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Daniel Chapter 3: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the Furnace
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the Furnace
Daniel 3

1 Nebuchadnezzar the king 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.

2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

4 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,

5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:

6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.

9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.

10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:

11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.

14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?

15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.

Daniel Chapter 3: The Fiery Furnace
The Fiery Furnace
Daniel Chapter 3 : 19

20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, 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 Abednego, 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.

29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.

 


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Matthew Henry's Daniel Chapter 3 Bible commentary...



Nebuchadnezzar's golden image. (1-7) Shadrach and his companions refuse to worship it. (8-18) They are cast into a furnace, but are miraculously preserved. (19-27) Nebuchadnezzar gives glory to Jehovah. (28-30)1-7 In the height of the image, about thirty yards, probably is included a pedestal, and most likely it was only covered with plates of gold, not a solid mass of that precious metal. Pride and bigotry cause men to require their subjects to follow their religion, whether right or wrong, and when worldly interest allures, and punishment overawes, few refuse. This is easy to the careless, the sensual, and the infidel, who are the greatest number; and most will go their ways. There is nothing so bad which the careless world will not be drawn to by a concert of music, or driven to by a fiery furnace. By such methods, false worship has been set up and maintained.

8-18 True devotion calms the spirit, quiets and softens it, but superstition and devotion to false gods inflame men's passions. The matter is put into a little compass, Turn, or burn. Proud men are still ready to say, as Nebuchadnezzar, Who is the Lord, that I should fear his power? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not hesitate whether they should comply or not. Life or death were not to be considered. Those that would avoid sin, must not parley with temptation when that to which we are allured or affrighted is manifestly evil. Stand not to pause about it, but say, as Christ did, Get thee behind me, Satan. They did not contrive an evasive answer, when a direct answer was expected. Those who make their duty their main care, need not be anxious or fearful concerning the event. The faithful servants of God find him able to control and overrule all the powers armed against them. Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst. If He be for us, we need not fear what man can do unto us. God will deliver us, either from death or in death. They must obey God rather than man; they must rather suffer than sin; and must not do evil that good may come. Therefore none of these things moved them. The saving them from sinful compliance, was as great a miracle in the kingdom of grace, as the saving them out of the fiery furnace was in the kingdom of nature. Fear of man and love of the world, especially want of faith, make men yield to temptation, while a firm persuasion of the truth will deliver them from denying Christ, or being ashamed of him. We are to be meek in our replies, but we must be decided that we will obey God rather than man.

19-27 Let Nebuchadnezzar heat his furnace as hot as he can, a few minutes will finish the torment of those cast into it; but hell-fire tortures, and yet does not kill. Those who worshipped the beast and his image, have no rest, no pause, no moment free from pain, #Re 14:10,11|. Now was fulfilled in the letter that great promise, #Isa 43:2|, When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned. Leaving it to that God who preserved them in the fire, to bring them out, they walked up and down in the midst, supported and encouraged by the presence of the Son of God. Those who suffer for Christ, have his presence in their sufferings, even in the fiery furnace, and in the valley of the shadow of death. Nebuchadnezzar owns them for servants of the most high God; a God able to deliver them out of his hand. It is our God only is the consuming fire, #Heb 12:29|. Could we but see into the eternal world, we should behold the persecuted believer safe from the malice of his foes, while they are exposed to the wrath of God, and tormented in unquenchable fires.

28-30 What God did for these his servants, would help to keep the Jews to their religion while in captivity, and to cure them of idolatry. The miracle brought deep convictions on Nebuchadnezzar. But no abiding change then took place in his conduct. He who preserved these pious Jews in the fiery furnace, is able to uphold us in the hour of temptation, and to keep us from falling into sin.

 


Recent Comments for Daniel Chapter 3...

 


Deb's Daniel Chapter 3 comment on 2/22/2013, 11:41am...

I think God was demonstrating his power, proving his existence, trying to prepare us for the future, and show us to prepare for end times.

 


Victor's Daniel Chapter 3 comment on 2/14/2013, 5:03pm...

