“And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.” Daniel 3:27
The prophet Isaiah lived and prophesized for God before
Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem and took captives back to
Babylon. Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael had likely heard the words
of God through Isaiah “When you pass through the waters, I will be
with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:2) (Meditate on those absolute verbs!)
These men had heard and believed those words but now they have actually seen God fulfill His promise in their lives. God allows tests in a believers life for more than one reason. He wants to strengthen His child’s faith but He also wants to glorify His name before others. Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Isaiah tell us that truth repeatedly, “that they may know that I am the Lord”.
When Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael are summoned out of the furnace by the king, all those who stand there know they have witnessed a miracle of God.
And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together King Nebuchadnezzar is surrounded by a multitude of leaders and advisers. The may include the accusers of the men but we know for sure there a number of the leaders who would have been on the plain of Dura and who now serve as witnesses of God’s miracle.
Saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men The three men are examined carefully. First we are told that the
witnesses found that the fire (heated seven times hotter than it should have been) did no harm (had no effect) to the bodies of the three men.
The hair of their heads was not singed Second the witnesses found that not one hair of the men’s heads was singed by the fire. This is
amazing because hair is made of keratin, a protein that contains flammable elements like carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. When exposed to heat or flames, hair is highly combustible. Yet when God is in control, no laws of nature constrain what He can do.
Their cloaks were not harmed Third the witnesses found the men’s clothes were not harmed by the fire. Remember the ropes that bound the men were not there (they burned off) but not the clothes that the men wore. Daniel 3:21 tells us the king threw the men into the fire wearing their “cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments”. Yet these clothes ae not singed or burned.
No smell of fire had come upon them Fourth, we are told that the smell of smoke of the fire was not on the three men. Scientists tell us,
“When smoke is present in the air, it releases tiny particles and gases that easily penetrate fabric fibers. These particles are so small that they easily pass through the weave of most fabrics, making it difficult to remove the smoke smell.” The longer the exposure to the smoke, the more intense the smoke smell. Yet for these three men protected by God there is not a trace of smoke.
What can we learn? God allows this test of His children. We read His commentary of them in Hebrews 11;33, “who through faith conquered
kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire”. Additionally God sends a message to Nebuchadnezzar. One of Babylonians idols was Iz-bar, the god of fire, who was high in the Babylonian pecking order. The God of Israel shows to Nebuchadnezzar that He is greater than Iz-bar, for He delivers his servants from the greatest fire that Nebuchadnezzar could build with absolutely no effect to them. Never forget or doubt the power of God. While a burning fiery furnaces is a horrendous and terrifying sight, the worst the world can throw at us is no match for the great God we serve. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9) or whatever God wills you go through.