And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, fell down bound into the
midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Daniel 3:23
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were three young Hebrew men who got tossed alive into a fiery furnace...
and Abednego, fell down bound into the
midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Daniel 3:23
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were three young Hebrew men who got tossed alive into a fiery furnace...
...under orders from Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. They had refused to bow down and worship the image of the king or regard him as their god. As a result, the penalty for this was death.
But alas, as the story goes, although they were thrown alive into a blazing furnace, they did not die. Nor were they burned. Instead, they were found walking in the midst of the flames, along with a mysterious fourth man who was seen walking with them. This, I believe, was the Angel of the Lord, the Pre-Incarnate Christ, the Messiah.
Shortly afterwards, they were pulled from the fire, with that fourth man nowhere to be seen. Nevertheless, the miracle caused King Nebuchadnezzar to switch his position and now declare Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to be servants of the Most High God, whom the king now demanded people worship instead of himself.
And, reading this passage, it dawned on me that these three men had had a special and unique fellowship together while in those flames. It was a fellowship known to them. But it was and is a fellowship we as Christians know today, as well. For it is a fellowship of those whose faith is tested daily through the various fiery trials we as disciples of Christ encounter both as individuals, but also as one body in Christ.
As the Bible declares in Acts 14:22, as followers of the Lord Jesus, we must go through "much tribulation" before we finally enter the kingdom of God. Such tribulation and danger Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego knew all too well. And we know it, too. For Peter also warns us, the church, of the "fiery" trials we must endure so that our faith may also be tested. And so that we, too, as living representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ, will allow our tests to become testimonies for the glory of God.
D.B.
But alas, as the story goes, although they were thrown alive into a blazing furnace, they did not die. Nor were they burned. Instead, they were found walking in the midst of the flames, along with a mysterious fourth man who was seen walking with them. This, I believe, was the Angel of the Lord, the Pre-Incarnate Christ, the Messiah.
Shortly afterwards, they were pulled from the fire, with that fourth man nowhere to be seen. Nevertheless, the miracle caused King Nebuchadnezzar to switch his position and now declare Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to be servants of the Most High God, whom the king now demanded people worship instead of himself.
And, reading this passage, it dawned on me that these three men had had a special and unique fellowship together while in those flames. It was a fellowship known to them. But it was and is a fellowship we as Christians know today, as well. For it is a fellowship of those whose faith is tested daily through the various fiery trials we as disciples of Christ encounter both as individuals, but also as one body in Christ.
As the Bible declares in Acts 14:22, as followers of the Lord Jesus, we must go through "much tribulation" before we finally enter the kingdom of God. Such tribulation and danger Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego knew all too well. And we know it, too. For Peter also warns us, the church, of the "fiery" trials we must endure so that our faith may also be tested. And so that we, too, as living representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ, will allow our tests to become testimonies for the glory of God.
D.B.