II. Their recompence —
The judgment threatened was, that they should be cast into a burning fiery furnace : and the command was instantly given, that it should be executed upon them. But behold how God interposed for them !
1. Whilst it was executing —
[The mightiest men in all the army were selected to exe- cute this judgment, and to cast the offenders into the furnace, now heated seven times more than usual for their reception. The youths were bound in their clothes, that nothing belong- ing to them might be preserved ; and they were cast into the furnace, according to the king's commandment. But, behold! the flames burst forth, and consumed every one of the execu- tioners. This, taken in connexion with the mercy vouchsafed to these faithful youths, marked indisputably the indignation of God against the persecutors, and his approbation of those who had braved death for his sake.
Had the Hebrews died, this destruction of the soldiers would have appeared an accident : but as God appeared, during the execution, to punish his enemies, so he appeared still more visibly in behalf of his friends.]
2. After it was executed —
[The youths fell down bound into the midst of the fire : but the fire had no power to hurt them. It burned the bands by which they were tied, so that, being loosed, they could walk about ; but it could not so much as singe a hair of their heads, or incommode them in the least : they could breathe, and walk, and converse as easily as in the open air. Behold too, now " one like unto the Son of God," " an angel," (who, I doubt not, was " the Angel of the Covenant," the Lord Jesus Christ, who had often assumed the form of an angel before,) came into the furnace, and walked with them. This Nebu- chadnezzar and his courtiers saw, and were beyond measure astonished at it. And how different now were the feelings of the oppressed and their oppressors ! The oppressed had such communion with their Lord as they had never enjoyed before, such as was a foretaste of heaven itself: but their oppressors were filled with shame and confusion of face. Still further did God appear for his servants,]
3. After it was reversed —
[The king himself, who had sent them into the furnace, came to call them thence; and was constrained, in the presence of all his people, to commend their constancy, and to acknow- ledge the supreme dominion and power of the God of Israel. On examination of the persons of these youths, it was found,