The story goes that Nimrod, a powerful and wicked king, grew furious with Abraham (who was, of course, not called Abraham yet at this point in the narrative—but we'll call him that for clarity's sake). Nimrod threw him into prison, ordering the guards to deny him food and water. A death sentence, right? But as Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg) tells us, God heard Abraham's prayers and sent the angel Gabriel to keep him company in the dungeon.
For a whole year, Gabriel provided Abraham with food and water. Imagine that! A spring of fresh water even welled up right there in the prison.
Eventually, Nimrod's advisors suggested an even more dramatic way to deal with Abraham: throw him into a giant furnace. They figured this would scare everyone into believing in Nimrod forever. So, the king ordered everyone in his kingdom – men, women, children – to bring wood for a massive fire. The flames, we are told, shot up to the sky!
The prison warden was ordered to cast Abraham into the flames. But the warden, probably thinking Abraham was long dead from starvation, hesitantly asked the king, "Shouldn't we check if he's even alive?" Nimrod agreed and told the warden to call out Abraham's name.
To the warden's astonishment, Abraham answered! "I am living," he declared. The warden, bewildered, asked how he had survived. Abraham replied with unwavering faith: "Food and drink have been bestowed upon me by Him who is over all things, the God of all gods and the Lord of all lords… He dispenseth food and drink unto all beings. He sees, but He cannot be seen… He is present in all places."
This miraculous survival convinced the prison-keeper of the truth of God and Abraham's prophecy. He declared his belief publicly, and when threatened with death if he didn't recant, he refused. As the executioner raised his sword, the warden exclaimed, "The Eternal He is God!" The sword, however, couldn't cut him; it shattered into pieces!
Nimrod, still determined to kill Abraham, sent princes to throw him into the fire. But every time someone approached Abraham, the flames leapt out and consumed them instead. It was a deadly, fiery deterrent.
Then, Satan, disguised as a man, suggested a solution: a catapult. That way, no one had to get close to the flames. Satan even built the catapult himself.
As they were about to launch Abraham into the fire, Satan whispered to him, tempting him to bow down to Nimrod to save himself. But Abraham rebuked him, saying, "May the Eternal rebuke thee, thou vile, contemptible, accursed blasphemer!" Even Abraham's own mother pleaded with him to feign loyalty to Nimrod. Abraham's response, according to the text, was: “O mother, water can extinguish Nimrod’s fire, but the fire of God will not die out for evermore. Water cannot quench it.”
Finally, as Abraham was placed in the catapult, he cried out, "O Lord my God, Thou seest what this sinner purposes to do unto me!" His faith was absolute.
The angels, having received divine permission to intervene, watched as Gabriel approached Abraham. “Abraham, shall I save thee from the fire?” he asked. Abraham replied, "God in whom I trust, the God of heaven and earth, will rescue me."
And God did. Seeing Abraham's unwavering faith, God commanded the fire, "Cool off and bring tranquillity to my servant Abraham."
And what happened? The fire didn't just go out. According to the narrative in Legends of the Jews, the logs burst into buds, blossoming into fruit-bearing trees. The furnace transformed into a beautiful garden, where angels sat with Abraham.
Nimrod, witnessing this, accused Abraham of witchcraft. But his princes protested, declaring that it was the power of Abraham's God, "beside whom there is no other god." The princes and the people then proclaimed, "The Lord He is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath; there is none else."
Abraham, the text emphasizes, was even greater than righteous men of his time like Noah, Shem, Eber, and Asshur because he did not compromise his faith in the face of persecution.
The story doesn't end there. It goes on to explain how this miraculous deliverance fulfilled a prophecy that Abraham's father, Terah, had seen in the stars. Terah had seen the star of Haran consumed by fire, and at the same time fill and rule the whole world. Haran, Abraham’s brother, was killed by the fire because he was undecided in his faith. The fire represented the trial of faith, and Haran's death, according to the text, marked the first time in history that a son died before his father.
The people, witnessing these wonders, prostrated themselves before Abraham. But Abraham directed their worship to God. Nimrod, humbled, showered Abraham with gifts, including two slaves named Ogi and Eliezer. But what pleased Abraham most was that three hundred people joined him, embracing his faith.
What do we take away from this incredible story? It's a testament to unwavering faith, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. It's about trusting in something bigger than yourself, even when everyone around you doubts. And maybe, just maybe, it's a reminder that even in the darkest of times, miracles can happen. What "furnace" are you facing in your life right now, and how can Abraham's story give you the strength to face it?