Who was in the furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?

Answer

One of the most emotionally captivating stories from the Bible is that of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and their encounter with the “fiery furnace” in Daniel 3.

Who Were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?

The first time we read about these young men, we meet King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon who besieged Jerusalem. He immediately started to take notice of the people living in his new territory: “Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility—young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace” (Daniel 1:3-4). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, along with Daniel, were selected as meeting that criteria. They were the absolute “cream of the crop” in Jerusalem at that time. The king took these young men under his wing, gave them food and drink from his own table, and trained them in the ways of the Babylonians (Daniel 1:4-5). As a symbol of their stature within the leadership structure, the king even replaced their Israelite birth names with the Babylonian names they are most commonly known by: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It was clear that these young men were on their way to the top.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were eventually appointed as “administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court” «Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.», (Daniel 2:49). ItIt didn’t take long for these young men to be tested. King Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden idol and commanded everyone to bow down to it (Daniel 3:1-5). The severe consequences of not obeying this command were that the violator would “immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace” «and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. », (Daniel 3:6). The time had come for these three young men to choose whom they were going to obey: King Nebuchadnezzar or the One True God.

The Choice

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow to the golden image. When questioned as to why they had failed to comply with the king’s order, they replied, “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 Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-18). The die had been cast. A furious Nebuchadnezzar immediately ordered the three young men to be thrown into the fiery furnace and, as an added measure of wrath, for it to be heated “seven times hotter than usual” «And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. », (Daniel 3:20). The king wanted to make a public example of how disobedience would be dealt with under his reign.

The Fourth Man

When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the furnace, the king expected to see a quick and painful death.

For these young men. But he was stunned to see them walking around in the furnace, unharmed— and someone else was in the furnace with them: “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods” «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. », (Daniel 3:25). The king, although antagonistic toward the God of Israel, immediately recognized the supernatural nature of the miracle before him. Nebuchadnezzar called the three Hebrew men out of the furnace, praised their God, and honored them, declaring, “No other god can save in this way” «Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort. », (Daniel 3:29).

So, who was this mysterious fourth man in the furnace? Most Christians understand this person to be the pre-incarnate Christ, the second Person of the Godhead. Another theory is that this fourth person is the Angel of the Lord who appeared to Moses in the burning bush «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). Note that this theory could also lead to the conclusion that it was Jesus. The fourth man in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego was thus a theophany or a Christophany.

Who was in the furnace? — The Conclusion

God was responsible for the supernatural protection.Protection of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. This story inspires hope in the believer’s heart because we know that God is with us even during trials. Trials may be inevitable in this life, but we have a risen Savior who has assured us of His presence. Jesus, the One who stood by the three men in the furnace, declared, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” «teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.», (Matthew 28:20). Additionally, 1 Peter 5:10 reminds us, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.”