In what may be the most famous chapter in Daniel, God has a word for the world, for rulers, for his people. God alone is able to deliver his people through fiery trials – ultimately death itself; and God alone is worthy of worship by all the peoples of the earth.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Daniel’s three Hebrew friends are faced with a coercive choice. Sold out to the king by the accusation of malicious men, will they bow down to an idol and save their life, or give their lives remaining faithful to worship and trust in the One True God. They will not bow or bend. They will not capitulate or compromise. They stand up when everyone else bows down to the pressure. When they are thrown in a fiery furnace they are not alone, a fourth man appears with them in the fire, likely a pre-incarnate visitation of the Lord Jesus. They are miraculously delivered from certain death, without a mark on them, without any hint of fire or smoke. God is vindicated before the world as the only God able to save. The men’s faith is vindicated. The King gives God praise and ironically, Daniel shows us that what others meant for evil, God uses for good, when the King promotes Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego.
Scripture: Daniel 3:1-30; Rom. 13, Rev. 13, James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 1:6-7, Isa. 43:2, Rom. 8:35-39, Mk. 4:8-10
