Daniel: Humble Servant, Faithful God - One Constant Presence

This Sunday we consider the fiery furnace incident in Daniel 3. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego challenge the gods of the King, refusing to bow down and worship, knowing it will cost them their lives. Nebuchadnezzar rages, heating the furnace to its max. He doesn’t care that his own men die, his bloodlust consumes him. He throws these servants of God in the furnace fully clothed and bound. Suddenly, he appears, God! In Nebuchadnezzar’s own words, “I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” (Daniel 3:25)

 Nebuchadnezzar had asked the right question, “And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” (3:15) Well, now he knows, the God of the Jews! Notice the testimony these men garner from Nebuchadnezzar, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.” (3:28) What a testimony to the watching world!

But what’s the message to the people of God living in Babylonian exile? Join us Sunday as we consider this moment in history.