Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1899-07-15
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON M. THIRD QUARTER INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, JuLNt6.

Comments by VIM. *. Fisher--Sufdects
The Hebrews In the Fierys Furnace. Dan.
5; 1s-es-Geiden Tevts Our God. When
We serve. is Able Deliver Us, Dan.
.: IL.
Writing on this lesson, DR. Schautiier
says: Let the teacher be sure that he
sees the events with which we have TO
deal to-day. | imagine that you had
to pailit the picture. IN this way you
viii have a concrete picture OF all that
took place. ana then viii be better able
to describe it To all your class. I.lice
the Image. the multitude, the furnace
the king, aud orchestra, the brave
three, in the spot assigned by your
ina gination. SO that the scene begins
to be Il real one to YOU. This will add
life TO your teaching Then. after you
have ulade the sisiole things clear TO
your class, YOU viii be an the better
fitted to make that which is Invisible
clear To them also.
The subject of the lesson is How
God delivers his people, the lesson Tor
us is that God not only delivered the
three Hebrew children so many years
ago, but he Is as willing, and as able,
ami will so surely deliver those to-day
who nat their trust in him.
AT the same time of our lesson "Neb-
uchadneZzar had just returned from a
triumphant campaign against his enc
mics ia the west and south, against
Egypt. Syria. and Arabia-and he cele-
brates his return by the erection OF IA
colossal image ana a grand religious
festival"
The image was of gold, about 90 feet
~ ID. "a "a . t0 ctxrn
posed includes the pedestal, as other
wise it would have been out of pro-
portion Some think the image was
Of '.Bel. Merodach, the tuteiary divinity
Of Babylon: Canon Tristram regards
1t as the image of Nebuchadnezzar
himself. After the image was erected
the people We're told to worship 1t, and
those who refused were TO be east in
to fiery furnace: certain Jews whom
he had set over the province OF Baby
Ion" refused to worship heather God
and our lesson opens with where tile
king asks them about their dlsobedi-
euce of his commando
The cUrnet doth verse;, was a horn,
either straight or curved. the flute
was reed-flute or shepherds pipe,
and consisted of several reeds Of differ
ent thickness and length bound togeth-
err and was played at the end; the harp
was like the harp or Tyre of the present
time: I$,il saws the sackbut was a
four-stringed instrument. having n
sharp. clear tone. and Geike says 1t
was large harp, similar to our own
the tiilcimer was something like n
Scotclman's bagpipe. Peloubet says
"The fact that three of the names of
these instruments are Greek words in
Hebrew letters have been used as an
argument that Daniel was composed
long after his time. But late discover
les by Mr. petri at Tahpanhes. Egypt,
shows that just before Nebuchadnez-
zar's time this was the seat of Greek
frontier garrison. numbering, accord
ing 10 Herodotus. thirty thousand
men. Here at the same time came
jeremiah and many Jewish exiles, so
that FOR twenty years t60T-5ST) a con-
slant intercourse with Greek settlers
must have been going on" This full
ly accounts for the Greek Instruments
and their Greek names"
The threat of fiery furnace had no
! terrors for the three Jews They knew
| God was able. but If 1t was not his viii
| to deliver them, they were willing TO
| die for being true to him. rather than
save their lives by worshipping an
| image.
1t is thought by some that the fur
| mace was used for the cremation Of
| the dead, while others think 1t may
have been the one where the gold was
prepared to make the image which
they would not serve.
Then these men were bound In their
coats. their hosen, and their hats and
| I.,ft hAY nd ,.st
into the midst Of the burning fiery fur
mace"
The revised version omits hats"
and says their hosen, tunics, and
mantles.' THE hosen'' was cape
that was thrown over the head and
shoulders for protection from the sun"
Therefore because the kings COM
mandment was. urgent and the fur
mace exceeding hot. the fame of the
fire slew those men that took up Sha-
drach, Mesehach. and Abed-nego."
The fire did not touch the captives,
verse 23), but burned off their bonds
and set them free.
"a "Then Nebuchadnezzar the King
was astonished and rose up in haste,
and spake. and said unto his counsel
lors, Did not we cast three men bound
into the midst of the fire? They an
swered and said unto the king, True,
o king"
NebuchadneZZar was at last brought
face to face with the fact that there
was a power greater than his own
Verse 24l the manner in which this
power was manifested astonished him.
His counsellors'' We're "the highest
officers of government--his ministers
of State"
Instead Of like the Son of God" the
revised version reads "a son of the
gods" Verse 25). Peloubct says only
n divine being, the king knew. could
live thus in the fire himself, or pre-
serve others there. No doubt in real
ity ii was the Son of God, who, as the
angel of the Lord. at various times
appeared TO the old Iestaments
Saints"
From the abundance OF naptha in
the locality, 1t is presumed that 1t was
used as a fuel for the furnace; no