The Fiery Furnace - Three Brave Friends

One day, King Nebuchadnezzar had a grand idea. He ordered his craftsmen to make a huge golden statue - ninety feet tall and nine feet wide! It probably gleamed and sparkled in the sunlight, visible from miles away. The king set it up on the plain of Dura and then sent out a command: All the officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and rulers of every province must come to a special dedication ceremony.

When all the important people from across the kingdom gathered, the king's herald shouted in a loud voice: "People of all nations and languages, this is what you are commanded to do! As soon as you hear the sound of the horns, flutes, lyres, harps, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up! Anyone who refuses to bow down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace!"

The crowd murmured nervously. A blazing furnace? That meant certain death! The furnace was probably used for smelting metal or baking bricks, heated to incredibly high temperatures. No one could survive being thrown into those flames! So when the music started playing - horns blaring, strings strumming, pipes piping - everyone fell flat on their faces before the golden statue. Everyone, that is, except three young men.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood tall while everyone else bowed low. They couldn't bow to an idol! God had commanded His people not to worship any gods except Him. Even if it cost them their lives, these three friends would not betray their God. They had made up their minds long ago that they would be faithful to God no matter what.

Some men who were jealous of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego saw this as their chance to get rid of them. They hurried to King Nebuchadnezzar and said, "O king, live forever! You made a decree that everyone must bow down when the music plays, or be thrown into the furnace. But there are some Jews - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego - whom you've put in charge of the province of Babylon, and they refuse to obey you! They don't serve your gods or worship your golden statue!"

King Nebuchadnezzar flew into a terrible rage! His face turned red with anger! How dare anyone disobey his command? He ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought to him immediately. When the three friends stood before the king, Nebuchadnezzar demanded, "Is it true that you don't serve my gods or worship my golden statue? I'll give you one more chance. When the music plays, bow down and worship the statue I made. But if you don't worship it, you'll be thrown into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"

The three friends looked at each other. They didn't need time to think about their answer. They had already decided they would never betray God. Shadrach spoke up bravely: "O Nebuchadnezzar, we don't need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we're thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve IS ABLE to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king."

Then Meshach added even more boldly: "But even if He doesn't, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up!" What courage! They were saying, "We know God CAN save us. We believe He WILL save us. But even if He chooses not to, we still won't bow down!" Their faith in God wasn't dependent on getting what they wanted. They would be faithful no matter what happened!

King Nebuchadnezzar was so furious that his face became distorted with rage! He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual! The flames roared and crackled, the heat so intense that you could feel it from far away. The strongest soldiers in the army were commanded to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the furnace.

The three friends were tied up tightly, still wearing their robes, trousers, turbans, and other clothes. The soldiers picked them up and carried them toward the furnace. As they approached the opening, the heat was so incredibly intense that it killed the soldiers who carried them! But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell into the roaring flames, bound and helpless.

King Nebuchadnezzar sat on his throne, watching to make sure his command was carried out. He expected to see three men burning up in the flames. But suddenly, he leaped to his feet in amazement! "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?" he asked his advisers urgently. "Yes, O king," they replied, confused. "Certainly, we threw in three men."

The king's eyes were wide with shock. "Look!" he shouted, pointing at the furnace. "I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed! And the fourth looks like a son of the gods!" Inside the blazing furnace, the three friends were not alone! God Himself had sent someone - many believe it was Jesus before He was born as a baby - to walk with them in the fire! They weren't tied up anymore. They weren't being burned. They were walking around, completely safe, in the middle of the flames!

King Nebuchadnezzar approached the opening of the furnace, getting as close as he could to the blazing heat. "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God!" he called out. "Come out! Come here!" The three friends walked out of the furnace, and everyone crowded around to look at them. It was absolutely incredible! Their hair wasn't singed. Their clothes weren't scorched. They didn't even smell like smoke! The fire had no power over them at all! The only things that had burned were the ropes that tied them - God had set them free!

The king's heart was completely changed. "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego!" he declared. "He sent His angel and rescued His servants! They trusted in Him and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God!" The king made a new decree: No one in his kingdom could say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, because no other god could save people like this! Then the king promoted the three friends to even higher positions in the province of Babylon!

What an amazing story of faith and courage! Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego teach us so many important lessons! First, we should make up our minds ahead of time to be faithful to God, no matter what. Don't wait until you're in a difficult situation to decide - decide now that you'll always follow God! Second, real faith trusts God even when we don't know how things will turn out. The three friends said, "Even if God doesn't save us, we still won't bow down." They loved God more than their own lives!

Third, when we go through hard times - our "fiery furnaces" - we're never alone! God is right there with us, just like He was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Sometimes God rescues us FROM our problems, and sometimes He walks WITH us through our problems, but He never leaves us! Fourth, when we stand up for God with courage, it makes others see how great God is! The king who wanted to kill them ended up praising their God!

You might never be thrown into a real furnace, but you might face times when it's hard to do what's right. Maybe kids at school want you to cheat, or lie, or be mean to someone. Maybe you're tempted to watch or do things that God wouldn't want you to do. In those moments, remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! Be brave like they were! Stand up for what's right, even if everyone else is doing wrong! Trust that God is with you and will take care of you! When you have courage to be faithful to God, He will be faithful to you - and He might use your courage to show others how great He is!

Big idea: God is always with us and loves us very much!