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DANIEL 4
page 775
Nebuchadnezzar, “Long live the king! 10 You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow
down and worship the gold statue when they
hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre,
harp, pipes, and other musical instruments.
11 That decree also states that those who refuse
to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace.
12 But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego—whom you have put in charge
of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve
your gods and do not worship the gold statue
you have set up.”
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and
ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were
brought in, 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them,
“Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship
the gold statue I have set up? 15 I will give you
one more chance to bow down and worship the
statue I have made when you hear the sound of
the musical instruments.* But if you refuse, you
will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue
you from my power?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied,
“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend
ourselves before you. 17 If we are thrown into the
blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able
to save us. He will rescue us from your power,
Your Majesty. 18 But even if he doesn’t, we want
to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we
will never serve your gods or worship the gold
statue you have set up.”
The Blazing Furnace
19 Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that
the furnace be heated seven times hotter than
usual. 20 Then he ordered some of the strongest
men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego and throw them into the blazing
furnace. 21 So they tied them up and threw them
into the furnace, fully dressed in their pants,
turbans, robes, and other garments. 22 And because the king, in his anger, had demanded
such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed
the soldiers as they threw the three men in. 23 So
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely
tied, fell into the roaring flames.
24 But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up
in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers,
“Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them
into the furnace?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they
replied.
3:15 Aramaic the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other
musical instruments. 3:25 Aramaic like a son of the gods.
4:1 Verses 4:1-3 are numbered 3:31-33 in Aramaic text.
25 “Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see
four men, unbound, walking around in the fire
unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god*!”
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he
could to the door of the flaming furnace and
shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
servants of the Most High God, come out! Come
here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
stepped out of the fire. 27 Then the high officers,
officials, governors, and advisers crowded
around them and saw that the fire had not
touched them. Not a hair on their heads was
singed, and their clothing was not scorched.
They didn’t even smell of smoke!
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the
God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He
sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted
in him. They defied the king’s command and
were willing to die rather than serve or worship
any god except their own God. 29 Therefore,
I make this decree: If any people, whatever
their race or nation or language, speak a word
against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and
their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble.
There is no other god who can rescue like this!”
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions
in the province of Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream about a Tree
1*King Nebuchadnezzar sent this message
to the people of every race and nation and
language throughout the world:
4
“Peace and prosperity to you!
2 “I want you all to know about the
miraculous signs and wonders the Most
High God has performed for me.
• Protection
DA N I E L 3:16-18
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
trusted God to deliver them, but they
were determined to be faithful regardless of the consequences. If God
always rescued those who are true to
him, faith would become unnecessary.
The Christian religion would be a great
“insurance policy,” and there would be
lines of selfish people ready to sign up.
We must be faithful to God whether he
intervenes on our behalf or not. Our
eternal place with him is worth any
suffering we may have to endure.
(For more about this, see the note
on Daniel 6:22-23.)