Week 5: Psalm 19:1 & Daniel 3:57-82

Verse to memorize

“The Heavens declare the glory of God”

Psalm 19:1

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the firmament proclaims the works of His hands.

Daniel 3:51, 57-82

Then these three — Azariah, Mishael and Hananiah—in the furnace with one voice sang, glorifying and blessing God:

Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
You heavens bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
All you powers, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
Sun and moon bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
Every shower and dew, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
All you winds, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
Cold and chill, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
Frost and chill, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
Hoarfrost and snow, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
Nights and days, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
Let the earth bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
Everything growing on the earth, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
You springs, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
You sea monsters and all water creatures, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever.
All you mortals, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt Him above all forever. (NABRE)

Questions

1.) We begin with line 1 of Psalm 19 because it is a perfect introduction to the Prayer (above) that Azariah prays after he and two companions survive the Fiery Furnace in the Book of the prophet Daniel. Q: Do you know this story? The Book of Daniel has many famous stories, including Daniel in the Lions Den and the Three Young Men in the Fiery Furnace.

2.) Six hundred years before the birth of Jesus, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Judah. King Zedekiah and his nobles were taken as captives to Babylon, including three young Jewish men: Azariah, Mishael and Hananiah, who later refused to worship a golden statue Nebuchadnezzar had set up. As punishment, they were bound and thrown into a fiery furnace. Once inside, they were seen “walking about in the flames, singing to God and blessing the Lord” with a fourth person—an angel! Azariah prayed aloud the prayer you have just read. Azariah is not just thanking God for sending the rescuing angel. He is issuing an invitation to others to praise God along with him. Q: Whom or what is he inviting? A: All the “works of the Lord”: angels, heavens, waters, sun, moon, stars, snow, mountains, birds…and endless litany. In other words, he wants all creation to praise God.

3.) Q: What if we had no wild and tame animals, no dew, no rivers and seas, no hills and springs? Q: What part of God’s world would you like to praise Him for today?

4.) There is one type of creature in this very ancient prayer that we don’t praise God for because they don’t exist. Q: Can you find it? A: Sea monsters. (Footnote: Maybe the ancient writer was referring to whales.)

5.) Q: What is the verse to memorize for this week? A: Ps 19:1 “The Heavens declare the glory of God.”

Video

Courtesy of The Bible Project