Diving into Daniel: Into the Fiery Furnace
Daniel 3:19-30 - By obeying Him and not the world, the Lord is with us in all circumstances.
“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.
Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.” Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon.”
Daniel 3:19-30 NASB1995
This is one of my favorite stories from Sunday School when I was a youngster. It is a lot more meaningful now, for many reasons. Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath after interrogating Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. His face “changes”; perhaps he was more solicitous of the young men that he had favored before they answered his inquiry and looked at them calmly. Now they are as good as dead to him because of his monstrous ego and their refusal to worship his image. He is the picture of uncontrolled anger.
The king orders that the furnace be seven times hotter than the usual temperature. In a way, he is defeating the purpose of his anger (revenge) because the three men will die much quicker in the hotter furnace. Seven is often viewed in Biblical commentary as the number of perfection or completeness. Whatever the case (as there was likely no way to measure the temperature) the furnace was made as “perfectly” hot as humanly possible.
Some of the king’s warriors were asked to bind the three men with all of their clothing and then toss them into the blaze. Because the furnace was so hot, this action resulted in the deaths of those warriors. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego fall into the furnace bound. Here is what Enduring Word says about the rage and this action:
a. Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury: No matter how brave Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were, facing the fury of a king was still extremely intimidating. We get the feeling that prior to their statement Nebuchadnezzar spoke kindly, almost in a fatherly manner to these wayward boys. After hearing their bold challenge the expression on his face changed.
i. Despite the intense intimidation, the men stayed courageous in their confession of faith. Spurgeon eloquently described the horror of those who lose their courage at such times: “Remember also that by yielding to the fear of man you are demeaning yourself. There shall come a day when the man that was ashamed of Christ will himself be ashamed: he will wonder where he can hide his guilty head. Look at him! There he is! The traitor who denied his Lord! The Christ was spat upon and nailed to the cross, and this man was afraid to own him. To win the smile of a silly maid, to escape the jest of a coarse fellow, to win a few pieces of silver, to stand respectable among his fellow-men, he turned his back upon his Redeemer and sold his Lord; and now what can be said for him? Who can excuse him? The angels shun him as a man who was ashamed of the Lord of glory. He is clothed with shame and everlasting contempt. Even the lost in hell get away from him, for many of them were more honest than he. Is there such a man as this before me? I summon him in the name of the living God to answer for his cowardice! Let him come forth and own his crime, and humbly seek forgiveness at the hands of the gracious Savior.” (Charles Spurgeon)
b. Bound in their coats… the furnace exceedingly hot: Everything was done to make sure that the three Hebrew men were quickly and completely burned.
Wow - the Charles Spurgeon quote in the Enduring Word commentary is challenging to casual believers who think they can get away with yielding to other people and denying or being ashamed of Jesus yet still be redeemed.
The king is watching this dreadful execution when he suddenly notices that not only are the three men unbound and walking around casually and unhurt in the flames he also sees a fourth man with them. The fourth man is like the “son of the gods”.
Apparently, before this reaction by the king in current English OT translations, the Septuagint (Greek) translation of Daniel has a long section with Azariah (Abed-nego) singing God’s praises (called the Benedicite song) as they walked around the furnace. This singing, in that version, gets the king’s attention (he assumed they would die immediately, given what happened to the king’s warriors). Here is the Brenton Septuagint translation of Daniel 3:25-90 from ebible.org (this is long and very challenging to read because of the older English style, but probably worthwhile from an historical perspective):
25 Then Azarias stood up, and prayed on this manner; and opening his mouth in the midst of the fire said,
26 Blessed art thou, O Lord God of our fathers: thy name is worthy to be praised and glorified for evermore: 27 for thou art righteous in all the things that thou hast done to us: yea, true are all thy works, thy ways are right, and all thy judgments truth.
28 In all the things that thou hast brought upon us, and upon the holy city of our fathers, evenJerusalem, thou hast executed true judgment: for according to truth and judgment didst thou bring all these things upon us because of our sins. 29 For we have sinned and committed iniquity, departing from thee. In all things have we trespassed, and not obeyed thy commandments, 30 nor kept them, neither done as thou hast commanded us, that it might go well with us. 31 Wherefore all that thou hast brought upon us, and every thing that thou hast done to us, thou hast done in true judgment.
32 And thou didst deliver us into the hands of lawless enemies, most hateful forsakers of God, and to an unjust king, and the most wicked in all the world. 33 And now we cannot open our mouths, we are become a shame and reproach to thy servants, and to them that worship thee.
