But whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.” Therefore, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and every kind of music, people of every nation and language fell down and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Daniel 3:6-7
Three Views on Civil Disobedience:
Anarchist
Fanatical Patriotism
Biblical Submission
…if you don’t worship [the statue], you will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire — and who is the god who can rescue you from my power?”
Daniel 3:15
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king. But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”
Daniel 3:16-18
The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.
Job 1:21
Since the king’s command was so urgent and the furnace extremely hot, the raging flames killed those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.
Daniel 3:22-23
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. 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.”
Daniel 3:24-25
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.
Daniel 3:26
When the satraps, prefects, governors, and the king’s advisers gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect on 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. Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel and rescued his servants who trusted in him. They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
Daniel 3:27-28
To Fireproof Faith, Know:
Furnaces reveal and refine faith
Jesus is present in the furnace
Furnaces glorify God
Jesus ultimately rescues
You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith — more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire — may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:6-7
Are you familiar the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3? If so, what do you remember? How –if at all– did you previously connect this story to Jesus and the rest of the Bible?
Daniel 3:16-18 records Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s faith as they were willing to suffer instead of misplacing their worship. What specifically do you think they believed about God’s attributes, power, and glory that led them bear the consequences of not worshipping the golden statue?
How did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s resolve in the face of persecution glorify God to those who witnessed their mistreatment?
Christophanies are appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ in the Old Testament. Considering Daniel 3:25 & 28, how might the descriptions of the 4th man in Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace suggest that Jesus Himself was present?
How does Christ deliver believers from hell (the eternal furnace) and walk with us in the fiery trials of life? See 1 Peter 1:6-7 for more insight.
