[Ăbĕd'-negō] – servant of nebo or servant of light.

The name given by the prince of the eunuchs of King Nebuchadnezzarto Azariah, one of the four young princes of Judah who were carried away into Babylon. He was one of the three faithful Jews delivered from the fiery furnace

Dan. 1:7: – ⁷ The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.

Dan. 2:49: – ⁴⁹ Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.

Dan, 2:3: – ³ he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.

How God honored the faith and courage of these Hebrew youths!

The Man Who Defied a King

There are at least four lessons to be learned from the dauntless, defiant witness of Abed-nego and his two companions:

I. God’s dearest servants are sometimes called to pass through heavy trials.

II. God is able to deliver when help seems farthest off. He does not promise to keep us free from trouble, but that He will be with us in trouble.

III. God’s permitted furnace purifies, but never destroys us. As we pass through the fire, He is with us and we cannot be burned.

IV. God’s children must never be ashamed of Him. No matter how adverse the situation, we must be bold and unshaken in our witness