Year C. 3rd Term. Lesson 7. Bible Buddy: DANIEL

Scripture: for teacher background:  Daniel 1-6

Making contact: 

The children could make lion masks at the beginning of this lesson using paper plates and orange wool. They could then put them on their heads and when you tell the story of Daniel in the lion’s den, they could pretend to be the friendly lions.

 Exploration:

When Daniel was young, King Nebuchadnezzar carried him and other strong, handsome young men to Babylon as hostages.

Daniel and three of his friends were chosen for three years of special training.

Daniel and his friends asked that they only eat vegetables and drink water instead of all the rich food of the king that went against all their laws. 

After ten days they were checked and were much healthier than the rest, so they were allowed to go on with their diet. 

What we eat is important and affects everything about us. After the three years training they were better than all the rest and they were given high positions.

One day the three friends had an amazing experience. A huge statue had been made of the king 30 meters high and everyone had to bow down and worship. 

Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego refused, because they would only worship God.

 They said He was able to save them if He wanted, but even if He didn’t save them, they wouldn’t bow down to the statue.

 A fiery furnace was heated up 7 times hotter than usual. They were tied up and thrown in.

To everyone’s amazement there were FOUR people walking around in the fire. (JESUS was with them!)

They were no longer tied up and God was with them. When they came out, they didn’t even smell of smoke. The king proclaimed that no one must say anything against the mighty God.

Many years passed and another king was in power. His name was Darius.

 Daniel was an old man now and as he had always done, he prayed three times a day at his open window, facing Jerusalem. He was an important leader and the other leaders were jealous. 

So they made a clever plan and told the king he should make a law that only he could be worshiped. Anyone who disobeyed should be punished.

He made this law that even he couldn’t change. Because Daniel carried on praying as usual the king had to throw him in the lions’ den.

 He said to him that he hoped his God whom he served so faithfully could save him. He had no entertainment that night and couldn’t eat or sleep. Early the next morning he hurried to the lion’s den. 

There was Daniel, safe and sound. God had kept the lions' mouths closed. The king then made a new law that said that Daniel’s God was the living God.

 Application

 No matter what we face, when we are faithful and true to our God, He will be with us. 

If we have to go through hard times, He has promised always to be with us. He may not take the hard things away and we may have to go through them, but He will be with us.

 Challenge to Mission

Pray for Christians in countries that persecute believers in Jesus.

 Why not find out if there is someone you could write to and encourage?

 You might have a friend who is going through a “fiery furnace” or faced with “lions” of problems. Pray for them that they can see Jesus with them in the fire and pray that the angels would close the mouths of the problems.

Consolidation

 There are two worksheets with pictures of the events in the story and a questionnaire for the older children. There is also the memory verse. 

The lion mask activity suggested at the beginning could be done at the end instead. The children can also stick a small piece of red cellophane paper over the fiery furnace part of the picture to indicate fire.

Memory Verse

“When you pass through fire, you will not be burnt, the hard trials that come will not hurt you. For I am the Lord your God who saves you.” Isaiah 43:2,3

Print the memory verse on cardboard pictures of fiery furnaces, or depict fire somehow with red cellophane paper.