The book of Daniel begins with the conquer of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He carried away the king and thousands of people except the poorest.
He carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths; none remained, except the poorest people of the land.
And he carried away (King) Jehoiachin to Babylon; the king's mother, the king's wives, his officials, and the chief men of the land, he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon (2 Kings 24:14-15).
Among them were four young men of nobility of the tribe of Judah.
Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah.
And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego (Daniel 1:6-7).
They were treated well and served in the court of the Babylonian king.
Once, the king had a strange dream of a statue and only Daniel was able to interpret it. Daniel was elevated and continued to serve several Babylonian kings in his career. Somehow, the king was "inspired" by the dream and made a gold statue and commanded all subjects to bow down and worship it. The three friends of Daniel refused and were summoned and interrogated before the king.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
If it 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 which you have set up." (Daniel 3:16-18)
The king was enraged and ordered them to be bound and thrown into a fierce furnace. In the furnace, the three young men sang praises to God and God sent an angel to protect them.
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace and said, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come forth, and come here!" Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire.
And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men; the hair of their heads was not singed, their mantles were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them (Daniel 3:26-27 RSV, 3:93-94 LXX).
With God's miraculous help, the three young men were unscathed. Their hair and garments were not burnt. There was no smell of fire.
He carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths; none remained, except the poorest people of the land.
And he carried away (King) Jehoiachin to Babylon; the king's mother, the king's wives, his officials, and the chief men of the land, he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon (2 Kings 24:14-15).
Among them were four young men of nobility of the tribe of Judah.
Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah.
And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego (Daniel 1:6-7).
They were treated well and served in the court of the Babylonian king.
Once, the king had a strange dream of a statue and only Daniel was able to interpret it. Daniel was elevated and continued to serve several Babylonian kings in his career. Somehow, the king was "inspired" by the dream and made a gold statue and commanded all subjects to bow down and worship it. The three friends of Daniel refused and were summoned and interrogated before the king.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
If it 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 which you have set up." (Daniel 3:16-18)
The king was enraged and ordered them to be bound and thrown into a fierce furnace. In the furnace, the three young men sang praises to God and God sent an angel to protect them.
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace and said, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come forth, and come here!" Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire.
And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men; the hair of their heads was not singed, their mantles were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them (Daniel 3:26-27 RSV, 3:93-94 LXX).
With God's miraculous help, the three young men were unscathed. Their hair and garments were not burnt. There was no smell of fire.
The book of Daniel was written when the Jews were persecuted under the Greek Empire. They were forbidden to observe their customs such as circumcision and Sabbath. Pork was offered in the Jerusalem Temple to defile it. They were not allowed to study the Torah. Therefore, legends were made up to fill the spiritual void. God was mightier than these Greek conquerors and torturers. As the people of God, the Jews should live up their faith and shun all sorts of tortures. Into the mouth of the Babylonian king, the following words were put.
Nebuchadnezzar said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set at nought the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God." (Daniel 3:28 RSV, 3:95 LXX)
The Jews were encouraged to defy the king's command. They should be prepared to yield up even their bodies rather than worship idols. They were really a people of martyrs. It was out of the question for them to run away from persecutions. Following the footsteps of their spiritual ancestors, many Christians of the first few centuries chose martyrdom. Nowadays, Christians do not have to shed their blood in order to uphold their faith. They are to die a slow martyrdom. Therefore, it is of paramount importance for Christians to stick together in communities in order to support each other, like the three friends of Daniel. Left alone, they cannot stand.
Nebuchadnezzar said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set at nought the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God." (Daniel 3:28 RSV, 3:95 LXX)
The Jews were encouraged to defy the king's command. They should be prepared to yield up even their bodies rather than worship idols. They were really a people of martyrs. It was out of the question for them to run away from persecutions. Following the footsteps of their spiritual ancestors, many Christians of the first few centuries chose martyrdom. Nowadays, Christians do not have to shed their blood in order to uphold their faith. They are to die a slow martyrdom. Therefore, it is of paramount importance for Christians to stick together in communities in order to support each other, like the three friends of Daniel. Left alone, they cannot stand.
Dear Lord, may all Christians stand together to bear witness to Your sovereignty. May Your people stay unharmed when they leave this world. Amen.
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