Stories From The Hebrew Bible
THE GOLDEN IMAGE AND THE FIERY FURNACE
Stories From The Hebrew Bible
THE GOLDEN IMAGE AND THE FIERY FURNACE
At one time King Nebuchadnezzar had a great image made and covered it with gold. He set this image up as an idol to be worshiped and placed it on the plain of Dura, near the city of Babylon. When it was finished, it stood almost a hundred feet high on its base or foundation, and could be seen far away. Then the king sent out a command for all the princes and rulers and nobles in the land to come to a big gathering, to celebrate the image and set it apart for worship.
The great men of the kingdom came from far and near and stood around the image. Among them, by command of the king, were Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. For some reason Daniel himself was not there.
During the service, all the trumpets sounded, the drums were beaten and music was made on all kinds of musical instruments. This was done as a signal for all the people to kneel down and worship the big golden image. But while the people were kneeling, there were three men who would not bow down – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They knelt down before the Lord God only.
Many of the nobles were jealous of these young men because they had been lifted to high places in the kingdom. These men, who hated Daniel and his friends, were glad to find that these three men had not obeyed the command of King Nebuchadnezzar. The king had said that if anyone did not worship the golden image, he would be thrown into a furnace of fire. So, these men who hated the young men came to the king and said,
O king, may you live forever! You gave orders that when the music sounded everyone should bow down and worship the golden image; and that if any man did not worship, he should be thrown into a furnace of fire. There are some Jews whom you have made rulers in the land, and they have not done as you commanded. Their names are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They do not serve your gods nor worship the golden image that you have set up.
Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage and fury knowing that anyone would dare to disobey his words. He sent for these three men and said to them,
O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, was it by purpose that you did not fall down and worship the image of gold? The music shall sound once more, and if you then will worship the image, it shall be well. But if you will not, then you shall be thrown into the furnace of fire to die.
These three young men were not afraid of the king. They said,
O King Nebuchadnezzar, we are ready to answer you at once. The God whom we serve is able to save us from the fiery furnace, and we know that He will save us. But if it is God’s will that we should die, even then you may understand, O king, that we will not serve your gods nor worship the golden image that you have set up.
This answer made the king more furious than before. He said to his servants, “Make a fire in the furnace hotter than ever it has been before, as hot as fire can be made, and throw these three men into it.”
Then the soldiers of the king’s army seized the three young Jews as they stood in their loose robes, with their turbans or hats on their heads. They tied them with ropes, dragged them to the mouth of the furnace, and threw them into the fire. The flames rushed from the open door with such fury that it even burned the soldiers to death who were holding the three young men. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego feel down into the middle of the fiery furnace.
King Nebuchadnezzar stood in front of the furnace and looked into the open door. As he looked, he was filled with wonder at what he saw. He said to the nobles around him: “Did we not throw three men bound into the fire? How is it then that I see four men loose, walking in the furnace, and the fourth man looks as though he were a son of the gods?”
The king came near to the door of the furnace as the fire became lower. He then called out to the three men: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you who serve the Most High God, come out of the fire and come to me.”
They came out and stood before the king, in the sight of all the princes and nobles and rulers; and everyone could see that they were alive. Their garments had not been scorched and their hair was not singed. In fact, there was not even the smell of fire on them. Before all his rulers, Nebuchadnezzar said:
Blessed be the God of these men, Who has sent His angel and has saved their lives. I make a law that no man in all my kingdoms shall say a word against their God, for there is no other god who can save in this manner. And if any man speaks a word against their God, the Most High God, that man shall be cut in pieces and his house shall be torn down.
After this, the king lifted these three young men up to still higher places in the land of Babylon.
