Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

Clayton's Primary Talk (age 9):  I loved his picture of the furnace with the opening door.

First Nephi 3:15 says, “Wherefore, let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord” This means obeying the commandments even when it is hard. I’m going to tell you a story about three friends who obeyed the commandments even when their lives were in danger.


When Lehi left Jerusalem he prophesied that the people would be taken captive in Babylon and Jerusalem would be destroyed. Among those who were taken were four young men from the tribe of Judah: Daniel (who became known as “Daniel in the Lion’s Den”) and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.


One day the king of Babylon, named Nebuchadnezzar, built a big golden statue and told the people that they cannot worship any other god except the idol. He made them bow down to it. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would not bow down to the false God. The king of Babylon got mad at them and told them that they would be thrown into a furnace if they did not bow down to the idol. But they said, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer in this matter. If this be so our God will deliver us from the burning fiery furnace. But if not, be it known unto you, O king, that we will NOT serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”


This made Nebuchadnezzar very mad. He told his servants to light the furnace seven times hotter than normal. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the furnace. It was so that it killed the guards who threw them in.


But when the king looked in the furnace he saw Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and a fourth person in the fire. The fourth was an angel. And the king knew he was a man of God. He called to the men to come out of the furnace. They were not hurt or burned. They didn’t even smell like smoke. The king was astonished. And declared, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted him, and set aside the Kings command, and yielded up their own bodies rather than serve and worship a false god.”


Because Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego chose to follow the commandments even when they knew they’d be thrown into a fire, Heavenly Father blessed them and protected them. The king was so impressed he gave all the Israelites freedom to worship as they pleased.


I want to be like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and have the courage to obey the commandments even when it is hard. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.