Daniel 3 – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the “valley of the shadow of death”

 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, reminds us Of Psalm 23-4 Even if I walked in the valley of the shadow of death, I would fear no harm, because you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me.

The story of these three men of God begins when King Nebuchadnezzar makes a golden statue 27 meters high and 2.7 meters wide and places it on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

The king then sends messengers to all high officials, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, finally, the communiqué was sent to all provincial authorities, so that they would come to the dedication of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had raised. The bible reports that all these authorities came and stood before the statue that the king had raised.

At one point the herald shouted: “People of all races, nations, and languages, hear the king’s command! When you hear the sound of the trumpet, flute, zither, lyre, harp, fife and other musical instruments, prostrate yourself on the ground to worship the golden statue raised by King Nebuchadnezzar. Whoever does not obey will be immediately thrown into the fiery furnace!”.

King Nebuchadnezzar ordered all peoples, races, nations and languages ​​that, to the sound of musical instruments, all should bow down and worship the golden statue that he himself had raised. 

Some of the astrologers went to the king and denounced the Jews. Telling the king that everyone should bow down and worship the golden image when they hear the sound of the trumpet, flute, zither, lyre, harp, fife and other musical instruments.

And what was proposed in this decree, was that anyone who did not obey would be cast into the fiery furnace. Some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego—whom the king put in charge of the province of Babylon, ignored the King’s decree and refused to serve the gods and did not worship the golden statue the king had raised.

King Nebuchadnezzar was enraged and ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego to be brought before him. When they were brought before the king, he said to them: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, is it true that you refuse to serve my gods and to worship the statue I raised?

The kingdom then “grants” one more chance for the three to prostrate themselves and worship the statue he had made. If, they refused, then they would be immediately thrown into the fiery furnace.

Nebuchadnezzar did not understand that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego served a living God, and he proposed to them a challenge saying: And who is the God that can deliver you out of my hands? (Daniel 3:15)

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, even though they are “in the valley of the shadow of death,” respond to the king by saying: We do not need to answer you about this business.(Daniel 3:16)

These three men of God described here, understood that if they were cast into the fiery furnace, the God they served could indeed deliver them out of the King’s hands, and out of the fiery furnace as well. .

And even if God did not deliver them from the furnace of fire, they would likewise remain faithful to God, not worshiping the gods nor the golden statue, which the king had raised.

Nebuchadnezzar’s heart at that moment was filled with fury at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, for the Bible describes Nebuchadnezzar’s face at that moment being disfigured with rage. 

So the king ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual, selected the strongest men in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego and cast them into the fiery furnace.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abede-Nego were thrown into the furnace fully dressed in tunics, turbans, robes and other clothing. 

We learned that the moment we are facing the valley, God is present teaching us that he is with us.

And, because the king’s word was urgent, and the furnace was exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, fell bound into the fiery furnace. (Daniel 3:22,23)

And since the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace that the flames killed the soldiers who threw the three into it.

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, tied together, fell into the intense flames.

We can observe that the deliverance takes place even before they fall into the furnace of fire, for the men who took Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego to the furnace died because the flame of fire was so intense that they could not resist, but Shadrach Meshach and Abed -Nego remained alive, it was already God’s care for these three men.

And when they fall amidst the fierce flames, Nebuchadnezzar rises in astonishment and asks his advisers: Have we not cast three bound men into the fire? They answered and said to the king, It is true, O king. (Daniel 3:24)

For at that time Nebuchadnezzar was now not seeing just three men, but he was seeing four men, and according to what he will describe, the fourth man looked like a son of gods. Nebuchadnezzar then reports: “I see four men untied walking through the fire without getting burned!”

King Nebuchadnezzar was struck by the scene he was witnessing, who tried to get as close as he could to the furnace door, and he spoke, saying: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out and come! Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire. (Daniel 3:26)

When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came out of the fire of the blazing furnace, the high officials, officers, governors, and counselors gathered around them and saw that the fire did not had touched them on them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothes weren’t burned. They didn’t even smell like smoke.

The name of the living God, at that moment was praised by the mouth of Nebuchadnezzar who says: Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who sent his angel, and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, for they violated the king’s word , preferring to give up their bodies, so that they would not serve or worship any other god but their God. (Daniel 3:28)

The name of the Lord was only magnified, for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego understood that, passing through the valley of shadow and death means; That if God wants to give us deliverance, we will not die, but if he allows us to die with him in glory we will certainly be.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego understood that God will always be above all, teaching us that we must never fear man. And fear not those who kill the body and cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can make soul and body perish in hell.(Matthew 10:28)

After passing through the moments in the valley of the shadow of death, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego gained even higher positions in the province of Babylon. 

We must not fear death, or the damage that man can cause us, but understand that even if we come to die, everyone who dies with Christ, even if they die physically, will surely live in eternity.