Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (1 minute)

Welcome everyone! We have a new Superbook video for you today called “The Fiery Furnace.” Our story today is about three Hebrew men named Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They lived in Babylon, where the king commanded everyone to do something that the three young men knew was wrong. I can’t wait to see what they decide to do! But first, let’s see what Chris, Joy and Gizmo are doing today.

Play Video 2: Chris and Joy’s Dilemma (3 minutes)

Chris and Joy's Dilemma

Chris forgot to study for a test he must pass in order to go on an exciting class trip—so he is tempted to cheat when a boy offers him the answers.

SuperTruth and Discussion (2 minutes)

Today’s SuperTruth says: “I will obey God no matter what.” Have you ever felt pressure to do something you knew was wrong?

I know I have. As followers of Jesus, we must make choices every day. We can follow the crowd or choose to obey God and do what is right. Our SuperTruth today is an important one to hide in our hearts and say to ourselves when we are faced with tough choices each day. Let’s say it again together: “I will obey God no matter what.”

What choice was Chris struggling with in today’s adventure?

Why did he want to pass the test so badly?

What do you think Chris will end up doing; will he actually cheat and use the test answers?

Play Video 3: Bible Story and Resolution (19 minutes)

Bible Story and Resolution

Superbook takes Chris, Joy and Gizmo to ancient Babylon to meet Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The three Hebrew men must choose whether to bow to an idol or face death. The children learn that obeying God is always the right decision.

Play Video 10A: SuperVerse Graphic 1 (2.5 minutes)

Graphic loops 2.5 minutes without audio; turn off or freeze video after children repeat verse.

SuperVerse Graphic 1

SuperVerse Discussion (1 minute)

Our SuperVerse, James 1:12, says:

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

Would you say that the three Hebrew men patiently endured testing and temptation?

Yes, even facing death, the Hebrew men obeyed God. It must have been tempting to just give in and go with the crowd, but they passed the test and God blessed them by protecting them and promoting them! Let’s say today’s SuperVerse together. James 1:12:

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

Children will have more time to learn the SuperVerse in Small Group.

Prayer and Send-Off (1 minute)

Let’s pray before we leave for our Small Group time. Dear God, Thank You for being our God, the God above all who is worthy of our worship and obedience. Help us to obey You even when others don’t. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Now it’s time for Small Group where you are going to play a game around a furnace—but don’t worry, it’s not as hot as the fiery furnace in our story!

Teachers take children to Small Group classes for Grades 1–3 and 4–6. If the combined group is small, all children may stay together for Small Group time.

Game

What do you think made Chris change his mind about not using the test answers?

Do you think Chris was willing to accept missing the trip to the amusement park; if so, why?

Was Chris a good example for the other children who did use the answers, and why?

Does anyone remember our SuperTruth from Large Group? “I will obey God no matter what.”

For this game, we need teams of two, so I want everyone to find someone you don’t know very well to be your partner!

Two teams will play at each “furnace”—marked square—at the same time. The partners should split up, standing directly across from each other on opposite sides of the furnace—see illustration, with one child on each of the four sides of the square. Give one balloon to each team, using different colors of balloons for the two pairs at the same furnace. Begin the timer and say “GO!” The object of the game is for each team to throw their balloon back and forth across the furnace, shouting one word of the SuperTruth in order with each throw. This is done until the SuperTruth is completed. They try to do this as many times as they can in one minute. If a balloon falls into the furnace, they must start over. If a balloon falls to the floor outside the furnace it is still “live” and play continues. At the end of one minute, end the round, have each pair tally their points—one point per complete SuperTruth shouted, and have the next set of teams play.

The tricky part of the game is to avoid balloon “crashes” over the furnace with the opposing team’s balloon. Both teams are playing at the same time, over the same area! If balloons crash, they can be saved by catching or batting them to your partner’s side. As long as a balloon makes it to the other side of the furnace, regardless of whether it is caught or not, it counts! A player may not step into the furnace at any time! If a player does, the team must start over. To make the game more challenging for older children, you may tell them they cannot catch the balloons; they can only tap or bat them to each other.

