No One Like God

Daniel 3:24-25 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, O king.” 25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
 
IF you’ve been following these Daniel lessons, you know I’ve held a high importance to the names of our four heroes, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. In this famous story of God protecting three faithful men, here is a review of their names’ meanings.
    Note the “el” at the end of “Mishael” and the “ah” at the end of “Hananiah” and “Azariah”. “El”  means “God (Provider),” and “yah” or “ah” is a form of God’s name “Yahweh”. The full meaning of Yahweh is given in Psalms 50:1 The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets. The psalmist declares Yahweh is the all-powerful, sovereign authority over all the earth. The Mighty One certainly displays his power over the three men amid the raging fire to protect his own. God will protect you, too, against any intense heat of evil’s persecution.
    In addition, each man’s full name described other traits of God: “Hananiah” means “Yahweh is gracious” – God is gracious to protect them here, isn’t he? “Mishael” means “Who is what God is?”. Certainly no created being could withstand these flames. And “Azariah” means “Yahweh has helped.” God surely helped here, didn’t he?
    What would happen if we began to tell this story with the Hebrew names? People might ask, “Why do you use those names when the Bible says Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? Does it matter? In reply, you can tell them about their Hebrew names. As you explain, you will glorify God to know how the meaning of their names point to God’s salvation from the fire here and from a fiery hell forevermore.  
    The fourth nameless man in the fire is often considered the pre-incarnate form of Jesus, the Son of God. When the king says he looks like the son of a gods, he should have said, “He looks like the Son of God.”
    This is the glory of God come to earth. We can connect this to Jesus’ resurrection. He stood alive in glory after a brutal death. He ascended to heaven to sit in glory to come again in power. Revelation 14:14 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one “like a son of man” with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 
    It is good to be under the protection of the God who is a gracious eternal helper like no other. I pray you are.
 
Jeremiah 10:7 Who should not revere you, O King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you.