Powerpoint Pictures: Statue of Liberty, Christ the Redeemer, Sphinx, Angel of the North, Nelson’s Column

In this country and around the world there are some famous statues.  Here are 5 that you might know – some of you may have seen them yourself. [Statue of Liberty (Paris & New York); Christ the Redeemer; Sphinx; Angel of the North; Nelson’s Column].

Long ago in a place called Babylon there was another statue, which would have been seen by lots of people.

King Nebuchadnezzar had built an enormous statue of himself.  This statue was 90 feet high (almost 30m) and 9 feet wide (3m) and made of gold.  After the statue was built King Nebuchadnezzar he gives the orders to everyone that when music is played, everyone has to bow down and worship the statue.  Anyone who failed to do this would be thrown into a fiery furnace.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego knew that it would be wrong to worship the statue, in fact it be wrong to worship anything or anything else other than God, and so when the music played they refused to bow down and worship the statue.

So they were brought in front of King Nebuchadnezzar who was angry at their actions.  “Unless you bow down at once you will be thrown into the fiery furnace.”

But Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused saying “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18).

Nebuchadnezzar was furious.  In his anger he ordered the furnace to be made seven times hotter than normal.  He then had the three men tied up and thrown in.

But something strange happened.  As Nebuchadnezzar looked into the furnace to see whether the men were dead, he saw something odd.  He saw 4 men, not 3 men.  The 3 men weren’t tied up but were walking around the furnace, and they certainly weren’t dead, they were unharmed.  He must have rubbed his eyes a couple of times to check that he wasn’t imagining it.

Nebuchadnezzar was amazed.  When he brought Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego out of the furnace, they didn’t even smell of smoke!  Only God could have rescued them he said.  God had save these three men.

God was looking after His followers in Babylon and we’ll see Him do it again.