Fireproof

In the book of Daniel, we are told that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (three Hebrew slaves) disobeyed the King of Babylon in their refusal to worship the golden statue. This was a capital offense, and the three men were pitched into the furnace. Miraculously, they came out unscathed. What was it that made these three friends spiritually as well as physically fireproof?

Friendship

I want to tackle the answer to that question in three parts — beginning with the men’s friendship. In Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NLT) we read, “A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back­to­back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple­braided cord is not easily broken.”

Long before this current trial, God had united these men in the fellowship of His Spirit. And in their daily shared worship and prayer they drew strength in God from and for each other.  Where did we get the idea that we can take care of ourselves spiritually without true fellowship? 

Courage

Before inflicting such a violent punishment on the three friends, the king asks them, “And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” With one heart, they give their answer. “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16­18). 

Their courage is grounded upon the Word of God. Here is the Lord’s promise to which they are holding fast: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers they will not pass over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…do not be afraid, for I am with you.” (Isaiah 43:2­3a, 5a). And upon the fullness of that promise their response to the king — which really is a kind of prayer — could be summarized in three parts: 

• The prayer begins in first gear with the declaration, “We know that God can deliver us.”

• Then the prayer picks up more speed and moves into second gear: “We pray that He will deliver us.”

• Both of these gears are faithful pleas. But then the prayer enters third gear: Their confidence in God remains unshaken, and yet their prayer is not bound by their limited understanding of what they hope God would do for them. In this third gear there is surrender to God’s perfect will. 

When I let God lead me to this third gear, this place of surrender, here I literally feel the temperature drop and His peace enter. 

Faith

Looking on, the King of Babylon exclaims, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” (Daniel 3:25.) 

Within the fire they walked free, and out the fire they walked unscathed. So who was the fourth figure? Was it an angelic form? Was He the pre­incarnate Jesus? We are left to make up our own minds. The vital thing is that God fulfilled His promise. It was the promise given to Moses. “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob…I will certainly be with you.” (Exodus 3:6, 12a). 

And yet, when Jesus entered the supreme furnace of affliction that was the Cross, He went alone. Why? Why would God be with these three Jewish exiles but not His only begotten Son? The answer is that on the Cross Jesus was suffering not only with us but also for us. Jesus went through the fire of punishment that my sins deserve so that I could walk free and know His presence today and eternally.

And the same mercy and love that He poured out for us on the cross now distinguishes His living presence in the furnace of our lives today. His promise is secure, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5b). I pray that whatever furnace of affliction you find yourself in today, you would feel the temperature decrease as you encounter afresh the promise of His peace and His presence.