What was the most difficult part of the game—not stepping in the fiery furnace or keeping your balloon out of it?

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego wanted to stay out of that super-hot furnace, but they were willing to be thrown in rather than disobey God! 

Read Daniel 3:16–18:

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. 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. 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."

Let’s learn some more about obedience under pressure! 

Teaching

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were three young Hebrew men who were captured and brought to serve the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar. Babylon was not a godly nation and their ways were not God’s ways. The king’s command to worship the gold statue was not the first time that these men had been pressured to do something they disagreed with. Earlier in their lives they would not eat the food that the king provided to them. God blessed them, and they were healthier than the other servants of the king.

In our story today, these three Hebrew men chose to obey God again rather than follow the crowd. They refused to worship the king’s gold statue that was 9 feet wide and 90 feet tall! They knew that one of the Ten Commandments says not to worship any false gods. They made the choice to obey the One True God under extreme pressure from an angry king, despite facing a painful, sure death in the fiery furnace as their punishment for their disobedience. 

Have you ever felt pressure to do something you knew was wrong in God’s eyes?

Yes, we all have—and still do! As followers of Jesus, we, at times, feel pressure from others to disobey God’s commandments. Hold up the balloon with the face drawn on it. Imagine this is one of us. We are determined to obey God even when others don’t. Place the balloon on the table. Now, here come two friends. Choose two volunteers—preferably a boy and a girl—to kneel behind the table, facing the children, with the balloon in front of them. These two friends begin to persuade us, trying to influence us. They apply pressure to do something with them that we know is wrong. Have the two children begin to softly blow the balloon. We begin to be swayed and move a little, and when the pressure becomes too much for us, what happens? Have children blow with more force until the balloon moves and falls off the table. Oh no! The pressure moved us from obedience to disobedience.

So then, is the situation hopeless? How can we stand up for God and obey Him even when others don’t? Place the balloon back on the table. Choose two different volunteers to kneel behind the table. Hold the Shield Pattern in your hand but hidden by your body as much as possible, with the text or front of the shield facing the children in the audience. Here is the same situation with one difference. This time we are not standing on our own strength; this time we have started our day by spending time with God through Bible study and prayer. Let’s see what happens when our friends begin to apply pressure. Have the volunteers begin to blow softly, and at that instant, place the shield between the balloon and the volunteers to block the air pressure. The volunteers continue to blow but the balloon doesn’t move. What happened this time—did we give in and fall down? Were we influenced to disobey? NO!

The pressure did not affect us; we stood firm!

What do you think happened here?

Yes, the shield blocked the pressure. Hold up the shield so all can see. You can see this shield, but it represents the invisible spiritual weapons that God gives to all of His children. God provides this shield to protect us. Let’s list four of the weapons that God provides to stand firm in our battle to obey even when others don’t:     

Note: These verses are discussed further in the Additional Activity, “Bible Study: Weapons to Obey.”

1. New Life in Christ: Jesus died on the cross and rose again so that when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, our sins are forgiven and we have a brand-new life in Him. The Bible says we have died with Him, and we live a new life of faith. See Galatians 2:20.

2. Holy Spirit: God has given us His Holy Spirit to live inside us and to fill us with power, love, and self-discipline. See 2 Timothy 1:7. We are not limited by our own strength in a time of weakness.

3. Armor: God has given us His invisible spiritual armor and weapons to protect us and to enable us to stand firm in battle. See Ephesians 6:13–17.

4. Prayer: God has given us prayer to ask for His help and guidance and to praise Him for His answer to our situations. See Ephesians 6:18.

Is it easy to obey God when everyone else is doing the opposite? Certainly not—especially if we are taken by surprise! But we can prepare ourselves for temptation and equip ourselves to fight the battle—and win, with God’s help! He has not asked us to go into the battle empty handed. When we bring God’s weapons to battle, we are more than conquerors in any situation. As difficult as it was for the Hebrew men to stand up to the king, they were ordinary people like we are. When we use the weapons God provides us, ordinary people become extraordinary!  

