Dan3

1. Look up Exodus 20:3-5 How does this make the present situation a

problem?

2. What, therefore, is the crux issue for Daniel and his friends?

3. What issues in OUR society today do we have to take stands against?

C. Comment :

In this passage today we see the uncompromising stand that the king makes: either everyone will worship the idol he has made or they will die! It is as simple as that. In this we see the foolishness of godless man who, although he has had opportunity to believe in the living God, still goes towards foolish idol worship. We are not told why he should do this, but Satan is always looking to lead people astray from worshipping the one true living God, and if he can, he will do it so that it puts God's people into an awkward position where they either have to conform to the world or suffer in the fires of persecution and opposition.

It is at such times that we have to decide whether or not we will be all out for God. Compromise in this situation would have left them feeling guilty and out of God's will. Obedience appears to mean death - but God has other plans. Look up 1 Samuel 2:30c We'll never know how committed to the Lord we are until the time comes when we are challenged by the world's standards and demands. It is then we have to decide like Joshua - see Joshua 24:14,15

D. Application :

1. Are there areas of your Christian life that you are embarrassed about

with non-Christians?

2. Confess such things to the Lord (He knows them!) and ask for His help

to be bold and unafraid.

Chapter: Daniel 3

Passage: Daniel 3:8-20

A. Find Out:

1. Who denounced them? v.8

2. Of what were the three accused? v.12c

3. What did the king do first of all? v.13-15

4. Why did they say they didn't need to defend themselves? v.16,17

5. How did they show their commitment to God? v.18

6. What response did this have in the king? v.19,20

B. Think :

1. What two things were these young Jews sure about?

2. How do you think they could be so sure?

3. Look up Romans 8:38,39

C. Comment :

As we said yesterday, these young men are in an impossible position. Obedience to the king means disobedience to God and disobedience to the king means death. This is undoubtedly the greatest crisis point in their lives. Few of us in the West are called to face this crisis, but it happens in many other parts of the world today.

When brought before the king, who obviously thinks enough of them to give them an audience, they boldly assert their belief and trust in God despite what might happen. This is one of the greatest examples of loyalty to God we can find in the Bible! Verses 17 and 18 are two of the most glorious verses recorded of human commitment to God!

Note that they maintain two things: first their trust that God can save them and second that whether He decides to save their lives or not they will obey His commands. This is the crux every believer needs to come to: will I obey God despite what it may cost me? Can I trust the Lord whatever the future appears to hold? Jesus did - see Hebrews 12:2 - as he looked beyond the Cross to what came after it.

D. Application :

1. Have I yet come to that point of commitment that I will follow the Lord

whatever????

2. Am I willing to give up friends and social acceptance if the world rejects

my position when I stand out as one of God's children?

Chapter: Daniel 3

Passage: Daniel 3:21-30

A. Find Out:

1. How was the heat of the fire seen? v.22

2. What shocked the king? v.25

3. What did the king do himself? v.26

4. How did he refer to them? v.26

5. How had they been affected by the fire? v.27

6. What was the king's first response? v.28

7. What was the second thing he did? v.29

8. What was the third thing he did? v.30

B. Think :

1. What were the two things that must have thrilled the three friends?

2. How further was the faith of the three friends rewarded?

3. How far do you think this made the king a believer?

C. Comment :

A miracle of preservation clearly takes place, but the wonder of it is that not only were they saved from burning but God's representative was actually there with them. The Lord didn't just stop them getting burnt, He actually shared with them in the whole thing. Wherever we go, God will be there with us.

This is the glorious Christian truth: God may not shield us from every difficult circumstance but He will be with us in it! The king is overwhelmed by the wonder of what he sees happening. He appears full of praise, he protects them for the future and he promotes them, but we should be careful to note that it is still "the God of..." and not "My God". As willing as he is to recognise the wonder of what has happened, he is not yet willing to take God as his one and only Lord. We need to learn that many people may acknowledge God but that is different from allowing Him to be Lord over their lives. Nebuchadnezzar has still got a long way to go before he acknowledges that God is his God.

