The Sunday School Lesson

DAN. 3:10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image: 11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

12 There are certain. Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Bab'y-Ion, Sha'drach, Me'shach, and A-bed'ne-go; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

13 Then Neb-u-chad-nez'zar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Sha'drach, Me'shach, and Abed'ne-go. Then they brought these men before the king.

16 Sha'drach, Me'shach, and Abed'ne-go, answered and said to the king, O Neb-u-chad-nezlzar, were not careful to answer thee in this matter.

17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

18 But if not, be it known unto thee, 0 king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

24 Then Neb-u-chad-nez'zar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

HEART OF THE LESSON

This week's lesson contains one of the most powerful statements of faith found anywhere in Scripture. As we shall see, it was uttered under life threatening circumstances.

1. Circumstances create tests of faith (Dan. 3,10- 13). The Babylonian king had an image of himself made and ordered that everyone in his kingdom should worship it. Three Hebrew men Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego-refused to obey, however, because doing so would break God's law. Certain Babylonians reported their noncompliance, and the king ordered the three arrested.

In our society today, we are not often commanded to disobey God, but we are often given the opportunity to do so. What is more, many painful and trying situations present themselves in which we may be tempted to despair and lose faith.

We cannot know whether such times are intentional tests of our faith, but often testing our faith is exactly what they do.

2. Trusting God, who is able (Dan. 3:16-18). Commanded to worship the king's image or be thrown into a fiery furnace, the three men responded out of their strong faith in God: "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, 0 king. But if not, be it known unto thee, 0 king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego described God as being able, and that is a great expression of confidence. It is one thing to have a God who loves us, but if He is powerless to deliver us when circumstances threaten, the effect of His love is limited.

God does not just love us. He also has the ability to rescue those who trust Him from the ultimate terrors of life. As we rely on Him, our faith survives all that tests it.

3. Facing the consequences (Dan. 3:21, 24). When the three faithful men made their statement about God's ability, they did so knowing that they were unlikely to be excused from the consequences. They were not. They were thrown into a furnace that was stoked so hot that the heat alone killed the soldiers who tossed the three men in (vs. 22).

Yet the fire did not consume or even injure the three. Eventually, they came out of the furnace completely unharmed. Their survival untouched by the fire was powerful evidence of the God who "is able" (Dan. 3:17).

In Jewish culture, storytelling has been the predominant way each new generation is invited to personally step into the stream of Jewish history. The rabbis do not tell a biblical tale using the word "them." The experiences of the patriarchs, the enslaved Hebrews, the wandering Israelites, the citizens of the newly established Israel, and the exiled audiences of the prophets are always referred to as "us." Historical stories become new and alive, vital and significant, to each new generation of Jewish children because they are personally brought into the biblical events.

Because the Old Testament is our book as well, we Christians should do the same. When we read a story such as this one from Daniel, it is good for us to stand inside it and experience it as participants. When the three young men say, "Our God ... is able to deliver us" (vs. 17), we can rejoice that they are saying it not only for themselves but on our behalf as well. Our God is able. That is our faith, whatever comes!

QUESTIONS

1. Upon what occasion did the group of Chaldeans come to King Nebuchadnezzar? Why?

2. What were the three accusations that the Chaldeans presented to the king?

3. What answer did the three Hebrews give the king when he offered them a second chance?

4. What was the outcome, and what can we learn from these men?

(Reprinted by permission of The Incorporated Trustees of the Gospel Worker Society and Union Gospel Press, P.O. Box 6059, Cleveland, Ohio, 44101)