34 Yet deliver us not up wholly, for thy name's sake, neither disannul thou thy covenant: 35 and cause not thy mercy to depart from us, for thy beloved Abraham's sake, for thy servant Isaac's sake, and for thy holy Israel's sake; 36 to whom thou hast spoken and promised, that thou wouldest multiply their seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that lieth upon the seashore. 37 For we, O Lord, are become less than any nation, and be kept under this day in all the world because of our sins. 38 Neither is there at this time prince, or prophet, or leader, or burnt offering, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense, or place to sacrifice before thee, and to find mercy.
39 Nevertheless in a contrite heart and an humble spirit let us be accepted. Like as in the burnt offerings of rams and bullocks, and like as in ten thousands of fat lambs: 40 so let our sacrifice be in thy sight this day, and grant that we may wholly go after thee: for they shall not be confounded that put their trust in thee.
41 And now we follow thee with all our heart, we fear thee, and seek thy face. Put us not to shame: 42 but deal with us after thy lovingkindness, and according to the multitude of thy mercies.
43 Deliver us also according to thy marvellous works, and give glory to thy name, O Lord: 44 and let all them that do thy servants hurt be ashamed; and let them be confounded in all their power and might, and let their strength be broken; 45 and let them know that thou art Lord, the only God, and glorious over the whole world.
46 And the king's servants, that put them in, ceased not to make the oven hot with rosin, pitch, tow, and small wood; 47 so that the flame streamed forth above the furnace forty and nine cubits. 48 And it passed through, and burned those Chaldeans it found about the furnace.
49 But the angel of the Lord came down into the oven together with Azarias and his fellows, and smote the flame of the fire out of the oven; 50 and made the midst of the furnace as it had been a moist whistling wind, so that the fire touched them not at all, neither hurt nor troubled them.
51 Then the three, as out of one mouth, praised, glorified, and blessed, God in the furnace, saying,
52 Blessed art thou, O Lord God of our fathers: and to be praised and exalted above all for ever. And blessed is thy glorious and holy name: and to be praised and exalted above all for ever.
53 Blessed art thou in the temple of thy holy glory: and to be praised and glorified above all for ever. 54 Blessed art thou that beholdest the depths, and sittest upon the cherubim: and to be praised and exalted above all for ever. 55 Blessed art thou on the glorious throne of thy kingdom: and to be praised and glorified above all for ever. 56 Blessed art thou in the firmament of heaven: and above all to be praised and glorified for ever.
57 O all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 58 O ye heavens, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 59 O ye angels of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 60 O all ye waters that be above the heaven, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 61 O all ye powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
62 O ye sun and moon, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 63 O ye stars of heaven, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 64 O every shower and dew, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 65 O all ye winds, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 66 O ye fire and heat, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
71 O ye nights and days, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 72 O ye light and darkness, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 72a O ye frost and heat, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 72b O ye frost and snow, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 73 O ye lightnings and clouds, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
74 O let the earth bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 75 O ye mountains and little hills, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 76 O all ye things that grow on the earth, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
77 O ye seas and rivers, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 78 O ye fountains, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 79 O ye whales, and all that move in the waters, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 80 O all ye fowls of the air, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 81 O all ye beasts and cattle, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
82 O ye children of men, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 83 O Israel, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
84 O ye priests of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 85 O ye servants of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 86 O ye spirits and souls of the righteous, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 87 O ye holy and humble men of heart, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
88 O Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, bless ye the Lord; praise and exalt him above all for ever: for he hath delivered us from hell, and saved us from the hand of death, and delivered us out of the midst of the furnace and burning flame: even out of the midst of the fire hath he delivered us. 89 O give thanks unto the Lord, because he is gracious: for his mercy endureth for ever.
90 O all ye that worship the Lord, bless the God of gods, praise him and give him thanks: for his mercy endureth for ever.
I think this is really beautiful. You will note that the fire is constantly stoked (some Chaldeans near the furnace die) and the actions to prevent burning of the three men are attributed to an angel of God. These sections were removed in many places in the Old Testament when the many English translations were initiated, but there are a substantial number of scholars who consider the Septuagint OT translation to be more accurate than the Hebrew version. Note: This section with the singing was added later to this Aramaic section of Daniel (probably around the 3rd century BC).
