Origin: Daniel 3 in the Bible
Once upon a time, in the land of Babylon, there lived a powerful king named Nebuchadnezzar. King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue and ordered everyone to bow down and worship it whenever they heard music playing.
Now, there were three friends named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who loved and worshiped the one true God. They knew that bowing down to statues was against God’s commandments, so they refused to worship the golden statue.
When some people saw that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not obeying the king’s command, they told King Nebuchadnezzar. The king became very angry and summoned the three friends to appear before him.
King Nebuchadnezzar gave them one more chance to bow down and worship the golden statue. But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego bravely stood firm in their faith and said, “O king, we will not bow down to your statue. Our God is able to save us from the fiery furnace, and He will rescue us from your power. But even if He doesn’t, we will not worship your gods or the golden statue you have made.”
The king was furious with their response and ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual. Then he commanded his strongest soldiers to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the fiery furnace.
The flames from the furnace were so hot that they killed the soldiers who threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into it. But something miraculous happened inside the furnace.
As King Nebuchadnezzar watched in amazement, he saw not three, but four figures walking around in the flames. And the fourth figure looked like a divine being! God had sent an angel to protect Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fire.
King Nebuchadnezzar called out to them, “Servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the furnace, unharmed and without even a single hair singed.
The king was astonished and praised the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, saying, “Blessed be the God of these three men who trusted in Him. No other god can rescue like this!”
From that day on, King Nebuchadnezzar decreed that anyone who spoke against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would be punished. And he promoted the three friends to even higher positions in his kingdom.
And so, children, the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego teaches us about courage, faith, and God’s protection. Just like these three friends, we should always trust in God and stand up for what is right, even in the face of danger.
