Daniel’s Three Friends
When Babylon conquers Judah, Daniel and his three friends—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—are seized. They’re deported to Babylon.
Their names may be unfamiliar to you. That’s because this trio is better known by the names given to them by their captors: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
We read of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego only in the book of Daniel. They always appear as a trio and never as individuals.
Therefore, we’ll consider them as a unit, a team. Recall the wise words of King Solomon that a cord of three strands is not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12).
So it is with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Together they are strong.
In Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar erects a monument of gold and decrees that everyone should bow before it and worship the image. The punishment for failure to do this is being burned alive.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to bow.
When Nebuchadnezzar confronts them, they boldly confirm that they will not worship the image.
Instead, they’ll stay true to their God who is able to save them from the king’s fiery furnace of death. They proclaim confidence that God will rescue them, but even if he doesn’t, they’ll still worship him only.
Nebuchadnezzar orders that the three men be bound and thrown into the furnace. The fire is so hot that the guards who toss them in die. Yet Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego do not.
The king is astounded to see the three of them walking around in the furnace, unbound and unharmed. With them is a fourth man, whom Nebuchadnezzar says looks like “a son of the gods.”
The king calls them to come forth. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerge, they’re unaffected by the inferno. Their hair is not singed, their robes are not seared, and they don’t smell like smoke.
Amazed, Nebuchadnezzar praises their God, even though the king doesn’t know who their God is. Nebuchadnezzar decrees that anyone who says a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego must die.
How willing are we to die for our faith?
Who can we join as a “cord of three strands” to live a strong, God-honoring life?
[Read about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3. Discover more in Daniel 1:6–7 & 19.]
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More Old Testament Sinners and Saints is part of the Bible Character Sketches series.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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