Neal spoke about Daniel in the Lions Den.
Some of us may tend to stay away from reading the book of Daniel as its full of visions which are hard to understand and how do we know what they mean – but to do so we miss out on such a rich book and some amazing stories of God’s power and love for his people in very difficult circumstances. The bible app has a very good helpful commentary on Daniel called “Daniel Explained part 1+2” which I would recommend.
So where are we?
The Babylonian Empire – the greatest empire on earth where the King was like a god and into this foreign land are thrown Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
The overriding theme of the book is of God’s sovereignty and that he rules over the whole earth. Kings and men may think they are in control but God will show in this book that in fact he is in control.
When dealing with king Nebuchadnezzar in Chapter 4 Daniel says to him
4 vs 32 – “Until you learn that the most high rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses”
So Chapter 6 – Darius the Mede is in control and he has Daniel as his prime minister effectively – Daniel is by now about 80 years old and has a very good reputation for his wisdom and that he hears from God - Not the gods of the Medes and Persians but the God of Israel – Jehovah!
Let’s read it together.
It’s a great story and we see how faithful Daniel is and how faithful God is in this circumstance.
I love the contrast between Daniel and the King –
Vs18 – The King - He refused food and entertainment and didn’t sleep all night and yet Daniel trusts God with his situation and has peace that God will rescue him – This is so OPPOSITE from what we are like! We are more like King Darius and don’t sleep all night and worry about our situation – the total opposite from this story – so Why does Daniel have such a trust in God?
Vs 23 – For he had trusted in his God.
His relationship with God was strong and he trusted what God said
Three points that help us understand how Daniel had this relationship with God.
1. He prayed – we know he prayed three times a day although this was not a requirement or law of the Jews – vs 10 says he prayed three times a day as he had always done – Prayer is important – It brings us closer to God, helps us hear from God and enables our relationship with God to be strengthened.
2. He was humble and knew that without God he could not possibly answer the questions from the kings regarding their dreams.
2 vs 27/28 – There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians or fortune tellers who can reveal the kings secret –But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets….
2 vs 30 – And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart.
5 vs 17 – Keep your gifts of give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means
3. He was faithful To God no matter what the circumstance and how bad things looked –
6 vs 23 – Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.
Rick Warren – God is more interested in your character than your achievements.
George Muller –
“Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends!”
Let’s look to Daniel as an inspiration and learn from his walk with God – Lets be prayerful, humble and faithful and see what God can do in our life circumstances!
Group Questions
1. Read the story together in Chapter 6 again and see what speaks to you about what happened.
2. Why is our reaction to our life circumstances so different to Daniel’s? So often we say why me? Why now? I don’t need this!
3. What can we learn from Daniel and his relationship with God not only in this Chapter but through
Neal spoke about Daniel in the Lions Den.
Some of us may tend to stay away from reading the book of Daniel as its full of visions which are hard to understand and how do we know what they mean – but to do so we miss out on such a rich book and some amazing stories of God’s power and love for his people in very difficult circumstances. The bible app has a very good helpful commentary on Daniel called “Daniel Explained part 1+2” which I would recommend.
So where are we?
The Babylonian Empire – the greatest empire on earth where the King was like a god and into this foreign land are thrown Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
The overriding theme of the book is of God’s sovereignty and that he rules over the whole earth. Kings and men may think they are in control but God will show in this book that in fact he is in control.
When dealing with king Nebuchadnezzar in Chapter 4 Daniel says to him
4 vs 32 – “Until you learn that the most high rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses”
So Chapter 6 – Darius the Mede is in control and he has Daniel as his prime minister effectively – Daniel is by now about 80 years old and has a very good reputation for his wisdom and that he hears from God - Not the gods of the Medes and Persians but the God of Israel – Jehovah!
Let’s read it together.
It’s a great story and we see how faithful Daniel is and how faithful God is in this circumstance.
I love the contrast between Daniel and the King –
Vs18 – The King - He refused food and entertainment and didn’t sleep all night and yet Daniel trusts God with his situation and has peace that God will rescue him – This is so OPPOSITE from what we are like! We are more like King Darius and don’t sleep all night and worry about our situation – the total opposite from this story – so Why does Daniel have such a trust in God?
Vs 23 – For he had trusted in his God.
His relationship with God was strong and he trusted what God said
Three points that help us understand how Daniel had this relationship with God.
1. He prayed – we know he prayed three times a day although this was not a requirement or law of the Jews – vs 10 says he prayed three times a day as he had always done – Prayer is important – It brings us closer to God, helps us hear from God and enables our relationship with God to be strengthened.
2. He was humble and knew that without God he could not possibly answer the questions from the kings regarding their dreams.
2 vs 27/28 – There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians or fortune tellers who can reveal the kings secret –But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets….
2 vs 30 – And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart.
5 vs 17 – Keep your gifts of give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means
3. He was faithful To God no matter what the circumstance and how bad things looked –
6 vs 23 – Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.
Rick Warren – God is more interested in your character than your achievements.
George Muller –
“Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends!”
Let’s look to Daniel as an inspiration and learn from his walk with God – Lets be prayerful, humble and faithful and see what God can do in our life circumstances!
Group Questions
1. Read the story together in Chapter 6 again and see what speaks to you about what happened.
2. Why is our reaction to our life circumstances so different to Daniel’s? So often we say why me? Why now? I don’t need this!
3. What can we learn from Daniel and his relationship with God not only in this Chapter but through