The Regular Guys Bible Study

Daniel 2:1-30

• Ken Strickland • Season 9 • Episode 2

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We walk through Daniel 2:1–30 as Nebuchadnezzar demands the impossible, the court fails, and Daniel seeks mercy with friends and gives all credit to God. The tension turns to praise as faith shows up before answers and shapes a wise, humble witness.

• why the king’s demand exposes human limits
• recurring dreams and the hunger for meaning
• timing questions about training and court life
• who the Chaldeans were and why it mattered
• Daniel’s choice to invite friends to pray
• praise before platform and credit to God
• what this reveals about God’s rule and wisdom
• practical takeaways for faith under pressure
• community, vulnerability, and shared courage


SPEAKER_03:

If you are listening to the Regular Guys Bible Study Podcast, the Bible study for regular guys by regular guys, we are your host, Ken and Steve, and we are just regular guys studying the Bible together. Not theologians. So Steve, you can't hear the music playing.

SPEAKER_02:

Nope.

SPEAKER_03:

I got something good wrong.

SPEAKER_02:

I couldn't hear hardly any of it that time. I mean, it was almost completely silent.

SPEAKER_03:

Usually there's a little bit of but you see you hear the people talking. Are you hearing it? That's all right. I'll have to I'll have to research that someday. But you know what? Yeah, you don't really care.

SPEAKER_02:

Your intro isn't all that great because you keep talking about doing a new one, and I'm excited about that. But this one, yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

You know, here's the problem with getting a new intro, Steve. I I don't care, honestly.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

I I started trying and using some AI tools, you know, to try to build something. And I realized that I don't know what sounds good and what sounds bad. That's how we have what we have here.

SPEAKER_02:

Because I don't know if one of your daughters picked this out.

SPEAKER_03:

No, I picked it out. I picked out a few and said and sent it to one of my daughters and said, um, which one of these sounds best? I have my favorite. And and she said, Do you know what this none of the above. No, do you know what she said? And it's the one, it's this one. And I had this one picked out. This is my favorite. And she goes, I like this one. It sounds like Home Depot. I can I can see like, you know, middle-aged guys going to Home Depot with this song playing.

SPEAKER_02:

And you know, just regular, just regular guys.

SPEAKER_03:

Just regular guys, not theologians. I don't see theologians going to Home Depot with that music playing. It's just regular guys. Regular guys. All right. But that's how that got chosen. And um I think it's funny that because that was actually really, you know, when you start doing a podcast, you you start thinking, what kind of people am I targeting here? All right, so targeting regular guys, what does that mean? It's like middle-aged going to Home Depot kind of guy.

SPEAKER_02:

People that have given up on all their hopes and dreams and are just trying to get by.

SPEAKER_03:

That is not what at all the demographic. What is wrong with you, Steve? All right. If you are in that demographic, we still want you to listen um and to read your Bible. But um, you know, hopefully you do want to get by. I mean, you I don't even know what you said now. Anyway, today we're doing almost said second.

SPEAKER_02:

Old Daniel.

SPEAKER_03:

I almost said second Daniels.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh no, we're doing old Nebs dream.

SPEAKER_03:

Old Nibs, that's right. His I think this is his first dream. There's multiple dreams, aren't there?

SPEAKER_02:

There are multiple dreams. I don't think they're all Nebs.

SPEAKER_03:

Ah, okay. Well, we are in Daniel chapter two. Uh, we're gonna do about half of Daniel chapter two. Um and this is gonna be about Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Um should we get started? Um, actually, if you haven't read it though, go ahead and read it. We're gonna be doing um Daniel chapter two, verses one through thirty, uh, right before Daniel interprets it. Um so you should all read that before you listen to this podcast. So you can, you know, like make those facial expressions like, what? What are you talking about? It's obvious, you idiots, things like that.

SPEAKER_02:

Hmm. You mean like what I do silently when you make a comment.

SPEAKER_03:

Of course, yeah. But I, you know, there, I assume they're like in their car, they might be, I don't know, working in the yard with uh headphones.

SPEAKER_02:

Probably going to Home Depot.

