Posted: 04 November 2024
From a sermon given on 03 November 2024:
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
(Daniel 3:24)
Then he answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
(Ganiel 3:25)
This incident is one of the strongest examples of steadfast faith. When it was reported to Nebuchadnezzar that some Hebrew boys had refused to bow to his golden image, the king became furious and ordered them to be brought before him. Even in his presence, they were categorical that they were not going to bow. They had faith that God would deliver them. And even if he chose not to do so, still they were not going to worship his image.
In his rage, he ordered the fire heated seven times. "Seven times is an idiom of as much as possible." It was too hot to the extent that the flame of the fire slew this men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Then these were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their caps and their other clothes and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire!
And alas! Nebuchadnezzar had "a pinch me I may be dreaming moment." He stood up in haste and said to his officials , "Did we not cast three men bound into the fire? i see four men loosed, walking" (not seated, not bound, not agonising) but walking in the midst of the fire. And the fourth one looks like the son of the gods. Our God is a consuming fire. His fire can purify, create or even destroy. The fire is the epic of his glory. His Majesty is portrayed like an unquenchable fire which commands respect and awe. Any time we are in the fire (problems, crisis), our God will be right there walking with us.
Further readings:
And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
(Exodus 3:2)
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
(Acts 2:3-4)