D. Application :

1. Thank the Lord that He will be with you wherever you go and whatever

you have to go through.

2. Pray for those you know who acknowledge God but haven't taken Jesus

as Lord & Saviour yet.

Chapter: Daniel 4

Passage: Daniel 4:1-8

A. Find Out:

1. To whom is Nebuchadnezzar writing? v.1

2. How does he describe the Lord? v.2

3. How does he describe what God does? v.3a

4. How does he describe God's kingdom? v.3b

5. How does he describe his state before the dream? v.4

6. How does he describe what he feels after it? v.5

7. Who couldn't interpret the dream for him? v.7

B. Think :

1. As he writes, what does the king obviously NOW feel about God?

2. How is that different from before? (look back to previous study)

3. Looking at verse 8, what do you think is the significance of the fact that

the king now calls his leader "Daniel" and not "Belteshazzar"?

C. Comment :

First in this passage we observe a remarkable change that has taken place in the king. Previously he had been speaking about "Your" God, but now it is clearly "My" God. Something has clearly happened that has changed the heart of this proud and mighty king!

Second, we see that the King had been dreaming again. The last time that happened, we saw that it had been the intervention of God in his life and so it sounds like the Lord has been moving in the same way again!

Third, we see the failure of the Court magicians and wise men to help the king - again - but when Daniel comes, the king appears to have complete confidence in him. May the world be able to have that confidence in us by the way we hear Him and share His wisdom.

Finally we should note that the king first refers to him as "Daniel" and not the pagan name he had been given originally by the king. Again something has happened to make the king proclaim Daniel is a Hebrew, by the use of this name.

D. Application :

1. Are we such ambassadors for the Lord in the world that people come to

us for wisdom & help?

2. Ask the Lord to help you become just such a person.

3. Thank Him that His wisdom is available (James 1:5).

Chapter: Daniel 4

Passage: Daniel 4:9-18

A. Find Out:

1. Why did the king think Daniel could interpret the dream? v.9

2. How was the tree in the vision described? v.10-12

3. Who came to the tree? v.13

4. What did he instruct to happen to the tree? v.14

5. What did he say should happen to the stump? v.15,16

6. What is to be the end result? v.17

B. Think :

1. How do we know that the tree is a person?

2. How therefore, is this person to start out?

3. How therefore, is this person to end up?

C. Comment :

We come to this passage rather like detectives to see what we can find out about the meaning of this vision. The king was clearly aware that God's spirit dwelt in Daniel and that he could therefore interpret even the most difficult of dreams. Such is the place the king has come to with Daniel, for he has had opportunity to realise that Daniel DOES hear his Lord.

First take note of the basic picture: a very large and grand tree that is to be cut down. But then see that the angel starts referring to the stump as "he" (twice in verse 15). Then he says "let his mind be changed from that of a man", so the tree is clearly a person; a person who is very great and who is going to be chopped down at heaven's command! We also see that this man is to be given the mind of an animal.

Does this mean that as a human being he is going to be driven mad? But note that there will be an end to it. God has decreed it will be for a set time only. It will not be for the rest of his life. The end result of this will be that men may know that God is sovereign and He rules over ALL men. He really IS Lord! Don't say, "God never over-rules the will of men", He clearly does sometimes!

D. Application :

1. Thank the Lord that He has given us His Holy Spirit and that Jesus said

he would teach us (John 14:26)

2. Praise & worship Him who has power over ALL men, He who is Lord of

all.

Chapter: Daniel 4

Passage: Daniel 4:19-27

A. Find Out:

1. What did Daniel feel as he understood? v.19

2. Who did Daniel say he wished the dream was for? v.19

3. Who eventually did he say the tree was? v.22

4. Who did Daniel say had decreed it? v.24

5. Until when did he say it would all continue? v.25

6. When did he say the kingdom would be restored ? v.26

B. Think :

1. Why do you think Daniel was perplexed and afraid at first?

2. What does it say about him that he did actually share about the king

being chopped down?