SPEAKER_03:

They could be going to Home Depot doing stuff, walking around Home Depot, and maybe we could get them to sponsor us. So what would be funny is if we could get somebody walking around Home Depot and all of a sudden they go, Are you an idiot or something? Out loud, and and and there happens to be other people around, that that would be funny. All right, that's a that's really what it well if they got the grap eat out of them because of it.

SPEAKER_02:

That you're not very nice, Ken.

SPEAKER_03:

That wouldn't be funny, but it would be ironic. Not funny, ha ha.

SPEAKER_02:

All right, I'm gonna read the first section before you dig your whole thing.

SPEAKER_03:

The first section ends. Oh, darn. I was hoping it went all the way through. Six sixteen. All right. Are we gonna are you gonna read and then I'm gonna read right after, or are we gonna stop at sixteen?

SPEAKER_02:

Uh I think we can stop at sixteen. I got stuff for the first part.

SPEAKER_03:

Alright, let's go.

SPEAKER_02:

In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams. His spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans or Chaldeans. What did we decide it was? Chaldeans?

SPEAKER_03:

I have no idea. I've always said Chaldeans. I've also always said Nebuchadnezzar.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, yeah, you're right. And the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dream. So they came in and stood before the king, and the king said to them, I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream. Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, O king, live forever. Tell your servants the dream, and we will show you the interpretation. The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The word for me is firm. If you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins. But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you will you shall receive from me gifts and rewards of great honor. Therefore, show me the dream and its interpretation. They answered a second time and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation. The king answered and said, I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see the that the word from me is firm. If you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation. The Chaldeans answered the king and said, There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. Because of this the king was angry and very furious. He commanded that all the wise men of Babylon, Balabon, be destroyed. So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed, and they sought Daniel and his companions to kill them. Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Ariak, the captain of the king's guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. He declared to Ariak, the king's captain, Why is the decree of the king so urgent? Then Ariak made the matter known to Daniel, and Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time that he might show the interpretation to the king. Yeah. I'm sure you do.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, yeah, I do. Look at that. Good job.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I can't really hear that either.

SPEAKER_03:

Really?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, it cancels it out.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. Alright. Well, anyway, there were lots of people clapping just then. For you. Um what do you have? Well, before we go into um you know what it's saying, I I I thought one thing was funny because in chat in verse 11, I know this is further down, but it's in verse 11 it says, the thing that the king asked is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, who uh whose dwelling is not with flesh. And that reminds me of doing business with the Japanese. Um, so we learned that so we do uh some automotive stuff, and um, I don't know if you were in this group, Steve, when we were uh dealing with the Japanese, and someone went over there and they asked us to do something, and we said we cannot do it. And and that is like we did not know this. The person who was doing this was not schooled in the culture of the Japanese. Yes. And when you say you can't do something, it's sort of like you say you saying, I don't want to do it, I wouldn't do it if I could do it. Um, and it's it's just like a slap in the face.

SPEAKER_02:

And what you're supposed to do is what you've asked for, you must be an idiot for asking for it.

SPEAKER_03:

Exactly. That's how it, that's how it's accepted by the Japanese um company we were talking to. And what you're supposed to say is that would be extremely difficult, and which means we can't do it. But uh so uh I think the Chaldeans were trying this same method on the king. Um so I know that has nothing to do really with the story, but uh it but it is kind of funny. Really? That's the biggest compliment you've ever given me, Steve.

SPEAKER_02:

I I was talking about your face. It's kind of funny looking.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, okay. All right. Still, that's that's sort of a compliment. I have some humor value.

SPEAKER_02:

That's that's true.

SPEAKER_03:

All right. I I have something about the very first verse, though.

SPEAKER_02:

I do too.

SPEAKER_03:

All right, go ahead. I'll let you go. You no, no, no, no. No, I've been talking. I've been talking. Go.

SPEAKER_02:

All right. So, how many dreams did he have? Did he have the same dream over and over? Because it says Nebuchadnezzar had dreams.

SPEAKER_03:

I think so. I think um have you ever had the same dream at multiple nights?

SPEAKER_02:

A recurring dream. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I have too. Um, and I think uh I think that's what's happening here.

