The third chapter of Daniel contains one of the most well-known and powerful pieces of scripture: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stand in the fiery furnace with Jesus. The story inspires awe and even envy, but . . . almost all of us overlook this obvious fact: if we want to stand in the fire with Jesus, we will need to stand in fire. And frankly, it requires tremendous faith to stand in fire.
- AN IMAGE OF GOLD
1-7 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were members of a conquered kingdom: Jerusalem. A powerful king, Nebuchadnezzar, had chosen them (and Daniel) to be part of his court. He was not a king of their faith; and in a few instances, it caused major conflict for them. For above all, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, served in God's court; God's orders superseded Nebuchadnezzar's orders. Since Nebuchadnezzar did not believe in their God (our God, the God), their behavior would be perceived as treasonous to him.
Major conflict arose: Nebuchadnezzar erected a 135-foot and 9-foot wide image of gold in the province of Babylon. He then called the people of his court to come to the dedication of the image. He commanded all of the people to worship the golden image. Whoever refused to worship the image would be "cast into the midst of a burning, fiery furnace." So the people came and worshiped the image/statue.
- THEY SERVE NOT THY GODS
8-13 But a few did not, and their enemies noticed. Certain "Chaldeans" (rulers in Babylon) accused the "Jews" (people of the conquered-kingdom of Judah) of refusing to worship the image. They stood before the king, with flattery, and redundantly asked if he had indeed made a decree that commanded every man to worship the image. They knew that the king had made that decree, of course; they simply wanted to report Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego for their refusal to do it. They wanted them to be sentenced to death.
The Chaldeans told Nebuchadnezzar that those of Judah did not worship his gods, and did not regard the king himself highly-enough. Nebuchadnezzar was furious. He was a powerful, arrogant leader. To him, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's behavior equated with insurrection. They were not unknown, random people, (though they would have been in trouble too). These three men were chosen by the king for their excellence, their intelligence. They had power in their own right; Nebuchadnezzar likely recognized that. For even if he did not realize that they stood out because of their God, he would have noticed that they did stand out. As wise men, prominent, capable. A capable threat against his reign, if they were in fact against him. And their behavior seemed to suggest that they were.
14-23 But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not so much against Nebuchadnezzar as they were for God. They accepted that it was God's will for them to serve in the king's court. After all, it was because of God's blessings that they were chosen in the first place. As long as they did not receive any commands that contradicted commands given by God, they served the king's court peacefully and efficiently, without any plans of mutiny.
Therefore, Nebuchadnezzar already had what he wanted from them. If he hadn't let his arrogance ignite his anger, he might have realized that peaceful, efficient members of court was the ultimate goal, achieved. Instead, he craved absolute control. He needed to feed his ego. Incensed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, King Nebuchadnezzar confronted them.
- IF IT BE SO
He asked them: is it true? And then he offered them a second chance to bow before his golden image, to worship it. It was an ultimatum: either they worshiped it or they would be put into the fire. He asked them: who shall deliver you? He mocked them; it was an effort to persuade them to worship. Nebuchadnezzar did not believe that the God they chose to serve instead of his was capable of saving them from their fate should they refuse.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were frank with Nebuchadnezzar. They told him that they would not skirt around the issue; they would not be careful with their words. Their answer was a flat, confident, fixed no. And even though Nebuchadnezzar's question about their God was mocking and rhetorical, they answered it. God could save them, if He would. If it be so, they said, meaning: if He chose to do it, he [would] be able to deliver [them] from the burning, fiery furnace.
They continued: but if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. That is stand-in-the-fire faith. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego served God so perfectly, loved Him so thoroughly, that they would embrace flames rather than worship a false god. They knew that God was capable; He could protect them from death by fire. Tremendous faith, certainly. But even more tremendous , they would continue to serve Him and love Him, they would still refuse to worship another supposed-god even if God chose not to save them from the fire.
- BUT IF NOT
This "but if not" type of faith is stand-in-the-fire faith. A lot of people love God in the good, but abandon him the bad. Others cling to him in the bad, but forget Him in the good. Not many have steady, concrete faith that remains determined and succeeds throughout life, and in the face of fire. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, knew that God could save them. That is a laudable, comprehensive understanding of God's character and capability. Yet they also trusted Him; they had faith to believe that He could save them... but more amazingly, they had the faith to trust His plan even if He chose not to save them.
