Daniel 3:26-27

Nebuchadnezzar then drew as close to the large door of the furnace as he could. It stood open to provide a view inside. He called to the three victims to come out of the furnace, and they responded obediently this time. The fourth person disappeared as he had appeared. The king described Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego as servants of the "Most High God" (Daniel 3:26). This title for God appears 13 times in Daniel, more than in any other book except Psalms. Seven times, either Nebuchadnezzar used it to describe God (Daniel 3:36; Daniel 4:2; Daniel 4:17; Daniel 4:34), or Daniel used it in speaking of God to Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:24-25; Daniel 4:32). Daniel used it twice when speaking to Belshazzar about Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 5:18; Daniel 5:21). It occurs four times in chapter 7, Daniel’s vision of the four beasts, three times in the words of the interpreting angel (Daniel 7:18; Daniel 7:25; Daniel 7:27), and once in Daniel’s words in that chapter (Daniel 7:22). With this title the king ascribed greater power to their God than to any other. He had obviously delivered them, as they said He could (Daniel 3:17), and the leaders of the Babylonian Empire had witnessed the miracle.

". . . it [the title "the most High God"] suggests a God of universal authority, but of otherwise undefined personal qualities. For a pagan, it would denote only the highest among many gods, but as an epithet of El it was accepted in early OT times and applied to Yahweh, so that for a Jew it has monotheistic (or mono-Yahwistic) implications." [Note: Goldingay, p. 72.]

The three Jews had escaped every form of destruction, even the smell of smoke. The ropes that bound them, symbolic of Nebuchadnezzar’s power over them, were gone, undoubtedly burned up by the fire.

"Just as the reign of Nebuchadnezzar is symbolic of the entire period of the times of the Gentiles, so the deliverance of Daniel’s three companions is typical of the deliverance of Israel during the period of Gentile domination. Particularly at the end of the Gentile period Israel will be in fiery affliction, but as Isaiah prophesied, ’But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee’ (Isaiah 43:1-2)." [Note: Walvoord, p. 92.]

The three Hebrew young men quenched the fury of flames with their faith in their faithful God (Hebrews 11:34; cf. 1 Maccabees 2:59).