21. Four Friends in the Fiery Furnace

(Daniel 3)

It was a wonderful sight to see the King’s golden image which he had set up in the great plain. The King was a worshiper of images of wood and stone, and he sent forth his herald with a loud trumpet to cry aloud “To you it is commanded, O people, nations and languages, that when ye hear the sound of the instruments of music, ye shall fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar, the King, hath set up; and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, shall the same hour be cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.” From all the country and provinces around people came to see this great image and to worship, and at the sound of the instruments of music all fell down and prayed to it, except three young men who stood upright looking before them, without bowing their heads or knees to the golden image. These were the three Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the friends of Daniel, who must have been away on a journey at that time. When this was told to the King he was very angry and ordered them at once to worship his image or be cast into the furnace, which they saw in front of them glowing with a terrible fire. They said to the King: “Our God is able to save us from your fiery furnace, and he will save us. But if he does not, be it known unto you, O King, we will not worship the golden image you have set up, or serve your gods of gold.” The King was more angry, and ordered his strong men to make the fiery furnace seven times hotter and cast these three friends into the midst of it. But they were not afraid though they were tied with ropes and cast into the fire, which was so hot the flames leaped out and burned up the men who threw them into it. The King was sitting where he could look right into the furnace. A few moments after, he sprang up greatly astonished and cried: “Look, look; did we not cast three friends into the furnace? Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God!” The King ran to the mouth of the furnace, crying, “Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, ye servants of the Most High God, come out!” And they came out of the fire, and not a hair of their heads was singed, nor were their coats scorched, nor was there even the smell of burning on them. And it all came about because these three friends were loyal to the one true God, who had sent the other Friend, “the form of the fourth,” to deliver them out of the burning fiery furnace.