DANIEL’S PARTNERS
The company one keeps says a lot about him or her as a person. In the book of Proverbs, Solomon had some advice concerning the company one keeps. “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not… My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path” (Proverbs 1:10, 15). In the simplest terms, Solomon stated that when asked to partake in a sinful act, the best response was a simple, “No.” Paul wrote, “Be not deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33, ASV). It is good to understand that the company we keep can have an adverse effect on us.
What about Daniel’s friends? Were they a good or a bad influence on Daniel? Furthermore, who were Daniel’s friends? We know that Daniel’s friends were “…Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah” (Daniel 1:6). “Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions” (Daniel 2:17). These three young men were the companions or friends of Daniel. We know that in similar fashion to Daniel, their names were changed to reflect the Babylonian Gods. Hananiah became “Shadrach.” Mishael was “Meshach.” Azariah became “Abed-nego”. Were these three good influences on the life of Daniel?
Daniel 3 is dedicated to these three youths and from it, we can see their actions. Nebuchadnezzar has built a golden statue that is sixty cubits (ninety feet) high and six cubits (nine feet) wide. This statue must have been very special considering the decree made by Nebuchadnezzar. “Then the herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up; and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace” (Daniel 3:4-6). Remember, where it was pointed out that open defiance to a king would be punished with death? Anyone who refused to bow down to this image would be thrown into a burning fiery furnace. There were certain men of the Chaldeans who were jealous of the fact that Daniel and these three were put into positions of power within the government (Daniel 2:49). They accused the three of not worshipping the idol (Daniel 3:12-13). Nebuchadnezzar gives these three one last opportunity to worship the idol in his presence (Daniel 3:14-15). Look at the response these three gave to the king of Babylon.
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up (Daniel 3:16-18). It seems as if Daniel was not the only one who purposed in his heart to obey God. These three had performed the same action. Look at the faith on the part of these young men. It would have been easy for these men to beg forgiveness, claim a lack of knowledge of this law, or given a number of other excuses. Instead, they plainly told Nebuchadnezzar, “If OUR GOD wills it, we will be delivered.” They put their trust in the Almighty God. It was not the false idols of the Babylonians who could deliver these from the fires which would have been their ultimate fate. Only God would be able to perform this. Furthermore, even if God did not deliver them from death, they still refused to bow down before this giant idol.
This statement greatly angered the King of Babylon. He demanded that the furnace be heated one seven times more than its normal temperature. He wanted the furnace as hot as it could get (Daniel 3:19). At the risk of sounding as if I am trying to form a punch line someone may ask, “How hot was it?” This furnace was so hot that Nebuchadnezzar ordered his mightiest men to throw these three into the furnace (Daniel 3:20). The furnace was so hot that these men were instantly killed by the heat (Daniel 3:22). These young men fell into the furnace and something occurred that greatly surprised Nebuchadnezzar. “Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God” (Daniel 3:24-25). Preachers have made a three point statement about Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. These three did not: bow, bend, or burn.
“Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon” (Daniel 3:26-30).
Daniel had friends who were faithful to God. Do we?
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