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Hold up the sample Holophone craft you made and show how the Memory Card slides up and down, revealing questions in the front window of the phone, and the answers plus corresponding scripture references in the back window. Give a Holophone pattern to each child, along with scissors and tape. Help them cut out the pattern; fold and tape the phone; then insert the Memory Card with the questions on Side 1 showing through the phone’s front window.

Our challenge for these three lessons is to learn about other people in the Bible who had to risk everything to obey God. First, ask yourselves the questions on Memory Card Side A in the front of your Holophones without peeking at the answers on the back. Don’t be tempted to cheat like Chris was! After you make an honest guess, look at the answer in the window of the back of the Holophone. Take these home and learn all the questions and answers on Memory Card 1. Choose one of the answers and look up the Scripture about that person in your Bible at home. Next time, I’ll ask you to share how that person risked everything to obey God, and what happened. Most important, I want each of you to pray about ways that God would want you to stand up for Him! 

SuperVerse

Say the SuperVerse together, looking at the board. James 1:12:

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

I don’t think it is easy to be patient anytime, but it is especially hard during a difficult time like a temptation, trial or test! The three Hebrew men must have been tempted to give in and the test would have ended. Remember, Chris wanted to know what the big deal was—why not just bow down? That is what the world wants us to do. What is the big deal—everyone is doing it!

But it is a big deal to God. He wants us to worship only Him and not bow down to the world’s idols and values. If we are obedient and faithful to God, what does our SuperVerse tell us will happen? God will bless us, we will receive a crown of life.

The crown of life is a special reward that will be given in heaven to those who have endured suffering and difficult testing and trials here on Earth. This is a reward for those who would not compromise their beliefs even though they were under extreme pressure.

I am going to read the verse aloud and stop at certain parts. I want you to shout the next word that follows in the verse. We will do the first round facing the board. For the second round and third round, you will turn around with your backs to the board, and we will see how much of the verse you can remember without looking. 

Read the verse out loud and stop before key words like “blesses,” “endures,” “testing,” “crown,” etc. For the subsequent rounds, leave out different words.     

Very good! Now let’s say our whole SuperVerse together. James 1:12:

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

Prayer

King Nebuchadnezzar commanded everyone to bow before his gold statue. The three Hebrew men were determined to obey God rather than the king, even if it meant being thrown into a blazing hot furnace!

Read Psalm 95:6:

Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

The Hebrew men knew that they served the only true God—the creator of heaven and Earth! They would not bow down before a gold statue made by men. God is the only One worthy to bow down to; the only One worthy of our worship and service. Let’s take a few minutes now to reverently bow down before our awesome God who is worthy of all honor and praise!

Have children kneel down on their knees as you pray. If any children are physically unable to kneel, demonstrate how they can bow their shoulders forward in a sitting position or simply pray and worship God with their eyes closed.

Pray: Heavenly Father, the King of all creation, the only One worthy of our worship and praise; we bow down to You today in honor and awe of who You are. The Bible tells us that one day all of creation will bow before You, but we choose to do this now! The Bible says in Exodus 15:11:

"Who is like You, … O Lord - glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor, performing great wonders?”

There is no other God. Help us to worship You and serve You with our obedience. We love You, God. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Activity

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to bow down and worship the statue of gold that was 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide. That is taller than an eight story building today! Solomon in the Old Testament was about to build God’s temple. He was overwhelmed with the task when considering who God was.

Read 2 Chronicles 2:5–6a:

“This must be a magnificent Temple because our God is greater than all other gods. But who can really build Him a worthy home? Not even the highest heavens can contain Him!”

Nebuchadnezzar was proud of his statue; he marveled at the size of it overlooking his kingdom. But, to the three Hebrew men, it was tiny compared to our God who is Spirit and cannot be contained in any temple, like Solomon said in those verses! How could they forsake God to bow down before a man-made object! We may never actually be tempted to bow down to an idol or statue, but when we put more importance on things or people over God, we actually have created our own idol that we worship. What are some things that some people think are more important than God? Money, job, power, possessions, house, car, another person, videogames, electronics, etc.

