11/22/08 Leader's Guide

Stand Up
The Week of November 22nd
Daniel 3

Getting Started

On Sunday we played songs that had the idea of heat, or fire. Can you think of other songs with lyrics about fire?

Do you have a phobia? If not, what’s the closet thing that you have to a phobia?

Digging Deeper

Read verse 1. What connections do you think there was between Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 2 and his statue in chapter 3?

God revealed that Babylon was only one kingdom among many that would come and go, ultimately to be supplanted by the Kingdom of God. Perhaps Nebuchadnezzar refused to believe that “his” kingdom would have such a short shelf life, and so sought to defy the vision by constructing a statue that only represented Babylon.

Looking over verses 2-7, how did Nebuchadnezzar make it easy to worship the image? How did he make it difficult not too? Identify some environments in our lives that make compromise easy and righteousness hard? What are the particular ways that compromise is rewarded and righteousness is censured in these places?

He had a great PR campaign: he “persuaded” leadership to promote the new policy and found a great band and a catching song to cull the people to follow their leaders. The downside was death.

Read verses 8-12. How did the Chaldeans use the truth to place Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in difficulty? How did the Chaldeans also use distortion? Can you think of other examples in the Bible where a person’s faith was used against them?

The Chaldeans facilitated a clash between values of these three and the government. They knew that neither the Jews or the pagan government would back down, which would certainly mean death for the men.

Read verses 13-18. What are the two convictions that these Jews shared with Nebuchadnezzar? Are both convictions of faith? How are they the same and different? What does this tell us about believing in Jesus?

1. God will save us. 2. Even if he doesn’t, we’re not giving in. Both are convictions of faith. To see the similarity and contrast, look at Hebrews 11:32-40.

Read verses 19-23. How did Nebuchadnezzar respond to Shadrach, Meshach and Abed- nego’s faith? In what way did the three submit to Nebuchadnezzar’s authority? In what ways can we fail to fully obey God in our attempts to live courageously for him?

Read verses 24-26. Who was the mysterious 4th man who was seen with Daniel’s friends in the furnace? What’s the significance?

Perhaps this was an appearance of Christ. This might foreshadow the salvation of Jesus who saves us from the wrath to come

. Why is no mention made of Daniel in chapter 3?

How is the issue in chapter 3 similar to the problem Daniel and his three friends faced in chapter 1? How and why is their response different in chapter 3 than in chapter 1? How is their outcome different?

“Both chapters deal with submission to God and to human government. In chapter 1, the four Jews served God and government, offending neither God nor the government. In chapter 3, they had to choose God or government, being unable to serve both at the same time. Thus, in chapter 3, godly men had to obey God by disobeying government.
In chapter 1, Nebuchadnezzar did not realize the superior wisdom of Daniel and his three friends. In chapter 3, the king clearly understands the issue is over whose god is more powerful, his god or the God of the Hebrews. In both chapters, Daniel and his friends are promoted, but in the latter Nebuchadnezzar recognizes God working miraculously to deliver His servants and acknowledges the superiority of their God over his.”

How did these men’s faithfulness to God subsequently affect the Jews in Babylon, the King of Babylon, and those who conspired against these three men? What does this teach us about obedience?

“Daniel’s three friends are delivered and even promoted because of their faithfulness, and are included in the “hall of faith” in Hebrews 11 (see verses 32-34).Their deliverance reversed Nebuchadnezzar’s requirement of the Jews to bow down. It also protected Jewish worship by promising punishment for any who would seek to hinder their worship. Nebuchadnezzar is humbled to some degree and given greater revelation concerning the God of the Jews. Nebuchadnezzar understands in chapter 2 that the God of the Israelites is the source of wisdom and knowledge. He learns in chapter 3 that He also intervenes in human history to deliver His people. The enemies of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were shown the folly of their own “faith” and the power of the God of the Jews to preserve and deliver them. The reader of the account is reminded that God is the only Deliverer. Deliverance comes from God, to the people of God. Deliverance is complete. It will keep us through the fire of tribulation and adversity.”

Putting It Into Practice

Where do you need courage this week? Take some time to seek God for strength.