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Royalty and Ruin
ing them if they persisted in their refusal to obey his will. But firmly
the Hebrews testified to their allegiance to the God of heaven and
their faith in His power to deliver.
As the three Hebrews stood before the king, he was convinced
that they possessed something the other wise men did not have. He
decided to give them another chance. If only they would unite with
the multitude in worshiping the image, all would be well. “But if
you do not worship,” he added, “you shall be cast immediately into
the midst of a burning fiery furnace.” Then with his hand stretched
upward defiantly, he demanded, “Who is the God who will deliver
you from my hands?”
The king’s threats were in vain. Calmly facing the furnace, the
three Hebrews said, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer
you in this matter. If that is the case [if this is your decision], our
God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery
furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.” Their
faith strengthened as they declared that God would be glorified by
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delivering them. With assurance born of complete trust in God, they
added, “But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not
serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have
set up.”
The king’s anger knew no bounds. “Full of fury,” “the expression
on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego,”
representatives of a despised, captive race. Directing that the furnace
be heated seven times hotter than usual, he commanded the mighty
men of his army to bind the worshipers of Israel’s God.
“Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their
turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of
the burning fiery furnace.” And “the flame of the fire killed those
men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.”
God in the Furnace
But as the Lord’s witnesses were cast into the furnace, the Savior
revealed Himself to them in person, and together they walked in the
midst of the fire. In the presence of the Lord of heat and cold, the
flames lost their power to consume.