Daniel 3:16, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.”
What a statement of bold faith! The last sentence is an in-your-face comment about where those three men stood on their convictions. That statement could be worded, "We ain't scared."
This was the dilemma of these three young Hebrew men. They were given the choice between worshipping an idol or staying faithful to God despite the king’s command. When word reached the king that these men weren’t bowing, he became irate, called for them, and gave them an ultimatum––bow or burn. He was at least gracious enough to ask if the report was accurate, which they readily admitted. They met this challenge with courage and confidence.
These men weren't your average citizens. They weren’t citizens at all. Nebuchadnezzar’s army had brought them back from Judah as slaves. Because of their goodliness, they were placed as princes over their people in captivity. It wasn’t like these men had nothing to lose.
Depending on their response to the king’s decree, they stood to lose their positions of favor and their lives. They were dead regardless of what they decided to do, or so it would seem. When no one could tell and interpret the king's dream, he demanded that all the wise men in Babylon be slain. That included them and their friend, Daniel.
When Daniel heard about the king’s dream, he prayed with the three Hebrews that God would give him the wisdom to interpret it, thus sparing their lives. The king remembered having a dream but couldn’t remember what it was. After the Lord made it known to Daniel, he told the king he would come and tell him the dream and its interpretation.
When the king was satisfied with everything, Daniel told him he ordered all the wise men of Babylon to be killed. Daniel intervened for his friends, and they were elevated to powerful positions. In chapter three, we find the same king again receiving evil counsel, building an idol, and commanding everyone in his kingdom to bow and worship the idol when they hear the king’s chosen music playing. Part of the decree was that a fiery furnace would destroy anyone not worshipping the king’s idol.
That brings us to our story.
Once those who recommended that the king make the decree reported the Hebrews for not bowing, the king called for them to come before him. Upon their admission of guilt and their steadfast refusal to worship the idol, they also informed the king their God could deliver them if he wanted to. Then they promised him they weren't worshipping his idol even if God didn’t come through for them. Nebuchadnezzar, in his rage, ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than it had ever been known to be heated.
The heat was so intense that the strongest soldiers in the king’s army were called to carry out the king’s death sentence. As they cast the Hebrews inside, they were overtaken by the heat and killed. The king then saw the Hebrews in the furnace. Although covered head to toe with clothing and bound, he saw them loose, unhurt, clothing intact, and walking around. Their hair wasn’t even singed, although the same fire had slain those who cast them in. He also saw a fourth man who he said looked like the Son of God. Aside from being revealed to him by God, he couldn’t have known who it was. Jesus had never made his appearance on earth yet.
The story concludes with the king demanding they be removed from the furnace. They appeared without so much as the smell of smoke on them. The king then made a decree that anyone caught speaking against the Hebrew’s God would be cut in pieces. He said no other God can deliver in this way. The men were then elevated into positions of even greater prominence in Babylon, the city where they were being held as slaves.
Although humbled by his experience with the fiery furnace, twelve months later, in chapter 4:30, he once again became lifted with pride. This time, upon hearing Nebuchadnezzar’s boasting about his accomplishments, God brought the judgment given by Daniel in chapter three to pass. The king spent seven years as an animal in the wild. After those years, he regained his senses when he looked up, and his kingdom was eventually restored.
Had it not been for the Hebrews choosing death rather than worshiping idols, Nebuchadnezzar may have never known enough about the Lord to humble himself before God. Their bold faith and humble yet steadfast resistance led to the king’s first encounter with God. Nebuchadnezzar may have never known to look up and humble himself before God.
You never know how your bold faith may affect someone’s life. It may be the very thing that makes them humble themselves before God and accept Christ as their Savior. Having bold faith, even if it costs you, is a small price to pay for one soul who repents and receives salvation. Would you choose to take the easy path? Or would you opt for the "We Ain't Scared" approach?
Dear Lord, show me how to exercise bold faith and humility. Please help me be steadfast in serving, knowing, and making you known. Show me how to overcome my challenges with courage and confidence. Amen.
Your turn: Has your faith ever affected someone else’s life? How? What are some things you believe you can work on in the areas of faith, courage, and confidence?