Today’s passage: Daniel 3:1-7

Helpful thoughts:

• This statue was about 90 feet tall.
• The statue/image was set up in the plain of Dura, outside the city.  The last chapter ended by telling us that Daniel did not leave the palace, therefore he would not have been present when this false worship was commanded.
• Further proof that Nebuchadnezzar did not convert to worship of the Lord alone…He commanded all of these officials to worship this new image or die.  In a way, this was a means for him to assert his authority and culture over all of his subordinate governing authorities.
• Babylon had set up native leaders for each province.  This means that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were not the only Jewish people at this event.

Questions to consider:

1. Why was this command such a big deal? (See Deuteronomy 6:12-14)
2. Why did it probably seem like such an easy decision for all the people who did bow down and worship?  How would what they already believed and committed to have guided them in this instant of decision?
3. How does what we really believe show itself when we have to make choices in the moments of everyday life?
4. What kind of faith can a person have if the reason they bow down is just to make sure they don’t get killed?

Today’s passage: Daniel 2:46-49

Helpful thoughts:

• Nebuchadnezzar shows some of his confusion in his response.  Who was he supposed to thank and praise?  He decided to praise Daniel AND God.  This might have looked as though Nebuchadnezzar was worshiping Daniel, but he was treating Daniel as a representative.  The Babylonians had statues and images/icons to burn incense before…the God of Israel has no shrine or golden replica, this was a foreign concept to the king.
• Nebuchadnezzar did not convert to Judaism here.  At best he acknowledged that Daniel’s God was the best of all the gods.  That’s a major statement for the Babylonian king to make.  It would have been offensive to think of him calling the Babylonian gods inferior to the God of Judah.  But he was not converting, just adding another God to the list.
• Daniel was made the head of all the wise men in Babylon and the head of the government of the province of Babylon.  This combination of responsibilities made him incredibly powerful.
  • Daniel first exercised his power by bringing Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the government as well.  They would have reported to him.

Questions to consider:

1. What were some amazing things we learned about God in this chapter?
2. Who was in control of this situation?  Who humbled Nebuchadnezzar and elevated the role Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would play in Babylon during the exile?  Who is sovereign?
3. Why would it have looked like Daniel was in control…or that he had a handle on the whole situation?  Where was Daniel’s hope and trust?  How did that impact his bravery and actions?

Today’s passage: Daniel 2:31-45

Helpful thoughts:

• In today’s passage, Daniel shares the contents and the meaning of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
• Here are the probable kingdoms/empires represented in the statue:
  • The head of gold=Babylon
  • The chest and arms of silver=Medo-Persia
  • The belly to thighs of bronze=Greece
  • The legs of iron=Rome
  • The feet and toes of iron and clay=The future gathering of nations led by the Anti-Christ
  • The stone=The kingdom of God led by Jesus Christ
• The “Stone” kingdom will be set up by God and will never be destroyed!

Questions to consider:

1. Who made Nebuchadnezzar the greatest king on the earth at that time?  Who will make the kingdom that will never be destroyed?
2. Who gave this dream, revealed it and made it’s meaning to be known? (Have all of these things happened so far?  Has God been right or wrong?)
3. Why can Daniel confidently say, “The interpretation is sure.”?  Why can we be so confident that these things yet to come are going to happen?  Where, or with Whom does our confidence lie?
4. What matters in your life have you entrusted to our all-powerful and faithful God? (One of them is your salvation!)  Are there any matters you have you withheld from Him?

Today’s passage: Daniel 2:25-30

Helpful thoughts:

• Arioch declares his victory before the king, “I have found…”
• In a moment when Daniel could also seek to receive glory, he points Nebuchadnezzar to the real hero, the Lord.
  • In pointing to the need for God’s intervention, Daniel agrees with what the previous wise men declared from verses 10-11.
  • What the wise men and false gods of the Babylonians were proven powerless to do, God was able.
• Daniel assumes the role of a servant, not a superstar.

Questions to consider:

1. Before Daniel even begins to relay the dream and its meaning, what all has he taught King Nebuchadnezzar?
2. Who should the king have been most impressed by after hearing what is to come?
3. Why would it be ironic to read a passage like this and go no further than to simply be enamored with Daniel?  To whom was Daniel trying to point the king?

Today’s passage: Daniel 2:17-24

Helpful thoughts:

• In this moment of great need and desperation, Daniel and his faithful friends prayed.  Only God could have provided what they needed, and they went to Him.
• God heard their prayer, understood their prayer, and answered their prayer.  Our omniscient God is relational.
  • He is almighty and transcendent.
  • He is caring and near.
• We know things about God because He has revealed Himself (And knowledge and wisdom) to us.
• David rightly gave the credit and the praise to God, not to himself.

