THE FOURTH MAN.

*WISDOM FOR TODAY.*

*THE FOURTH MAN.*

*Scripture Treasure.*

Daniel 3:10-30

v10 *Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:*

v11 *And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.*

v12 *There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.*

v13 *Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.*

v14 *Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?*

v15 *Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?*

v16 *Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.*

v17 *If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.*

v18 *But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.*

v19 *Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.*

v20 *And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.*

v21  *Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.*

v22 *Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.*

v23 *And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.*

v24 *Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.*

v25 *He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.*

v26 *Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.*

v27 *And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.*

v28 *Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.*

v29 *Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.*

v30 *Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.*

*Insight and Highlight.*

There is great power in the ability to see the unseen. It is good to see the invincible and hear the inaudible.

*Scripture Commentaries.*

There is power in the ability to see.

The ability to see in every human is either physical or spiritual or both.

While all humans are made to see physically (unless of some divine choice of God, John 9) not all are gifted to see spiritually.

What all the people that were at the scene of the burning fiery furnace could not see, king Nebuchadnezzar saw.

The three Hebrew boys Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not hurt by the fire so there was no pain in them to cry out for help.

They were prepared for the worst believing that God would save them Dan 3:16,17, 25.

They were delivered from their continued stay in the fire, not because they (would have) cried for help but because the king, Nebuchadnezzar saw a fourth man in the fire.

This story teaches us that the ability to see spiritually is a special gift from God.

While the king Nebuchadnezzar who saw the fourth man was a heathen king, it teaches that God will use anybody or anything to drive home His power to deliver.

While Jeremiah 25:9, 27:6 recorded that God called Nebuchadnezzar, His servant, it also teaches us that God will use anyone as an instrument of His anger.

In either case of whether God opens the eyes of the heathen or calls the heathen His servant, is not necessarily because He endorses their heatheness or endorses them as choice vessels of honour. It is to achieve a divine purpose.

In Joel 2:25 He referred to locusts as His great army and dry bones as

*".....exceeding great army."*.

While it may not be God's wish to give His spiritual privileges to heathens as *"..... bread to dogs..."*, He will allow crumbs that fall from His table for the heathen to eat just to prove His sovereignty, Matt 15:27.

In king Nebuchadnezzar's case, it seemed good in God's sight to do so (ref Matt 11:26) and He did so not for Nebuchadnezzar but for the three Hebrew boys.

Jesus said in Matt 11:25-27 *At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.*

*Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.*

*All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.*

At times, if not all times, faith when activated in the most unthinkable situations bring about the unimaginable, extraordinary and supernatural results.

What happened at the scene of the burning fiery flame was not a prayer of a moment but a prayer that found itself on an established ground of faithfulness to God.

The three Hebrew boys, in the company of Daniel, were known to have relationships with God.

They were referred to as *Children in whom was no blemish,....."* (Dan 1:4, 6-7) and though, it was not recorded they prayed, it can be implied they did by an action-based- faith-prayer by the way they boldly spoke, (ref Prov 28:1).

Their faith brought the fourth man who made the king to ask a curious question

*"...Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?..."* because he saw a

pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus.

The king said *l see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.* Dan 3:24-25.

When your enemies stop pursuing you or give up on you, they must have seen the power of God.

King Nebuchadnezzar saw the power of God: Jesus, the fourth man, the Son of God. He had no choice but to give up on the three Hebrew boys, never to trouble them again and directed all his people to honour the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Dan 3:28-30.

Can your faith bring Jesus, the fourth man, into your situation?

*Remorse corner.*

When we pray, things may appear not to happen. At times it may just be the turn of establishing your faith that will drive home your miracles.

*Call to Word action.*

Your enemies are boasting because they have not seen the power of God.

*The Christian clarion duty.*

Whatever God would need to do to keep your enemies away from you, He will do.

Trust Him with your life!

*Prayer.*

Lord, let my enemies see the power of God that will keep them far away from me, in Jesus name.

Good morning all and welcome to the month of April.

It is our month of *DIVINE PRESENCE.*

God bless you.

Shalom.