Sometime ago I had published an articles in local English dailies regarding how God delivered Israelites from the hands of powerful Egyptians, and Jonah out of sea water. Today I would like to write about how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were delivered out of fiery furnace and Daniel from lions’ den. Let us have a brief look.

That, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon made a golden idol measuring sixty cubits high and six cubits wide (about 90x6fts). He set up the idol on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. The king called the Governors, advisors, treasurers, judges, rulers and all the people of his kingdom to come to the plain of Dura to join in the dedication ceremony of the idol. So all people came and stood in front of the idol that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. An official of the King makes an announcement: ‘All you people from many nations and language groups listen to me; this is what you are commanded to do. That, you must bow down as soon you hear the sound of all musical instruments, horns, flutes, harps, bagpipes, you must bow down and worship the golden idol. If any person does not bow down and worship the idol, the person will be immediately thrown into the fiery furnace’.

So, as soon as they heard the sound of the musical instruments mentioned above, the people bowed down and worshipped the golden idol which King Nebuchadnezzar had erected. But Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not know bow down to worship the golden idol. Some of the important officials came to the king and told that the three Hebrew youths Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego whom he had appointed as important official did not worship the golden idol in spite of the order.

King Nebuchadnezzar became very angry and called Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The king asked them; ‘Is it true that you do not bow down before the golden idol that I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of musical instruments you must how down and worship the golden idol. If you do not worship it you will be thrown into the fiery furnace. No God will be able to save you from my power’.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered the king and said: ‘We don’t need to explain to you all the things. If you throw us into the fiery furnace, the God we serve can save us. Even if God does not save us, we want you to know that we refuse to serve your golden idol. We will not worship the golden idol you have set up.

Then Nebuchadnezzar became angry and upset with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The king gave an order to his officials for the oven to be heated seven times hotter than usual. Nebuchadnezzar commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the hot fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were tied up and thrown into the fiery furnace. They were wearing their robes and other dress. The fire was so hot that the flames killed the strong soldiers when they came close to the fire to throw in Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The trio fell into the burning fire. The king and his officials looked at the burning fire and saw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego with one unknown gentleman walking out of the fiery furnace. The king Nebuchadnezzar was very surprised and he asked his advisers, ‘Did we not tie only three men and threw them into the fire?’ The king said I see four men walking around in the fire and they don’t get burned. The fourth man looks like the son of God.

The King Nebuchadnezzar went towards the opening of the hot furnace and shouted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to come out of the fire. When they came out, all the Governors and royal advisors crowded around them. They could see that the fire did not burned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Their bodies, their robes and even their hair were not burned. They didn’t even smell like they had been near the fire.

After Nebuchadnezzar saw all these, he said, ‘Praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abedego’. Their God has sent his angel and saved his servants from fire. These three men trusted their God. So they refused to obey my command and were willing to die instead of worshipping any other God. I now make this law that the people of any nation that say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego will be cut to pieces and their houses will be destroyed. No other God can save his people like this. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to more important positions in the province of Babylon. Daniel 3:1-30.

After Nebuchadnezzar died his son-in-law Belshazzer became king of Babylon for a short period. He was beheaded and a man named Darius the Mede, became the new king. During Darius rule, he appointed 120 (one hundred twenty) Governors to rule his kingdom. He again chose three men to rule over those 120 Governors. Daniel was one of these three supervisors. The king appointed these men so that no one would cheat him and he would not lose anything in his kingdom. Daniel showed himself to be better than the other supervisors by his good character and great abilities.

The king was so impressed with Daniel that he planned to make Daniel ruler of the whole kingdom. When the other two supervisors and the governors heard about this, they were very jealous. They tried to find reasons to accuse Daniel. So they watched Daniel closely as he performed his duties in the Government. But they could not find any fault in Daniel. So they could not accuse him of doing anything wrong. Daniel was a man who all the people could trust. He did not cheat the king and he worked very hard.

Since they could not find any fault in Daniel they wanted to accuse him of being obedient to the law of his (Daniel) God. So those two supervisors and the Governors went in group to the king. They said, the king should make a law to be obeyed by all the people of his kingdom. The law must be that anyone who prays to any God other than the God of kingdom of Babylon for thirty days will be thrown into the lion’s den. The king made the law. After the king signed the paper, it could not be changed; the law of the Medes and the Persians can't be cancelled or changed.

Daniel as a custom prayed to his God three times a day. Everyday Daniel went to the upper room of his house and prayed three times. He opened the window of his upper room; and kneels down facing towards Jerusalem and prayed to his God. Those people who saw Daniel praying to his own God reported to the king. They reminded the king about the law he had made and signed which said that anyone who prayed to any God beside the God of Babylon for the next thirty days would be thrown into the lion’s den. The king says ‘yes, I have signed the law’. Those people then said that Daniel did not obey the law and he still continued to pray to his God three times every day.

The king became very sad and upset when he heard this. The king decided to save Daniel; he thought the whole day about how to save Daniel. By that time those people again went to the king and said the law of the Medes and the Persians which a king of the country had signed can never be cancelled or changed. So King Darius could not do anything. He ordered those people to bring Daniel and throw him into the lion’s den. They brought Daniel and threw him into the lion’s den. The king said to Daniel: ‘I hope the God whom you worship will save you’. A big block was brought and put on the top of the opening of lions’ den; and the king sealed the rock with his ring. This sealing of the rock with the king’s ring was a sign that no one could move that rock and take out Daniel from the lion’s den.

After this king Darius went back. The king did not eat that night and could not even sleep the whole night. He got up early the next morning and ran to the lions’ den, and called, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God. Has your God been able to save you from the lions?’ Daniel answered, ‘May the king live forever, my God sent his angel to save me. The angel closed the lions’ mouth. So the lions did not hurt me because; my God knows that I am innocent. I never did anything wrong to you’.

The king was very happy. He told his servants to lift Daniel out of the lion’s den. When Daniel was lifted out of the lions’ den they did not find any injury on his body. Daniel was not hurt by the lions because he has trust in his God. Then the king gave command to bring all those people who had accused Daniel and throw them into the lions’ den. Those men and their wives and children were thrown into the lions’ den. The lions ate their bodies and chewed their bones. King Darius wrote a letter to all the people and nations around the world and asked them to fear and respect the God of Daniel. In his letter, the king said that Daniel’s God is the living God, the God lives forever. Daniel was successful during the time of King Darius and during the time of Cyrus, the Persian King. Daniel 3:30; 6:1-28.

Babylon persecution was in opposition to the Ten Commandments of God. Daniel’s three friends were cast into the fiery furnace because of their refusal to worship the golden idol of King Nebuchadnezzar; the order to worship the golden idol was against the second commandment of the Ten Commandments i.e., ‘you shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God’. Exodus 20:4. Daniel was put into the lions’ den because of his refusal to obey the king’s order to worship Babylonian Gods; the order to worship Babylonian God was against the first commandment of the Ten Commandments i.e. ‘You shall have no other Gods before me’. Exodus 20:3. In these last days the world will persecute God’s people because of their refusal to obey the law of the world. Bible researchers, historians and commentators are of the opinion that God’s people of these last days will be persecuted for keeping the commandments of God. The particular commandment for the observance of which God’s people will be persecuted is not mentioned in this article. One thing is sure that whatever persecution may come in these last days like the one in the Babylon, the same God who delivered Daniel and his three friends will again be the delivered. 

(Courtesy: The Sangai Express)