God wants to be number one before any person or thing!

Have you ever wondered why we bow down? The Hebrew word for worship in the Old Testament literally means to “bow down.” Bowing down before someone shows respect, honor and submission in the presence of a king or other powerful leader. Should we not bow before the King of kings, Lord of lords, and the Creator of heaven and Earth?

In worship, we declare God’s greatness and glory! We humbly surrender and place our entire being before Him in service and acknowledge that everything belongs to and is dependent on Him. I would like to read the verse that we read earlier in the lesson. It is a wonderful verse to learn and say to God as the motivation for our worship here, and your personal worship at home.

Read Psalm 95:6: 

Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.  

Play the worship music you have chosen and worship God together. As stated previously in the “Prayer” section, if any children cannot kneel, demonstrate how they can bow in a sitting position or simply worship God with their eyes closed.

Pray: God, we thank You for who You are and all that You have done for us. Help us live every part of our lives worshiping You as we obey Your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.    

Object Lesson

Read Daniel 3:19–23,26–27:

Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully dressed in their pants, turbans, robes, and other garments. And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in. So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames. Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!

Have you ever gotten too close to an oven, campfire, or a fireplace—what did it feel like?

Yes, it is very uncomfortable and you move away quickly to keep from getting burned. The king was so angry with the three men that he had the furnace made seven times hotter than normal—seven times! It was so hot that when his strongest soldiers threw the three Hebrew men into the fire, the soldiers were instantly killed! The soldiers didn’t even go into the furnace; they simply got near it and died! Now that is hot! 

God performed a miracle—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were not burned. They were up and walking in the furnace with an Angel of the Lord! Now, that is a true miracle! But, God didn’t stop there; the fire did not touch them, their hair was not singed or burned, their clothing wasn’t scorched, and they didn’t even smell like smoke! Think about that! They were tied up and thrown into a raging furnace, and the fire only burned their ropes; it didn’t touch the men!   

When you stand next to a campfire or fireplace, what do your clothes smell like after that; even the next day?

Fire, smoke.

Show the children the photos or video of you holding the shirt up to the fire you made at home, and explain exactly what you did to prepare the shirt at home. Open the plastic bag with the smoky shirt and pass the bag around the classroom, allowing children to smell the shirt inside.

What does this smell like? Fire, smoke.

This shirt was held close to a fire that was nowhere as hot as the furnace in our story. It never touched the fire, yet it is discolored and smells like smoke. God performed an amazing miracle that caused all of the people to know that the Hebrew men’s God was the One True God and the only God who was to be worshiped!  

Heads or Tails Game

We are going to do an activity to see what can happen if we just follow the crowd instead of obeying God.

Read Deuteronomy 28:13–14:

"If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom. You must not turn away from any of the commands I am giving you today, nor follow after other gods and worship them.”

Moses is talking to the Israelites about the commandments that God had given them to obey. God was concerned that the Israelites would imitate the ungodly people who did not worship God instead of obeying the One True God. If they were obedient and faithful to God, they would be the head and not the tail! Now let’s see what this looks like.

Point out the two signs to the children. Choose two volunteers. Have them stand in the middle of the room. Place one child in front to be the head. Place the other child directly behind to be the tail. Have the child in back—tail—place hands lightly on the shoulders of the child in front—head. Place the blindfold on the child in back—tail. Now, instruct the “head” to walk slowly around the room a few times; and after a short time, stop in front of one sign. Ask the “tail” if they think they are in front of “Obey God” or in front of the “Obey Others” sign. After the child answers, remove the blindfold—was he/she surprised to be in front of that sign? If time, allow other children to be head and tail.  

Why was it difficult to be the tail?

