The power of God in the fiery furnace
key words
biblical reference
Daniel 3:8-28
lesson objective
To teach the children that God has the power to help his people in any difficult moment.
memory verse
“Great is our Lord and mighty in power” (Psalm 147:5a, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
In the next two lessons, we will learn two great stories from the book of Daniel. These clearly show the power of the one almighty God. They also reveal God as the protector of those who love him. When they receive threats because of their devotion to him He gives them power to stand firm in their testimony.
King Nebuchadnezzar was the one who reigned in the Babylonian empire during the years 605-562 BC. In this story, we will learn about the confrontation that this king had with three young Hebrews: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
This happened at the beginning of his reign. The king respected and honored the three boys, and made them rulers of the province of Babylonia (2:49). But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were ordered to respect the king’s command. The message was clear: when the king’s musicians called the people to worship the king’s gold image, everyone were ordered to kneel and worship the golden statue (v. 5). The consequences of disobedience were also clear. They would be thrown into the fiery furnace if they did not obey the command.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not discuss the issue when their disobedience was reported to the king. They knew that the God they served was more powerful than any ruler of this world. They trusted him, no matter what the consequences.
The central point of this lesson is not how the servants were saved, but to know that God has power to help his people. You can convey to your children that they must trust in God.
Although some children will find this story frightening, most will find this story very exciting.
They already know the concept of the word hot. “Be careful, do not get burned!” “That is hot!” If any of your children have ever been burned, they will remember that it is very painful. You can testify that God is powerful, and he protected the three young men from the burning furnace of fire.
It is important to note that God protected them when they showed their faithfulness by not worshiping or bowing before the statue. They knew that there is only one true and powerful God. Preschoolers know they should not touch fire. Make sure your children understand that the three young men did not go into the fire on purpose, but it was the king who put them there as punishment for not worshiping his image. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trusted God in the midst of the fire, not knowing what would happen. This lesson will help preschoolers understand that God’s power can help them even in the most dangerous situation.
introduce the lesson
My drawing of the fiery furnace
Briefly introduce the story. Put paper and crayons on a table and invite the children to draw their idea of the fiery oven.
Say: “Today we will meet Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and hear about how God kept them from a furnace similar to the one you drew, which was very, very hot. These three young men loved God and trusted in his love, and knew that he would take care of them in danger.”
teach the lesson
Use this activity to tell the Bible story.
Fire! Fire!
Talk to the children about the characteristics of the and what it can do. If possible show pictures of fires. If you have the resources, you could show a news video of fires. Say: “Fire is very dangerous. And, just as we saw things burning in the photos, fire can burn everything it finds in its path. However, there is someone more powerful.”
Ask: “What is it?” (Our God!) Then say: “In today’s story, we will learn how God saved his servants from a burning fiery furnace.”
The fiery furnace
“Listen, the music has started!” said the people. They fell on their knees, and worshiped a great gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had made of himself. This king felt very powerful when he saw that all the people adored his image. He ordered that all people should kneel before his statue when they heard the music.
“We know you ordered that every time the music plays, everyone should kneel and worship the statue you’ve made. And they all do, except Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who do not worship your image,” said some of the king’s helpers.
The king became angry and called Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to speak with them.
“Is it true that you do not worship my statue? Do you know that if you do not, you will be thrown into the fire?”
“If you cast us into the fiery furnace, God has the power to save us. But if he does not save us, we will not worship the golden statue that you have made,” the brave young men told the king.
This response made the king furious. So, he commanded that the fiery furnace be heated much hotter than normal! Then very strong men tied up the three young men and threw them into the furnace.
The king looked into the furnace and began to count: “One, two, three, four ... four men? We only threw in three!”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were walking in the midst of the fire, and there was someone else walking with them.
“Who could be the fourth person? It looks like a son of god! Come out, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego!” shouted the king.
So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out. No one was burned, and they did not even smell of smoke! By that miracle, King Nebuchadnezzar praised the Most High God. God’s power saved the lives of those three brave young men.
connect the lesson
The fiery furnace
Provide Student Activity Sheet #43-A, #43-B and #43-C. Let your children trace the Word of Faith (Power) and the numbers that indicate how many people were in the fiery furnace in Student Activity Sheet #43-A.
Help the children cut out the figure of the fourth person Student Activity Sheet #43-B, and paste it inside the furnace next to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Allow time for them to color Student Activity Sheet #43-A. As they do, talk to them about how we can experience the power of God in our daily lives.
Turn to Student Activity Sheet #43-C and have the children circle those figures that cannot withstand the fire. Remember that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego withstood the fire because God was with them.
Encourage the children to take home the activity sheets to share the lesson with their families and friends.
practice the memory verse
Provide paper and colored pencils to your pupils.
Give them time to write the memory verse and decorate it to their liking. Be ready to help those who do not write well yet. When they are finished, allow them to show their work to the class and say the text out loud.
They can take the sheet home to put it in a visible place and review the text during the week.
wrap-up
Pray
Intercede in prayer for the needs in the group. Lead the children in praying: “God our Father you are a mighty warrior, help us to be strong like Shadrach and his friends.”
Encourage
Encourage the children to always thank God for answering their prayers in powerful ways.
Invite
Before finishing the class, clarify all the questions your group may have, and help them complete any pending work. Encourage them to practice their confidence in God’s power during the week and to tell their friends and family what they learned in these lessons.
* 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.™