eternal truth: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” The trials when God does not seem to hear are the ones that truly test faith. These boys wonderfully stood the test. The courageous answer of the young men terribly enraged Nebu chadnezzar. His face contorted with anger, he commanded that the fur nace be heated seven times more than usual. Without any respite, clothed as they were, Hananiah, Michael and Azariah were cast into the awful fur nace. T he J ews D elivered and H onored (3:24-30) It appears that the king had some sort of peep-hole by which he alone could view the interior of the fur nace. As he made his observation in this manner, astonishment suddenly passed over his face, and he hurriedly inquired as to the number of men cast into the furnace. When assured that there were but three, he revealed the fact that he saw a fourth person walking in the flames, and this one he declared to be “like the Son of God.” Evidently he did not fully understand the meaning of his words for in verse 28 he called this person “an an gel.” But in his ignorance he spoke a remarkable truth. This glorious per son could have been no other than the preincarnate Christ, appearing to ful fill the promise made in Isaiah 43:1, 2: “But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the wa ters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” Nebuchadnezzar soon saw that only one thing about these young men had been consumed by the fire— the ropes with which they were bound, for now they were “loose.” 33
Graduates of Biota and keyChristian leadersmeet with Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland (extreme right), president of the organization.Pictured from left to right are: Dr. Milton C. Gould, directorof Development for Biota, and former pastor of the First Baptist Church of Downey; Dr. J. Richard Chase, academic .vice president of Biota; Dr. Ralph Kraft, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Los Altos, Calif.; and Dr. Sutherland.
that they had obstinately refused to obey the king, even though he had been exceedingly kind to them, and had set them, foreigners though they were, “over the affairs of the prov ince of Babylon.” They f u r t h e r claimed that the three did not have proper respect for the king: “These men, 0 king, have not -regarded thee.” This was utterly false. T he J ews R efuse to W orship the I mage ” (3:13-18) Beaven, “Although angry at their disobedience, the k i n g still had enough regard for the young men to question them personally. He did not order their immediate destruction, but instead offered them another chance. His word to them was simply — ‘turn or burn.’ Rashly forgetting the admission he had made in Daniel 2 :47, he defied God himself: ‘Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?’ ” Confronted by a wrath ful king, the young men steadfastly refused to worship the image. The noble answer the youths actually made to the king is deserving of much study and meditation. They expressed their confidence in the fact that God was able to deliver them from the fiery furnace, if He wished. When trials come, we know that God is able to deliver us, if He chooses. But even if He does not choose to do so, let us be determined to still remain firm, reposing our con fidence in him. Romans 8:28 is an
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