“Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego – Saying “No!” to the King”

YEAH! Church - Sunday, November 7, 2021

"Heroes of the Bible” – In the book of Daniel, we read about the amazing hero, Daniel. But Daniel isn’t the only faithful person who makes an appearance. So do his friends, Hananiah, Mishael & Azariah.

Today’s Lesson - “Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego – Saying “No!” to the King”

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6TPo910LnY (Teaching Kids About Jesus – Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFhmFzmW40I (Superbook – The Fiery Furnace!)

Today’s Hero – Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego (Daniel 1 + 3)

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego found themselves taken as captives to Babylon at the same time that Daniel was; in fact, the Bible tells us they were friends, which may be why Daniel included them in the book he wrote. Together, they had defied the king’s order that they eat certain foods; God had said that certain foods were off-limits, so they asked to be allowed to eat just vegetables and drink just water. After ten days, they were in better shape than all of the other young men being trained and were allowed to keep their new diet.

But there’s a story that Daniel records about his friends, that he isn’t a part of. In Chapter three, Daniel describes how king Nebuchadnezzar set up a 90’ (roughly 30 meters) high golden statue…that’s huge! The real problem is that the king ordered everyone to bow to it—to worship it. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused.

It wasn’t long before the king got word of their disobedience to his order, but he decided to give them a second chance. If they didn’t obey and bow, they would be thrown into a fiery furnace! The three friends didn’t even take time to think about it; they knew what they had to do. They told the king, “No! We will not bow down. Our God can rescue us, but even if He doesn’t, we will never bow down.” Nebuchadnezzar was not used to having anyone tell him “no” for anything—he threw a royal fit, ordered that the furnace be heated super hot, and that all three should be thrown into it…immediately.

The furnace was so hot, that the men responsible for throwing the three friends in, died from the blast. Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego fell into the flames…but then a truly incredible thing happened. King Nebuchadnezzar looked into the furnace and saw not three, but four men walking around without any ropes that had been used to tie them up. Even the king knew that something out of his control had happened.

Nebuchadnezzar called for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to come out of the furnace…and when they did they didn’t even smell of smoke! Just as impulsively as the king had them ordered thrown into the fire, he now announces that no one is permitted to talk badly about their God, or they risk being dismembered and having their houses torn apart. Did the king learn his lesson? Sadly, not right away, but eventually God really does get through to him (chapter 4).

Engage:
• Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had a hard decision to make. What were they being ordered to do?
• They refused to obey the king. Why? Wouldn’t it have been easier just to obey?
• The three friends knew that God could save them, but they also knew He might not. How do you think they were able to remain so faithful even when faced with probable, painful death?
• When the king saw them walking around in the furnace, even he knew that something amazing had happened. What did Nebuchadnezzar think had happened? And what did he order?

Theme verses:
Daniel 4:37, NLT - “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud.”

Prayer – Dear God, thank you for helping Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stay strong in their faith. They knew it was more important to serve you and obey you, than any earthly king…even one who had the power to order them killed. Thank you for showing us through their story, that no matter what a king might decide, you’re still in control…even when things are really difficult.
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~ Pastor Jane