Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”
30Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
Our chapter closes by describing King Nebuchadnezzar’s reaction to the miracle he had witnessed. In the first place, he pronounced a blessing on the God who had delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. In Nebuchadnezzar we get a good picture of the blindness of heathenism. This proud king had just witnessed an amazing miracle of God. And yet in the face of that miracle, he gave God no more credit than to call him “the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.” He should have told the people standing around, “The God of Israel is the only true God.” But his devotion to his false gods led him to resist the leading of God’s Holy Spirit, who through the miracle was bringing powerful testimony to the king.
To be sure, the king was forced to reverse his earlier decree. In its place he issued a threat against anyone who would speak against the God of the Hebrews. But really the king was only saying, “Don’t insult that God! We wouldn’t want him to use his power against us and our nation! “ This is not what the Bible calls faith.
We are not told whether God’s action of sending his angel to frustrate the king’s evil decree brought any of the Babylonians to faith in the true God. But it was God’s way of rescuing his faithful sons. And it also brought blessing for the rest of the Jewish exiles. At least for the present time, they were not going to be forced to violate their consciences by having to practice false worship.
Nebuchadnezzar’s second reaction to the amazing miracle was to grant promotions to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their rivals had tried to end their careers, but God reversed that evil design. Far from bringing them misfortune, the young men’s loyalty to their God brought them only blessing. All that these enemies succeeded in accomplishing was to advance Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in their government work and to benefit the Jewish exiles, who from now on were spared the trouble their three young brothers had endured.
The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together against the LORD. . . .
The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them (Psalm 2:2,4).
Does this surprise us? He who holds in his hand the destiny not only of nations but also of individuals has assured each of us, “Seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these [earthly] things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). What God says to his children, in other words, is, “Christian, put me first, and I promise you will lack nothing you need for body and soul.”
Chapter 3 has special meaning for Christians living in what the Bible writers call “the last days.” Our Lord has told us that we could be asked to face what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced. In a sermon preached during the first Holy Week, Jesus told his followers that things are going to get worse before they get better. In that sermon, found in Matthew chapter 24, Christ actually gave us a preview of some of the unpleasant things that lie in the future for his children. He spoke of religious confusion and deception that will mislead many. He warned that as the world draws to its end, love for one’s fellow human beings is more and more going to be replaced by lovelessness.
One particular warning Jesus issued—which many people consider the most unpleasant—is this: “You will be handed over to be persecuted . . . , and you will be hated . . . because of me” (Matthew 24:9). Thirty years later the apostle Paul echoed this same warning when he wrote, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).
Christians who live under a government that guarantees them the freedom to practice their religion may feel that this danger of persecution is relatively small. Christians who live in countries taken over by Marxism have very different feelings. Pressure is increasingly put on them to renounce Christianity or suffer the consequences. In countries dominated by Asian religions, those who embrace Christianity are often ostracized by family and friends.
As the last chapter of world history is being written, what a comforting truth the history of the fiery furnace brings to God’s children! It assures us that no world power, no matter how hostile, can endanger the safety of God’s people. The Savior has said to his disciples, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Every time we’re asked to stand up for God’s truth, as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were, we can be confident that we stand under the constant protection of the One who has promised:
Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with 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 (Isaiah 43:1–3).