Leader Guide

Teaching

Can you tell me your favorite part of the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego?

Thank you—those were some of my favorite parts, too! This is our last lesson about the “Fiery Furnace.” As we learned in our Signposts video, the events of this story tell us a lot about the nature of Jesus. Let’s take a look at our Fiery Furnace poster on the wall.

For each of the four signposts, select a child to go the poster and carefully pull out the numbered figure in the proper sequence. Have the child read aloud the information on the figure, then give the corresponding presentation.

Signpost 1—Shadrach

Shadrach is our first signpost today. The three Hebrew men received strength from knowing that God was with them no matter what happened to them. God did not keep them from the fire, but He kept them safe IN the fire.

One of Jesus’ names is Immanuel. Does anyone know what Immanuel means?

Immanuel means “God is with us”—just like our SuperTruth says, “Jesus is always with me.” 

OPTIONAL SCRIPTURES FOR GRADES 4–6

Isaiah 7:14b:

“The Lord Himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a Son and will call Him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”

Isaiah 43:2b:

“When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”

Matthew 28:20:

“Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Signpost 2—Meshach

Meshach is our second signpost. The three Hebrew men were in the fire but not consumed or burned by it—that is an amazing miracle!  When Moses was in the wilderness, God appeared to him in a burning bush. The bush was on fire but did not burn up! Moses was amazed and asked God what His name was. God told Moses that His name is, “I AM.” That may sound like a strange name, but it describes our wonderful God! He says, “I am your creator. I am your Savior. I am your healer. I am your friend.”       

Jesus also called Himself, “I AM.” While teaching the people in the Temple, He told them that He had met Abraham—who had died about 2,000 years earlier. The people didn’t understand how this was possible. John 8:58 says:

Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM!” 

In this way, Jesus was saying He is equal to God. Jesus existed with God the Father from the beginning of time. He was there at creation, making the world! He came to Earth as a little baby, grew up, died on the cross, and rose from the grave. He is here with us now, living in our hearts by His Spirit, and He will continue to live for all eternity!

Can you think of some other times that Jesus said “I AM”? I am the way, the truth and the life. I am the Good Shepherd. I am the light of the world. I am the bread of life. I am the gate. I am the resurrection and the life. I am the vine, etc.

OPTIONAL SCRIPTURES FOR GRADES 4–6

Exodus 3:2–3:

² There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up.³ “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”

Exodus 3:14–15: 

¹⁴ God replied to Moses, “I AM who I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent Me to you.”¹⁵ God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent Me to you. This is My eternal name, My name to remember for all generations.”

John 8:56–58:

⁵⁶ Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to My coming. He saw it and was glad.” ⁵⁷ The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?” ⁵⁸ Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I am!”

Signpost 3—Abednego

Abednego is our third signpost. This is about worshiping God and not idols. The three Hebrew men refused to bow down to a man-made statue and false god. They trusted and worshiped the One True God!      

Read John 14:6:

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.”

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, Satan tried to get Jesus to worship him instead of God! What do you think Jesus did?

Jesus refused to bow down to Satan, just as the three Hebrew men refused to bow down to a false god! Jesus quoted God’s Word and told Satan that only God is worthy to serve and worship!

OPTIONAL SCRIPTURES FOR GRADES 4–6    

1 John 5:20:

And we know that the Son of God has come, and He has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and He is eternal life.

Matthew 4:8–10:

⁸ Next the devil took Him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.⁹ “I will give it all to You,” he said, “if You will kneel down and worship me.” ¹⁰ “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.’”

Signpost 4—Jesus

Jesus is our fourth signpost, and He is the One who was with the men in the fire! He was their rescuer and deliverer. The three Hebrew men faced death for their obedience to God and their refusal to obey the king. They knew God was their Savior and believed that He was able to rescue them!   

Jesus chose to go to the cross to take the punishment for our sins. He could have said “No” to God, but He obeyed—and He suffered and died for us. However, God brought Jesus back to life, and He is alive today! Jesus holds the power over life and death. Aren’t you glad that He came to Earth to save us! 

OPTIONAL SCRIPTURES FOR GRADES 4–6

John 11:25:

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Me will live, even after dying.”

Daniel 3:17–18:

¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.¹⁸ But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

If you ever wonder what Jesus is like, think of the fourth Man in the fire with the three Hebrew men. Jesus is always with us, too! He is beside us in every situation we face. He is with us to talk to, to comfort us, to strengthen us, and to give us peace, joy and hope! Jesus is the Son of God, our Deliverer, our Savior, the Resurrection and the Life. We can never be alone, because through Jesus, God is with us!   

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Now it is time for our Discipleship Challenge and craft!

Give a Holophone pattern to any child who was not present for the previous two lessons of this module, and explain how to assemble the craft at home.  

Our Discipleship Challenge for the Fiery Furnace lessons is to learn about other people in the Bible who risked everything to obey God. How many of you looked up some Bible verses on your Holophone Memory Cards?

Who would like to share how the Bible characters risked everything to obey God, and what happened when they obeyed?

Continue with this challenge and look up the remaining Bible verses. Remember, the most important part of our challenge is to pray about ways that God would want you to stand up for Him! Does anyone want to share a way that you were able to stand up for God recently and obey Him, even if others didn’t want you to obey Him?