I must admit, I enjoy watching the shows about thrill seekers. You know the ones I am talking about. They rappel down into volcanoes to take pictures of the lava. Or maybe they seek out tornados to see if they can get right in the middle of them and survive. They ride bulls, BASE jump off of bridges and tall buildings, and all sorts of other dangerous things. One thing I have noticed is that just about all of them have scars and broken bones as a reminder of the peril that goes with their addiction to adrenalin. There is a price to pay for this type of pastime.
Daniel 3 (NIV)
26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!"
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
What is the fascination with the story of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah? We know them better as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. I think we are drawn to this account because of the element of danger. In today’s vernacular, this would have been an extreme event. People would have filled the area around the furnace for miles just to get a glimpse of what was going on. Here were three Hebrew boys who had totally stood up to the most powerful man in the area – the king of Babylon – Nebuchadnezzar. He had erected a statue for everyone to bow down to on command and these men had politely said, “No. We bow to only one God.” As could be predicted, old Neb got totally ticked off and decided to have a little fire with our boys as the logs.
We all know the story. The king ordered the flames to be superheated and the men who threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire were killed by the heat escaping from the furnace. The king was watching these events closely and he jumped off his throne when he saw four men walking, unbound, in the furnace. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He asked his advisors, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them in the furnace? Now I see four men, walking around unharmed.” Naturally this piqued his interest so the king called our boys out of the fire. This is where most accounts of this event end.
The Bible goes on to tell us a little more about the Hebrew captives and the fiery furnace. First of all, notice that Nebuchadnezzar has already figured out that there is something different about these three men and their God. He says, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out!” Remember that the reason he had thrown them in the fire was because they would not worship the gods of Babylon or bow down to the statue he had made. But now, he was recognizing that their God was indeed THE God.
When these three men of God walked out of the fire, there was a crowd of royal groupies hanging around. They had been sitting back and enjoying the spectacle – waiting to see something bad happen. They got the surprise of their life. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego not only walked out of the flames, they looked like they had just been for a stroll around the royal grounds. They had no burns on them – not even a hair was singed. Their clothes were intact and the real surprise was that they didn’t even smell like smoke. They were not even touched by their walk through the furnace.
What is the difference between these three men and the base jumpers, bull riders, and other extreme “sports” enthusiasts? Our guys weren’t out for a thrill; they were following God’s leadership in their lives. They were thrown into the flames because they refused to disobey God. Consequently they walked out unscathed. How could that happen? It was the fourth man in the fire. Nebuchadnezzar said he looked like the son of a god. This fourth person in the furnace walked God’s men through the flame.
God takes care of His people. There is nothing that can harm us if we are walking side by side with Jesus Christ. It doesn’t mean that we won’t have troubles, but we can be assured that we will walk out on the other side with our robes intact and not even the smell of this world left on our garments. Now that is exciting – that is extreme
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