We Will Never Serve Your Gods

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered Judah and relocated some of the Jewish people to Babylon. God gave special wisdom to three of these young men—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They impressed the king, and he placed them in positions of authority. All was well until the king built a golden statue. Everyone was ordered to fall flat and worship the statue when certain music was played. Failure to comply would result in death inside a furnace.Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew if they worshipped the statue, they would violate the commandments of the one true God. So, when the music played, everyone fell down and worshipped the statue. Everyone except Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—who remained standing. The king found out and gave them another chance. He said, “If you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” (Daniel 3:15). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego respectfully told the king they would never serve his gods or worship his statue. The king became furious. He had Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego tied up and thrown into the fiery furnace.As they were thrown into the fire, they didn’t say a word. They didn’t curse the king. They didn’t say, “God’s going to get you, King, and the ones who snitched on us too!” They could have. The Bible says they were tied but not gagged. But they didn’t fight back. Instead, they said, “King 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 deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-18).So, what did happen inside the furnace? Daniel 3 tells us King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up and said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods” (verse 25). Some biblical scholars think the fourth man was Jesus; others think it might have been an angel. Whoever it was, this fourth man certainly points to God’s activity and presence. And when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fiery furnace, they were completely unharmed and didn’t even smell of smoke. • Kathy Irey• In Daniel 3, how did God show His power and love to His people and to those watching? “…the God we serve is able to deliver us…” Daniel 3:17 (NIV)

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Dan.1.17-Dan.1.20|Dan.3|1Pet.3.15|Exod.20.3-Exod.20.5