The Fiery Furnace

Title ideas:God was with [rescued] three men so they did not die in a fire. Being faithful to God in an evil culture.Obey God or King?

Because Daniel told [revealed to] King Nebuchadnezzar what the king had dreamed, the king made Daniel [to be] his chief adviser.

King Nebuchadnezzar also made Daniel’s three friends [to be] high [important] government officials. Their names were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

One day, King Nebuchadnezzar’s workers built [crafted] a statue [image] that was 27 meters [90 feet] tall, and they covered it with gold [expensive metal].

Then King Nebuchadnezzar called all his high government officials to come honor [dedicate] his golden statue. He also sent musicians to make music.

A servant announced to everyone there, “King Nebuchadnezzar commands this: When the musicians make music, everyone must bow down to [in front of] his golden statue!

If anyone will not bow down and worship the statue, then soldiers [warriors] will throw that person into a large flaming [hot] oven-room [like a kiln]!”

When the musicians began to make music, most of the government officials bowed down to King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden statue.

But Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, did not bow down to [or worship] the [King Nebuchadnezzar’s] golden statue.

Some officials said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Three of your officials, named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, disobeyed your command! They did not bow down to your golden statue. Also, they never worship your gods!”

King Nebuchadnezzar became angry, and he warned [spoke seriously to] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, saying,

“If you refuse to [do not] bow down before [in front of] my statue, then my soldiers will throw you into a large flaming [hot] oven-room [like a kiln]. No god could save you from [dying in] that fire!”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied (respectfully) to the king, “You know that we worship [obey / serve] only the Lord [Creator God]. The Lord [Creator God] is able to save us from a big fire.

“But even if the Lord God should [does] not save us, we will [must] not bow down to [worship] your golden statue!”

King Nebuchadnezzar (became more) angry and ordered some servants, “Make the fire as hot as you can!”

King Nebuchadnezzar ordered other servants, “Tie up [bind with cords] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego!” The king ordered his soldiers, “Throw these men alive into the fire! Now!” The soldiers did so. (The fire was so hot [strong] that it killed the soldiers who threw the men into the fire!)

After some minutes, King Nebuchadnezzar, looking into the fire [flames], was astonished [amazed], and said to his advisers,

“We threw three men into the fire, but I now see four men! They are walking round in the fire unharmed! And the fourth man looks like a god!”

So King Nebuchadnezzar shouted into the fire, “Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego! Come out of the fire and come to me!” The three men obeyed the king and walked out of the fire, unharmed [safe].

King Nebuchadnezzar and everyone there with him looked at the three men. They saw [observed] that the fire had harmed neither the men nor their clothes. [They did not even smell like smoke.]

So King Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed [said], “I praise the God whom Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego serve!

“Their God sent an angel to rescue them, because they had put their trust in Him! They were more willing to die than to worship [serve] another god!

“I will kill all who speak against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s God, because there is no other god who can rescue men from fire!”

Then King Nebuchadnezzar [promoted] gave more important [government] jobs to Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.”