So with that bunny trail followed, we get back to the current version of the passage. Most scholars agree that the fourth man in the furnace is actually the Son of God (Jesus). Here is what Enduring Word says about this passage:
a. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished: It is astonishing that anyone survived for a moment inside the furnace when others perished at the door.
i. The Septuagint says in Daniel 3:24 that Nebuchadnezzar’s attention was caught when he heard the men singing praises in the furnace. We can imagine that the king had them cast into the furnace and didn’t intend to look twice, believing they would be immediately consumed. As he walked away with a satisfied look on his face, he was immediately stopped by the sound of singing coming from the furnace. At a safe distance from the raging heat, he peered inside – and saw four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire.
ii. If this singing in the furnace is true, it reminds us of Paul and Silas singing in the Philippian jail (Acts 16:25).
b. I see four men loose… and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God: Nebuchadnezzar tells us who the fourth person was – the Son of God. Jesus was literally with them in the worst of their trial.
i. We don’t know if Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego knew that the Son of God was with them in their fiery trial. Sometimes we are aware of Jesus’ presence in our trials and sometimes we are not – but He is there nonetheless.
ii. Spurgeon observed that God’s people are often in the furnace, and though there are different kinds of furnaces, they serve similar purposes in our life.
· There is the furnace that man prepares.
· There is the furnace that Satan prepares.
· There is the furnace that God prepares.
iii. God can deliver us from a trial, or He can miraculously sustain and strengthen us in a trial. [John] Trapp quotes an English martyr who said this as he was burnt at the stake: “O ye Papists, behold ye look for miracles; here now you may see a miracle; for in this fire I feel no more pain than as if I were in a bed of down; but it is to me as a bed of roses.”
c. I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire: Nebuchadnezzar also observed that the four men were free in the fire. The fire only burnt the ropes that bound them.
The Lord either saves us from the fiery trial or He is with us in that trial (in this case, He did both). We must look to Him in those trials regardless of outcome, as Stephen did when he was being stoned to death. I like this quote from Warren Wiersbe in Precept Austin:
Faith means obeying God regardless of the feelings within us, the circumstances around us, or the consequences before us… True faith isn’t frightened by threats, impressed by crowds, or swayed by superstitious ceremonies. True faith obeys the Lord and trusts Him to work out the consequences. These three Jewish men know the law of God—“You shall have no other gods before Me … You shall not bow down to them nor serve them” (Ex. 20:3, 5). Once the Lord has spoken on a matter, the matter is settled and there’s no room for discussion or need for compromise. To bow before the image even once, no matter what excuse they might give, would have destroyed their witness and broken their fellowship with God. The tense of the Greek verb in Matthew 4:9 indicates that Satan asked Jesus to worship him only one time, and the Savior refused. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would not bow down to the golden image even once because it would lead to serving Nebuchadnezzar’s false gods for the rest of their lives.
The king calls the men to come out of the fire and they emerge. All of the king’s officials gather around and everyone is astonished that there are no effects to be seen on them from the fire other than the loosening of their bonds. There is not even the smell of the fire. Their deliverance was complete, as is ours as believers through the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. Nebuchadnezzar praises their God (although he is still not a convert) and makes a decree on penalty of death that no one should speak anything against the Hebrew God. He also restores Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to positions of authority in the empire. Here’s some good commentary again from Enduring Word:
a. Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego: Nebuchadnezzar gave glory to God, but he recognized that this great God is not his God. He was still the God of these three brave men.
b. Who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him: In Daniel 3:15Nebuchadnezzar asked, “who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?” Now Nebuchadnezzar knew a great deal about this God.
· He is the God of the Hebrews (the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego).
· He is the God who sends a Savior (who sent His Angel).
· He is the God of great power (delivered His servants).
· He is the God worthy of trust (who trusted in Him).
· He is the God worthy of full surrender (frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies).
· He is the God who demands exclusive allegiance (that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God).
i. Nebuchadnezzar knew a lot about God – but he did not yet know Him personally.
c. Yielded their bodies: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego surrendered themselves completely to God – body, soul, and spirit. It was the kind of submission Paul wrote of in Romans 12:1: present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
i. This whole account is a powerful illustration of the principle of Romans 12:1. We see Satan trying to make the believer bow down to his idealized image of what men and women should be. Christians must resist this with everything they have and pursue God’s ideal. In this, we will fulfill Romans 12:2: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Are you pursuing the world’s (and the enemy’s) idea of what is ideal, or are you transformed by the renewing of your mind and the will of God? One more thought on this passage - when I was growing up and this story was occasionally described in Sunday School, I seem to recall that there was very little emphasis on the fourth being in the fire with these three men. It was just an interesting story. It is only now that I truly understand that the Son of God manifested Himself to humans before he was incarnate, including here in Daniel 3.
My next devotional examines Daniel 4:1-3, Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges God.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Please help me get it through my thick skull that obeying You and following Your precepts and relying on Your Truth will get me through any trial, even if that trial ends in death. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Commentary in Enduring Word by David Guzik is used with written permission.
Precept Austin was accessed on 4/3/2025 to review commentary for Daniel 3:19-30.