Photo credit: Stacirl (Flickr)
In Daniel 3, we find three Israelite captives, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, being threatened with certain death because they have refused to bow to a gold statue setup by King Nebuchadnezzar. After their refusal they are thrown into the furnace, and joined by a fourth figure (one “like a son of God”), and miraculously preserved from death. By the end of the story, they are promoted to high-level positions within the kingdom, and God is glorified.
Many of us have heard this story before and are glad to hear that no harm comes to the men because of their faith in God. But there are a few aspects of this story that we rarely think about:
1. Their faith didn’t help them avoid the fiery furnace, it was the reason they went in. The faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego led to their refusal to worship the statue, and this refusal caused them to be thrown into the furnace. Think about that. It was their faith that got them in the situation to begin with! We should not think of our faith as helping us to avoid trials—because it often leads us directly into them.
2. They didn’t assume that God would prevent them from suffering. This is what the three men said when confronted with the choice between the fiery furnace and worshipping another God:
“[O]ur God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Dan. 3:17-18)
Notice how the men allowed for the possibility that God wasn’t going to prevent them from suffering. They didn’t know what God was going to allow to happen to them, but their faith wasn’t dependent on what God did or didn’t do for them—they believed in God no matter what happened. This reminds us of Job, who said, in the midst of very difficult trials: “Though he slay me, I will hope in Him” (Job 13:15). For many Christians, faith in God is dependent on receiving a good outcome, but true faith believes in God whether the outcome of a situation is good or bad. Notice that God allowed them to go right into a furnace so hot, it killed the men who opened the door for them. It should not be a challenge to our faith that God allows us to face trials.
3. God preserved them in the fiery furnace. Ultimately, God allowed them to go into the fiery furnace, but preserved them while they were inside, so much so that the smell of smoke didn’t even get into their clothes (Dan. 3:13). Now that’s protection! We too can expect God to allow us to go through trials, and to preserve us in the midst of them.
God’s Glory – When the three men were delivered without any sign of the trial upon them, the King observed that “there is no other God who is able to deliver in this way” (Dan. 3:29). So God was glorified in the deliverance of his followers.
