Discuss the story in small groups using the following questions. {10–15 minutes}
-
What are some ways it can be hard to obey God when no one around you believes in God? Where were Daniel and his three friends living in our story? How do you think they knew how to live for God when those around them did not?
Takeaway
God’s people must learn to live for God even when those around them don’t.
-
What do the first two commandments tell us about God? What was the rule Nebuchadnezzar made that all people had to obey? What did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego decide to do?
Takeaway
Put God first no matter what.
-
What was the punishment the men faced for obeying God’s command and disobeying Nebuchadnezzar’s command? In the New Testament, what similar test did Jesus face for obeying God? How could Jesus have avoided his death on the cross?
Takeaway
Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Jesus faced death for obeying God.
-
When God rescued Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, did they still die from the flames? How was Jesus’s rescue different? What does it mean for you and me that God rescued Jesus by raising him from the dead?
Takeaway
When God rescued Jesus by raising him from the dead, he also rescued all that follow Jesus.
