October 14, 2019

DANIEL  2: BUT GOD!
October 13, 2019
Pastor Jonathan Falwell

 

There are so many ways in which people come to “the end of the rope.” And though you hear practical solutions, you also hear desperate statements. Can you share a memory?

Last week we began a new study on the life of young Daniel and his three Jewish friends, as they purposed in their hearts to not defile themselves while in captivity in the land of Babylon. God honored their devotion and commitment while they adjusted to their new life. Today we will focus on Chapter 2, as the four friends seek God during a potential death sentence.

Key Verse: Daniel 2:20: “Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His.”

Focal Passage: Daniel 2:1-49.

Life’s not fair

  • Read Daniel 2:1-5. What are your first thoughts as you read this narrative? Why is it amazing that Daniel and his friends were by now, two years later, still staunch in their faith toward God?
  • What do you think the king was trying to achieve with his bizarre—and impossible–command? Was it possible? Was it fair? Why or why not?
  • Word about the directive of the king had to have spread rapidly. What were some of the possible scenarios playing out in homes around Babylon?
  • Daniel and his friends were still young teenagers, and there was little likelihood of being able to escape Babylon, so what were their options?

All we can do is trust God

  • Read verses 11-13. What did the wise men exclaim when the king insisted they tell him the dream, with no hint of what he had envisioned?
  • What did the king’s guard begin doing immediately? How dire were the consequences to Daniel, Hananiah (Shadrach), Azariah (Meshach), and Mishael (Abednego)?
  • Even though the circumstances were not fair, had there been anything up to this point in Daniel’s control? Were the four friends from Judah able to change any of the events? Could they have foreseen this occurrence?
  • Daniel has not yet heard what was going on, unless it was from panicked citizens. Was there anyone known to be trusting in the one, true God at this time? Why not?

God is our only hope

  • Read verses 16-19. How did Daniel react to the words of Arioch, the captain of the guard, and what did he immediately do?
  • How did Daniel’s action show that his relationship to God was still his priority, after two years in the foreign land?
  • What happened as the result of fervent prayer? Read James 5:16b-18. What limits does fervent prayer have? Read 1 Peter 3:12. Does God delight in your prayers?
  • Why is it safer to trust God for action than to trust men?

Who or what will you trust?

  • Read Daniel 2: 27-28. What was the outcome when Daniel was taken before the king?
  • What are the two most significant words in these verses?
  • What does “But God” signify to you?

Close:

What an amazing story about our God, who watches over His children. Second Chronicles 16:9 tells us, “…the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” Such a tremendous promise for those who need Him to snatch them from the jaws of death!

Daniel’s biography from Daniel, Chapter One, ends with the determination of four young Jewish boys to serve God in the land of captivity. Now, approximately two years later, the four are again put to the test as they fear for their lives when faced with a command that will kill all wise men in the realm of Babylon. Prayer alone saves the boys as they fervently take their plight to God, calling on Him to deliver them from the crazy edict of the angered monarch.

In front of the king, Daniel unapologetically gives God the glory when asked if he (Daniel) is able to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. He replies that it is only by God disclosing the dream that he can relay the circumstances of what Nebuchadnezzar has seen in his sleep. Daniel did not waver in giving glory to God.

Would that we would be so strong in our faith as to realize that anything Satan can throw at us—from daily trials to insurmountable problems of approaching death—can be taken to the Lord in prayer, and know He will take care of the situation. When all circumstances seem against us, when we are literally at the end of our rope, we have a God in heaven whose eyes roam to and fro, throughout the earth, watching over us. Is your heart so right with God that His eyes would stop and rest on you as you pray? Let us remember this important lesson from Daniel, and seek our God daily, so that our hearts are always at peace in His grace and mercy!

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