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Chapter 3 records the faith of three Jewish boys. King Nebuchadnezzar did not respond to Daniel's interpretation of his dream as we might have expected. Instead of acknowledging God and worshipping Him, he did quite the opposite. He had a golden image made which probably resembled himself and demanded that all people bow down and worship it when the band played. It was quite large being 90 feet high and 9 feet wide. Those who refused to bow down to it were thrown into a fiery furnace.
Certain Chaldeans brought word to Nebuchadnezzar that three Jewish boys, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would not bow down and worship the golden image. They were called in and questioned by the king. When asked why they would not worship the image they responded, "If you throw us into the flaming furnace, we are not worried." "Our God will deliver us and if He does not, please understand, we will not under any circumstances worship your god." Then Nebuchadnezzar had the furnace heated up 7 times hotter than usual and had the three boys bound and thrown into it. The fire was so hot that it destroyed the men who threw them into it.
When Nebuchadnezzar looked into the furnace, he saw 4 people. He asked if 4 had been thrown into the furnace and they replied no, only three. "Why then is there four?" Looking in again, the king saw four people walking around the furnace and the flames did not hurt them. One looked like a God. He ordered them removed from the furnace and found that they were in no way hurt by the fire, their heads were not singed, their cloths were not scorched and there was no smell of fire on them.
Then Nebuchadnezzar phrased the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and decreed, "Anyone who speaks anything against the God of these three boys shall be torn limb from limb and their houses lain to ruins." And again the three were given places of honor in his kingdom.
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