Facing the Fires

In my Bible study we have been going through Daniel. This is great, because I knew next to nothing about that particular book. Like every kid who went to Sunday School, I have vague memories of the "Daniel in the Lion's Den" story, but that was about it.

I didn't even realize that one of my favorite Old Testament stories was IN the book of Daniel. That'd be the one with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. I also didn't realize that though I knew the basics - the three of them won't bow to the false gods, the king throws them in the furnace, but they don't burn up and the king is amazed - I didn't really understand any further what it meant and how it could truly reveal God's sovreignty in our toughest trials.

What I learned was so good I just really wanted to share it with you all! I hope you find it as meaningful - and ultimately comforting - as I did.

If you want to read it first, the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is in Daniel, chapter 3.

So background: these three guys were actually Israelite (Jewish) captives living in Babylon and working for the king. Their names were not Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - these were Babylonian monikers assigned to them to force their assimilation into the culture. Their real names are revealed in Daniel 1:6 - Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. All three names have meaning related to the goodness and sovreignty of God.

More background: King Nebuchadnezzar was the head honcho in Babylon, the mightiest empire of the day. It was by his hand that Jerusalem was seized and that strong, smart young men like Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, and their friend Daniel were taken prisoner and forced into the king's service. Though just one chapter ago in Daniel 2 Nebuchadnezzar learned through Daniel's interpretation of his dream that God would break all the kingdoms of the earth - including Old Neb's - he decided the best thing to do to assert his authority was to built a gargantuan statue and have everybody bow and worship it.

Cut to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who respectfully declined... in front of every important person in Babylon, who had gathered for the celebratory first bowing-down and worshipping session. Nebuchadnezzar walks over, points to the roaring burning inferno just off to the side of the statue, and is like, "Oh, maybe you didn't hear me when I said to bow down. I'll give you one more chance to do it and then it's roasting to death for you three."

And they respond, in what has got to be one of the best comebacks EVER: "Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

We could just stop there, right? God is able to rescue us from any circumstance. ANY. But even if He does not, will you remain faithful? Even unto a fiery death? Just, BAM. Gets me!

But there's more to think about. In her study, Beth gives three ways God delivers us when we face the fires in life.

We can be delivered FROM the fire. This would have been like if the king's response was "Wow, I'm impressed by your devotion. No furnace for you today! You all can live and you can worship your God as you'd like." Or from a modern perspective, a near miss. A car crash that you narrowly avoided. A health scare that turns out to be nothing. A shaky circumstance that ends more positively than it should've. This is, as Beth points out, what we all rationally hope for! God's deliverence in this way BUILDS our faith. Turn your gratitude toward Him and give Him the praise He deserves when this is your fortunate lot!

We can be delivered THROUGH the fire. This is what happened to our three brave young men. They were bound and thrown into the furnace. It was so intense that the soldiers in charge of putting them in the fire died just because they got too close. But when the king peers into the flames, he is astonished to see not three but FOUR men walking - walking! - around in the furnace. Unbound. Unharmed. God himself walked through the fire with them. They came out of the furnace and not a hair on their head was singed and they didn't even smell like smoke. God can deliver you through the fires in your life, too, walking with you the whole time. The injury or sickness that you must endure until you are healed. The long, tough road through a desert in your life, when all you want is to reach the other side already. The difficult, strained relationship that takes every last ounce of your energy to maintain and honor. God is in the process of delivering you through that even as it happens. And like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, your faith will be REFINED. Improved. Made stronger. Again, just like these three, when you exit the fire by God's hand, the only thing burned away will be what bound you up.

We can be delivered BY the fire. This is death. And by it you are delivered straight into the waiting arms of our Father. If God had allowed these three to die in the fire, they would still have been delivered, just in an eternal way. And they were willing to face it. "Even if he doesn't," remember? Death, in the end, is what PERFECTS our faith.

So when we face these fires, what gods are we tempted to bow to? Bitterness? Unbelief? Self-pity, maybe, or resentment? Write the words of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego on your hearts. Sear them on your tongue. "The God I serve is able to save me from anything, and he will rescue me from this fire. But even if he does not, I will not bow to the little gods of this world."

You know what else will happen when you trust in God and refuse to bow to any other? God will get the glory for your faithfulness, and others will want to know him more. Look at what Nebuchadnezzer proclaimed when the three exited the fire unharmed:

"Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way."

No other god indeed.