We know them better as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 1:7), but before the Babylonians pinned those Babylonian names on them, these three young men were known by their Hebrew names, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Daniel 1:6). After Daniel had interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the three were assigned to responsible positions over the affairs of Babylon (2:49).

At this time Nebuchadnezzar was the ruler of the largest realm in the world; but he was not satisfied with being a great emperor. He wanted to be worshiped as a god: and so he set up an immense statue of himself, and required all to bow down and worship his image. Anyone who failed to do so would be burned alive in a furnace (3:1-7). But Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – would not bow before the king’s idol. Nebuchadnezzar called them in and gave them this stern warning: “if you do not worship, you shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, and who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?” (3:15).

Their answer is instructive. They admitted that they did not know whether God would rescue them from this painful death. But they also made it clear that their decision did not depend on whether they lived or died: “be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up” (3:16-18).

And so the three were bound, and thrown into the great furnace. The furnace was so overheated that the soldiers who threw them in were killed by the flames (3:19-23). But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not die: sustained in the midst of the furnace by the presence of a divine figure, “the hair of their heads was not singed, their tunics were not harmed, and not even the smell of fire came from them” (3:24-27).

God does not deliver us from every persecution. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were preserved in the midst of the flames, but many have not been – famous martyrs like Perpetua and Felicity, Polycarp and Jan Hus, and also many others whose names have not come down to us. In the midst of the struggles we face, we do not know if God will rescue us: but we know that in life and in death we belong to the Lord, and so we pray to stand faithful in our allegiance, even unto death.

* * * * *

Sometimes you rescue us from the disaster, O God. Sometimes you do not. Grant us the courage, we pray, to remain steadfast in our promise to you, that whether we live or die, we will not bow to the pressure to worship the world’s idols.

If you find these studies helpful, please Like, Subscribe, Comment, and Share. Thanks!