Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego followed God's ways even when it meant they could be killed by the king.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and their friend Daniel were hostages to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. They were also royalty among their own people, the Israelites. Chapter 1 of the Book of Daniel tells how the four friends convinced the king and his chiefs that healthy foods, rather than rich foods, made them stronger in many ways. Chapter 3 tells that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego chose to be thrown into a fiery furnace rather than bow to a golden statue.
Follow God Maze Game
Arrange the classroom or play area in a maze shape. Roll out three or four maze-like paths, each with a different color of crepe paper streamers. All paths should begin at the same place but end at a different place. Place "decision cards" along each path. One path will have only good things and will lead the children to the end. The other three paths should have good decisions at the beginning and bad decisions in the middle and toward the end to have the groups proceed pretty far through the path before they have to turn back. To play the game, small groups of children should start down a path. Each group will read the decision card and decide whether to proceed or go back to the beginning and try another path. Decision cards should have phrases such as, "Mom told me to clean my room, but I played video games instead," which is a bad decision. A good decision would be, "I was playing with my friends and saw that a neighbor was trying to carry a lot of groceries into the house. I told my friends I would come back in a few minutes after I helped the neighbor."
Videotape a Skit
Have the children make up and act out the story from Daniel 1 or from Daniel 3. Provide simple costumes, toy foods, tables and a cardboard box for a furnace. Videotape each skit to sparents and other classes of children.
Courage Plaque
Have the children cut out small magazine pictures of foods to make a plaque about the Daniel 1 story or pictures of fires, statues or idols, kings and people. The children can sketch the word "courage" in large letters onto a piece of cardboard. They should glue pictures from one of the story themes onto the letters to spell out the word to make a collage plaque.
Fourth Figure
Have the kids draw pictures of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace on gray paper. They should draw a picture of Jesus to represent the fourth figure in the fire, sent by God to protect the other three. Have the children tear strips of red tissue paper and glue them onto the picture to look like fire. Instruct the kids to tear a long strip of red tissue paper and glue only the top edge at the top of Jesus' head to hide Jesus. They can tell the story using their pictures and reveal Jesus at the end of the story to reveal that the fourth figure in the fire was Jesus.
Tags: Meshach Abednego, Shadrach Meshach, Shadrach Meshach Abednego, Have children, fiery furnace