Daniel 3:14-27 - "Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them,
"Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my
gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? "Now if you are
ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon,
psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image
that I have made, very well But if you do not worship, you will immediately be
cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can
deliver you out of my hands?" Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to
the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer
concerning this matter. "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to
deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your
hand, O king. "But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king,
that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you
have set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and his facial
expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. He answered by
giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.
He commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach,
Meshach and Abed-nego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire. Then
these men were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their caps and their
other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. For
this reason, because the king's command was urgent and the furnace had been
made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up
Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and
Abed-nego, fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to
his high officials, "Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of
the fire?" They replied to the king, "Certainly, O king." He
said, "Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the
fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the
gods!" Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing
fire; he responded and said, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out,
you servants of the Most High God, and come here!" Then Shadrach, Meshach
and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire. The satraps, the prefects, the
governors and the king's high officials gathered around and saw in regard to
these men that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the
hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell
of fire even come upon them."
An interesting thing occurred to me as I was reading this this morning. In verse 21 it says that they were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their caps and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. And then in verse 27 that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.
The only thing they lost in the fire was their bondage. In verse 21 they were "tied up." In verse 23 it says they fell into the midst of the fire "still tied up." In verse 24 Nebuchadnezzar asked the question "Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?" In verse 25 he says "Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm." In verse 26 they came out of the midst of the fire. And in verse 27 everyone saw that they had not been harmed. The only thing the fire did was remove their bondage.
An interesting thing occurred to me as I was reading this this morning. In verse 21 it says that they were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their caps and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. And then in verse 27 that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.
The only thing they lost in the fire was their bondage. In verse 21 they were "tied up." In verse 23 it says they fell into the midst of the fire "still tied up." In verse 24 Nebuchadnezzar asked the question "Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?" In verse 25 he says "Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm." In verse 26 they came out of the midst of the fire. And in verse 27 everyone saw that they had not been harmed. The only thing the fire did was remove their bondage.
In 1 Peter chapter 1 It talks about trials
testing us like fire in order that we can come out more valuable. God uses
trials in our lives to free us from bondage, so to speak. If there's something
useless in our lives, something that isn't profitable that we're enslaved by,
God may put us through the fire to set us free. To deliver us. Nebuchadnezzar
asked "what god is there who can deliver you?" And he got his answer.
"our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing
fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand." Our God is a God of
deliverance. He uses the fire to deliver us from bondage, and when it has
served it's purpose He delivers us from the fire.
"He is able to deliver thee,
He is able to deliver thee;
Though by sin oppressed, go to Him for rest;
Our God is able to deliver thee."
"He is able to deliver thee,
He is able to deliver thee;
Though by sin oppressed, go to Him for rest;
Our God is able to deliver thee."
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