Lesson kit: The Three Friends in the Furnace

Lesson aim

Being faithful to God is worth it, even when everyone else does the opposite; he is with us in the fire.

Key verse

“Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego! He sent his angel and saved his servants!” Daniel 3:28

Lesson plan

1. 1

   Welcome · 5 minutes

   Greet the children, sing a song they know and say a short prayer.

2. 2

   The story · 10 minutes

   Tell the story with the illustrations on the big screen or by reading it aloud, page by page.

   Open on the big screen →
3. 3

   Talk · 10 minutes

   Ask the questions below and let the children answer in their own words.

4. 4

   Activity · 10 minutes

   Hand out the printed sheet: each child draws their favourite scene and practises the verse.

5. 5

   Closing prayer · 2 minutes

   Close by thanking God for what you learned today. Being faithful to God is worth it, even when everyone else does the opposite; he is with us in the fire.

Discussion questions

1. Why didn’t the three friends bow down?
2. Who was the fourth man in the furnace?
3. When is it hard to be different from the crowd?

Summary for the teacher

King Nebuchadnezzar ordered everyone to worship a gold statue. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused, because they worshiped only God. They were thrown into a furnace heated seven times hotter than usual. The king saw four men walking in the fire, and the fourth looked like an angel. They came out without a single hair singed or any smell of smoke.