One day, King Nebuchadnezzar set up a huge golden statue and ordered every official to bow down to the statue.
Then an official announced, “Every nation of the kingdom of Babylon must bow down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar made with trumpets, flutes, harps and other music instruments. Anyone who refuses to obey this command will be thrown into the hot furnace.”
Everyone obeyed the command and came to bow down and worship the giant golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar made except Daniel and his three friends, Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego.
Some Babylonians were jealous of Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and used this opportunity to report them to King Nebuchadnezzar.
When King Nebuchadnezzar found out that Daniel’s three friends did not bow down to the idol, his countenance was twisted with anger.
King Nebuchadnezzar ordered his strongest soldiers to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the hot furnace.
The fire was so hot and flames came out of the fire and burned the soldiers to death.
All of the sudden, King Nebuchadnezzar jumped and shouted, “Weren’t only three men tied up and thrown into the fire? Why did I see four men in the furnace untied? The fourth man looks like a God.”
Then King Nebuchadnezzar commanded, “You servants of God Almighty come out of the fire at once!”
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire. They were unharmed. Their hair was not burned at all. Their clothes don’t smell like smoke.
King Nebuchadnezzar marveled that the three young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego escaped the fiery furnace.
After this, he promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in Babylonia.
Carol says
I understand how the three men survived but why did King Nebuchadnezzar promote them to a higher position ? Was it because God asked him to or was he scared after seeing what he saw ?
admin says
God demonstrated his power by keeping Shadrach, Mesach, and Abednego safe in the super-heated furnace, providing an angel to keep them safe. While the king had set up the statue for the three to bow to, he recognized that the God of Shadrach, Mesach, and Abednego was stronger than his “god.” Nebuchadnezzar wanted to please God, perhaps obtain favor with him too. He thought that making the lives of these three easier, promoting them, demonstrates that he recognized the power and glory of the true God, the God of Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego.