Introduction

Do you find yourself in the “fires of life?”  Is life overwhelming for you? The God who created the entire universe is offering to exchange places with you through a blood covenant.

Daniel chapter 3 contains a story about King Nebuchadnezzar. The King made an image of himself and ordered that all people should worship him through the image.  The decree went out that whoever would not worship this statue would be cast into a fiery furnace.  The three Hebrews Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refused to worship the king through his image-statue.

Daniel 3:16-18 says,

16 “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.

17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.

18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.’”

The Hebrews used fire for their worship. However, their fire memorialized the blood covenant sacrifice.  Their fire killed the innocent lamb thus saving their own lives.

What happened was no less than a miracle.

Daniel 3:19-25 says,

19 “Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.

20 And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

22 Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.

23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, ‘Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?’ They answered and said to the king, ‘True, O king.’

25 ‘Look!’  he answered, ‘I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.’”

The furnace contained four men, but only three came out.

Daniel 3:26-27 says,

26 “Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.’ Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire.

27 And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.”

The fourth Man in the fire was God Himself, the Son of God, and He stayed in the furnace and took the death penalty for the other three.  As we know however, He was resurrected after three days!  He will do the same for you!  Whatever it is that has put your life into bondage, into a prison, or in torment or hopelessness, God will allow that to come upon Himself on your behalf so that you can be free.  He will give you His resurrected life!

These three Hebrews were made righteous by faith.

It says in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned, including these three Hebrew boys.

Romans 6:22-23 says,

22 “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

These boys were, as Daniel chapter 3 says, “clothed in other garments.”

Isaiah 61:10 says,

“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

The reason they did not burn was that Jesus took on their sinful nature and burned in their stead.  They took on Jesus’ righteousness and as a result, could not be injured.

The result had eternal value, much more than just the deliverance of these three men.  King Nebuchadnezzar sent out decrees worldwide that the Hebrew God should be worshipped.  God’s fame was made known by this king throughout all of the inhabited earth, at least as far as his kingdom reached.

Daniel 3: 28-30 says,

28 “Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!

29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.’

30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.”

That is the concept of a blood covenant.

Two parties exchange places.  If you need to exchange places with Someone, if you need a new start in life, a new birth as it may be, read on.

As you discover the love of God in the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant, you may be brought to a place where you begin to worship Him as these Hebrews did.  You will discover then, as Jerry Seville once said, “If you don’t bow, you won’t burn.”  Your life will not even “smell like smoke,” and your influence will make God known to others.

You will also, progressively, begin to understand better who you really are in Christ.  The blood covenant image will bypass your mind and go directly into your heart.  This will give you an accurate image of who you really are.  It will dispel the lie that attaches itself to you, telling you that you are unworthy.  As you see your new self- image, you will simply find yourself living a different life, no longer desiring to do those things that are unpleasing to God.  The next result will be that the power of God in you will do warfare against the satanic powers in your realm of influence.  Not only will you be delivered, but more importantly, God's plan to reach others will be manifested through your life.

Click here to return to the beginning of this book