Out of the Fiery Furnace

King James Version Chapter 3

Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the †mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of pthe most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, qcame forth of the midst of the fire. 27 And rthe princes, rgovernors, and rcaptains, and the king’s lcounsellers, being gathered together, saw these men, supon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their ecoats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, twho hath sent ouhis angel, and udelivered his servants vthat trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, wexcept their own God.

Out of the Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:26-28

26Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth of the midst of the fire. 27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellers, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

How are the lives of Daniel and his friends similar to our lives as believers in the 21st century?

Background

Today’s section follows the rise of Daniel and his companions in the king’s court after several miraculous events. Now, some of the Chaldeans(those from southern Babylonia, near the Persian Gulf) accuse Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego of transgressing the royal decree by not bowing down and worshipping the gold stature the king had created (3:1-12). The king follows the Chaldean’s suggestion and prepares the fury furnace to punish the three Jews for not obeying the decree.

How do you explain to others that God’s presence has been manifested in your life? Out of the Fiery Furnace

The kings calls to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and addresses them as servants of the Most High God. He tells them to come out of the furnace.

After intense persecution, the three are vindicated for their faithfulness to the God of Israel. In the presence of the entire court, including the officials that condemned them, the king acknowledges what is apparent-the Hebrew men sustained the fire unharmed. They didn’t even smell like smoke. King Nebuchadnezzar blesses the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

This entire account is known as the “fiery furnace” in the Christian tradition. It serves as an example of unwavering faith and God’s saving power. What encouragement to obey God rather than man!

How do you explain to others that God’s presence has been manifested in your life? Out of the Fiery Furnace

26Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth of the midst of the fire. 27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellers, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

Despite being thrown into the furnace that killed even those who come near it, when the king calls the three Jews to come out, they do so! The king recognized that the God these Jews said would save them is the “most high God.”

To add to the miraculous nature of the event, when the men exit the furnace, the governors and other leaders look at them and realize that they have not been harmed in the least-not a hair on their heads nor any part of their clothing has been signed. They do not even smell like fire. It is as though a barrier protected them while they were inside the furnace. Only the most high God would be able to perform such a miracle.

WHEN my wife is baking something in the oven, she will do what I am sure many of you ladies do: slide it out and stick it with a fork to see whether it’s done or not. You do this because you want to know if the dish is ready to be eaten. You will put that cake or that pie into the oven, a fiery ordeal, and then let it sit for a while before even bothering to check it. The idea is to let the item be in the fire a sufficient amount of time to be made ready.

God may have you in the fire, but He is getting you ready for the Master. He wants to make sure you are well done for the Master. He wants to make sure that when the Master sits down, there is a well-prepared life for Him. Sometimes that means that even when you think you are ready, He puts you back in. Although you may look done on the outside, God knows that you may not been done all the way through and He wants to make sure that you are ready.

God is both the cook and the Master. He makes sure that you are done and ready to present for His glory.

Let us determine to be true to God no matter how difficult the pressure or punishment. God’s protection transcends anythings we could imagine.

How do you explain to others that God’s presence has been manifested in your life? Out of the Fiery Furnace

28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

Nebuchadnezzar responds to the miracle by blessing Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s God, recognizing that the fourth person in the furnace was an “angel”(angel, messenger). The king is so changed by the event that he praises the Jews for disobeying his command! In this case, these faithful servants have been saved from death by giving up their bodies, not their faith.

Most of us may not be places in a position of having to die for our faith. But will we live for our faith? Will we present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy, and acceptable to God ()?

I USED to love Pop-Tarts. You know, you put them in the toaster, and you press the toaster button down and then wait for them to pop up. Every now and then, the Pop-Tarts would pop back up before they were ready. They just were not fully toasted like I wanted them to be so I had to push the button back down again. I wanted the heat to have a chance to do its sufficient work and make those pastries satisfactory for my enjoyment.

Sometimes in trials, God pushes us down in the heat but we want to pop up and pop out. He says that if we let this difficult time have its ultimate conclusion, we’ll pop up when we’re ready and then we will be blessed. So if you’re going through a trail, or an adverse circumstances, don’t just be concerned about popping up and popping out before God has completed His purpose.

Know that He simply will push the toaster button down again to continue the process of spiritual maturity.

Trust God in the midst of every trial. There are eternal reasons for temporary trails, so let us be thankful that our destiny is in God’s hands, not man’s.

In conclusion today’s lesson is about faith in action and conviction. In many cases, we are called to stand firm in our convictions when we face external pressures from society.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders who joined him in nonviolent protest also faced the same challenge.

They had to stand strong even when hosed, attacked by dogs, and beaten with billy clubs. They knew they were standing up for right and that God would deliver them one way or another. Many paid the ultimate price for freedom with their lives.

Idolatry does not present itself today as a sixty-cubit gold statue, but many false gods seek priority in our lives.

List things that appear as “must dos” and “must have.”

Based on how you spend your time and money, what is your main focus?

Do you need to make changes to ensure you are faithful. to God?