No Door

I am so excited. I just finished reading 8 days of daily devotions that took me through a well-known passage of scripture and God showed me something amazing!

Here it is. The familiar passage of scripture is Daniel 3 about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. At first, I must admit, I thought, “Oh man, 8 days in the same chapter about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. I know this chapter and their stand for God. What can I learn in 8 days?” Well, after finishing the study by the preacher in the devotional booklet, God showed me something totally unexpected on day 8 on my own study.

Let me explain:

As I was reading the chapter on day #8, it occurred to me that the fiery furnace had no door. The door/opening to the furnace was one people could see through and look inside to see the burning flames. Why do I think it had no door at all? Also, I do not think the furnace was a hole in the ground. Let me explain both thoughts and then I will discuss why I think it is important that the furnace had no door.

I. No Door to the Furnance

1. The men were “cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.” V21 If there had been a door, I believe God would have mentioned a door opening before our 3 men were thrown in. God only mentions the extreme heat killing the men who threw our 3 men into the furnace. V22.
2. If the furnance had a door, the door would have had to be glass created with a great technology to withstand the extreme heat and not bust and blow out.
3. We know the furnace entrance was one people could see through from a distance. If the furnace was a hole in the ground, people could not look into it from a distance. In V24 King Nebuchadnezzar looked into the midst of the fire and “was astonied.” He saw 4 people walking around inside the fire and one he said was “like the Son of God.” V25
4. It is not until V26 that King Nebuchanezzar walks and goes “near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace.” If the furnace was a hole in the ground, the King could not have seen the 4 people from a distance.
5. If the furnace had been a hole in the ground, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could not have just walked out when the King called for them to “come forth.” V26

II. No Door to the Furnace! – Why is this important?

Think about it, “If you were in a fire, even though you were not being burned, what is the first thing you would do given the chance?” If it were me, “I would have walked (probably ran) out of the furnace.” Then, I would have gotten outside of the furnace and realized, “Oh, I am not burned! Wow! Amazing!” But I would have missed out on a most wonderful blessing of all. I would have missed walking with God.

Yes, our 3 men choose to stay in the fire and walk with God All-Mightly.

• They did not care what horrible thing they were in the midst of.
• They did not care if the flames might start burning them.
• They did not care if they would start to feel pain.
• They did not care if they died.

They choose to stay, enjoy, and savour ever second walking with God All-Mighty. Yes, we know they were not burned, and their clothes did not even smell of smoke. V27. But I have to admit, if I was in a burning fire, but protected, the moment I had a chance to escape, I would because I would be fearful that the fire might eventually burn me. But our three men were not afraid because God was fully protecting them, and they did not care if the fire might eventually burn them. They were glorying in the moment of spending time with God and letting God walk them through their actual physical trial.

III. No Door to the Furnace. What can we learn?

1. During trials, we need to open our eyes and see God with us. We should not dwell so much on the trial as we should be dwelling on God walking with us. For example. After Jesus rose from the grave, Luke 24, he walked with some men, taught these men, and sat to eat with these men, these men did not ‘see’ God. Not until he broke the bread in 24:30 were their eyes open in Luke 24:31 “And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.” They were with him all day long and did not ‘see’ Jesus. They missed out on a super-duper blessing of walking and being with God all day because they did not ‘see’ God. They were too busy focusing and worrying about their trial of their crucified Saviour to ‘see’ God.

Our 3 men in Daniel ‘saw’ God from the first second he started walking with them. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not focus on their trial or worry about being burned to death. They focused only on walking with God.

2. Some trials we go through, there may be a way out. It may not be what God wants, but there may be a way out. People quit jobs, they leave churches, they get divorced, etc. Some trials, because of our ‘free will’ we can leave.

Some trials we cannot leave like a diagnosis of cancer or other horrible illness, or a car accident, or death of a loved one, etc. Some trials we must go through. For example, when Peter walked on the water and began to sink in Matthew 14. God came along and helped him out and walked with him back to the ship. When Peter started to sink, there was no way out, he had to have God’s help or die. He could not grab onto the ship and pull himself back in. He was too far out. He had to grab onto God.

Matthew 14:32 “And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could have left their trial. They could have run out of the furnace and it would have been all over. But they did not! They choose to stay in the trial and risk possible death and they got a most wonderful blessing.

3. Through these 3 men, I believe we know – how to glory in tribulations.

Romans 5:3 “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;”

This verse had always puzzled me, even though many preachers have preached on it and I know I should glory in tribulations, but I have always wondered “How?” Now God has showed me how to glory in tribulations. I can glory in the fact that he is personally walking with me in my tribulations. He is there by my side and helping me each step of the way. He is comforting me and communing with me. Yes, this is something I have also known but it has never really been solidified for me until God showed me this example in Daniel with our 3 men choosing to stay in their trial and walk with God in the fire.

IV. Quick conclusion, when in the midst of the fiery trial:

• Take time to ‘see’ God’s presence.
• Do not be too hasty to leave the trial. Enjoy walking with God.
• Glory in the trial because you know – for sure – God is walking with you through the fire.