Today I want to turn our attention to three young men who took a stand, even at the possible cost of their own lives. Their names are recognized to us as Sharach, Meshach, and Abednego and their story can be found in the third chapter of the book of Daniel. These young men had been captured along with their friend, Daniel, by a very wicked and fierce king by the name of Nubuchadnezzar who had conquered the countries of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and parts of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iran, stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf to the Dead Sea. So you can see that he was indeed a very powerful king who ruled a vast empire. But Daniel tells us in the first chapter that these three young men, along with Daniel, were compared to all the wise men of Babylon, but none were found more equal to Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel, and all four of them served the king of Babylon in matters of wisdom and understanding. So they were well trusted by this once powerful and mighty king.
Now, in the third chapter of the book of Daniel, we are told that this king, who happened to be full of pride and self-worth, had erected a golden statue according to his likeness that was ninety feet high and nine feet wide. And everyday, at a certain hour of the day, there would be a blast of horns, drums and other kinds of instruments that signaled for the whole kingdom to fall down and worship the monumental statue. Not only were the Babylonians to fall down, but everyone of the foreign nations that had been captured by this king were to worship this statue. And everyone did, except these three Hebrew young men. Even though they had been honored by the king, they refused to worship his statue.
When Nubuchadnezzar had been told about this, he was furious and called the three young men before him. He asked them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you don’t serve my gods or worship the gold statue I had set up? I’m giving you another chance. If you will fall down and worship my image, then your lives will be spared, but if you don’t, then you will be thrown into the fiery furnace to be burned to death!” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king and said, “O King, we are not worried about what happens to us. If we are thrown into the flaming furnace, our God is able to deliver us and He will deliver us out of your hand, your Majesty. But if He doesn’t, please understand, we will never under any circumstance serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have erected!” Talk about being infuriated! The king ordered his soldiers to wrap these guys up in more clothing than anyone could wear, and toss them into the fiery furnace. He even ordered to make the fire seven times hotter than usual, but the soldiers that were ordered to toss them into the fire were themselves burnt up by the flames, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell down into the flames.
