10.24.25 - (Daniel 3:23-26)

Introduction

Hello, this is Kenneth, and welcome to Dwell.

Thanks for joining us for today's Dwell Kids Daily.

Thanks for joining us for The Melodic Line for Kids.

For the next few minutes, I invite you to join me as we look to our Great King by opening our hearts to hear from Him through the words of the Bible.

Silence

As we begin, let us remember that God calls His people, young and old, to be still and know that He is God. Let's take a few seconds to calm and quiet our minds, so that we can hear him better.

Opening Prayer‌ Loving Lord, we delight in your counsel. Today, help our hearts be glad as we receive your words. (from Psalm 16:7,9)

Passage

Today our passage is from the book of Daniel, chapter 3, verses 23-26 (NKJV):

And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”

“Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

Exhortation

OK, here is one of the most popular and amazing stories in the Bible. Let me set it up for us. King Nebuchadnezzar was ruling over the Jews and exile – in the evil kingdom of Babylon. Well, king Nebuchadnezzar decided he wanted to build a huge golden idol (an idol is a fake god). He commanded that whenever the special music played, all the people, Babylonians and Jews, were to fall down and worship the idol. And if you didn’t worship the fake god, then you would be burned up in a big fiery furnace – ouch!

Well, of course this was a huge problem for the Jewish people. Do you remember the 10 Commandments? Right at the beginning, God says that his people are not to bow down and worship, false, fake gods. In fact, this is why the Jews were an exile in the first place, because they broke this commandment over and over again.

So here is where our three heroes come in – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Now these three Jewish men refused to dishonor the real God by worshiping a false god. This enraged king Nebuchadnezzar so much that he had his men heat up the furnace seven times hotter than it needed to be. Seven times – that’s an important number in the Bible, and to the Jewish people. I wonder if King Nebuchadnezzar chose it to mock these faithful Jewish men? Hmm, let’s see how that turns out. Our first clue that this may not go as king Nebuchadnezzar planned is that we are told that the fire was so hot that it killed the kings guards who took Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to the furnace, but they made it there just fine. And this brings us to our passage. King Nebuchadnezzar looks into the furnace and sees our heroes in the fire - none of them being burned! These guys are walking around in the fire, having a grand old time. Now it is a fourth man catches the eye of King Nebuchadnezzar – this mysterious fourth man looked like a son of God – he looked like God, he looked divine! At this King Nebuchadnezzar asked Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to come out of the fire. King Nebuchadnezzar calls them servants of the Most High God, not some puny fake god, the Most High God.

You see Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego we’re not their real names. Back then peoples names had a clear meaning, and these were names given to them by the Babylonians, and the names meant that they were to be servants of false Babylonian gods. But their real names were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Daniel 1:6-7). These Hebrew names mean that Yahweh is the true and gracious God, a God in whom you can place your hope, and a God who will help his people. The Babylonians could change their names, but their God. They could throw them in the fire, but the God of Hope and Help will be with them in the fire. This is a beautiful and powerful picture of faithfulness in the face of fear and fire.

Any guesses who that fourth man who looked like the son of God was?

Call to Action Let’s take a moment to ponder the courage and faith of these young Jewish men, and the faithfulness of God to deliver them from the fire.

Closing Prayer‌ Let’s pray together.

Father in heaven, you send your saving Son to meet us in our trials, to comfort us in our afflictions. May your Spirit give us courage and faith in the face of fear and persecution. We ask this in the name of the Most High God - The Father, Son and Spirit. Amen.

Outro

Now, go in peace, and let the word of King Jesus dwell in you richly.