Faith in the Furnace
Daniel 3:1–30
If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace. Daniel 3:17
There were three things that gave Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego the strength to stand firm in this great test of their commitment.
1. They knew that God was sovereign. Nothing is clearer in their response to King Nebuchadnezzar than this. This is no airy, speculative abstraction. This is faith in the furnace. It is a firm conviction of the sovereignty of God in the midst of all things contrary. These men knew that God is sovereign, and therefore it was not foolish but wise for them to entrust their lives to him in this matter.
2. They knew the Scriptures. If we are to do the right thing in similar circumstances, we must know the Word of God, because only the Word of God will cut through such ambiguity. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego triumphed because their minds were filled with Scripture and because they kept coming back to Scripture as the only fully trustworthy and inerrant authority in all matters.
3. They were willing to die for their convictions. It is possible to believe in a sovereign God and know from Scripture what that sovereign God requires and yet fail to do the right thing because you are unwilling to pay the price of obedience. Many fail because they will not pay the price of a loss of popularity or loneliness or ridicule or persecution or economic hardship. Only those who are willing to pay such prices make a difference.
Some people do pay for their faith by dying. But in other cases God intervenes to spare his servants. He spared Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When Nebuchadnezzar peered into the furnace, he saw them walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed. And he also saw a fourth person who looked “like a son of the gods” (v. 25).
It is not difficult to know who that fourth person was. He was Jesus Christ in a preincarnate form. It is a vivid portrayal of the fact that God stands with his people in their troubles.
God does go with his people in their trials. Countless believers have testified to that. So let us be confident in the promise of that presence and be strong. Let us stand for the right and do it. Let us refuse to compromise. Let us stand with unbowed heads and rigid backbones before the golden statues of our godless, materialistic culture. Let us declare that there is a God to be served and a race to be won. Let us shout that we are determined to receive God’s prize, which is far greater than this world’s tinsel toys, and that we are servants of him before whom every knee will bow.
Taken from Come to the Waters by James Boice ISBN 9798887790954 used with permission from P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg NJ 08865
Scripture quotations are from the ESV (the Holy Bible English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.