The Fourth Man in the Fire

Daniel 3:25

The three Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were to be thrown into a furnace of fire for refusing to bow down to an image of gold that the heathen king Nebuchadnezzar had fashioned. When confronted by the king regarding their refusal to bow they stated, “We are not careful to answer thee in this matter” (Daniel 3:16). In other words, “we know what to say, and we don’t even have to think about it”. Their response is one of glorious faith:

“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Daniel 3:17, 18).

These young men were placing their faith on God’s ability to deliver them from the burning fiery furnace, and also from the hand of the king. The “but if not” that they use is not them doubting that God will deliver them, but is rather a follow-up to their opening statement, “If it be so”. If the king is true to his word and throws them in the furnace then they believe that God will deliver them. If the king is not true to his word and he does not throw them in, they are warning him in advance, they are NOT going to bow.

You have to love both the resolve and the faith of these three young men. Not only do they trust the Lord’s ability to supernaturally rescue them from flames of fire, but they also believe that he is going to take them out of the vengeful hand of the king. They had a blessed assurance in their hearts, for over 150 years before the Lord had spoken these words through the prophet Isaiah:

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overtake thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” (Isaiah 43:2)

With that in mind, the three Hebrew boys are taken to the mouth of the furnace, which is now burning 7 times hotter than it was before. When the men take them to the door of the furnace, the flames grab the soldiers and kill them (Daniel 3:22). Knowing that their God was going to deliver them, why didn’t Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego simply turn around and walk away at this point? There is no one to throw them into the flames. I cannot help but believe that they went forward into the flames because of what they saw inside.

“Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto the counselors, ‘Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?’ They answered and said unto the king, ‘True, O king’. He answered and said, ‘Lo, 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’”. (Daniel 3:24, 25)

If I looked in the furnace and saw Jesus, I think I might walk forward as well! No matter what you go through, your Jesus will meet you in the midst and set you free from the chains that bind you. Whatever your situation, just look for Jesus in the midst of it, and you will always find Him there.

The Fourth Man in the Fire

Daniel 3:25

The three Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were to be thrown into a furnace of fire for refusing to bow down to an image of gold that the heathen king Nebuchadnezzar had fashioned. When confronted by the king regarding their refusal to bow they stated, “We are not careful to answer thee in this matter” (Daniel 3:16). In other words, “we know what to say, and we don’t even have to think about it”. Their response is one of glorious faith:

“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Daniel 3:17, 18).

These young men were placing their faith on God’s ability to deliver them from the burning fiery furnace, and also from the hand of the king. The “but if not” that they use is not them doubting that God will deliver them, but is rather a follow-up to their opening statement, “If it be so”. If the king is true to his word and throws them in the furnace then they believe that God will deliver them. If the king is not true to his word and he does not throw them in, they are warning him in advance, they are NOT going to bow.

You have to love both the resolve and the faith of these three young men. Not only do they trust the Lord’s ability to supernaturally rescue them from flames of fire, but they also believe that he is going to take them out of the vengeful hand of the king. They had a blessed assurance in their hearts, for over 150 years before; the Lord had spoken these words through the prophet Isaiah:

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overtake thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” (Isaiah 43:2)

With that in mind, the three Hebrew boys are taken to the mouth of the furnace, which is now burning 7 times hotter than it was before. When the men take them to the door of the furnace, the flames grab the soldiers and kill them (Daniel 3:22). Knowing that their God was going to deliver them, why didn’t Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego simply turn around and walk away at this point? There is no one to throw them into the flames. I cannot help but believe that they went forward into the flames because of what they saw inside.

“Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto the counselors, ‘Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?’ They answered and said unto the king, ‘True, O king’. He answered and said, ‘Lo, 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’”. (Daniel 3:24, 25)

If I looked in the furnace and saw Jesus, I think I might walk forward as well! No matter what you go through, your Jesus will meet you in the midst and set you free from the chains that bind you. Whatever your situation, just look for Jesus in the midst of it, and you will always find Him there.

Purpose in Your Heart

Daniel 1:8-15

Daniel was a very young man when taken captive by the Babylonians. Some commentators think he may have been as young as 11. No matter the age, his understanding and ability had caused the king to place him, as well as his friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in a position of favor. These young men were being groomed to be advisers to the king, a process that took three years (Daniel 1:5).

Daniel must have felt himself a leader of sorts over the others, as he spoke on behalf of the group, purposing in his heart that he and the other three would not eat the meat or drink the wine that was appointed to them by the king. His conviction no doubt stemmed from the fact that the meat and wine was also used in the worship of idols, and as children of God, they wanted no part in idol worship.

There was a great risk in taking the stand that Daniel did, for he challenged the eunuchs to feed him and his friends only “pulse”, which are vegetables; with water to drink. He stated that after 10 days, he and the others would be in better shape than those who ate the meat of the king. This would take a supernatural move in order to come to pass, but remember, Daniel had purposed it in his heart.

The Lord moved over the course of the next week and a half, making the four Hebrew children, “fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat” (Daniel 1:15). There were certainly no more nutrients in the food of these children, as the eunuch surely knew, so this health was a miracle from God, and the first in many instances where these young Hebrews would “refuse to bow”.

Purpose something in your heart today; whatever it is. We will do very little to effect this world or build the kingdom of God if the purpose does not make its way from our head to our heart. God is not looking for someone to eat only vegetables and drink only water; that isn’t the point. He is looking for someone to purpose in their heart to be used of God. He wants to pour His vitamins and minerals of the Spirit into every child of God who will yield, and prosper them with the goodness of heaven. We must place our hearts in His loving care, purposed to allow Christ in us, to bring glory out of us.

Go today with the spirit of Daniel, unwilling to compromise your knowledge of His love and forgiveness for you. Let no one steal that glorious knowledge away from you, and be prepared for God to make your countenance fairer than all those around you!