Archive for the ‘fire’ tag
July 4, 2010: God Rains Fire
The text for this lesson is 1 Kings 18
Discussion Points
- God had hidden Elijah for three years, but now God commanded him to appear before Ahab. Why?
- Why was Obadiah afraid to take Elijah to Ahab?
- What did Ahab call Elijah? Why?
- What did Elijah tell Ahab to do?
- Were the prophets of Baal up to the challenge?
- What was Elijah’s prayer?
- Did he pray for fire?
- Which commandment did God’s people break in the story?
- Who or what might be a Baal for people today?
- What is idolatry?
- When do we commit idolatry?
- What does it mean to fear, love, and trust God?
November 15, 2009: The Three Men in the Fiery Furnace
The text for this lesson is Daniel 3.
Key Points
- Just as Jesus was with and saved the three men in the fiery furnace, so our Savior is with us and saves us in His Word and Sacraments, sustaining us when we suffer for His name.
- Law: In sin, I choose what makes the world, my flesh, and the devil happy and try to avoid the suffering or trouble that sometimes comes my way because of my faith in God.
- Gospel: He who once walked unharmed with the three faithful men in the fiery furnace was incinerated by fiery wrath for my sins to make me a citizen of heaven.
Context
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, was the most powerful man in the world in his day (late seventh and early sixth centuries BC). It’s no surprise that such power went to his head, as this story illustrates (see also Daniel 4). When Nebuchadnezzar began his takeover of Jerusalem, he took the best and brightest of the citizens as POWs to Babylon. Among such captives were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When they risked punishment by sticking with kosher foods only, God rewarded their fidelity (Daniel 1). All four, though Israelites, rose to prominence in this Gentile court.
