I have a confession to make. I am petrified of fire. Oh I control the petrified part, I can light candles and gas stove tops but I am still scared to death of fires.
The first day of my life that I remember is the day my sisters, brother and I were orphaned in a house fire. My older sister had just been through fire prevention week at school. She had just turned 8 years old. She called to me through the wall vent between our bedrooms and told me to get a wet wash cloth, get our baby sister out of the crib, hold her in my arms with the wet wash cloth on her face and get under the crib till help arrived.
There are very few things I am afraid of. I can kill spiders, pick up dead mice (not that I like to though) hang a chicken upside down etc. But fire is a different story. I told my husband and my children years ago that if our house was ever on fire please come find me. I am afraid I would stand frozen and unable to move, that is how afraid I am. Hopefully I will never be faced with having to be thrown into a blazing furnace like our friends in Daniel did.
When you read the description in chapter 3 there are some things that really stick out for me.
1. Shadrach and his two buddies are wrapped in extra clothes before getting into the fire
2. The fire is turned up to extra crispy. The guards are killed from tossing them into the fire, it was so hot.
3. Immediately there is a fourth man in the fire
4. When they come out they don't even have the smell of smoke on them
There are some great metaphors in this particular story. Without getting graphic let me just say King Neb was furious and wanted revenge. How dare someone defy the King and not bow to the image he made of himself? He didn't just want them dead, he wanted them to
suffer greatly before they died. He wanted them dead, dead.
The smell of smoke can be looked at several different ways. I will never forget as long as I live the smell of the fire all those years ago, never. The smell is one that lingers. How could our good friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walk out without the smell on them and their clothes? Obviously it was part of the miracle that God performed, but why? Perhaps it is a gentle reminder to us that when we sin God can not only wipe out the sin but walk away without the stink associated with it. Just a thought.
I am learning so much about Daniel. I hope you are also challenged to study and find the lessons God has for you too. Till tomorrow.
In Christ Alone,
Jill
Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the ground each morning Satan says, "Oh crud, she's up".