SPEAKER_02:

And I'm wondering, maybe he knows he's having the same dream over and over, but he can't really remember it, and it's just troubling him, and that's why he wants them to tell him what the dream was.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, I was thinking that same thing. Um, I've had these dreams where I can like almost remember it, you know, and it's like I'll get a piece, and then then the rest just kind of fades away. It's like what no? It's like, and so I think it's one of those dreams where if he could just get somebody to help him remember the dream, it would all come back clearly to him. But maybe, maybe not, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02:

I think maybe, yeah. What were you gonna say?

SPEAKER_03:

All right, so it says here in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, he had dreams. But um the training for Daniel in chapter one, uh, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and all those was to last for three years. So it sounds like this happens before the testing that Nebuchadnezzar um did to Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, where he found them ten times better than all the others.

SPEAKER_00:

Is that not right? I don't know. Let me see.

SPEAKER_03:

Um I'm looking in chapter one. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king. And then at the very end of chapter one. Um therefore they stood before the king, and in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten ten times better than all the magicians.

SPEAKER_02:

Um it's entirely possible they weren't done with their training yet when he had this dream.

SPEAKER_03:

That's what I'm thinking. Oh, and and I'm sorry, I should have started in in chapter one and verse eighteen. At the end of the time when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, then he tests them. So I think chapter two starts off. Um the chapter one's kind of like a summary. A summary of the first three years. Well, not really a summary, but what's going to happen over the first three years, and how um, I guess some information about how Daniel and his uh friends honored God in and what they did. And then now we go into stories, and this one happens before the end of chapter one.

SPEAKER_00:

So what exactly is a Chaldean?

SPEAKER_02:

Uh because it talks about magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and the Chaldeans.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, that's easy. And by the way, it is pronounced Chaldean. Um Chaldean, as I recall, is a member of an ancient people who lived in Chaldea um 800 BC. Uh 800 BC.

SPEAKER_02:

Having trouble recalling this?

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, I'm re I'm trying to recall this from written memory. Um ruled Babylon 625 to 539 BC. They were renowned as astronomers and astrologers. Um that's that's how I think of the Chaldeans.

SPEAKER_02:

So I was thinking about this, and you know, we just looked at how in chapter one that Daniel and his buddies were all trained in the ways of the Chaldeans.

SPEAKER_00:

And I think it might be a little bit like the term gypsy. Because gypsies have this sort of I guess it's astrology sort of thing attached to them.

SPEAKER_02:

Um but if if Daniel was taught in these ways, wouldn't that have been um in violation of the law?

SPEAKER_03:

Because it's like they can teach him those things.

SPEAKER_02:

Diviners and sorcerers.

SPEAKER_03:

I don't know. Well, I don't know really what was taught to him. But I will say this it could be that the three wise men that came to visit Jesus um when he was around two were Chaldeans. It could be because they were astrologers and looking at the signs in the sky. So there, I don't know what to do with that.

SPEAKER_00:

Um what else do you have?

SPEAKER_03:

Darn it, I was gonna say something. Oh, I know what I was gonna say. I just discovered something really cool about my Bible app, Steve. Um and again, I will like to promote it, even though I'm not being paid for this, and I have no I have no uh relationship with this app at all. But I use the Life Bible app, and I just discovered if I just select a word in scripture, I can it'll pop up and thing that lets me define the word. So I can do that for any word.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, mine does that too.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, well, yours isn't as good still. Um anyway.

SPEAKER_02:

Mine's the Bible by Olive Tree, which I also have no affiliation with.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I used to use that a lot. I don't find that as easy to use. Um, I really like this app. Life Bible. You should try it, Steve. Um, but I don't want I have all my notes in this one. Yeah, that's true. Um, and I just find the notes so much better in this one.

SPEAKER_02:

Um and my notes sink between my iPad and my computer.

SPEAKER_03:

Mine to my phone. I did pay a lot of money for this one though to get oh see I didn't free downloads for everything, and I get like all sorts of stuff. Anyway, okay, we're getting way sidetracked, and it's my fault. I apologize. All right. Um, so in uh let's see, in verse three, he says, and the king said to them, I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream. Oh, this is I was just gonna point out I was gonna say the same thing you said basically earlier. Yeah, that base do you think he really like was just getting pieces in his memory and he couldn't put it all together?

