"But I See Four"

“Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” (Daniel 3:24-25 ESV)

Nebuchadnezzar had made a statue of gold to be worshiped by all those in Babylon when “the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music” (v.4) played. However, neither Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, nor Abednego worshiped the idol despite the royal edict. Counselors to Nebuchadnezzar went to the king to tell him of the disobedience of the four despite the Jews' royal service.

Nebuchadnezzar ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be thrown into the fiery furnace, and so they were. The words spoken by the three are something we should all remember in times of trials, “If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

We know that God has planned our lives to glorify Him. So, in desperate times, we must remember that only God can save us, and He will save us, yet even if He does not, He is still our God, and we will glorify Him both outwardly and inwardly.

Quite an unusual thing occurred while the three were in the fiery furnace: Nebuchadnezzar witnessed a fourth man walking among them. To Nebuchadnezzar, He looked like "ason of the gods," meaning: The Son of God, Christ. There is speculation as to who this third person in the furnace represents. Calvin believed it was an angel similar to the one who would be dispatched to stay with Daniel in the lion's den. Whilst others like Spurgeon believed this was a Christophany, an appearance of Christ in the Old Testament before the incarnation.

Like Spurgeon, I believe it was the Lord, based on Nebuchadnezzar's exclamation. This dispute is not alone. We also have a similar dispute involving the person who wrestled with Jacob, dislocating his hip, who is also said to be an angel, or again a Christophany. We have read of angels appearing as men, like those who saved Lot at Sodom. But to the King, He appeared as a Son of God.

While the argument will no doubt persist, we can take confidence in these accounts, as they remind us that God, in one way or another, is with the elect in times of trial and trouble. Either in Spirit or angelic protection, God is with us. When we trust in the Lord as Daniel (Belteshazzar), Shadrach, Meshach, or Abednego did on many occasions, whether we are championed or not, He is always with us, and He will always be glorified, no matter what the outcome.

Without our hope in the Lord, we have nothing but despair. Without trust in His providence, we have nothing but anxiety. Without salvation through the blood of Christ have nothing but condemnation.

Do you know Jesus Christ as your Savior?

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a fairy tale nor a fictional story; it is history, with historical documentation of the lives of those who knew Christ. Christ came in the incarnation, 100% God, and 100% human. As the Son of God, He went to the cross willingly in obedience and love for the Father. Out of love for His children, Christ sacrificed Himself on the cross, the sinless bearing the sins of the wicked so that in their redemption they can be made righteous in the eyes of God, receiving eternal life and inheriting the Kingdom of God.

Seek Christ today, seek the glory of God. Receive the free gift of salvation found in the blood of the Lamb. Truly, I tell you, He is the only way.

Grace and Peace.