Then when they all look at the fire they see four men walking around unbound in the fire, whereas three men –as has just been confirmed– went into the furnace bound. How is it possible that there is a fourth man there? Is it a soldier who has been dragged along by the three? It is soon clear that this is not the case. In fact, this fourth man seems different from the others. He does not look like a human being. When they look closely they recognise that it is an angel. King Nebuchadnezzar calls him a son of the gods. This is what angels were called in these times.
The second thing to notice is that the three are no longer bound. They are tied up before they are thrown into the furnace. But now these shackles are no longer there. It seems that the fire has burned or melted them away, yet they themselves are walking around freely without the fire doing anything to their clothes and their bodies. This is God’s care. We see here how great the Lord is!
The thing we need to examine further is the fourth man in the furnace. Despite the tremendous heat, there are four men walking in the furnace. The Lord sends his angel to the three friends. Who is this angel in the fire? We can think of two explanations here. It could be an ordinary angel whom God sends to show that he cares for these three faithful men and that he is saving them. This angel shows Nebuchadnezzar and the representatives of all the nations in that great empire that, The Lord alone is God.
Thus, the Lord shows that these three men are right when they faithfully confess on the plain of Dura that the Lord is the only God and that for this reason they will not serve any other gods. It is also possible to think of a second explanation, though the message remains the same as with the first explanation. There could be an additional element to this mystery, namely that this angel is the Angel of the Lord. He is the pre-incarnate Son of God, who already demonstrates here how he is protecting his church. It is difficult to make a choice between the two possible explanations. The phrase that Nebuchadnezzer uses, a son of the gods
, could point to the second meaning, but, then, we must remember that the king of Babylon uses this expression within his own pagan framework. Messenger of the gods are seen as sons of the gods in the Babylonian religion. Even in the Bible angels are sometimes called this, see for example Job 38:7. Whatever explanation we choose here, the Lord is clearly showing that he is the only God, that he alone has life and death in his hand, and that he is more powerful than all creation, preserving his people until the coming of Jesus Christ.
His people may stand with strength and courage in this world, even in the face of great danger. The people in exile here receive the encouragement of the fulfilled promise we read about in Isaiah 43:1–2, But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”