Jesus in Daniel
October 30, 2024
The Fourth Man in the Fire
When Daniel was being used by God in Babylon during the Jews’ captivity, he had three friends who stood with him. We know them by their Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.
When the king, Nebuchadnezzar, made a statue of himself and demanded that everyone bow down and worship him—these three faithful young men said they couldn’t. They obeyed God’s commandment to have “no other gods before me” (see Exodus 20:3-6). It took a lot of courage to say no, knowing God may or may not deliver them from the death sentence of being burned alive in a furnace.
Nebuchadnezzar was insanely furious, commanding the furnace be heated to seven times its intensity. The three men were bound and thrown in and even the guards who got close were instantly killed.
But not the three men. The king looked in the furnace and saw four men, unbound and walking around. The fourth man, Nebuchadnezzar noted, “was like a son of the gods.” The king, not having spiritual perception, could only testify to his unusual appearance, but we know this mystery man was the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is quite wonderful for all of us! The Lord Jesus was there with them, and He’s with you and me today when we go through trials. He promises never to leave nor forsake His own. What a picture we have here!
What’s more, when the three men were brought out of the furnace, the king noted that not a hair was singed nor the smell of smoke on their clothes. Nebuchadnezzar was convinced. This “God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego” rescues His servants who believe in, trust in, and rely on Him.