The book of Daniel contains the familiar story of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Not familiar with the names? These are the young Jewish men whom King Nebuchadnezzar renamed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in honor of his Babylonian gods. In the story, the king decreed that whenever the people heard music, they should stop everything, fall down, and worship the golden image he had set up. Whoever did not comply would be thrown into a fiery furnace. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah ignored the decree, and their defiance enraged the king. As conscripted members of his court, he gave them a second chance to worship the golden image, reminding them of their fiery fate should they refuse. They refused:
“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 that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18)
These young men believed in a God who could deliver them from the evil king of Babylon. But even if He did not, they were ready to die. Although the king had given them new names, their true identity was unaltered. They were Jews who worshipped the one true God, and not even the threat of a fiery death could change that! What amazing faith! Can we, like these young men, remain loyal to the God who loves us, no matter what circumstances or fiery trials we face?
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” (Isaiah 43: 1b-2)
The king of Babylon in the story from the book of Daniel represents Lucifer (satan). According to Isaiah 14, Lucifer (the Day Star, the king of Babylon) was the worship leader in Heaven, but he got puffed up with pride and thrown out for wanting to be worshipped instead of the Almighty. Still today, the cosmic battle of good versus evil—two kingdoms in conflict—is about who is worthy of worship. Satan’s game plan hasn’t changed. He is still trying to get people to worship him. Like the king of Babylon, he will set up idols and play catchy tunes to ensnare us. He even threatens us and plants seeds of fear and doubt…whatever it takes to claim our worship and our lives. He stinks, and his evil strategies stink.
But the fiery furnace—what the enemy means for evil and harm—is something God can use to purify us. Recently, my son taught me that smoke can burn. He is training to become a firefighter. As part of their training, the cadets experienced a “rollover” which refers to that stage in a fire when it gets hot enough in a room that smoke begins to burn and roll overhead. In the story, Nebuchadnezzar became so enraged at the men’s refusal to worship the golden image that he ordered the furnace heated to seven times hotter than usual. Surely that was hot enough for smoke to ignite, hot enough for a rollover! It was so hot, in fact, that the servants who took Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah up to the furnace were killed just getting near the opening!
But no sooner had the three young men fallen into the furnace bound than Nebuchadnezzar saw four men walking around in the furnace unbound. The Deliverer showed up in the fire, set them free from their bonds, and the enemy’s flames did not consume them. Astonished, the king called the young men to come out. Everyone gathered around them and saw...
“…the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them." (Daniel 3:27, emphasis mine)
The fire was so hot that the stench of smoke and evil—all impurity—was burned away. No “profane fire” or acrid smoke remained to defiled them. No smell of evil clung to them. The Deliverer showed up, set them free of their bonds, and purified their lives for service to the Lord. As a result of their faith, the king decreed that no one could speak against the God of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, and then he promoted them! What the enemy meant for evil, God used for their good and his glory (Genesis 50:20).
He will do the same for us. Whatever fiery trial we may go through, it can be a place of deliverance and purification from all that defiles. When the enemy tries to claim and rename us, let’s remember who we are—sons and daughters of the Most High God. Let’s look for him in the furnace of our trials. He will be there.
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