16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 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. 18 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.”

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. 22 Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. 27 And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that 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. 28 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

(ESV)

King Nebuchadnezzar had just issued a challenge, “who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” (Dan 3:15). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego boldly declared that they had no need to make a defence, their minds were made up. They had faith that the God whom they served was able to save them from the furnace, but they knew that He is sovereign and may choose not to. Either way, they refused to serve foreign gods or worship the golden image the king had erected.

The king was furious. He had offered them a second chance to worship the image and now his whole demeanour changed. He ordered the furnace be heated to its maximum and got some of the strongest men in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and have them thrown into the furnace fully clothed. Why did he need such strong soldiers? Perhaps because he wanted to ensure no chance that anyone, god or man, could intervene. The furnace was so hot that the soldiers who threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the furnace were killed in the process.

Then the king saw something unbelievable. He first conferred with his councillors that they had only thrown three men into the furnace. They confirmed his count. But Nebuchadnezzar saw four men walking around in the fire. The only thing that had burned was their restraints and they were unharmed. The fourth man looked like a deity. The fourth person may have been an angel but most Bible commentators agree that it was most likely the Son of God, Jesus in a pre-incarnate appearance.

The king called Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego out of the furnace. When the king and his counsellors examined them they saw that the fire had not affected them in any way. The hair on their heads was not singed, their clothes were unharmed, and they didn’t even smell like fire. The king’s response was to praise their God who sent an angel to rescue them. They had trusted their god, ignored the king’s command, risking their lives for what they believed. They were prepared to die rather than worship any god except their own God. Because of this, the king decreed that any person who profaned the name of their God would be torn limb from limb and their houses laid in ruins because no other god is able to rescue in this way. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Is God all-powerful? Yes. Does God deliver believers from all trials? No. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn’t know how things would end. They did have firm faith that the God who delivered Israel from Egypt, who parted the red sea and did countless other miracles could save them. They also most likely had a firm belief in eternity with God that is far superior to anything here on earth. They literally got to live the promise, “when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:2). One thing we can be sure of is when we go through trials, Jesus is there with us (Heb 2:18).