WE WILL NOT BOW

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were three young men who lived in the ancient city of Babylon. They were Hebrews who had been taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar and brought to Babylon to serve in his court.

One day, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered everyone in his kingdom to bow down and worship a golden statue he had erected. Anyone who refused to worship the statue would be thrown into a fiery furnace.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were devout worshippers of the one true God and refused to bow down to the golden statue. When the king heard about their defiance, he summoned the three young men to his presence.

King Nebuchadnezzar gave them one last chance to bow down to the golden statue, warning them that if they refused, they would be thrown into the fiery furnace. But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego remained steadfast in their faith and refused to worship any other god but their own.

Enraged by their disobedience, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded his strongest soldiers to tie up the three young men and throw them into the furnace.

As the soldiers approached the furnace to carry out the king’s orders, they were overcome by the intense heat and perished instantly. But to the amazement of everyone watching, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego remained unharmed, walking around inside the fiery furnace.

King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and called out to the three young men, asking them to come out of the furnace. When they emerged, not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothes were untouched by the flames.

The king was humbled by this miraculous display of God’s power and acknowledged that the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego was the true God. He issued a decree that anyone who spoke against their God would be punished severely.

From that day on, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego became respected and honored leaders in Babylon, serving as a testament to the faithfulness and power of God.