Sometimes you just have to “Let it Burn”. Fire has a property called “Radiant Heat” which means if you don’t cool things down around it they will burn too. This is evident by the men carrying the (3) to throw them into the furnace died while trying. God being ALL Powerful could have sent a strong wind and blew out the fire as easily as we blow out a match, or sent a drowning rain; but these things could have and most likely would have been attributed to “Natural Causes”. The FIRE had to BURN. The people standing around had to see for themselves the threat was REAL!!! There was no fake or Shake there. Just like in our lives today. There are those who do not like us for reasons unknown, and they do all they can to make our lives miserable. They get JOY at seeing us suffer, or at least what they perceive as suffering. As we sit back and pray for their deliverance, they giggle with glee. GLORY HALLILUJA!!! Think about what exactly happened that day. Men died, but not the ones that were expected to die. A man who called “himself” a king realized he was nothing. The men in the fire had the Faith of a Saint. Which is what kept them safe (in my opinion). Imagine them sticking their hands into the fire allowing their bonds to be burned off, while not suffering any burns to their bodies. Walking around, possibly in amazement, themselves seeing the walls of flames all around them and feeling no affect. Kind of like our enemies seeking to still our joy, with God’s Grace and Mercy we feel No Affect. Actually, that fire did serve more than one purpose; it set the Hebrews free literally and Spiritually too. All they did was walk around and marvel – not a worry at all. When the king did not hear that expected YELP!!! Their outcry of agony he could not comprehend “Why Not”. Just like those who seek our demise; they can’t understand why we are not in misery. We have to let it burn. Jesus said “Do good to those who would do evil to you…” When someone wants to see you suffer, there is nothing more devastating to them than not to see you suffer. The only suffering seen that day was the men who died trying to obey the king. When it was seen how the properties of “Fire” had been changed that day. EVERYONE was convinced God was God. The king made a proclamation to all, He WAS GOD, and no one was to serve any other God. The Fire might be burning around someone right now; co-workers might be dogging your every step. Your Boss might be doing all he or she can to make your job almost undoable, Bill collectors might be on your phone(s) day and night. Even folks in your churches might put your name(s) in the mud. BUT! Let it burn!!! The future might seem as if there is absolutely NO HOPE, but you have to let it Burn!!! Your children, the one(s) you mothers carried for (9) months and delivered into this world may be causing you heart aches beyond belief, but you got to “Let it burn”!!!! It might seem; the harder you try to get ahead, the further behind it seems you get, But, “Let it Burn” There may be times you think to yourself “Where is God”? Why is He allowing me to go through so much? Those Hebrew Boys were not only a Testimony to the Power of their God; they turned a whole kingdom around. Just like you will, when those fires of your enemies are put to non-affect. All you got to do is “Let them Burn”, God’s got you and they will bring no harm to you either.

 


Stevie's Daniel Chapter 3 comment on 1/26/2013, 9:08am...

In verse 15, the king said "who is that God who is able to deliver you (3 Hebrews) from my hand?" Then in verse 26 after the king saw that the boys were not burnt, he went to the mouth of the furnace and called out saying "you servants of the most High God". From this account we see that after this the king was no longer pagan. Faith comes by hearing and by hearing the word of God, the Hebrew boys preached God's word to the king and the king saw God's miracles in the lives the Hebrew boys, therefore, the king later believed in the true God. Let us emulate the Hebrew boys and make a positive impact wherever we are and win lost souls.

 


Stevie's Daniel Chapter 3 comment on 1/26/2013, 8:34am...

I agree with Jen's and Lucretia's views. The king had experience of both satanic powers (through his magicians, etc..) and the true power of God (through the four Hebrews boys). Therefore he knew exactly what he was talking about in Daniel 3, because he was able to distinguish between the two powers. Jesus had appeared on earth many times before He was born, like in Exodus, He was the Rock... Jesus said before Moses I AM... Thomas is right in saying the king was pagan but he the king came to know the only true God through Daniel and friends, that's why after this the king repented, stopped following Satan and his demons and turned to Jehovah the only true God and commanded all nations under the sun to stop worshiping the devil and start worshiping Jehovah, Daniel's God.

 


LOU's Daniel Chapter 3 comment on 1/07/2013, 11:14pm...

@Thomas,
If the king thought that the fourth man was the son of the gods that he worshiped, then why did he start worshiping the Real True God? I stand by what is written here.

 


Insight 777's Daniel Chapter 3 comment on 12/30/2012, 7:08pm...

I believe everything written in the chapters of Daniel is for a lesson/warning to the people alive during the end of days tribulation. I believe God allowed events to occur in the past that reflect end time events. Chapter 3 is describing the United States (the new Babylon) after the World War 3 peace treaty is signed. The simple gold image that is set up is for Muslim worship when one hears the musical call to prayer in the US cities. I think Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego represent 3 military leaders in the US that disagree with Wahhabi Muslim law and want the constitution upheld and Christianity allowed in the United States. They will be ordered to go into the worst part of the fighting that erupts after the peace treaty is signed. The purpose is to kill them without a human rights issue being raised in other countries. The "ruler" will want entail from the 3 military leaders as to who would "save" (who opposes Muslim law) them from certain death. They answer that God can save them if it is his will, but they would oppose the new Muslim laws even if it means their death. The ruler puts Muslim compliant military men in charge of these 3 US military leaders and together they go into the "fiery furnace" of a fierce World War 3 battle. The other military men escorting are killed and the 3 military leaders are shot down yet survive the battle with no harm at all. I believe that the..."and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God" represents a Christian backed military that participates in this eventful battle that defeats the Muslims (perhaps the last battle before Meddigo when Jesus returns to destroy the opposing remnant). The ruler of the US will call back these 3 military men and declare the removal of Muslim law in the US and reinstates Christianity.

 


RON R.'s Daniel Chapter 3 comment on 12/13/2012, 2:52pm...

I see true faith in GOD from 3 Men who believed in the living GOD, we all need that kind of faith.

 


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Test Your Knowledge of Daniel Chapter 3

1.  Which of these men were not thrown into King Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace?


Shadrach
Meshach
Abednego
Daniel


 



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