Word of the Day - 8/1/2008

Peremptory

Peremptory means leaving no opportunity for denial or refusal; imperative.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell prey to a peremptory command when Nebuchadnezzar ordered that whoever did not worship a statue of him would be cast into a fiery furnace.

"But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire." (Daniel 3:6, NASB)

Sharach, Meshach, and Abednego refused and were thrown into the furnace. Through divine intervention, they came out unscathed. (Daniel 3)

Note: This painting ("Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego preserved from the Burning Fiery Furnace") was painted by Simeon Solomon (1840-1905) in 1863.