2026.06.21 | Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego”
Daniel 3
Rev. Ashley Wai'olu Moore
Eden United Church of Christ
Cherryland, CA
June 21, 2026
Good morning, Beloved!
Happy Father’s day to all the fathers out there, as well as to those who have supported, mentored and otherwise been a father figure to someone in their lives. And to everyone, happy solstice and welcome to the longest day of the year! I want to assure you that we have not extended our service to compensate. But tomorrow we begin moving toward the season of Advent and the celebration of the Christ light coming into the world.
This week in our Faces of Faith series we consider the remarkable tale of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the book of Daniel. It is a story where the main characters are challenged, face intense tribulations, but remain true to YHWH and are profoundly rewarded for their faithfulness. But we first need to look at the context of their story. Please Pray with me…..
In 597 BCE, the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II declared war and laid siege to the city of Jerusalem, capital of the Kingdom of Judah. Jerusalem surrendered and the Babylonian army laid waste to the city, setting much of it on fire. Nebuchadnezzar issued a decree that all smart and capable Israelites be brought to Babylon. So its King Jehoiachin (Juh-HOH-wuh-kihn) was carried off, along with members of the royal household and many sacred treasures. Among the first wave of captives were four young men from the house of David named Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Scripture tells us that “God gave these four young men knowledge and skill in both books and life.”
They were brought to Babylon to be trained for a period of three years, after which they would be compelled into King Nebuchadnezzar’s service. They were given new names that honored Babylonian deities: Daniel was named Belteshazzar, Hananiah was named Shadrach, Mishael was named Meshach, Azariah was named Abednego.
So they had lost their country, their homes, their way of life, their families, their language, and even their names. They were now living in a strange land, the land of their conquerors and were required to serve King Nebuchadnezzar. The song we heard earlier, which was based on Psalm 137, captures the kind of complex grief, lamentation and tribulation that these exiles were experiencing. To add insult to injury, they were also expected to eat a diet in keeping with the customs of Babylon, but those went against the requirements of the Torah. They did not want to defile themselves with Nebuchadnezzar’s food but wanted to stay true totheir faith honoring YHWH.1 So, Daniel secretly worked with the head of the palace staff and finds a way for them to eat their own diet. This was their first victory.
After their years of training were completed, they were pressed into the King’s service. Scripture says that “Whenever the king consulted them on anything, on books or on life, he found them ten times better than all his other advisors put together (Daniel 1:19-21). So, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to administrative posts across Babylon, (and) Daniel governed from the royal headquarters” (Daniel 2:49). Like Joseph before them, here were captives of a foreign state whom YHWH blessed with influence and positions of prominence.
As you heard earlier, King Nebuchadnezzar then orders the creation of a nearly nine story high, golden statue, and erects it out on the plain of Dura where it can be seen from miles in every direction. He then commands all of his subjects to bow down and worship this idol whenever they hear music played by the court musicians. In the eyes of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Nebuchadnezzar’s statue is a heinous blasphemy. Remaining true to YHWH & the tenets of their faith, they refuse to bow down and worship Nebuchadnezzar’s idol, even when threatened by the king himself! They reply “If you throw us in the fire, our God is able to rescue us. But even if he doesn’t, we still wouldn’t serve your gods or worship your statue.”
Furious, Nebuchadnezzar commands that they be bound hand and foot and thrown into the raging heat of the furnace. But instead of hearing the sound of flesh burning and screams of torment, he sees 4 figures moving around freely in the midst of the fire. Interestingly, the Catholic bible, which contains more chapters and some extended text, includes the detail that while they were in the midst of the furnace, they offered a confession for the sins of Israel and then began singing songs of praise for YHWH. And it is at that point that the Angel of the Lord appears and rescues them.
Nebuchadnezzar is amazed! He calls them out of the furnace and all are astonished that the three men have escaped all hurt and harm. Then, in front of the entire crowd he gathered to worship his idol, Nebuchadnezzar instead gives praise to YHWH as the most-high God! He says, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego! They laid their bodies on the line rather than serve or worship any god but their own. (So YHWH) sent an angel & rescued those servants who trusted in him! There has never been a god who could pull off such a rescue. Let no one speak against YHWH!”
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By resolutely standing in their faith, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego went from being captives who had lost everything and nearly their own lives, to inspiring the king of their captors to glorify YHWH before the subjects of his kingdom. Their miraculous story was witnessed by multitudes. Nebuchadnezzar proclaimed to Daniel, “Your God is beyond question the God of all gods, the Master of all Kings” (Daniel 2:47). And then he promoted them!
Together, chapters 1, 3 and 6 of the book of Daniel remind us that even if we find ourselves in a situation where we feel we have lost everything, God is still with us. As we remain steadfast in our faith we can be sure that God is still working in our favor.
Praise be to God!
Amen.