Daily Reflection: 31st Day of Lent

Todays first reading is Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95 about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery furnace:

King Nebuchadnezzar said:
“Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
that you will not serve my god,
or worship the golden statue that I set up?
Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made,
whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet,
flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe,
and all the other musical instruments;
otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace;
and who is the God who can deliver you out of my hands?”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar,
“There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you in this matter.
If our God, whom we serve,
can save us from the white-hot furnace
and from your hands, O king, may he save us!
But even if he will not, know, O king,
that we will not serve your god
or worship the golden statue that you set up.”

King Nebuchadnezzar’s face became livid with utter rage
against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than usual
and had some of the strongest men in his army
bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
and cast them into the white-hot furnace.

Nebuchadnezzar rose in haste and asked his nobles,
“Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?”
“Assuredly, O king,” they answered.
“But,” he replied, “I see four men unfettered and unhurt,
walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God.”
Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed,
“Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
who sent his angel to deliver the servants who trusted in him;
they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies
rather than serve or worship any god
except their own God.”

This is a story that I’ve loved since I was a child and when I was younger, there was a group that travelled around singing at different churches called “Psalms IV” (a gospel quartet) that sang a song called “The Fourth Man in the Fire” which was originally recorded by Johnny Cash. A few years ago we were talking about the story of the fiery furnace in Vacation Bible School and for the life of me I couldn’t remember the name of the song or even how it went, and it’s been bugging me ever since. So today when I saw the reading, I went on a quest. Thank goodness for Google, Wikipedia and YouTube. What would we do without them? I didn’t find a video of Psalms IV singing the song, but I did find one of Johnny Cash:

And here are the lyrics:

Refrain:
They wouldn’t bend
They held on to the will of God so we are told
They wouldn’t bow
They would not bow their knees to Idols made of gold
They wouldn’t burn
They were protected by the Fourth Man in the fire
They wouldn’t bend
They wouldn’t bow, they wouldn’t burn.

Now the prophet Daniel tells about
Three men who walked with God
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Before the wicked king they stood
And the king commanded them bound and thrown
Into the fiery furnace that day
But the fire was so hot that the men were slain
That forced them on their way.

Refrain:

Now when the three were cast in and the king rose up
To witness this awful fate
He began to tremble at what he saw
In astonished tones he spake
Did we not cast three men bound
Into the midst of the fire
Well, Lo, I see four men unhurt
Unbound and walkin’ down there;

There’s Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
And the fiery coals they trod
But the form of the Fourth Man that I see
Is like the Son of God

And as an added bonus, I found this little gem of a recording of Psalms IV on YouTube. The song is called “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” and it was recorded last year. What amazes me is that they were doing this when I was a teenager, which was 25 years ago and they had done it for several years before I ever saw them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve been singing together for 40 years or more. And they still sound pretty darn good considering they are probably in their 60s or 70s now!

Dear Heavenly Father,
Help us to be like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Help us to never bend, never bow to any other gods but you. We know that we will always find strength and protection in your greatness.
In the name of Jesus the Christ,
Amen