SPEAKER_02:

Um but it was troubling enough, and he had the same dream over and over that it would make him upset.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Because he knew it meant something, but he had no idea.

SPEAKER_03:

Right. All right, and then in 2-5, this is where he like he goes, The word from me is firm. If you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins. Why do you think he made the punishment so harsh?

SPEAKER_02:

Well, I think the answer to that might be in uh verse eight when he said, I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm. Um You agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the end of or till the times change. So basically, I think he's accusing them of lying to him up to this point.

SPEAKER_03:

But okay, but King Nebuchadnezzar is not an idiot. I've seen Veggie Tales and and he is just he's not an idiot. So he knows it's not possible, right? He should know it's not possible.

SPEAKER_02:

You know, people believe different things back then.

SPEAKER_03:

That's true. If these guys are really saying they're magicians, if they really say they have the power to do what they think they say they can do, then maybe, yeah. If you're as great as you say you are, tell me what I dreamed.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I don't think uh old Nub really likes his magicians or the enchanters or the sorcerers.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, they're not really giving him what he wants, are they? No.

SPEAKER_02:

Um it's it's weird to me that those people are considered wise men.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Because that doesn't fit the cata the uh description of wise men today at all.

SPEAKER_03:

No, it does not. Um I mean, maybe the person that writes the the um the thing in the newspaper about you know what signs are gonna do what horoscope. Yeah, those people are pretty wise.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, yeah. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. And this is kind of like calling politicians wise men.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes. Oh gosh. No, let's don't get on politics, Steve. Politicians are just so idiots, so they're so stupid. All of them.

SPEAKER_02:

I've only got one more comment for this update.

SPEAKER_03:

I have I have no more comment in this section. So what do you got?

SPEAKER_02:

In 16. Uh, let me go back to 16. And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time that he might show the interpretation to the king. So he is committing to give the king an answer before he knows the answer. He's showing that he trusts that God will provide.

SPEAKER_03:

Man, okay, I I have a similar comment down for the next section. Sure. Yeah. Uh-huh. Um it's actually for 17. But yeah, the faith, you're but you're right. That's the very first time where it's evident that he has complete faith that God will show him what he needs to be shown.

unknown:

All right.

SPEAKER_03:

Do you have do you have ever have that kind of faith, Steve?

SPEAKER_02:

Ooh. I don't think I'm as good as Daniel, no.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I don't have that kind of faith. And I long for that kind of faith. I would love to have that kind of faith. Um, but something tells me if I had that kind of faith, I would have it for a second and become arrogant um about how good my faith was, and immediately not have that kind of faith anymore. That's the kind of person I am, Steve.

SPEAKER_02:

But you've demonstrated faith recently about something that I don't want to announce on the on the podcast because it's not public knowledge. Okay. And that impressed me as you showing faith.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, okay. Well, thank you. Because you said if God wants this to happen. Oh, yeah, yeah. That's true. That's true. Maybe I shouldn't down myself so much.

SPEAKER_02:

Or maybe you should write your own book. And then you can come back and fill in stuff to make it look like you were great. That's a good point, Steve.

SPEAKER_03:

That is a very good point.

SPEAKER_02:

The book of Ken.

SPEAKER_03:

The Book of Ken. Alright, let me continue. I think this goes, oh gosh. This goes to 30. Man, I look at this and I see like words. There's like so many words.

SPEAKER_02:

I read 16 verses. You only have to read 14. Okay. All right.

SPEAKER_03:

Ready? Here we go. Uh this is Daniel chapter 2, verse 17 to 30, uh, through through verse 30. 17 to 30. Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Meshel, and Azariah, his companions, and told them to seek mercy from God, from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and season, he removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and hidden things, he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. To you, O God, my fathers, uh to you, O God, my of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king's matter. Therefore Daniel went in to Ariak, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him, Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. Bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation. Then Ariok brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him, I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who may who will make known to you make known to the king the interpretation. The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Beltashazzar, are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation? Daniel answered the king and said, No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked. But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to the to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the later days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these. To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. But as far as me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.

