Intermediate Level, Block 7—Kingdom Degrading
Week 69
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—Not Worshipping the Image
Point to Emphasize: We can be those who trust in God because He will always be with us.
Reading Reference: Daniel 3
Memory Verse: …For Jehovah your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9b)
Story Sample
King Nebuchadnezzar was a very proud man. He wanted to show off his wealth and his high position. He wanted everyone to know how important he was. So he made a huge image, an idol of gold. And he called all the important men of Babylon together. He commanded that when the music played everyone would bow down and worship that golden idol. Anyone who did not would be thrown into a blazing furnace.
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were standing in that crowd. When the music played and everyone bowed down and worshipped the image, do you think Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah fell down? No, they did not. They were God’s people and they would not worship anything but God Himself.
When this happened, certain Chaldeans were in this crowd and were looking around for anyone who did not follow the king’s orders. If they could report it to the king, it would make them look like they were loyal to the king. Then the king may give them good jobs and even put his trust in them. These men were jealous of what others had. They were jealous that the king had given top jobs to the children of Israel.
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were children of Israel. So the jealous men of Chaldea were looking to see what these three men of God would do. As the music played, they saw that Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah did not fall down and bow to the idol. Right away the Chaldean men went to report this to the king. By speaking in this way against them, it made Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah look like they were not loyal to the king…maybe they were even against the king. Actually, these three men were for God. They did not worship the image because they wanted to honor God.
Oh, King Nebuchadnezzar was so angered by that report that he brought the three who wouldn’t bow down before him. He roared at them in anger. He told them that he would have the music played again, and if they did not fall down, he would throw them into the blazing furnace.
Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego (the Babylonian names they had been given by the king) were very bold to speak to the king. They told the king that the God they served was able to deliver them and that He would deliver them. And even if God did not deliver them, they would not worship the king’s image nor serve his gods. At this, the king commanded that the furnace be made SEVEN times hotter. He had his army men bind them up and throw them into the blazing furnace.
When the king looked into the furnace, he was astonished at what he saw among the flames. He exclaimed, “Did we not throw three men into the midst of the fire bound up?” (Daniel 3:24b). And then he said, “Look, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not harmed. And the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods” (v. 25). Then the king called into the furnace for them to come out. The three came out of the midst of the fire. And all the important men who were there saw that the fire had not burned these three. Not even the hair on their heads was singed, nor did they smell of smoke!!! Then the king said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him.” The king then made a decree that no one should say anything against their God because no other god could deliver men from the blazing furnace in this way.
It was a big deal for these three to trust God so much that they would be willing to go into a fiery furnace on His behalf. But God was with them—even in the midst of the fire.
Now, none of us has ever had to do something as extreme as this. But I know there are times when we have to stand for what we believe. And at those times we can always trust that God is with us. At times, I have been in places where people have made fun of me for loving God. Though it is frustrating, embarrassing, and hurtful, I always know deep inside that God is with me. He is with me when I am happy, sad, frustrated, or lonely. He is with me all the time! [Storyteller, insert your personal story of standing up for God and the things of God.]
This week, if something like this happens to you, remember the story of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—how they stood up for God and He was with them. We can know that God is always with us!