SteemChurch:Daniel's friends and the result of their fidelity to God

They were important men in government. They had reached such high positions of responsibility and trust due to the combination of intellectual ability, study and training. The emperor himself had established a three-year apprenticeship program for them. But now, their hearts suffer when listening to the rehearsals of the orchestra for the grand opening of that great statue. The rhythms were macabre, and the music deafening, dissonant and produced irritation. They recognized the rhythms of satanic music because it was the same as was used for human sacrifices.
That morning the three friends met to discuss the situation. The worst of the case is that Daniel, his trusted friend and man of much experience was not in the city.

Source

They meet in a room of the spacious house and order the servants to leave. One of them, the eldest, takes the floor and says:

• "You know the reason why I have summoned them".
  The other two watch him closely.
• The emperor has determined that we all have to worship that statue, that abominable idol that he has made. And not only that, but he has said that whoever refuses to do so will be sentenced to death. When saying the latter, the voice of Shadrach becomes more serious and solemn. Mesac and Abed Nego exchange a look. Mesac seems to be calm, but Abed Nego turns pale. Your heart begins to throb strongly. Shadrach continues.
• He who does not worship the statue will be thrown into a furnace of fire.
  Now Abed Nego is getting paler and emaciated. His body is covered by a cold sweat.
• What will we do? - says one of them. Next week is the inauguration and the order has been given that all government employees have to attend.
  Shadrach gets up and says:
• The second commandment teaches: "Thou shalt not make unto thee an image, nor any likeness of that which is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down to them, nor honor them; I am Jehovah your God "(Ex 20: 4-5).
  The three friends had learned to recite from memory the "Shema" of the people of God: "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one, and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength "(Dt 6: 4-5).
• "I am not going to worship the statue of Nebuchadnezzar," declares Shadrach.
  Mesac takes the floor. It is obvious that he is nervous. Think about what will happen to your wife and your young children if your father dies in the fiery furnace.
  I also want to be faithful to God but I wonder if there will be any way to avoid this confrontation with the king. After all he has been very good to us. Everything we have, the position we have reached and the authority we exercise, we owe to him. How I would like Daniel to be here with us to ask for advice!
  Abed Nego stands with difficulty. It remains pale but not as much as a few minutes before.
• Brothers - he tells them -, I also want to be faithful to the LORD, but we are not being asked to renounce our God. It's just about kneeling for a few seconds and nothing more.
• Brothers, says Shadrach - do you remember when we were young and decided not to contaminate us with the king's food? We were also in great danger there because we did not eat the food from the king's table. But God helped us. Do you remember our comrades who decided to eat the king's food? They did not come to anything in their lives. They never progressed or ascended. They continue working in the same position they had at that time. They have not remained faithful to the Lord. They celebrate some of the feasts of Jehovah but have no problems participating in the festivities of Baal.
  Shadrach finally pauses and adds;
• Brothers, let us pray to the LORD.
  The three men pray. First Shadrach, then Meshach and finally Abed Nego. In their prayers they praise Jehovah of Hosts. When they finish praying their faces have changed. They have a peace that only God can give, "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" (Phil 3: 7). Shadrach says:
• The Lord has spoken to my heart and I want to be like Joshua, who said: "I and my house will serve the Lord."
  Mesac stands and says.
• The Lord has also spoken to my soul and has given me the promise of Joshua. "Be strong and be brave."
  Abed Nego gets up later. His face also denotes peace and he says.
• The Lord also spoke to me and told me: "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you go through the rivers, they will not flood you." When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; it will burn "(Is 43: 2).
  The three return to their homes. Their wives ask them what they will do. The king wants everyone to worship the statue he has erected, and each of them responds:
• Jehovah is sitting on the throne of heaven.

There, in court, the enemies of the Hebrew men plot a plan with care. They ask for an audience with the emperor. They approach with that combination that certain courtiers have of adulation and badness.

• Majesty - they say - we have no words to thank for your kindness towards us and we recognize that you are the greatest, most illustrious, most intelligent, most powerful, most prudent king, most ...
  The Emperor is not in a good mood that day and he says:
  Go to the point.
• Your Excellency, we are not gossip or language, but we have noticed that there are certain people who do not obey their orders. And not only that, they do not respect you either.
  The king's face turns red. Blood pressure goes up to 20 maximum. His eyes are red with rage.
• How do you say? Are you going to tell me that in my kingdom there are people who do not obey my orders? Bring them immediately to my presence.
  The emperor's soldiers go to find the three men. That morning they said goodbye to their families before going to work. "May the peace of God protect you," they say as they leave. And they respond with the same words. When the sturdy soldiers arrive to look for them, they are already waiting for them. With the tranquility and strength that only God can give, they accompany the military. They are brought before the king. The emperor is sitting on his throne. Gold abounds everywhere. There are engravings of the golden metal on the back of the throne, in the place where the king supports his arms and on the platform of his feet. There are all the important men of the court. His luxurious clothes enhance the majesty of the place.
  The three men approach walking with dignity and make the ceremonial greetings to the emperor. The king looks at them one by one. There is complete silence in the room that is full of courtiers. The emperor says:
• Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed Nego, that you do not worship my god, nor pay homage to the golden statue that I have erected?
  Note that the king does not mention the first accusation that was made: "they have not listened to you." The three men are calm. They have the peace that God gives to his people in times of greatest need. The doubts and fears have dissipated. Come before them a majestic throne. But suddenly, I imagine that something incredible happens. When they look at the throne they see that the emperor and his throne begin to diminish in size and begin to grow smaller. They have the same visual sensation that we have when with a camera we press the dial that makes the objects look smaller and farther away. But as the image of Nebuchadnezzar and his throne dwindle, they begin to see "the Lord sitting on a high and sublime throne" (Is 6: 1). The voice of the emperor becomes more distant. But suddenly, the volume returns to its normal level and they hear that serious and threatening sound.
• "Are you ready so that when you hear the sound of the cornet, the flute, the lyre of the lyre, the harp, the zampoña, you prostrate and pay tribute to the statue that I made?"
  They had heard that satanic music. They had heard those dissonant sounds that caused fear. They had heard those pagan rhythms that they could associate so well with diabolical ceremonies. That infernal music could not stand it. They remembered the heavenly melodies they had heard many times accompanying the Psalms of David. That music was wonderful, it raised them, it gave them peace. But this music of the emperor to worship the statue was diabolical. It did not inspire peace; It infused restlessness. It did not inspire confidence; It raised insecurity.
  The emperor lowers even more the intonation of his voice. Its sound becomes sinister:
• "Because if you do not pay homage, in the same hour you will be thrown into the middle of a blazing furnace, and what god will be the one who will free you from my hands?"
  The monarch looks at the three men and then begins to slowly observe all his courtiers with a look of triumph.
  Throughout his life, he has defeated many peoples and has not seen any god help his people. That is why he believes that Jehovah of Hosts is like one of those gods he knows. He believes that his threat will convince these three men. But he is very wrong. The silence breaks and the three men speak in unison. Their voices denote clarity and tranquility. No one stutters or trembles.

