How can you follow Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's example to pursue God?

This is the first discussion board from my second semester of college this year.

We had to read Daniel 3 & 6, and respond to one of the prompts our teacher gave us. This was my response.

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How did Daniel and his friends pursue God before and after their controversies with the Babylonians? How can you follow their example to pursue God?

How did Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego pursue God before their controversies with the Babylonians?

When Israel was under the control of Nebuchadnezzar, he enslaved many young Israelite men including Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be trained in the house of the king for three years. However, these four men did not want to eat the king’s food which had been offered to idols, or not prepared properly. So, in order to not “defile themselves with the king’s food or drink”, Daniel persuaded the official to let them eat a diet of only vegetables and water for 10 days. God protected the four men and nourished them, and at the end of the 10 days, they were healthier than all the other men, as well as gave them “knowledge and proficiency in all literature and wisdom.”

How did Daniel pursue God during and after his controversies with the Babylonians?

God caused the king Nebuchadnezzar to have terrible dreams, and when none of his wise men were able to interpret his dreams, he asked Daniel to tell him what his dream meant. God revealed the meaning of the dream to Daniel and caused the king to become astounded at Daniel’s wisdom, and made Daniel the ruler of the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar was soon succeeded by his son Belshazzar, who did not respect the Lord, and during a feast of praising their idols, he and his guests drunkenly took drinks out of the vessels that his father had removed from the temple in Jerusalem. In response to his dishonorable behavior, God punished him by numbering the amount of time Belshazzar would have his rule over the kingdom and put an end to it.

Darius the Mede took reign after Belshazzar, and after observing how knowledgeable Daniel was, considered appointing him over the whole kingdom. This angered those around Daniel and they began to plot against him and try to find a way to get him removed and killed. These men convinced the king to pass a law that said everyone in the kingdom had to bow down and worship the king and if someone was found worshiping anyone other than the king they would be put to death.

After the decree had been signed, Daniel continued his to pray to God three times a day, and was caught by the men and brought him before the king. The king was greatly saddened when he heard this, but he knew that once a decree is signed it could not be reversed. Daniel was put into the lions’ den, but God sent his angel down and closed the lions’ mouths so that they did not hurt Daniel. After the king saw that Daniel was unharmed because of God’s provisions, he declared that God was to be revered and feared because He had saved and protected Daniel.

How did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego pursue God during and after their controversies with the Babylonians

When Daniel was advanced to his high post after interpreting the king’s dream, he requested that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego become administrators of the province of Babylon.

King Nebuchadnezzar ordered an enormous gold statue to be built and decreed that everyone in the kingdom must bow down and worship. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to follow the decree, ultimately infuriating the king, and once the verbally refused to bow down to the king, he ordered them to be thrown into the furnace straightaway. The king was so infuriated that he instructed his servants to heat it to seven times more than its usual temperature.

Once Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were bound and thrown into the furnace, they began to praise and pray to God. God protected these men and the fire never caused them pain or harm, and there appeared to be four men walking around in the furnace unharmed. The king claimed the fourth man “look[ed] like the son of God.”

When the king had the furnace opened and ordered the men to come out, he became amazed at God’s deliverance and how the men had not been burned or even smelled of smoke. Nebuchadnezzar started to call the Lord blessed, and declared that all in the nation should worship the Lord.

How can you follow their example to pursue God?

What can we learn a lot from the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as well as from the story of Daniel and the lion’s den. These three young men showed complete faith in God and the power He had to protect them, and didn’t hesitate to stand up to the most powerful ruler in the land, at the time, to let him now that he was wrong. No matter what the outcome, they were 100% committed to God and to their faith, even when facing a painful and unimaginable death. They were ready to accept the price they would have to pay for defying the king’s rules and decrees, and showed full understanding that God could save them or He may choose not to save them. However, due to their faith, God delivered them from the evils they were facing, and subsequently, brought the king of Babylon to recognize who God is.