God is more powerful than the fiery furnace
key words
biblical reference
Daniel 3:1-30
lesson objective
That the children learn to do the correct thing and trust in God.
memory verse
“Great is our Lord and mighty in power, his understanding has no limit” (Psalm 147:5, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
What does it mean to have faith? It means we accept God’s Word and trust in him. Faith may not mean that you know about or understand God’s special purpose for your life. But, it requires you to be willing to follow him whatever his will may be.
Trust is an essential Christian principle. We must trust in God when we decide to follow him and serve him. Often, we talk with elementary children about trust. However, the lessons of this unit focus on exercising their trust in God. Recognizing the power of God will inspire confidence in your children, and help them understand that they are not alone in difficult times.
However, it is important that they learn to always trust God, not only when he uses his power to protect them. Genuine confidence continues even “inside the fiery furnace.”
biblical commentary
Read Daniel 3:1-30. The main theme of the book of Daniel is God’s authority over earthly kingdoms. The young Hebrews knew that God was in control and that only he could save them.
In the outcome of this story, the king confessed his faith in the only living God who was powerful to save his servants from the terrible furnace of fire.
This story reveals the conflict in the royal court between the king and the three young Jews. As we all know, Nebuchadnezzar had built a golden statue for all the people to worship. He thought he was the most powerful and majestic king in the world, and whoever did not worship the statue when the music played would be executed in a furnace of fire.
Some Chaldeans took the opportunity to accuse the Jews of bad intentions, and filed a complaint with the king. Upon hearing it, the king was offended, and immediately sent for Ananias, Mishael and Azariah.
They presented themselves before the king, bearing witness to their trust in the one true God. Nebuchadnezzar wanted to give them the opportunity to reconsider, but they told him it was not necessary. Their decision was firm, and even if God did not save them from death, nothing would change their minds.
King Nebuchadnezzar became so angry that he ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than normal. The heat was so hot that the men who threw the Hebrews into the furnace were burned to death.
The king was shocked when he saw the young Hebrews walking around inside the furnace, and greater was his amazement to notice that there were not only three but four walking around inside. God honored the faithfulness of his servants and delivered them with a mighty hand. The passage mentions, “Not even the hair of their heads had burned; their clothes were intact, and they did not even have the odor of fire” (v. 27).
Nebuchadnezzar then blessed the God of the Hebrew youth, and issued a decree: that any people, nation or language that blasphemed against the God of the Hebrews would be dismembered.
Just as God saved his servants who trusted him, he can also save us from adversity and danger if we are faithful and obedient.
introduce the lesson
Babylonian maps
For this activity, you will need a container to mix the ingredients, a spoon, a dropper, 2 tablespoons of salt, a tablespoon of flour, ¾ cup of water, 3 drops of oil, a small shallow mold and a pencil.
Tell your children: The story we will tell today happened many years ago in Babylon. Today we will learn to make maps like those used in that city in ancient times.
Read the instructions aloud for your children to follow. If your group is very large, divide it into smaller groups of three or four children to facilitate cooperative work.
Instructions: First, mix the salt and the flour. Then, add the water little by little while mixing with a spoon. Add the oil a few drops at a time with the dropper, mix it and pour the dough into the mold. Press the mixture until it is well flattened. Now using a pencil, draw mountains, rivers, the city of Babylon, the palace of the king, etc.
teach the lesson
Freed from the fiery furnace
The king of Babylon was an arrogant man. His name was Nebuchadnezzar. He was very proud of all the great endeavors he had made, and he was happy that other people thought he was great.
One day, King Nebuchadnezzar had a new idea. He ordered his servants to make a giant statue, all covered with gold.
Then he put it in a place where everyone could see it, and sent a messenger throughout the kingdom to announce, “Come to the dedication of the beautiful golden statue.”
During the dedication, the king’s messenger said loudly, “When you hear the music, everyone should bow down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has made. Whoever does not kneel and worship it will be immediately thrown into a blazing furnace.”
In those times it was very dangerous to disobey an order from the king, so when the music began, nearly everyone prostrated themselves on the ground and worshiped the golden statue.
All did, except three Jewish men named Ananias, Mishael and Azariah, who worshiped the only true God.
Then, some servants of the king saw the three Jews who had remained standing, while all the others were kneeling, so they went to tell the king.
“King, live forever,” the servants said. “We know that you have made a law that requires that when hearing the sound of the musical instruments, everyone must go and worship your golden statue. And you warned that those who disobey would be thrown into the fiery furnace. However, some Jews did not pay attention to your orders. They have important positions in your kingdom, but they do not worship your gods and they do not bow before your golden statue.”
King Nebuchadnezzar was furious, and ordered that Ananias, Mishael, and Azariah be brought before him.
“Young Hebrews is it true that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden statue that I have built?” asked the enraged king. “Now when you hear the sound of musical instruments, you must bow and worship my statue. If you refuse, you will be thrown into a blazing furnace.”
“King Nebuchadnezzar, if you throw us into the furnace of fire, the God we serve has the power to save us, and he will rescue us from your hands. And even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image you have made,” the three young men replied.
King Nebuchadnezzar became even more angry and shouted at his servants, “Heat the oven seven times hotter than usual! Then tie Ananias, Mishael and Azariah and throw them in.” The oven was so hot that the flames killed the soldiers who threw the three friends into the oven.
King Nebuchadnezzar and his servants watched closely at what was happening. Suddenly, the king got up surprised and asked, “Were there not three men tied and thrown into the fire?”
“Yes, that’s the way it was,” the servants replied.
“Look!” said the king with amazement. “I see four men walking in the middle of the fire. They are not tied up and seem to be well, and the fourth man looks like a child of the gods.”
Nebuchadnezzar approached the furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego (the Babylonian names of the young Hebrews), servants of the Most High God, come out of there!”
Everyone looked at them in amazement. The three young men were unharmed from the furnace. The fire had not burned a single hair. They did not even have the odor of smoke on them!
Nebuchadnezzar recognized that the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego was more powerful than the gods he worshiped, so he made a new proclamation.
“Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted him and disobeyed the king’s order, being willing to die rather than worship another god. Therefore, I order that if a person of any nation speaks against the God of these men, their heads will be cut off, and their house will be destroyed, because no other God can save in this way.”
Nebuchadnezzar did something more. He gave the Hebrew youth new jobs, more important than the previous ones. He knew he could trust these brave men because they served an almighty God.
connect the lesson
Trust and obey
Print Student Activity Sheet #189-A and 189-B back to back. Distribute the activity sheets and ask the children to cut along the solid line to detach the strip with the instructions. Trim around the edges so you have a square within a square. Then, fold the 4 triangles up along the dotted line to cover the figure. Ask that some volunteers read aloud the words of the triangles. Open them and review the biblical story using the illustrations.
Then, take time to cut out the figure of the angel on the back of the instruction strip and stick it inside the fiery furnace, next to the young Hebrews.
Encourage them to use their finished work to tell their family members what they learned.
practice the memory verse
Use the sheet from the children’s worksheets to review the biblical text of this unit. If time permits, invite parents to listen to their children say the text by memory. This encourages the children to continue participating and learning in the group.
wrap-up
Pray
Conclude by praying for one another to be strong during difficult times by always trusting in God.
Encourage
Encourage your children to tell their friends this great truth.
Invite
Remind the students that they will begin a new unit in the next session. Invite them to continue to participate in group and come with friends.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™