The Story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3)

Some people say, “shake the bed, make the bed, and in the bed you go” to help remember their funny sounding names. What happened to these godly men, however, was not funny. They were thrown into a fiery burning furnace by the evil King Nebuchadnezzar. Why? It was because they refused to bow down and worship the golden image the king had made. Everyone else obeyed the king and worshiped the image, but Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to do so. Why? It was because they believed in God, and they believed in keeping God’s Commandments. I’m sure you have heard about God’s Ten Commandments, and the first commandment says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” The second commandment says, “Thou shalt make unto thee no graven image.” If we had to choose between obeying a wicked king or obeying God, what would we do? I hope we would obey God just as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did. The king even gave them a second chance, but they still refused to worship his image. He became very angry, and commanded that all three men be thrown into the fiery burning furnace. End of story, right? No, and here’s the best part of the story. God performed a miracle and would not allow the fire to harm them. When Nebuchadnezzar looked into the huge furnace, he saw more than just three men. He said, “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.” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had been on God’s side, and now God was on their side. I believe it was Jesus that walked with them in the fire and kept them safe. Is there anything too hard for God?