I can be victorious because my God “is able to deliver” (Daniel 3:8–27).
Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and
Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that
you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set
up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp,
pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the
image I made, very good. 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?”
Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend
ourselves before you in this matter. 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.”
Then Nebuchadnezzar was
furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them
changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than
usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing
furnace. So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other
clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king’s
command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed
the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego, and these three men,
firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace (Daniel 3:13b–23, NIV).
We
are sometimes in the same position as they were as children of God. We
face difficult choices, and have to decide between compromise and conviction.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to
his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we
tied up and threw into the fire?”They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.” He
said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed,
and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
Nebuchadnezzar then
approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors
and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had
not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were
not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
Then Nebuchadnezzar said,
“Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his
angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied
the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or
worship any god except their own God. … Then the king promoted Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego in the province
of Babylon
Now,
this story is not a guarantee that you’ll never have to endure injury or pain,
but remember the promise of Psalm 34:17: The
righteous cry out, and the Lord
hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
It
was their trust in God and their obedience of him that brought victory.