A man different from the other three

I believe that this represents an appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ before his incarnation, which is known as a theophany.
What did Nebuchadnezzar see that made him think that the fourth person was like "son of the gods"? I think he observed several elements that allowed him to reach that conclusion. Perhaps what he saw was similar to the description of the Son of Man that we find in Revelation chapter 1. I insist on the word "similar", that is, it was not "identical".
First of all, let's think about its appearance. The appearance of this person denoted his dignity. In the New Testament we are told an event that has some elements in common with this story. The disciples were with the Lord Jesus on the mount of transfiguration. One of them was the apostle Peter, who in the second of his epistles referred to that event and said: "we were eyewitnesses of his majesty" (2 Pet. 1:16). John, another of the apostles who was also there, said the following: "we beheld his glory, as the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (Jn 1:14). Observe the similarity between the words of Nebuchadnezzar and the apostle John. The emperor said that "the appearance of the room is similar to a son of the gods." John expresses "the glory of the only begotten of the Father." His likeness was so sublime that John says: "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead" (Rev 1:17).
Second, let's notice his walk. He walked with dignity and authority. The flames of fire did not frighten him or stop him. He walked with that bearing that corresponds to royalty. With that authority that the emperor could only attribute to the deity. The same apostle John describes the Lord Jesus Christ in the same way: "He who has the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands" (Rev 2: 1).
Third, let's look at their clothes. Not only were they fire resistant; they were more beautiful and bright clothes than those of the emperor. Again we remember that on the mount of transfiguration the disciples saw that "their garments became resplendent, very white, like snow, so much so that no washer on earth can make them so white" (Mr 9: 3). John tells us about him who was "clothed with a garment that reached to his feet and had a chest girded with a gold belt" (Rev 1:13).

Fourth, we believe that the emperor saw the gestures and expressions of this fourth man and perceived the way in which the other three interacted with him. In the times of the silent films it was very important to observe the gestures of the people since in these the narration and the feelings of the protagonists were expressed. When the apostle John fell at the feet of him whose feet are "like burnished bronze, burning as in a furnace" he was comforted by the Lord Jesus: "and he put his right hand on me and said to me: Do not fear" (Ap 1) : 17).
I find it striking that these men had to go through the test of being thrown into the furnace of fire in order to experience the company of one who is similar to the Son of God.

A God who surprises everyone
"Then Nebuchadnezzar came near the door of the burning fiery furnace and called, saying: Shadrach, Meshach and Abed Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out and come!" (Dn 3:26) It is the same emperor who approaches the oven door and orders them to go outside. If these men could survive the furnace of fire, they certainly had supernatural powers that would allow them to go out on their own. Notice that the Scripture says: "they came out of the midst of the fire." To do so they had to go through those flames and step on the incandescent brands still. And they did it without receiving any harm. Verse 27 tells us that the satraps, the intendants, the governors and the high officials of the king met to look at these men; how the fire had no power over their bodies, not even the hair of their heads had burned, nor their mantles had been altered, nor had the smell of fire been left in them (Dan 3:27).
The three men are examined carefully. There is no evidence of damage to their bodies. Their clothes are intact, with the exception of the ropes with which they were tied. The hair that is very sensitive to fire was intact. One by one the satraps and rulers say phrases like this: "I never saw anything like this, this is incredible!". "I can not believe they were in that oven and they did not die."
At the end of the long day they return to their homes and greet their wives and children. Why are you hugging me so hard? says one of them Why do you have tears in your eyes? says another. Why are you kissing our children with such affection? Says the third.
Finally they tell him the story. At the end of the narrative, the whole family is praying to God and praising his name for his fidelity.

The result of fidelity to God.

Observe the results of your fidelity:

1. They obtained a promotion in their jobs in the government.
2. The emperor recognized and blessed the God of the three faithful.
3. Nebuchadnezzar admired the courage and fidelity that these three men had towards their God.
4. The king ordered that the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed Nego be respected throughout his kingdom.
5. The emperor acknowledged that "there are no other gods that can be delivered as well as he."
   The reward for the fidelity of these men was multiple. In the first place, if they had never been cast into the furnace of fire, they would never have had the company of one who is "like the son of the gods."
   Jamieson and his collaborators say that "they walked from one place to another in the fire, not to get away, but waiting for God's time to be delivered." In the same way, Jesus waited in the tomb as the prisoner of God, until that God allowed him to leave (Acts 2: 26-27).