Lesson 146:
Daniel 3–5
Introduction
Because
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to worship a golden image made by King
Nebuchadnezzar, they were cast into a fiery furnace. The Lord miraculously
delivered them from harm. Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a great
tree and many years later, under King Belshazzar, interpreted divine writing on
a wall concerning the conquering of the Babylonian kingdom by the Medes and the
Persians.
---Groups of
two or three, and give each group a copy of the following chart.
---Write
positive consequences and negative consequences that could result from each
choice.
Choice
|
Positive
Consequence
|
Negative
Consequence
|
Not
joining with your peers when they invite you to cheat on a school assignment
|
||
Not
adopting a popular fashion trend that goes against the Lord’s standards
|
||
Walking
out of a movie with inappropriate content
|
---Report.
---How might thinking about possible
consequences influence your choices?
---Look for
truths as we study Daniel 3 that can help you choose to obey
the Lord, regardless of the outcome.
---In Daniel 3:1–5 King Nebuchadnezzar had a large golden image
or statue made that was approximately 90 feet (27.4 meters) high and 9 feet
(2.74 meters) wide. The king then gathered leaders from his kingdom for the
dedication of the image. At the dedication, a command was announced that when
music sounded, everyone was to fall down and worship the golden image.
---Read Daniel
3:6–7 aloud and
look for the consequence for not worshipping the golden image as commanded.
---What was the consequence for not
worshipping the golden image?
---I need
five volunteers to come to the front of the class. Prominent Babylonian,
Nebuchadnezzar, and the remaining three the roles of Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego.
---In Daniel 3:8–11 a group of prominent Babylonians
came to Nebuchadnezzar to report something they observed.
---Prominent
Babylonian: read Daniel
3:12 in an
accusing tone while addressing the student acting as Nebuchadnezzar.
---What did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
refuse to do when the music sounded?
---What do you imagine less faithful Jews
might have said to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego for refusing to fall down
and worship the image?
---Nebuchadnezzar:
read the remainder of Daniel
3:14–15
---Follow
along, looking for what Nebuchadnezzar said to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
---What choice did Nebuchadnezzar give to
these three Jewish men?
---What did he ask about their God?
---Looking to
follow along, looking for significant statements in the men’s response to the
king.
---The
response “we are not careful to answer thee in this matter” (Daniel 3:16) could also be interpreted as
“we have no need to discuss this matter” because they were completely resolved
not to worship the image.
---After the
student volunteers have finished reading, invite them to return to their seats.
---What were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
confident about? (God could save them from death.)
---What did they not know? (They did not know
if God would save them.
---What stands out to you about their faith
in the Lord?
---Write in your
class notebooks a principle you learn from the example of Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego.
---Report what they wrote.
We show our
faith in the Lord by choosing to obey Him, regardless of the consequences.
---Read
aloud the following statement by Elder Dennis E. Simmons of the Seventy.
Ask the class to listen for how the faith shown by Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego relates to our lives:
“Our
scriptures and our history are replete with accounts of God’s great men and
women who believed that He would deliver them, but if not, they demonstrated
that they would trust and be true.
“He has the
power, but it’s our test.
“What does the
Lord expect of us with respect to our challenges? He expects us to do all we
can do. …
“We must
have the same faith as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
“Our God
will deliver us from ridicule and persecution, but if not. … Our God will
deliver us from sickness and disease, but if not. … He will deliver us from
loneliness, depression, or fear, but if not. … Our God will deliver us from
threats, accusations, and insecurity, but if not. … He will deliver us from
death or impairment of loved ones, but if not, … we will trust in the Lord.
“… We
will have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that if we do all we can do, we
will, in His time and in His way, be delivered and receive all that He has” (“But If Not …” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004,
74–75).
VIDEO “But if not . . .” (2:06) 8:15 to 10:21
Elder Dennis E. Simmons of the Seventy speaks about showing faith and trust in God even when He chooses not to deliver us from difficulties. Instead of having a student read Elder Simmons’s statment aloud, consider showing this video from time codes
Elder Dennis E. Simmons of the Seventy speaks about showing faith and trust in God even when He chooses not to deliver us from difficulties. Instead of having a student read Elder Simmons’s statment aloud, consider showing this video from time codes
---How can we develop this same kind of faith
in the Lord?
---Remember
the choices presented at the beginning of the lesson.
---Ponder
whether you would show your faith by making those righteous choices despite the
negative outcomes, or “fiery furnaces,” you might experience.
---Read Daniel
3:19–20 aloud and
look for how King Nebuchadnezzar reacted to the response of Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego.
---If you were one of these three men, what
might you have been thinking and feeling as you watched the furnace being
heated?
---Read Daniel
3:21–27 looking for what happened as Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego were cast into the furnace.
---What did Nebuchadnezzar see when he looked
into the furnace?
---What principle can we learn about what the
Lord will do for us if we choose to obey Him regardless of the outcomes?
if we choose
to obey the Lord, He will be with us.
---What are some ways the Lord shows He is
with those who obey Him?
---Discuss
the following questions:
---When have you or someone you know shown
faith in the Lord by choosing to obey Him regardless of the outcome?
---How did the Lord show He was with you or
the person you know?
---Write in your
class notebooks how you feel impressed to apply the truths they have identified
from studying this experience of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
---Write how
you will show your faith in the Lord the next time you are faced with the
choice to obey or disobey one of His commandments.
---Read Daniel
3:28–30 looking for the positive outcomes that came
from the affliction of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
---What positive outcomes came from the
affliction of these three men?
