Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-07-13
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERESTING AND INSTRUCTIVE
LESSON:
Reflections Of IN Elevating Character
-wholesome Food for Thought
Studying the scripturai Lesson I'm
telligently and Probably.

Inc lesson -IOr July 10 IL tue stofy VI
''1'he Hebrews in the Fiery Furnace"
The portion of Scripture is Dan. 3: 14-2S.
The whole chapter will be included In the
lesson. 1t is one of the most fascinating
tales in the world to child, and he Is a
pc or teacher who cannot make 1t seem
such. Remember while studying and
tea ching this lesson the facts brought out
last week in regard to the relation of the
bool; of Daniel to the persecution Of the
Jewu by the Syrian monarch. Antiochus
Epiphanes. 17O-167 B. On Antioehus,
like some of his predecessors Of the Seleu-
cid dynasty, claimed divine 'honors and
profaned the temple at Jerusalem by his
pagan rites. The resemblance between
his impous career and this story Of Neb-
uchadnezzar Is evident. Jewish readers
in the time of Antiochus who read this
story of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS daring folly
and his final fate would 'be encouraged,
just as the Southern negroes In slavery,
times were encouraged by reading OF the
del;verance Of the Hebrews from Egyp-
tian bondage. ~. -,
Explanatory. = r.,
NebuchadIeZzar, like most Eastern
monarchs, WIS man of impulses. Of sud-
den changes Of feeling, of swift RACES and
swift repentances. When told that three
of his Jewish officers, whom he had fav-
ored for years, now refused the act of
homage required of all subjects, there
was of course no chance Of persuading
him to allow them to omit the ceremony.
Some children might get the impression
that there was but one of each of the mu-
steal instruments named. OF course there
were many of each-a large orchestra. or
band, that could be heard at long dis
lance. OF the instruments, whose old
English names are scarcely recognizable
now, the cornet, flute and dulcimer were
wind instruments, and the harp, sackbut
and psaltery stringed instruments; the
exact form Of them is not known, but
the stringed instruments resembled our
harps and guitars in principle. Probably
there were gongs or cymbals and drums
in addition. The observant reader will
notice the curious repetition in detail of
the musical instruments in quoting the
kings command in its several connections,
as if it were the phraseology of legal
document. The use Of formulas is very
common in the cuneiform inscriptions. A
very artificial style characterized state
papers Of all sorts.
1--WE are not careful" this is old Eng
lish, as in the gospel phrase take no
thought for the morrow" The Revised
swer thee" Compare the answer of
Peter and John (Acts A: 19).
IF it be So" if you do as you threaten.
"But if not" if it does not please God
to deliver us from the fire. These are
two big "ifs." But they do not stand in
the way of the heroic Jews.
'"rhe form of his visage was changed:
distorted with wrath. This is stock
phrase in some Semitic languages to indi-
cate anger or displeasure. That they
should heat the furnace one seven times
more than it was WON'T" more obsolete
English. Leave out "one." The furnace
should not be pictured to young readers as
big iron one like the one in the base
ment of the meeting house. A better
comparison would be a brick-kiln, if the
pupils have ever seen one. Clay bricks
were the principal building material in
that country, and furnaces were Of course
numerous for the purpose of baking the
bricks; while in Egypt and some other
countries, the bricks were simply sun
dried The form of the furnace is OF
course unknown. 1t may have been O
great pit or ditch, lined with tiles and
rooted over; or it may have been entirely
above ground. Some writer's suggest that
this was a smelling furnace, in which
case a more intense heat would be re-
quired.
Their coats, their hosen, and their
hats, and their other garments:" In the
Revised Version this reads "their hosen
their TUNES margin turbans), and their
nantes, and their other garments
"Hosen" is an old English plural for hose
and the meaning Of the original word
used here is not certain. 1t may be vel
to explain to children that the three He
brews did not wear hats in our under
standing of the term. The head covering
was cloth wrapped many times around
the head-a turban-as Hindus wear to
day. 1t is curious that turbans are sc
seldom found in pictures representing
Bible scenes.
The bearers may have been killed by
inhaling the flame which darted out wher
the doors of the furnace were opened.
-Four men loose:" Their bonds were
burned away. 1.-THE form of the fourth is
like the Son of God" This should be
as in Revised Version, like a son OF
the gods" Nebuchadnezzar was not com
pairing the fourth figure TO Christ, or the
Son of the Hebrews God He knew
nothing of the ''Son of God" He simply
says that the stranger looks like a di
vine person. Old fashioned theologian:
made much of this utterance as indicat
ing Philosophy" one OF the Old Tesla
ment appearances of the preincarnatt
Christ. In verse % the king calls the un
known figure an angel. In either cas-
there is slight foundation for doctrina
conclusion. The power Of Jehovah wa:
certainly nightly displayed in this event
but the manner Of the deliverance is not
very fully set forth :
The sudden feeling of Northumberland
part from anger to superstitious awe and
wonder is not unnatural. His subsequent
proclamation and IGNORING of the God OF
the Hebrews is Of course no indication OF
any real change of his character. 1t was
simply the freak of an impulsive king, i'm
pressed by miracle. -
Ieaching Notes. 4
God stood ready then, and stand.
ready now, to deliver all that trust in him
from fiery furnaces. But he does not al
ways keep ''the smell of fire" from cling
ing to their garments.
Faithfulness in high places provokes
persecution. 1t excites the jealousy of in
feriors and the criticism of equals.
The prosecuted do nat stand alone. The
hotter the fire, the more brightly does the