Nebuchadnezzar Praised God

Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!’ So, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire

And the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisors crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

Therefore, I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.’

Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges the greatness of the God of the three Hebrews.

Nebuchadnezzar now knew the greatness and sovereignty of God that He is:

He is the God of the Hebrews

He is the God who sends a Saviour

He is the God of great power

He is the God worthy of trust

He is the God worthy of full surrender

He is the God who demands exclusive allegiance

Nebuchadnezzar knew a lot about God – but he did not yet know Him personally.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego surrendered themselves completely to God – body, soul, and spirit. It was the kind of submission according to Romans 12:1 stated that we should present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

This chapter is a great illustration of the principle of Romans 12:1. We can clearly see Satan is trying to make the believer bow down to his idealized image of what men and women should be. Christians must resist this with everything they have and pursue God’s ideal in this.

If we abide under the hands of the Almighty God, we will fulfil Romans 12:2: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Nebuchadnezzar makes a proclamation that nothing evil should be said against the God of the Hebrews.

Seeing God at work in the life of His people was an extremely effective testimony to Nebuchadnezzar.

The same idea was expressed by Paul expressed in 2 Corinthians 3:2-3: You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

Praise the LORD! What a mighty God we serve.