Questions to consider:

1. Why was praying the right thing to do in this situation?  Why is it also a good thing to remember that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah had been praying and living for the Lord prior to this moment of crisis?
2. What do you think all the other “wise men” were doing during this time?  Who were they seeking for help?  What ideas were they trying to come up with?
3. In what ways are the characteristics (or attributes) and actions of God on display in this passage consistent with the message of the Gospel?

Today’s passage: Daniel 2:1-16

Helpful thoughts:

• There appears to be a problem in the text…If Daniel completed a three year training program, how are the events of Daniel 2 happening during Nebuchadnezzar’s second year as king?
  • In ancient cultures, doing something for a part of the year would often be counted as a year.  So, it’s possible the “Three year” training program could have been completed in as little as fourteen months depending on when during the year it began.
  • The year a king would take the throne was called the “Accession year.” Then the next year would be called the “first year.”
    • Put these two practices of time keeping together and it’s possible for the training to be completed and for these events to occur during the “second year” of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign.
• In a way, King Nebuchadnezzar was not wrong for being dissatisfied with his wise men.  They were responsible for being in touch with the gods and if they were really going to serve as they had advertised…  This request was not as ridiculous as it sounds.
  • The wise men were not wrong to admit their inability without some sort of divine revelation.  It wasn’t the wise men who were to blame as much as it was the belief system of the Babylonian people!
• Daniel again makes a wise appeal and schedules a time with the king.

Questions to consider:

1. In what way did the king’s request make sense?  In what way was his request absurd?  What would he be sure of after someone was able to accurately relay the details of his dream?
2. Why was Daniel’s appeal appropriate and make good sense?  What was going to happen to all of the wise men if no one even made an attempt to answer the king’s request?  Would it have been wise for Daniel to offer these kinds of services to the king prior to this dire situation?
3. If you found yourself in this position what would you do next? (We will find out what Daniel did tomorrow!)

Today’s passage: Daniel 1:8-21

Helpful thoughts:

• The king’s food consisted of items that were forbidden in the law and most likely would have been used as part of the worship of the Babylonian gods.  Eating it, at different times, would have been against the Jewish Law but also a part of the worship of false Gods.
  • It seems Daniel was the only one who was concerned with this issue among all the royals and nobles from Judah.  Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah seemed to be the only ones who were willing to follow his lead.
  • In staying true to his conviction, Daniel was going against the king’s desire for the young people to become Babylonian.
• Daniel had to make a second appeal.  Ashpenaz (The chief eunuch) did not grant his request at the fear of his own head.  The steward who was directly responsible for these four young men was only willing to grant Daniel’s request on the trial basis suggested.
  • Daniel adjusted his appeal to make it less risky for the steward.
  • Daniel entrusted the steward with the judgment of the results.
• The Hebrew word translated as vegetables could have included fruits, grains, etc.  It was a vegetarian diet.
• The four young men not only exceeded the abilities of the rest of their exiled peers, but they were found to be ten times better than every aid in the king’s service in all of Babylon.

Questions to consider:

1. Why did Ashpenaz and the steward hear Daniel out before rashly rejecting his request?  Who gave Daniel favor?
2. What made Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah so smart and wise?  Where did their intelligence and skill come from?
3. Why were these four young men given roles in the king’s service?  Why had God put them there?
4. Where has God placed you for His service?  How does He give you wisdom and knowledge for service?

Today’s passage: Daniel 1:1-7

Helpful thoughts:

• If you would like to read the narratives of the Babylonian conquest of Judah, read 2 Kings 23:36-25:30 and 2 Chronicles 36:1-21.
• King Nebuchadnezzar wanted for himself the best of the best, according to his own wisdom, and make them “better” by teaching them how to become Babylonian in every way.
• The four young men’s name changes mattered a great deal:
  • Daniel (God is my judge) became Belteshazzar (May the lord protect his life).
    • The “lord” being a Babylonian god and “his life” being the life of King Nebuchadnezzar…
  • Hananiah (Yahweh has been gracious) became Shadrach (Command of Aku)
    • Aku was the moon god of the Babylonians.
  • Mishael (Who is what God is?) became Meshach (Who is what Aku is?)
  • Azariah (Yahweh is my help) became Abednego (Servant of Nebo)
    • Nebo (Or Nabu) was the second highest god in Babylon after his father, Marduk.

Questions to consider:

1. Having just defeated Judah, what would Nebuchadnezzar’s understanding have been concerning the strength of his gods versus the strength of the God of Judah?
2. Do you think Nebuchadnezzar was intimidated or did he think he was doing these noble/royal young men a huge favor by attempting to turn them into Babylonians?
3. Why was he wrong?  Who decreed that Babylon would conquer Judah? Which God would prove victorious?
4. If God is your God, what can’t anyone ever take away from you?