Daniel 3: 1-30
King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue 90 feet high and 9 feet wide. He set it up in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.
Okay, this king kind of got a little full of himself, with Daniel telling him he was the gold head on the statue in his dream. Now he's made a whole statue of gold.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent messengers to assemble ... all the provincial officers to dedicate the statue he had set up.
[When they were all assembled] they stood in front of the statue.
The herald called out loudly, "People of every province, nation, and language! When you hear the sound of the [orchestra] of all kinds of instruments, bow down and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.
Whoever doesn't bow down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace."
And he wants everyone to worship it!
So everybody did.
Except for ...
Some astrologers came forward and brought charges against the Jews. [They said,] "Your Majesty, you gave an order ...
" There are certain Jews, ... Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. They didn't obey, they don't honor your gods or worship the statue that you set up."
In a fit of rage and anger, Nebuchadnezzar summoned [them] and asked them, "Is it true? ... What god can save you from my power then?"
[They] answered the king, "We don't need to answer you. Our God, whom we honor, can save us from a blazing furnace and from your power, He will, your Majesty. But even if He doesn't, you should know, your Majesty, we'll never honor your gods or worship the gold statue that you set up."
The king was so angry that his face turned red, he ordered that the furnace be heated seven times hotter, and told some soldiers to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego and throw them in, still wearing all their clothes.
Then Nebuchadnezzar was startled. He sprang to his feet. He asked his advisers, "Didn't we throw three men bound into the fire?"
"That's true," they answered.
The king replied, "But look! I see four men. They're untied, walking around in the middle of the fire, unharmed. The fourth one looks like a son of the gods!"
When they came out of the furnace, everyone gathered around the three men. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, the hair on their heads wasn't singed, their clothes weren't burned, and they didn't even smell of smoke.
Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. He sent His angel and saved His servants, who trusted Him. They disobeyed the king and risked their lives so that they would not have to honor or worship any god except their own God.
"So I order that people from every province, nation, or language who say anything slanderous about [their] God will be torn limb from limb. Their houses will be turned into piles of rubble.
"No other god can rescue like this."
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to higher positions in the province of Babylon.
This is a popular story. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah had strong faith in God, and trusted Him beyond reason. They really did risk their lives, and would have been martyrs, if God hadn't intervened.
They knew He could rescue them. But they said that even if He didn't, they still wouldn't worship any other god. They left it up to God, and made no demands. And He did rescue them.
And Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged that God was greater than any other god.
This pagan king is getting an idea of Who God is, but he still needs a little more encouragement.
Check back tomorrow for the next chapter in this gripping saga.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
