The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1899-07-14
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON III, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY 1s.
reNt OF the Lesson. Dan. III. 1880.
Memory Verses, 1O-1S-Golden Text,
Dan. III, 17-Commcntary Prepared
bS the Rev. ID. NJ. Stcarn..

memory verses, 1O-1S-GoIden Text
| Dan. III, 11-Commcntary Prepared
By the Rev. ID. NJ. stcarns.
/ Copyright. lSoo by d. NJ stearns.1
Ii, 10. WHO Is that God that shall do
NVcr you out of my hands?" Thus sait
Neouchadnczzar to Daniels friends as II,
gaNc thcm another chance for their lives
threatening thcm with death in tho fiery
furnace II they failed to worship tho gold
en- Image which bo had set up. He had
said To Daniel in connection with tho doc
hratlon and interpretation of tho forgot.
ten dream, "Of truth it is that your God
Is Nod or gods and n Lord of kings
lcnaptcr II, 4O, but in his pride he had
oNiochtiy forgotten this, and now thcro is
no one SO great In his estimation rs him.
self The spirit of tho plain of DUR, yyos
manifested on the plain of Shinar (Gcn
4i' y, ana long before it was seen in Cain
IL snail Ec fully Seen in tho last days in
thc anti-Christ and his companions dan
xl, 3o-3S; III Thcss. Ii, 4; Rev. kill
1918. Our God whom wc servo Is ablo
to deliver us from tho burning fiery fur.
mace, and He will deliver us oI.t of thino
hand, . kingW So they did not wish n
second trial, for their purpose was firm
that they would not bow down to his gods
hor 10 ms golden image which he had set
qucnccs. What splendid confidence in
Godl What grand Indifference to man or
ms power! They knew and practiccd Ps
XII, 8; xvii, g. TO no ono but the liv.
ing God would they bow and in Him
alone would they trust.
lo-s2. Tho fury of the king, who knew
no cEc greater than himself, went forth
against them, and tho most mighty mon
IN ms army bound them and cast them
INTO the fiery furnace, which was heated
seven times moro than ordinarily. Tho
KING has row done his worst, and those
VINO cared to stand against him have, as
nc 'hihks, pcrlShcd. Tho mighty men
who cast them into tho furnace died Inv .
spark (scc margin) from the furnace for II
is terrible thing TO touch child of God
IL is like touching tho apple of lis cvo
SHcch. II. 81. Then shall all perish from
before Him who dare to stcnd against
iflm. The beast and false prophet shall
DC cast alive into tho lake of fire, ard n
thousand years later tho devil also shall bc
cast INTO tho same place, to be tormentcd
forever (Rev. xix, go; XXX, 10).
20. And these three men fell down
Dound into tho midst of the burning fiery
furnace III the flame or q spark from
inc furnace slew the mighty men who cast
.hch In ono would naturally expect these
V,
king might have thought, or tho boboIdcrs
have said, 1t is all over with them - Int
there arc powers and agencies of which
tno mcrc natural man knows nothing
Elisha S servant saw only the Syrian army
put Elisha saw the chariots of God Tbo
ahBcis arc always ministcring, and thcy
excel in strength and nothing is too hard
FOR Him whom they serve (Ps. ciii, 20: .Ier
xxxii, ~. "'i
~, %. "Lo, l sec four men loose. walk.
ing In tho midst of tho fire, and they bayc
no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like
tho Son OF God" This the king saw. and
hhHthh HhdsSpp fa,. .ta bis counsclors, whom ho
that no had been watching tho furnace
from afar and could sec into it, and hc
saw what he never thought to have seen,
living men walking in that seven times
heated furnace. This was something
greater than ho knew anything about,
and tho fourth person in tho furnace had
strangely supernatural about
him. Notice how tho fro wrought upon
the three men; it only burned their bonds
and set them free to walk with God That
Is just what fiery trials do for believers
20. "fc servants of the Most High God,
come forth and como hithcr." Thus said
the king to the men against whom ho had
II little before been so furious How
changed his attitude! And tho power of
God had done it. What literal fulfill
mcnt there had been of Isa xiii, 2, when
thou walkcst through tho fire, thou shalt
not be burned; neither shall tho lano
kindlo upon thee" Ho can divide tho sea
or walk upon 1t, still tho stormy wind or
mako it His chariot, qucnch the power of
tho burning flame or ascend up in it (.Judg.
Kill, 20). What became of tho fourth?
Whence He came, thithcr He returned
The thrcc never found the fourth SO real
as in that fiery furnace, and many be-
licvcr can testify that tho Lord never
seemed so real as in deepest trial
81. All the rulers saw these men upon
whose bodies tho fire had no power, nor
was n hair of their heads singcd, neither
wcro their coats changed, nor the smell OF
fire had passed on them. When thcso rulers
returned to their homes in tho provinces
and told of the great image and it's tlcdica-
ton, the music and tho worship, they
would doubtless speak of these lightly in
comparison with tho story of these three
and their wonderful experience, and the
unseen God whom thcy worshipcd and
His power over the fiery furnace, and thus
the God of Israel would bc magnifcd
But God docs not always deliver this way
Yet in the resurrection all shall be as FREQ
from harm rs were the bodies of these
three
2S. Blessed be the God of Shadrach,
Meshach and Abedncgo, who hath sent His
angel and delivered His servants that trust
ed in Him" Thus by refusing to worship
any God except their own God they had
seen His power and now sec Him honorcd
by the king of Babylon, who could not
otherwise so have known Him. Conform
ity to tho world never honors God, but
separation from it for Christ's sake always
does. Tho reason that tho church has so
little power for God is because she is so
full of bowling to the world for the sake of
the worlds favor, when she should bo seek
ing the favor of God alone.
30. "There is no other god that can de-
liver after this sort 4" Thus confessed tho