The day came for the dedication of the statue. All the officials had gathered
on the Plain of Dura.
Once everyone was assembled, an official stood up and announced: "People
of every nation and race, now listen to the king's command! Trumpets, flutes,
harps, and all other kinds of musical instruments will soon start playing.
When you hear the music, you must bow down and worship the statue that King
Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Anyone who refuses to bow down will at once be
thrown into a flaming furnace."
Hananiah nudged Azariah, "I think it's time to go."
"Mishael, we're leaving!" Azariah whispered.
"I'm right behind you! I don't want any part of this mess," Mishael
whispered back.
As they were leaving, the music started to play. They took one look back
to see the entire crowd bowing before the statue and worshipping. The trio
quickened their pace and hurried home. Their exit, however, did not go unnoticed.
Some of the Babylonians who saw them leave decided to tell King Nebuchadnezzar
that Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael would not bow before the golden statue.
When they went before the king and told him everything, the king was furious
and sent for the three young men.
Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were sitting under a tree discussing their
situation.
"It won't be long before someone tells the king we didn't bow before
the statue," said Hananiah.
"We would have broken two of the ten commandments had we obeyed the
king. The first, 'You shall have no other gods before me.'6 The
second, 'You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything
in the heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below; you
shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the L-rd your G-d, am
a jealous G-d,'"7 quoted Azariah.
"We will have to trust the G-d of Israel to protect us from the king's
decree," replied Hananiah. "Let's pray together now."
When they had finished praying, Mishael looked up the road. "Here comes
trouble now," he groaned.
In a moment, the three friends were being whisked away and into the king's
presence.
King Nebuchadnezzar looked down from his throne. He was white with fury.
"I hear that you refuse to worship my gods and the gold statue I have
set up. I am going to give you one more chance. If you bow down and worship
the statue when you hear the music, everything will be all right. If you
do not worship the statue, you will at once be thrown into a flaming furnace;
no god can save you from me." 8
The three men replied, "Your Majesty, the G-d we worship can save us
from you and your flaming furnace. Even if He doesn't, we still will not
worship your gods and the gold statue you have set up." 9
King Nebuchadnezzar was furious and ordered the furnace to be heated seven
times hotter than usual. He commanded some of his strongest soldiers to
tie up Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael and throw them into the furnace.
The soldiers seized the three Jewish men, tied them up, and carried them
off to the fiery furnace. The three young men remained calm and confident
that the L-rd would somehow deliver them. As the soldiers threw Hananiah,
Azariah, and Mishael into the furnace, the fire was so hot that the flames
leapt out and killed the soldiers.
____________________
Darryl poked the fire with his stick. Sparks shot heavenward. The wood,
crackling and popping, was the only sound in the otherwise silent night.
Jamie was the first to break the silence. "I have been sitting here,
staring into the campfire and thinking about how scary it would be to be
thrown into a fiery furnace. Even if you were trusting in G-d to protect
you."
"I agree with you Jamie," Elizabeth said. "I think it would
be only natural to be afraid."
"Would you please finish the story; I can't wait to hear what happened!"
Brian was growing impatient.
"First, I wanted to mention a few more things before we finish the
story. The furnace was probably a brick kiln, as they were quite popular
in Babylon because stones that could be used for building were scarce. 10
Remember, Babylon was where modern day Iraq is now located."11
Jamie spoke, "Sand and oil are about all they seem to have over there,
Dad. No wonder bricks were so popular."
"That's right! You are already familiar with the story of the Tower
of Babel; it was built in this same area. In Genesis 11:3, G-d's word tells
us: 'Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They used brick
instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Tar comes from oil and we know they
had plenty of oil in the area.12 This is a good example of how
accurate the Bible is in recording details and how they fit perfectly with
what we know to be true today. Let's return now to our friends in the fiery
furnace."
