“Then the king promoted
Shadrach,
Meshach,
Abednego,
In the province
Of Babylon.”
These 3 men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, already had some position in the province of Babylon. The king promoted them to a higher status, whatever that was.
Meshach
The king’s decree (Dan 3:29-3:29)
Therefore,
I make a decree.
‘Any people,
Any nation,
Any language
That utters
Blasphemy
Against the God
Of Shadrach,
Of Meshach,
Of Abednego,
Shall be torn
Limb from limb.
Their houses will be
Laid in ruins.
There is no other god
Who is able
To deliver
In this way.’”
Now in a complete reversal, King Nebuchadnezzar issued a decree to all the people, all the countries, and all the language groups. Anyone who blasphemed the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would be torn limb from limb. They would also lose their houses. Anyone speaking badly about the God of Israel would be punished. This king was able to accept a new better God in his polytheistic vision of the world, as his golden statute became less important.
Praise for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan 3:27-3:28)
“The satraps,
The prefects,
The governors,
The king’s counselors,
Gathered together.
They saw
That the fire
Had not had any power
Over the bodies
Of these men.
The hair
Of their heads
Was not singed.
Their tunics were
Not harmed.
Not even the smell of fire
Came from them.
King Nebuchadnezzar said.
‘Blessed be the God
Of Shadrach,
Of Meshach,
Of Abednego,
Who has sent
His angel!
He has delivered
His servants,
Who trusted in him.
They disobeyed
The king’s command.
They yielded up
Their bodies
Rather than serve,
Rather than worship,
Any god
Except their own God.’”
All the important people of the Babylonian kingdom were gathered together, including the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors. They all marveled that the 3 men had survived the fire unscathed. Their hair was not even singed and their clothes were not harmed. They did not even smell like smoke from the fire. King Nebuchadnezzar then praised them and their God. He blessed God, just as they had done in the fiery furnace. The king noted that an angel of God had saved the 3 of them. They had trusted in their God by disobeying the king’s command. Then they suffering the consequences. They gave up their bodies, rather than serve and worship another god. They were truly blessed by their God.
The king releases the three men (Dan 3:26-3:26)
“Then King Nebuchadnezzar
Approached the door
Of the furnace
Of the blazing fire.
He said.
‘Shadrach!
Meshach!
Abednego!
Servants of the Most High God!
Come out!
Come here!’
Then Shadrach,
Meshach,
Abednego,
Came out
From the fire.”
King Nebuchadnezzar had a change of heart. He went to the door of the fiery furnace. He then told the 3 men in the furnace, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in their Babylonian names, to come out of the furnace. He also called them the servants of the Most High God. Thus, the 3 men came out of the fiery furnace.
The three companions pray together (Dan 3:28-3:28)
“Then the three,
With one voice,
Praised,
Glorified,
Blessed God
In the furnace.”
After this brief description about the events in the furnace, this prayer then continued with all 3 companions together, not just Azariah. All 3 of them, Azariah, called Abednego, Shadrach who was Hananiah, and Meshach, originally Mishael, prayed together in the furnace, blessing, praising, and glorifying God.
Azariah stands still to pray (Dan 3:1-3:2)
“They walked around
In the midst
Of the flames.
They were singing
Hymns to God.
They were blessing
The Lord.
Then Azariah stood still
In the fire.
He prayed aloud.”
Like the Book of Esther, this Book of Daniel has several sections that were not in the Hebrew text. Thus, they did not make it into the English King James Bible, and so became known as Apocrypha. This prayer of Azariah, one of the 3 men in the furnace, and then their joint prayer that follows, can be found in the Greek Septuagint, but not in the Hebrew text. The Bible of Jerusalem also includes it here. The New Oxford Standard lists it as “additions to Daniel, inserted between 3:23 and 3:24.” I have given it its own separate verse numbers as if it were complete in itself. The 3 men in the furnace, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, walked around in the middle of the hot flames. They were singing hymns and blessing God, the Lord. Then Azariah, who was called Abednego, stood still. He uttered his prayer out loud. The rest of this section is his beautiful prayer.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego go into the furnace (Dan 3:20-3:23)
“The king ordered
Some of the strongest guards
In his army
To bind
Shadrach,
Meshach,
Abednego.
They were to throw them
Into the furnace
Of blazing fire.
Then these men
Were bound.
They were still wearing
Their tunics,
Their trousers,
Their hats,
Their other garments.
They were thrown
Into the furnace
Of blazing fire.
Because the king’s command
Was urgent,
The furnace was so overheated,
That the raging flames
Killed the men
Who lifted
Shadrach,
Meshach,
Abednego.
However,
The three men,
Shadrach,
Meshach,
Abednego,
Fell down,
Bound
Into the furnace
Of blazing fire.”
The king ordered his strongest army guards to bind up these 3 men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The guards were to throw them into the fiery furnace. These 3 young men were still wearing their tunics, trousers, hats, and other garments as they were thrown into the furnace. Although the 3 men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell into the blazing fire, this fire was so hot that the men throwing them into the furnace were killed.
The angry King Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 3:19-3:19)
“Then King Nebuchadnezzar
Was so filled with rage
Against
Shadrach,
Meshach,
Abednego,
That his face
Was distorted.
He ordered the furnace
Heated up seven times
More than was customary.”
The king became so mad at these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that his face became distorted. He ordered that the furnace to be heated 7 times hotter than usual.
The response of the three men (Dan 3:16-3:18)
“Shadrach,
Meshach,
Abednego,
Answered the king.
‘O King Nebuchadnezzar!
We have no need
To present
A defense
To you
In this matter.
If our God,
Whom we serve,
Is able
To deliver us
From the furnace
Of blazing fire,
As well as out of your hand,
O king!
Let him deliver us!
But if not!
Let it be known to you!
O king!
That we will not serve
Your gods.
We will not worship
The golden statue
That you have set up.’”
The 3 companions of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar clearly and directly. They were not going to present a defense of their actions. If their God was able or not able to get them out of the fiery furnace away from the king, so be it. There was no ambiguity for them. They were not going to serve his gods or worship his golden statue, case closed.
The king spoke to the three men (Dan 3:14-3:15)
“King Nebuchadnezzar
Said to them.
‘Is it true?
O Shadrach!
O Meshach!
O Abednego!
Do you not
Serve my gods?
Do you not worship
The golden statue
That I have set up?
Now if you are ready,
When you hear
The sound of the horn,
The pipe,
The lyre,
The trigon,
The harp,
The drum,
The entire musical ensemble,
To fall down,
To worship,
The statue
That I have made,
Well and good.
But if you do not worship,
You shall immediately
Be thrown
Into a furnace
Of a blazing fire.
Who is the god
That will deliver you
Out of my hands?’”
King Nebuchadnezzar gave the 3 companions of Daniel, the benefit of the doubt. He wanted to know it was really true that they, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, did not serve his gods. Did they not worship the golden statue that he had set up? Did they not respond to the musical instruments of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the trigon, the harp or the drum? Did they not fall down and worship his golden statue? If they did not worship this statue, then they would be immediately thrown into the blazing furnace. The king then asked them what god would deliver them from his hands.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 