3. What does it say about him that he called the king to repentance?

C. Comment :

In these verses we first see Daniel's dilemma. He immediately understands the visions and realises what it means - but he is dealing with one of the most powerful and ungodly kings in history, a man who could respond by having him put to death for suggesting such a thing. No, Daniel's life could be at risk if he speaks the truth as it comes to him from God.

We then see that as the king encourages him to share, even if it is bad news, Daniel does it in such a way that is diplomatic and gentle and which still esteems and extols the king. Again and again, this man of God gives us an example to follow!

Daniel proceeds to tell the king that the picture was of him being cut down and, as the king doesn't appear to make any negative reaction, he goes on to explain that it will be until the king acknowledges God's Lordship. As the king doesn't seem to react badly to this Daniel courageously goes on to ask his king to acknowledge his wrongs and repent. Daniel is not afraid, as terrible as the interpretation is, to bring the whole truth to the king. He obviously trusts in the Lord to deal with any adverse response by the king.

D. Application :

1. May we have such courage and trust in the Lord to be able to speak the

truth like this to people.

2. Ask the Lord for such boldness & tact, today.

Chapter: Daniel 4

Passage: Daniel 4:28-37

A. Find Out:

1. How long after the vision was it fulfilled? v.29

2. What was the king exulting in? v.30

3. What was the king going to have to acknowledge? v.32

4. What happened at the end of the time? v.34

5. What was Nebuchadnezzar's response? v.34

6. What subsequently happened to him? v.36

7. What did he feel about the Lord then? v.37

B. Think :

1. What had the Lord done to humble Nebuchadnezzar?

2. Why was the king so clearly able to attribute this to God?

3. What do we learn about the Lord from this?

C. Comment :

First of all in this passage we see the king foolishly glorifying himself as he looks out over the wonder of Babylon that he has made. Again, this story shows us the foolishness of sin that blinds the minds of men, stopping them see their own stupidity.

Second, we see the divine decree being spoken out and then being fulfilled. Nebuchadnezzar becomes insane and his people cast him out of his palace into the fields.

Third, we see the exact fulfilment of the vision as the Lord eventually restores the king's sanity and he is able to praise God for who He is. Normally another king would have taken his place and would not allow him back, but because this is all by the hand of God, he is completely restored - a transformed man who knows God!

This is the last we see of Nebuchadnezzar in the Daniel records. We have seen God bring this great but pagan king to acknowledge the truth, gradually, stage by stage. First by putting Daniel there, then by dreams of the future, and finally by divine disciplining. God is the Lord over ALL men - however big or great they may be!

D. Application :

1. Pray for unsaved friends or family today. Ask the Lord to carry on

drawing them to Himself.

2. Thank and praise the Lord that NO man is too hard for the Lord to deal

with

RECAP - "More Problems for the King" - Daniel 3 & 4

SUMMARY :

In these 7 studies we have seen:

- the king setting up an idol to be worshipped

- Daniel's 3 friends refusing to worship it

- them being taken before the king

- the Lord saving them from the furnace

- the king having a further disturbing dream

- Daniel interpreting it for him

- it being fulfilled as God broke the king.

COMMENT :

In the first part of this section, we saw the foolish king establishing idol worship which was refused by the 3 young Jewish men. They then made one of the most wonderful declarations of testimony in the Bible and for this the Lord delivered them in the furnace. In the second section we saw the Lord having further dealings with this proud and foolish king, warning him what would happen if he did not change. Nebuchadnezzar was humbled and finally acknowledged God as Lord!

LESSONS :

1. The Lord doesn't want us to be embarrassed by who we are

2. He wants us to be able to follow Him whatever!

3. He will honour us if we do that

4. He wants us to be His ambassadors in the world

5. His Holy Spirit will teach us all things

6. We should never be afraid to speak the truth

7. God can deal with even the hardest of people.

PRAY :

1. Ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit so that you will be bold

2. Ask Him for wisdom to accompany that boldness.

PART 4 : "The Writing on the Wall!"

In the next Part we leave Nebuchadnezzar and see instead, his foolish son. God will not waste time with this one but deals with him speedily. Watch and see how God deals differently with each person.