Fear did not persuade them to abandon their faith. As Jesus said in Matthew 16:25, whosoever shall lose his life for my sake will find it. In tangible terms, that means that those who will stand, unyielding, despite even threats to their very life, for God, would ultimately retain their life. And the reason why we should do so is not because of pride or stubbornness or even merely commitment to God. We stand for God above everything, willing to lose everything, because to stand for God is to stand for justice, compassion, righteousness, truth, mercy, love, hope, for all manner of life, throughout life. To stand for God, is to stand against injustice, negligence, corruption, deception, destruction, hopelessness.
Stand-in-the-fire faith is the faith of the individual who, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, serves God above all else. Even above the preservation of self (knowing that, ultimately, the sacrifice of oneself for the kingdom of God is preservation of self). Stand-in-the-fire faith is the faith of the individual who actually steps into the fire.
- LO, I SEE FOUR
19-30 Nebuchadnezzar had the furnace heated seven-times hotter (for such was the level of his own outrage). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were bound and thrown into the furnace. The fire, so hot that even the guards who brought the three men toward the fire, in mere proximity to it, were engulfed and killed by its heat.
Still, none of them changed their mind. They fell down in the burning, fiery furnace and Nebuchadnezzar watched, likely smugly. But as he watched, something confused him. Startled, he asked his men: did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered: True. Three bound men.
But in the furnace stood four figures without bonds. Unharmed. Untouched by flame. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and the fourth form... the Son of God. A sobering moment for Nebuchadnezzar's smug indignance. A sobering moment for us; for we must always remember that followers of Jesus must walk where He walks. And Jesus has walked through scorn, betrayal, temptation, and here: fire, and other forms of figurative fire. Unscathed in Spirit, indeed polished of spirit, yet a walk not without flames, blood, bruises, sorrow, and pain. All steps taken with purpose for purpose, but an arduous walk. Arduous for its requirement of courage in faith, but possible, and even blessed and glorious if the destination, as well as the motivation is God.
- AS YOU HAVE BELIEVED
In no way should one be dissuaded from a walk with Jesus. This is encouragement to stand in the figurative flames. To defy the figurative king. To fight for justice. To stand for truth. To uncover deception. To disassemble corrupt systems. This story is a practical explanation of what that looks like, what it requires, not so that you are dissuaded, but so that you are prepared. So that you build the unyielding trust, the thorough love, and comprehensive knowledge of the character and capability of God that persevered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego through their walk with Jesus for God.
Two men in Matthew 8 had stand-in-the-fire faith. A man with leprosy, a chronic disease, approached Jesus and stated that he knew if Jesus would, he could heal him. Jesus healed the man. Another approached Jesus, a centurion (commander in the Roman army), who stated that he knew if Jesus would declare his soldier healed, he could be healed. Jesus healed the soldier and marveled at the centurion's stand-in-the-fire faith. Jesus marveled because even among those who were raised in this faith, who claimed to believe in and follow God (posterity of Noah, Abraham, and Jacob) that level of faith was rare, even nonexistent.
And here we come to the main, and final point. Jesus told the centurion: Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. There is a deeper message in that salutation: as you have believed, so be it done unto thee. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego believed that God could/would save them from the fiery furnace. As they had believed, so it was done.
The outcome of stands-in-the-fire faith is survives-in-the-fire faith. If you have the faith to believe that all is possible with God, all is possible. God will exert that omnipotent power throughout the length, and breadth, and width of your faith. He will exert His power within the boundaries you set for Him in regard to your life. So be like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, don't set any boundaries! Boundless faith equates with boundless blessing.
In this life of free will, God knocks (Revelation 3:20) and though He could force entry, He waits to be invited inside. In this life of free will, God invites you to knock (Matthew 7:7) and though He could force you to enter, He waits until you request to come inside. Your faith does not determine the amount of His power, it determines how much of it you invite into your life.