SPEAKER_00:

That wasn't so bad.

SPEAKER_03:

That wasn't so bad, but I almost kept reading, I forgot. Um all right, so so um what's what I don't quite understand uh the some of the um uh some of the events don't quite line up.

SPEAKER_02:

So what you read was um that I think what you're you're about to talk about is one of the old testament ways of writing stories.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, he said he was he asked for a meeting with the king, right? The in 16, and Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time that he might show the interpretation to the king. But then he has he you know he goes and prays and tell talks to Hananiah, Mishel, and Azariah, and they all pray and ask God to reveal it to them, and then when God does, then he goes to Ariok and and says, Hey, give me an appointment with the king. So I I don't understand how that works.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, it's it's like there's multiple versions of the story almost.

SPEAKER_03:

So, well, I interpret it this way I interpret it that he went to Ariok the first time and said, Hey, don't kill anybody yet. I'm gonna talk to the king and and tell him. Um, but he didn't say like I want to talk to him on the Thursday. You know, he just said, Hey, I'm gonna talk to the king, don't kill anybody. Then God gave him the vision, and then he said, Okay, I'm ready. That's that's kind of how I interpret this.

SPEAKER_02:

But I I applaud Daniel for taking the time to give praise to God. Um, in see it's uh 20 through 2 inclusive 23.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Um why don't we have a song about that? It it looks like a song, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_01:

Blessed be the name of the Lord forever and ever. To whom being wisdom and might.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, to whom belong, sorry. Uh yeah, we should work on that.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, all right. Um, I'm having a different idea for the lead singer, though, suddenly.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, I think that's a good idea, too. All right, in verse 27.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep.

SPEAKER_02:

When uh so Daniel answered the king and said, No wise men, enchanters, magicians, and astrologers can show the to the king the mystery that the king has asked. I can just see the king's blood pressure rising at that moment, and he's starting to grab his sword and he's about to cut Daniel's head off, or maybe even Arioks for wasting his time and bringing this guy in front of him.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I think I can I was when I read that, I thought the same exact thing. Um, don't, you know, you can't put a very big pause there, Daniel. No.

SPEAKER_02:

Don't waste any time. No dramatic pauses.

SPEAKER_03:

Your head might get cut off right then. Um yeah, I thought that was that was funny. Um, but then, you know, he leaves zero room for Nebuchadnezzar to misinterpret where the interpretation comes from.

SPEAKER_02:

Um He makes he makes it clear that there is a God, so he's making God known, and then he's given God all the credit.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. And he doesn't he doesn't even say um God's revealed this to me because of my great faith and prayer. He says um he says that the only reason this has been made known, uh, let's see. Dang it. Uh is so that he can make the interpretation known to the king.

SPEAKER_02:

So that so that the king may know.

SPEAKER_03:

So that the king may know the interpretation.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. It's not about him at all.

SPEAKER_02:

Y you wonder a little bit, and we'll get into the interpretation next time, but why why give old Neb this dream in the first place?

SPEAKER_00:

I mean it's not gonna help him at all. Um well I think it's for us and and for the Jewish people. Because if this stuff did come to pass. Right?

SPEAKER_02:

Uh I agree. That is precisely the answer I was looking for.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, it's kind of like we coordinated or something.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. I give credit to God.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, yeah, me too. Yeah, I do too. Yeah. I was gonna say that first.

SPEAKER_02:

In fact, let me just say now, blessed be the name of God forever and ever. To whom belong wisdom and might.

SPEAKER_03:

All right. You can say that. I'm not gonna stop you from saying that. Why would you think I would stop you from saying that? He changes times and seasons, Steve. He removes kings, he sets up kings, he I mean, he I don't think he sets up no king's protest or anything like that.

SPEAKER_02:

But oh, maybe not.

SPEAKER_03:

But I don't know. He knows they're happening. Um, you know, to you, oh God, my father of my fathers. He's God of my fathers. I give thanks and praise. That's just all I wanted to say about that.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, good. Um, shoot. Did we miss something?

