Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abed-nego were three faithful Jews who refused to worship the golden image that
king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon set up. They were cast into the midst of a
burning fiery furnace, but they were protected by a fourth “man” in the fire,
and they emerged without even the smell of fire upon them.
Daniel
3:8-18
“Wherefore at that time certain
Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. 9They spake and said to the king
Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. 10Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that
every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut,
psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship
the golden image: 11And whoso falleth not down and
worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery
furnace. 12There are certain Jews whom thou hast
set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods,
nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
13Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage
and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought
these men before the king. 14Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto
them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my
gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? 15Now if ye be ready that at what time
ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer,
and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well:
but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a
burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of
my hands?
16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to
answer thee in this matter. 17If it be so, our God whom we serve
is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us
out of thine hand, O king. 18But if not, be it known unto thee, O
king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou
hast set up.”
They stood up for their God,
the true living God that is powerful. That they were not to bow down to any
graven image, and to serve any other gods that were set up by the king.
Exodus
20:3-6
“Thou
shalt have no other gods before me.4Thou
shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing
that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that
is in the water under the earth: 5Thou shalt not bow down
thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous
God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and
fourth generation of them that hate me; 6And shewing mercy unto
thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”
Daniel
3:19-30
“Then
was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that
they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be
heated. 20And he
commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery
furnace. 21Then these
men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other
garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22Therefore because the
king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the
fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23And these three men,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning
fiery furnace.
24Then
Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake,
and said unto his counsellers, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst
of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. 25He answered and said,
Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no
hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. 26Then Nebuchadnezzar
came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and
said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come
forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth
of the midst of the fire. 27And
the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellers, being
gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor
was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the
smell of fire had passed on them.
28Then
Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted
in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they
might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. 29Therefore I make a
decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against
the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their
houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver
after this sort. 30Then
the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.”
Deuteronomy
4:27-29
“And
the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in
number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you. 28And there ye shall
serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor
hear, nor eat, nor smell. 29But
if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if
thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.”
By Dinah Ramos
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