When you were the tail, you could only guess where you would end up; you had no control. When we “blindly” follow the crowd, we may find ourselves in the wrong place! When we are the head, we can use our eyes to see where we are going, and we can choose to obey God and do the right thing. We can actually lead others to obey God, too! God calls us to be the head, not the tail! 

Optional: read Daniel 3:28–29:

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent His angel to rescue His servants who trusted in Him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!”

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not follow the crowd. They did not take the easy route. They were the head, not the tail! They were not influenced to disobey God. In fact, they told the king that they would not bow to the idol, even if it meant death! The king was so moved by God’s miracle of protection that He decreed all people worship the One True God! Who can we influence by standing up for God and being the head, like the three Hebrew men?

Craft

Have six children each read one verse of Ephesians 6:13–18a:

¹³Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.¹⁴Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.¹⁵For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.¹⁶In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.¹⁷Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.¹⁸Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion.

Distribute the Armor of God patterns to the children. Show them how to fold it to make a small booklet, with “Armor of God” on the cover. Ask individual children to look up and read aloud the scriptures in the booklet, then discuss each piece of “armor” that God has given us. Children may draw the piece of armor or write out the scripture verse on each page.

Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for providing us with everything we need to protect us from evil. Help us to put on the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the shoes of peace, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Help us to remember to pray at all times and to trust You in all things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

This activity is also included in Superbook:“A Giant Adventure” as the Discipleship Challenge.

Bible Study

Have children look up and read the passages listed and lead a discussion to dig deeper into God’s weapons.

1. 2 Timothy 1:7:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

God has given us His Holy Spirit to live inside us and to fill us with power, love, and self-discipline. We do not have to rely on our own strength in a time of weakness.

Ask:

• Explain the advantage God’s power gives us when we are weak. Do you ever feel like giving up or giving in?
• What do we often fear when we go against the crowd and stand for what is right? Rejection, being made fun of.
• Why do we need God’s love in the battle? Not to be bitter or angry with others, not to lash out, but to show God’s love, hoping to draw others to the truth.
• Were the three men timid in our story? Why is it important not to be timid when standing for God? No, they were respectful but bold and unwavering. We are to reflect the power of God in us and our resolve to stand firm.
• What is self-discipline? How does it relate to obedience?

2. Ephesians 6:13–17:

¹³Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. ¹⁴Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. ¹⁵For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. ¹⁶In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.¹⁷ Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Ask:

• Is this armor we actually put on?
• How can we put it on? Reading, believing, living and applying God’s Word. Listening to the Holy Spirit and following His direction.
• Is it okay to just put on some armor? No, every piece.
• Can we put it on one time and forget about it? No, we need to put it on everyday. 
• How do you think knowing and believing you are saved is a helmet to us? What does it protect us from? Doubt and fear; mind games; Satan’s lies that we are not saved, are not God’s child, and that we have failed God if we sin; and He doesn’t love us any longer.
• How can faith stop Satan’s weapons?
• Why do you think it is important to have peace in a battle?
• God’s Word is a sword; a sharp and powerful weapon! Why is it important to know the Word of God? Tells us what is right and wrong. Tells us how to act and what to do.
• How can it help us to fight Satan’s lies? We can know the truth< - when he twists God’s Word to deceive us, we are not confused.
• How can the Word be used as a weapon? Know God’s promises and what He will do for us to cancel out lies. Builds our faith and makes us strong.
• How can God’s Word be used to help us grow and strengthen our weaknesses? Shows us who we are deep inside, exposes areas of weakness and things that need to be cleaned up.<

3. Read Ephesians 6:18:

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Ask:

• How can prayer be an offensive and defensive weapon?
• What does it mean to pray in the Spirit? Allow God’s Spirit to pray things we don’t understand; submit to His Spirit to pray through us instead of us just saying what we think we should pray. To pray God’s will versus our will.
• Is it important to pray for other believers; why?
• What should we ask God for when we are faced with a trial, testing or temptation?
• Why is it important to start our day with prayer?

Pray: God, thank You for not sending us into the battle empty handed. You have given us powerful weapons to obey You even when others don’t. In Jesus’ name, Amen.