OT 72 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

Reference: Daniel 3:1-30

Story Summary: 
     King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had a 90 foot tall statue made out of gold. When many musical instruments were played, his officials were to bow down before the statue. If anyone refused, they would be thrown in a fiery furnace.
     Three of the king's wise men were God's people who had been captured: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When the instruments were played, they refused to bow down before the gold statue.
     The three men were brought to King Nebuchadnezzar, who told them he would give them another chance to bow down before the statue. However, the three men told the king that they would never bow down to the statue. They told the king that God could save them from the furnace.
     This angered the king. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter. The men were tied up and thrown into the furnace. It was so hot, the soldiers with them died.
     To the king's amazement, the three men freely walked around the furnace, with a fourth person with them. So the king ordered them released. He praised the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego for being able to save them from the furnace.

Big Idea and Motions: Jesus came to rescue us from sin.
Jesus - form a cross with your forearms
Rescue - pretend to reach down and help someone up from the ground
Sin - two thumbs down

Verse / Motions: Romans 5:8, ESV - ...but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
God - point up
Love - put your hands over your heart
Us - point to yourself with both thumbs
Still sinners - two thumbs down
Christ died - form a cross with your forearms
Us - point to yourself with both thumbs

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
Who were the three friends in today’s story? // Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego
What did King Nebuchadnezzar build? // A 90 ft. tall gold statue
When the music played, what were the people supposed to do? // Bow down, worship the statue
What was the punishment for not bowing down to the statue? // Thrown in the fiery furnace.
Did Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego worship the statue? // No.
Why didn’t they bow down? // It would be breaking God’s commandment
What did Nebuchadnezzar do when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow? // Heated the furnace hotter, had them thrown in.
What happened to the soldiers who threw them in the furnace? // They died
What happened to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the furnace? // Untied, not harmed, walking around with a fourth person
What did Nebuchadnezzar say about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s God? // No one can say anything bad about their God.

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - https://goo.gl/8OGMrn
Resources - https://goo.gl/sTfJJ3