When King Nebuchadnezzar looked into the fiery furnace, he expected to see Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego burned to death. Instead, to his surprise, they were alive! They were “walking in the midst of the fire” and were “not hurt” (3:25). That is not all that made his jaw drop. He saw a fourth person, whom he took to be an angel, or some sort of divine being. “The fourth is like a son of the gods,” he said (3:25). He acknowledged that God “sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him” (3:28).

It’s clear that God sent the angel to deliver them from the furnace; God also sent us someone to deliver us—Jesus. These three men faced punishment because they followed God over the Babylonian king. By saving them, God showed to all that he is good to those who obey him. Our situation is different—we face punishment because in our sin we followed ourselves as kings over God. But God, in his great grace, still sent Jesus to deliver us! By saving us, God shows to all that he is really good to those who obey him, for now every person who follows Jesus will be rescued forever from death and the punishment we deserve. What a wonderful God and a wonderful Savior!