Read Daniel 3:1-7.
Underline the verbs of the passage.
Review verses 2:31-32 and 3:1. How do these two passages relate?
Read Daniel 3:8-12.
Underline the verbs.
What is taking place in this passage?
Read Daniel 3:13-18.
Notice the conditional statements (“if-then” statements) in the passage and mark them. What is their significance?
Read Daniel 3:19-27.
Underline the verbs.
Notice the irony in the passage.
Read Daniel 3:28-30.
Contrast Nebuchadnezzar’s attitude in 28-29 to that of verse 13. Why do you think the author ended the passage with the announcement of Nebuchadnezzar regarding the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
Daniel 3 Outro
In Daniel 2, there was a statue in a dream. In Daniel 3, it seems Nebuchadnezzar has made that dream a reality. Nebuchadnezzar’s desire to be universally worshiped puts him at odds with the God of the Bible. God’s power to save is put to the test, and God is vindicated. The hint is there in the text in the form of the fourth figure in the furnace: God is with His people in their time of need. This week, look for God’s presence in your life. Where do you see God at work around you?