The story of Daniel ep. 3 - The fiery furnace

Hmm. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you did not worship my golden statue? King Nebuchadnezzar inquired on a harsh tone. The king knew that the three friends before him who were brought as slaves from Jerusalem were among the best of his governors, and he thought that perhaps they did not understand his command. So he gave them another chance, saying, Now be ready to bow down with everyone else when you hear the music, but let's be clear, the king continued, if you do not worship this idol, you will be thrown into the fiery furnace. Then no God will be able to save you from my power, the king concluded. The three friends, full of courage, answered, Our king, we do not need another chance. We respect you as king, but we will not kneel and worship the idol. Welcome to the third episode of Daniel's Journey. Although we have already witnessed together two great trials in the life of Daniel and his friends, their experiences with God continue. We still have many things to learn from this faithful young man and his friends. Let's hear a new and exciting story about Daniel and his friends. King Nebuchadnezzar's power and authority expanded until he became the greatest king in the world. Every year, he added more and more territories to his kingdom. People everywhere feared him, so it is no wonder that Nebuchadnezzar became proud of his success. One day, King Nebuchadnezzar gave the order that a gold statue over 300 feet high was to be made. This statue was an idol to be raised in a place called Dura in the land of Babylon, where everyone could see it. When the craftsmen finished the statue and placed it in its spot, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered all the servants of the kingdom to come and worship before this idol. Princes, governors, captains, judges, legislators, and leaders from all over the kingdom were summoned to the Dura Valley. No one dared to go against the king's orders. Daniel's three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were among the people who came before the golden statue. King Nebuchadnezzar was very proud of himself, seeing the statue and a large crowd, tightly packed together, gathered before him. At the king's command, one of his servants shouted loudly, People of every nation and every language, when you hear the sound of the instruments, you will have to bow down and worship before the golden statue King Nebuchadnezzar built. Whoever refuses to bow will be thrown into the fiery furnace. The instruments began to sound, and immediately every person knelt before the king's statue and bowed down to it in idol worship. They were all afraid of the king and his threats, and none of them wanted to be thrown into the blazing hot furnace. Everyone bent over, except for three young men who remained standing. Who do you think they were? Exactly, they were Daniel's three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When the king's servants saw that the three young men were standing there bravely, while all the people in the crowd around them bowed down, they immediately ran to inform the king. The king became very angry. He thought to himself, how could someone disobey my command? After all, I am the king. Nebuchadnezzar sent his servants to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to him immediately. When the three arrived before him, the king asked them, Hmm, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you did not worship my golden statue? The king knew that the three friends before him, who were brought as slaves from Jerusalem, were among the best of his governors, and he thought that perhaps they did not understand his command. So he gave them another chance, saying, Now, be ready to bow down with everyone else when you hear the music. But let's be clear, the king continued, if you do not worship this idol, you will be thrown into the fiery furnace. Then no god will be able to save you from my power, the king concluded. The three friends, full of courage, answered, Our king, we do not need another chance. We respect you as king, but we will not kneel and worship the idol. We only bow down before our god, the one true god. King Nebuchadnezzar, Shadrach continued, our god is so great and powerful that he can save us from the blazing hot furnace. And even if he does not save us, you should know, we still won't serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue you raised up. Hearing these words, Nebuchadnezzar was furious. He had just offered these young men another chance to worship the golden statue, but instead of taking his offer, they insulted him in front of all his servants. The king immediately ordered his servants to heat the furnace seven times hotter than it was usually set to. Then his voice like thunder called out to the three friends as he said, Who do you think you are? How dare you challenge my authority? I will teach you a lesson. Then King Nebuchadnezzar shouted to his servants, throw them into the fiery furnace. Let's see if the god they brag about will save them from my power. Come on, hurry, tie them up and throw them at once into the blazing hot furnace. Immediately, the king's servants firmly tied up the three friends and threw them into the furnace. Before the servants could get away, the flames from the furnace immediately swallowed them up and they were dead. Nebuchadnezzar watched what happened and suddenly his eyes grew wide with amazement. Was it real? The three young men who dared not bow down before the statue set up by the king were walking around in the fire. The king rubbed his eyes and moved a little closer to get a better look inside the furnace. Haven't we thrown three people in the fire? The king asked his servants. Yes, our king, they answered. Three people, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. What is going on? The king cried out. I see four people, not three, and they all walk around freely in the fire, he continued, and they do not seem to be burned. And what's more, Forth looks like a son of the gods. Nebuchadnezzar got as close as he could to the door of the furnace and cried out in a loud voice. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come here, come to me immediately. Filled with wonder, all of the king's servants gathered around and saw the three friends stepping out of the furnace. The fire had no effect on them and did not harm them even a bit. Not a single strand of their hair was burned, and their clothes didn't even smell like smoke. Only the ropes used to tie them up had burned, so they were no longer bound. King Nebuchadnezzar was afraid to be angry with the three young men. He understood that they were brave and faithful. They truly served a powerful god who was able to deliver them from the fire. Blessed be your god, said King Nebuchadnezzar. He took care of you because you trusted in him. You refused to obey my command, but instead allowed your bodies to be burned so you wouldn't have to serve another god. Everyone around was listening attentively as the king went on. So, here is the new commandment that I give, the king continued. Any man of any people, nation, or language must not say anything against the god of these young men, or he will be torn apart and his house will be turned into a pile of stones, for there is no other god greater than the god they serve. Only he can deliver people as he did with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the king concluded. After that, King Nebuchadnezzar promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to higher positions within his kingdom. Dear children, remember the three friends trusted god in the difficult situation they had to face. Their faith gave them the hope and strength they needed when they were put to the test by King Nebuchadnezzar. God has the power to deliver us even in the hardest trial. Daniel was an example of faithfulness to his friends. He showed them the strength of his faith and urged them to trust in god in any situation, which they did when they refused to worship idols. God saw their heart and he was with them even when they were thrown into the blazing furnace. Then he rewarded their obedience to him with great honor within the land of Babylon. We too must put our trust in god in any situation that may arise in our lives, just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When we trust in him, God will never leave us. where we frequently post christian songs and animations for children