Who were Shadrack, Meshach, Abednego and Belteshazzar


They were of prominent and royal Judean families Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. Later they received new names, Belteshazzar (Daniel) , Shadrach (Hananiah) , Meshach (Mishael) and Abednego (Azariah). Eventually, these longtime friends would become very important officials and famous in their own right.

Daniel was ruler over Babylon and chief governor over all its wise men. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were the Affairs officials of Babylon. All 4 men eventually defy orders given by the acting King. Now, King Nebuchadnezzar in a very public way, from his own mouth gave the 3 affairs officers a direct order. Yet, they would respectfully refuse. Daniel would also courteously & politely refuse the interim King Darius.

The non-compliance of Daniel, Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego was due to the strength of their convictions and beliefs. The fear of losing their positions or even their lives was of concern, but that apprehension didn’t outweigh their commitment. Each King ordered great punishments for these men. In the case of Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego, they were to be burned alive in a furnace that burned 7 times hotter than normal. Several soldiers died from just trying to throw the men into the furnace. Daniel for his defiance of the king’s law was thrown into a pit of dangerously aggressive lions for several hours, until the next morning.
Surprisingly, despite being thrown into an extremely fiery furnace and a den of man-killing lions. All 4 men walked away unharmed and ultimately prospered even greater.


In comparison


I see lots of similarities between these biblical stories and Collin Kaepernick choosing to kneel. Colin as a preeminent quater-back in the National Football League had notoriety comparable to that of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s. Even though these men unsettled the societal norms and went against conformed statues. The respect shown to each of the governing & regulating systems for these men are almost indistinguishable. The reasoning for not obeying the given directives or for following traditional procedures, have parody. Nonetheless, all received extremely harsh retaliatory retributions. It appears that no real harm has occurred to Kaepernick. Only time will tell, if he prospers like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

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