SPEAKER_03:

No, but I took notes far beyond here. I didn't take a lot of notes in this section because I there weren't I didn't think there was that much to say other than um God. First of all, there's three things.

SPEAKER_00:

God is faithful.

SPEAKER_03:

No, I mean yes, but my the three things I get I was gonna there's just really three points of this section to me. Um Daniel and his friends show complete faith in God. Number two, God is faithful.

SPEAKER_00:

And then number three is Daniel gives all credit to God. Yep. Um, so one question.

SPEAKER_02:

Go ahead. Just to expound on what you said. We we saw Daniel had faith before he had the answer. He then gave praise to God for giving him the answer.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Then he made God known to old Neb and gave God all the credit.

SPEAKER_03:

Wow, yours is better than mine.

SPEAKER_00:

Darn! Darn it!

SPEAKER_03:

Yes, never happened before. Um, oh, I forgot to hit the record button. We're gonna have to do this over. Um not true. Um, okay. It never gets old. Yeah, I know. It it does. Wait, it does. Um, all right. One of these days it's really gonna happen, though.

SPEAKER_02:

It did happen once.

SPEAKER_03:

No, it didn't. We just ran out of we ran out of uh that's right of SD card. I didn't know that I didn't know just as bad though. Um, all right, so I want you to help re help remind me of this because in Old Testament, um, I mean this is a good question to ask anyway, but uh when after when doing Bible study, but in ultimate God in Old Testament. Yeah, in Old Testament, I think it really can help.

SPEAKER_00:

But what of what we read today, what does that tell us about God that uh he knows all things he's faithful? Um basically everything Daniel said in his praise prayer. Well, that's like that's several. Yeah, okay. What else you got?

SPEAKER_03:

That's it. That's that's what I got. Um but what it tells us about God is he first of all knows all things before they've happened. Um what what that is the dream, right? Um and um he is faithful to his people and those who seek after him. Well, that's Daniel and his friends. Um and then, you know, then Daniel tells us a lot about God.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, that he sets up kings and blah blah blahs, all that stuff. All right, what does it tell us about man? That some men make uh ridiculous demands?

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, I mean that's valid. That's valid. Especially especially men in power can make ridiculous demands, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh that it's possible to be as faithful as Daniel and his friends.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, what I really mean is what does this passage say um about us?

SPEAKER_00:

When I say man, I mean us as people. And so it's like who are we and how should we behave? Like Daniel. Okay. So have faith in God.

SPEAKER_03:

Give praise to God. Um, and you know what?

SPEAKER_00:

This is a very important thing. Um we do not we do not have to have faith in isolation.

SPEAKER_03:

Daniel could have easily just gone to his room and prayed about this thing. And go, and because he's like, I can't believe uh I committed to this. I'm not gonna because that's kind of it can it might be kind of embarrassing, right? To go back and tell your friends, I committed to this thing, guys.

SPEAKER_02:

Um but you're but you're gonna die too if I fail.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. So but um we should not have faith in isolation when we don't have to have faith in it. When death is on the line. Oh my goodness. Um, no, but sometimes we have no choice but to have faith in isolation. Daniel had a choice, he chose to share this with his friends and said, friends, let's take this to God. Right, and and then God revealed it. Um, he revealed it to Daniel. Um, but I'm you know, I think it's cool that he had his friends praying for him.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep.

SPEAKER_03:

So I think we need to do that, and I think as men um we can sometimes uh uh find it d difficult to take that step um to say pray with me about this thing to a friend of mine. Um because it can be uh it requires us to be somewhat vulnerable in our relationships with people.

SPEAKER_02:

And that's why you should be in a group, a small group, yeah, with some guys, or if you're a woman with some girls, yeah, and make yourself vulnerable.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep. All right, guys.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, that's it. You have anything else, Steve?

SPEAKER_02:

Nope.

SPEAKER_03:

All right, so next week Actually, I did have one more thing. Yeah, what?

SPEAKER_02:

As you were talking, I saw that Daniel, when he asked his guys to pray, he told them to speak mercy to God.

SPEAKER_03:

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Ken Strickland

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Steve

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