The Fiery Furnace
A long time ago there was a big empire called Babylonia that was ruled by a great king named Nebuchadnezzar. King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians had conquered pretty much everything. They even conquered Israel and took the best and the brightest people back to Babylon to serve in Nebuchadnezzar’s court. Among them were three young men who had become leaders in the land of Babylon. They were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were young men believed in and worshiped the true God.
Daniel 2:1-30
King Nebuchadnezzar made a huge gold idol. It was 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide. The king told the people, “When you hear the music play, everyone must bow down to the idol. If you don’t bow down, you will be thrown into a blazing furnace.”
Well Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would not bow down to an idol. They only would bow down to the LORD God. They said, “Our God will deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and even if He doesn’t deliver us, O king, we will not serve your gods, nor will we worship the golden image which you have set up.” What bravery!
King Nebuchadnezzar had the furnace heated 7 times hotter than usual. He had the Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego tied up and thrown into the furnace.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not afraid. They stood quietly while the mighty men wound the cords tightly around their bodies, and they did not cry out when the men picked them up and threw them into the furnace. But the flames leaped out of the furnace door and killed the mighty soldiers who carried them to the place of burning.
Nebuchadnezzar sat in his royal chair nearby, watching. He saw the flames leap out and burn the soldiers to death. He saw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fall, bound hand and foot, into the fire.
When the king looked into the fire, he was amazed. The men were untied, walking around, and there was a fourth person in the fire with them! He said, “Didn’t we throw three men in the fire? I see four men loose, walking around, and they are not hurt.” The fourth person looked like a heavenly being.
The king called their names and ordered them to come out of the fire. When they came out, they were not hurt at all. Their hair had not been burned, and they didn’t even smell like smoke. King Nebuchadnezzar made a law that everyone should honor the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego because no other God could deliver like he could.
What should this story mean to us?
The three young men were punished because they would not bow down to the idol. Whatever people serve becomes their idol. Some people spend all their time making money and have no time for God.
Today you may not see idols made of wood or stone, but there are still idols around. Money can become an idol, toys can become an idol, worshiping angels can be an idol, fame can be an idol. Anything that comes between you and Jesus can be an idol.
It is your job to learn about Jesus and make sure Jesus is always first in your life. You can never bow down to anyone, or anything except Jesus Christ our Lord.
Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne. “What is the Role of a Virtuous Woman?” Becker Bible Studies Library April 2022. https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p =5274. Retrieved [dateMLA].
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne. (2022). “This is a hurting world.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p =5274. Retrieved: [dateAPA].
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne. (2022) “This is a hurting world.” Becker Bible Studies Library (April), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/? =5274 (accessed [dateChi]).
