Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
25 Feb 2024
Unconditional Faith
The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is found in the Book of Daniel and it describes three devout Hebrews who refuse to bow down to the king’s image. Everyone else is instructed to worship the image of the king and anyone who does not bow is to be put to death. On its face, it is a story about standing up for God when no one else around seems to want to and being rewarded for their faith, but there is a much deeper component to it than that.
The outcome of this story is well known, they emerge without a single hair singed on their heads and were in the presence of someone who appeared to Nebuchadnezzar to be like the “The Son of God” However, the lead up to this glorious conclusion has a nugget of faith that most people skip over in pursuit of finding the end of the story.
An all important “but”
Right before the trio get tossed into the furnace at the behest of the king, he makes sure that they know the consequences of their actions. Nebuchadnezzar says to them in Daniel 3:
But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?
He throws down a challenge to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and God. They will be immediately thrown into the furnace giving them no time to think or act. What god will be able to rescue them from the hand of the king? We know the answer, it is our God. The one true and living God. However, the answer that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego give is the most important part of this whole story.
In verse 16 and 17 they reply to the king saying:
King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from your hand.
They claim that they do not have to worry because their God is both able to deliver them from the fire and he will deliver them from the fire. That is the faith that most people quote when studying this story. However, the next verse, verse 18, has a portion of the narrative even more important than that.
Daniel chapter 3 verse 18 says:
But even if he does not, we want you to know, O King, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego displayed commendable faith. They, literally, stood up for God and defended Him against allegations from a pagan king. But their faith did not stop there. After claiming that God would deliver them from the furnace they preface their confidence with a piece of faith that we should all strive to obtain.
But even if He does not…
Even if God did not deliver them, they still were not going to renounce their faith and worship false gods. Even if God abandoned them in the furnace, they would not abandon the faith. They tempered their confidence with a declaration that their faith is not conditional.
Unconditional dual faith
It is easy to have faith when we think we are going to be pulled out of the fire. But what if we are not? Do God’s actions affect our faith? If we are claiming only to be faithful because of the promise of reward or supplemental actions from God then that is not true faith, that is a transaction.
God ultimately delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the furnace, not because of their initial faith, but because of their dual faith. They proclaimed they would be faithful if God provided but if the off chance that He did not deliver them, they would still have faith. Their faith was unconditional.
This is contrasted heavily with the faith of the Babylonians and the pagans surrounding them in that moment. They were bowing down to the image of the king because they were told to, but without the threat of the fire, how many would have bowed? It is impossible to say but their faith was based on a condition of punishment and reward.
That is what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego tell us in Daniel. Their faith in God was based on things that transcend punishment and reward. It was based on God Himself, who is perfect and unshakeable and that is exactly the kind of faith that they displayed in that moment.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were still thrown into the furnace but they were not harmed. In both cases, they asked for deliverance but also said that even without it, they would continue to be faithful.
That is the kind of faith that we should strive for. An unconditional faith. A faith based in truth and love. A faith that is not shaken by hard times and possible pain and punishment. May we have faith like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