---In Daniel 4 Daniel interpreted another of
King Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams. The dream was a prophecy of the king’s removal
from the throne and his madness. A year later, while boasting of his
accomplishments in his kingdom, the events in his dream began to be fulfilled.
From the suffering Nebuchadnezzar experienced, he learned several lessons about
the Lord.
---What did Nebuchadnezzar learn about God?
God has
power to humble the prideful.
---Why do you think God cares about whether
we are humble?
III. Daniel 5
Daniel interprets writing on a
wall, and Babylon is conquered by the Medes and the Persians
---The
lesson Nebuchadnezzar learned about pride and humility would have importance
for a later king of Babylon.
---Daniel 5:1–21 says that more than 20 years
after Nebuchadnezzar died, Belshazzar, the king in Babylon at that time, hosted
a feast for leaders in the kingdom. Belshazzar had the vessels that had been
taken from the temple in Jerusalem brought to the feast. The king and the
people mocked the Lord by drinking wine from these vessels while they praised
their false gods. During the feast, a hand appeared and wrote on a wall in the
king’s palace. Belshazzar was greatly concerned, and when others were unable to
interpret the writing, he summoned Daniel. Before interpreting the writing,
Daniel spoke to Belshazzar about what his predecessor Nebuchadnezzar had
experienced when his mind was “hardened in pride” (Daniel 5:20).
---Despite knowing what Nebuchadnezzar had
experienced, what had Belshazzar failed to do?
---The rest
of Daniel 5 talks about how Daniel
interpreted the writing on the wall, which was a declaration that God had
judged Belshazzar and that Babylon would be given to the Medes and the
Persians. Even though Daniel had declined payment for giving the interpretation
(see Daniel 5:17), Belshazzar promoted Daniel to
third in command in the kingdom. That night, Belshazzar was slain and the
Babylonian empire was conquered.
---Think
about what they can learn from the prideful decisions of others to avoid making
similar mistakes.
Commentary and Background
Information
Daniel
3:17–18. True faith is in the Lord and does not depend on outcomes
Elder
Dennis E. Simmons of the Seventy taught about true faith by using the
example of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego:
“True faith
is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ—confidence and trust in Jesus Christ that
leads a person to follow Him.” After quoting Daniel 3:17–18 and emphasizing the statement
“But if not,” Elder Simmons added:
“That is a
statement of true faith.
“[Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego] knew that they could trust God—even if things didn’t
turn out the way they hoped. …
“… Faith
in Jesus Christ consists of complete reliance on Him.
“Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-nego knew they could always rely on Him because they knew His
plan, and they knew that He does not change” (“But If Not …” Ensign or Liahona, May
2004, 73).
Elder
Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught the following
about faith:
“As children
of God, knowing of His great love and His ultimate knowledge of what is best
for our eternal welfare, we trust in Him. The first principle of the gospel is
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and faith means trust. I felt that trust in a
talk my cousin gave at the funeral of a teenage girl who had died of a serious
illness. He spoke these words, which first astonished me and then edified me:
‘I know it was the will of the Lord that she die. She had good medical care.
She was given priesthood blessings. Her name was on the prayer roll
in the temple. She was the subject of hundreds of prayers for her restoration
to health. And I know that there is enough faith in this family that she would have been healed unless it was the will of the
Lord to take her home at this time.’ I felt that same trust in the words of the
father of another choice girl whose life was taken by cancer in her teen years.
He declared, ‘Our family’s faith is in Jesus Christ and is not dependent on
outcomes’” (“Healing the Sick,” Ensign or Liahona, May
2010, 50).
Elder
David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles told of an experience
in which he visited with a young, newlywed couple in the hospital. The husband
was suffering from cancer, and at the conclusion of the visit, he asked Elder
Bednar for a blessing. Elder Bednar consented but first posed the following
questions, which he had not planned on asking nor had considered previously:
“Do you have
the faith not to be healed? If it is the will of our Heavenly Father that you
are transferred by death in your youth to the spirit world to continue your
ministry, do you have the faith to submit to His will and not be healed?”
Elder Bednar
added:
“We
recognized a principle that applies to every devoted disciple: strong faith in
the Savior is submissively accepting of His will and timing in our lives—even
if the outcome is not what we hoped for or wanted” (“That We Might ‘Not …
Shrink’ (D&C 19:18)” [Church Educational System devotional for young adults, Mar. 3,
2013]; LDS.org).
Daniel 3:25. If we choose to obey
the Lord, He will be with us
President
Thomas S. Monson provided assurance that the Lord will be with us if we
choose to obey Him:
“As we go
about living from day to day, it is almost inevitable that our faith will be
challenged. We may at times find ourselves surrounded by others and yet
standing in the minority or even standing alone concerning what is acceptable
and what is not. Do we have the moral courage to stand firm for our beliefs,
even if by so doing we must stand alone? …
“… May
we ever be courageous and prepared to stand for what we believe, and if we must
stand alone in the process, may we do so courageously, strengthened by the
knowledge that in reality we are never alone when we stand with our Father in
Heaven” (“Dare to Stand Alone,”
Ensign or
Liahona, Nov. 2011, 60, 67).
Daniel 3:24–29. Being delivered
Elder
Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught the following
about our deliverance from our problems:
“Having
ultimate hope does not mean we will always be rescued from proximate problems, but
we will be rescued from everlasting death! Meanwhile, ultimate hope makes it
possible to say the same three words used centuries ago by three valiant men.
They knew God could rescue them from the fiery furnace, if He chose. ‘But if
not,’ they said, nevertheless, they would still serve Him!” (“Brightness of Hope,” Ensign, Nov. 1994, 35).
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