of who you really are and thereby trust in you more. May our relationship with you deepen to the innermost parts of our being and ooze out of our lives. May our lives be a reflection of who you are that others will see and believe. Amen.