Not the Expected Spectacle

In the previous few articles, we have been looking at an account from Daniel 3. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon commanded others in his kingdom to bow down to an idol. After three Israelite exiles wouldn’t sell out their faith in God by worshiping the idol (even after the king gave them another chance to do so), the king got fired up and had a furnace fired up (just as hot as the king’s temper), then had the three men thrown into the furnace to meet their punishment.

If we think of the furnace as being above ground (maybe with a few steps up to the door, since the three bound men fell into it), rather than as a pit furnace, then the king could have been sitting in a chair or throne as the spectacle unfolded, ready to watch the demise of those who dared cross him. He doesn’t remain seated, though.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”

They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”

He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

Daniel 3:24‭-‬25 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/dan.3.24-25.NIV

Remember, this king may have watched previously as others had been thrown into this same furnace, and he probably had some specific expectations for what would happen. For him, this was probably just another execution of someone who had disobeyed his instructions. Something is different, though, and he is surprised enough to get up and ask whether he is seeing things.

Not only are the three men not being consumed by the heat, but they are walking around. If the men who threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the furnace were killed in the process (see Daniel 3:22-23), how could these three administrative officials be walking around in it?

Furthermore, the count is off. It’s not difficult to count to three, but the king asks just to be sure that – I guess – someone else didn’t get thrown in by accident?

On that note, think about how it can be difficult to see through blazing heat. If Nebuchadnezzar could make out what appeared to be a divine being in the flames, there must have been something really different about the fourth person.

While the identity of the fourth man in the furnace isn’t clearly stated here, it could have been an angel sent by God to protect the three Jewish men. That seems to have been Nebuchadnezzar’s interpretation in verse 28. However, many believe that this was an appearance of Jesus Himself (a “theophany”, if we want to use a fancy word). In that case, if the actual Son of God was the fourth man he saw in the furnace, Nebuchadnezzar was perhaps more right than he realized. I’m reminded of the centurion at Jesus’ crucifixion (see Mark 15:39), who also made a similar pronouncement about Jesus.

Let’s bring this back to the here and now. While I don’t think that you’re a brutal king who compels people to worship idols (at least, I hope not!), I’d like to ask you this: Does God’s amazing work in your life still bring you to your feet (whether physically or in your heart)? Is God’s intervention in this broken, fallen world so incredible that you have to get a closer look just to be sure that your eyes aren’t deceiving you? If so, that’s great! And if not, why not?

While I hope that God doesn’t have to get my attention for the same reason He did for King Nebuchadnezzar here (i.e., because I’ve tried to harm God’s people for following Him), I pray that I never lose the excitement and joy of seeing God at work, and that I never get so complacent about His power and His love for people that I stay on the couch and don’t get up for a closer look.

From Sunday School lesson prepared for June 16, 2024

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