Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1911-09-14
Daniels Companions
in the Fiery Furnace

Specially Arranged for This Paper
LESSON TEXT.-Daniel 8.
MEMORY VERSES, IL, Is,

NlENIOIN1 EENoAh1 80 rs |
GOLDEN TEXT.-"The Lord Is my
| helper. and I will not fear what man
shall do unto me."-Heb. 1876.
TIME.-The Septuagint account states
that the occasion was 1.-THE organizing cit
les and countries, and all the inhabitants
| Of the earth from india to Ethiopia" and
| places the date in the 18th year Of Nebu-
chadnezzar. This would put the event In
the last part of b. c. $50, Immediately
after the destruction Of Jerusalem, on the
kings return to Babylon.
PLACE.-Babylon. the plain or Dura'
somewhere In the vicinity Of the city.
PLACE IN THE HISTORY.-Jerusalem
| DESTROYED. The Jews In captivity through
| out the Babylonic empire. Daniel In the
| service of the empire In some part. Jere-
fniah in Jerusalem. King Zedekiah and
Jehoiachim captives ut Babylon. Eze-
| kiel at Chebar in Babylonia.
So far as we can learn, N%ebuchad-
nezzar's great a%ssemblage Of people
from all over his empire had for its
object the consolidation Of his whole
kingdom. He had just returned from
a triumphant campaign against his
enemies in the west and south
against Egypt, Syria and Arabia-and
he c~elebrlted his return by the cree.
ton of a colossal image and a grand
religious festival. The golden image
might mark the close of a period OF
conquest and i%naugurate a period OF
peace. The victories of peace were
to absorb the remaining half Of his
reign.
The empire was composed or
various countries and races. diverse
from one another In disposition, char.
acter and interests. They we're united
by no natural affinity, but by conquest.
The whole empire might easily fall
TO pieces.
Nebuchadnezzar would bind these d.
verse elements by the power Of re.
ligious worship. at a common center.
of one chief god over all the multitude
idols. As the Jews were bound togeth.
err by q magnificent temple at their
capital, Jerusalem, whittier all wen
up to worship, SO Nebuchadnezzar
would place at his capital a huge and
costly image, the glory and attraction
Of the empire. His making Babylon
a magnificent city would aid this
work. Great Notifications, towers,
walls, temples, gates of bronze, hang
ing gardens, palaces, public buildings
of blue, red. yellow and white. the
Tower Of the Seven Spheres, the Won
der of Mankind palace-all these
would attract people to the capital, as
Mohammedans are drawn to Mecca.
The multitudes were gathered on
the plain around the golden image gilt.
tering and radiant in the sun. Besides
the officers in their richly colored at
tire, there vas a motley gathering of
tribes from every direction. All di.
versities Of speech and dress and man.
ners were there.
Heradls cried aloud their proc
lamation in all languages, that
when the bands struck their martial
music all the people must fall down
and worship the golden image; And
whose falleth not down and worship
eth shall the same hour be cast into
the midst Of a burning fiery furnace
The bands played, and the whole
multitude bowed their faces to the
ground. Then a strange thing took
place; three men stood up clone, and
were conspicuous all over the plain
like q city set upon a hill, by theil
unbowed forms and their splendid
robes of office. These three were
Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, the
three young men who Joined with Dan
Tel in refusing to defle themselves
with the kings meat.
Then Nebuchadnezzar IN his rage
and fury said: Nov II ye be ready
T., to obey, the past will be forgiven. But
, II ye worship not, q burning fiery fur
mace! Let the music sound. And who
=. Is that God that shall deliver you GU
OF my hands?
The three, with truly magnificent
and unfinching courage. appear t.
have answered promptly and without
hesitation, showing that they had care
, fully considered the subject and tina
! with them It was a matter Of settled
and intelligent principle: I'VE have
no need to answer thee" to explain
how God could deliver them. OF VIII!
they must obey him. There was NJ
time. nor would the king under
stand. III 1t be 80. we are cast int
the fiery furnace, in spite of all 20,
Bay, our Sou Whou W. ocANo 40 upA'
e to deliver U.s."
!, They we're put into the furnace
! A writer thinks they were bound hant
and foot with their own clothes. Thu
king sat watching the issue Of thu
J. matter, looked through the door int
= the furnace. and saw a sight at which
. he was astonished and terrified. HI
3 .,,cc o1ntoh1L xhox thu thrnA MAJ
d were not consumed; that they wer'