Daniel Part 2
The Fiery Furnace
Daniel 2-3
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One night King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream he did not understand, and Daniel was brought to him and explained his dream to him. the King had dreamed of a great image whose head was gold, his chest was silver, his stomach and thighs were brass, his legs were iron and feet were iron and clay. Daniel told the king that he was the head of gold and that other kingdoms would rise up to be the other parts of the image.
And so after that the king made an image of gold, and it was very tall, and everyone who lived in the land was told that whenever they heard the sound of music, they were to stop whatever they were doing, and that they were to fall down and worship the golden image. And they were told that if they did not fall down and worship they would be thrown into the middle of a fiery furnace.
And so whenever the music played, the people all fell down and worshipped the image. But some people came and told King Nebuchadneszzar that there were certain people who did not worship the image. These were the friends of Daniel, who were now called Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They served God and would not bow down to anyone else. And so they were brought before the king.
The king asked them "Is it true that you do not worship the golden image or serve my gods? If you are ready to worship the image which I have made all will be well, but if you do not you shall be thrown right then into the middle of the burning fiery furnace, and what God is it that will deliver you out of my hand?"
And so Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered and said "If it is His will, our God, who we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand O king. But if it is not, let it be known to you that we will not serve your gods, or worship the golden image which you have set up.
And then the king was very angry, and he gave an order that the furnace should be heated seven times hotter than it was. And the three friends were tied up with their clothing on and thrown into the middle of the fiery furnace, and they fell down into the middle of the furnace.
But then the king was very surprised and said to the people around him "Didn't we throw three men into the fire?" the people said "True O king." and so the king answered and said "Look I see four men loosened, and walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not harmed, and the fourth man is like the Son of God." And then king Nebuchadnezzar came near to the furnace and said "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the most high God, come forth and come here." And they came out of the furnace.
And everyone saw that the fire had no power on these men, none of their hair was burned, neither was their clothing burned, and there was no smell of fire on them. And the king said "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, so that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. And I make an order that anyone who speaks anything against the God of these three shall be destroyed, because there is no other God that can deliver like this."
Memory Verse: Daniel 3:17 "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace....."
Questions:
1. What did the king build?
2. What were the people supposed to do?
3. Why didn't Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego worship the image?
4. What did they say when they were told to worship the image?
5. Who protected them in the furnace?
Answers:
1. A very tall golden image
2. When music was heard, the people were to fall down and worship the
image.
3. Because they worshipped God and would not worship anything else.
4. They said that if it was God's will he would deliver them from the
furnace.
5. One like the Son of God.
Vicki C. Gross/Feb'03