June 8: THEY FELL DOWN BOUND

Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Daniel 3:22-23

Let us pause here and consider the king’s previous knowledge of God. Could it be that he possessed a subconscious awareness of the possibility of divine intervention on behalf of the three faithful young men? His determination to assert his authority above the authority of their God was urgent, as revealed by the expression on his face (3:19) which had become frightfully demonic, the order to heat the furnace to full capacity, and the use of his best military men, certain mighty men of valor, to carry out the deed. Daniel’s detailed account of this entire scene includes this about his three dearest friends: they fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

By order of a mere man, even though a king, God’s most faithful representatives at this Babylonian gathering were subjected to a severe form of capital punishment. The intensity of the extra heat took the lives of his best military men as they carried out the king’s order. The story could have ended here, and every Christian would immediately conclude that Nebuchadnezzar had not had the last word. Even the young Hebrew men had said themselves that if God chose not to rescue them from the king’s hand (v.18), they would go to their deaths with the knowledge that they had remained obedient to the God whom they loved supremely. We must also consider the tragic loss of life of the men of valor (probably six) who obeyed the king’s order to bind them and cast them into the furnace (v.20).

But let us continue…  Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” (v.24) One might wonder if these counselors yet sensed the choice that had been laid before them. Look back at these words recorded by Moses:

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life. Deuteronomy 30:19-20a

For further study: Isaiah 33:14-16