• LESSON 2 (January 14) •     The God Who Establishes His Kingdom      BACKGROUND: • The events of this chapter take place during Nebuchadnezzar’s second year (603-602 B.C.) • Nebuchadnezzar was not the first king to dream in the Bible (Gen 

-8; 1 Kings 3:5-14) • If Nebuchadnezzar’s threat in Daniel 2:5 seems too extreme to be believable, consider what he later did to King Zedekiah (2 Kings 25:7).  • Dates of world empires referenced in Daniel 2:   o Babylonian Empire (625-539 B.C.) – head of gold (Dan 2:36-38)   o Medo-Persian Empire (539-331 B.C.) – chest and arms of silver (Dan 2:32,39)   o Greek Empire (331-63 B.C.) – middle and thighs of bronze (Dan 2:32,39)   o Roman Empire (63 B.C.-A.D. 476) – legs of iron; feet of iron and clay (Dan 2:33, 40-43)    QUESTIONS WORTH THINKING ABOUT:  1. “Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion…” (Dan 2:14). What does this mean? What can we learn from his example?  2. What should we take away from Daniel 2:17-18?  3. How would you summarize Daniel’s blessing of God in Daniel 2:20-23?  4. What does Daniel want to make sure Nebuchadnezzar understands in Daniel 2:27-30? How can we make application to our own lives?  5. Explain the significance of what is being foretold in Daniel 2:44-45.  CLOSING THOUGHT: “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.” (Pro 21:1)

150121 The God Who Delivers

• LESSON 1 (January 7) • The God Who Works Behind the Scenes DANIEL: “God is my Judge” BACKGROUND: • The third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah (605 B.C. – 2 Kings 23:36-24:7) • God had promised exile if his covenant with Israel was not respected (Lev 26:27-39; Deut 4:25-27; 28:58-68). • When God’s prophets warned that Babylon was going to bring disaster, the people refused to listen (Jer 7:1-4; 20:7; 26:1-24). • Daniel and his three friends were uprooted and transported 500 miles away. • “The first year of King Cyrus” (Dan 1:21) was 539 B.C. QUESTIONS WORTH THINKING ABOUT: 1. “And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into [Nebuchadnezzar’s] hand…” (Dan 1:2) What is that statement communicating? 2. What did the names of the four Hebrews originally mean? What did their new Babylonian names mean? (Dan 1:6-7) 3. How do we know God was working behind the scenes in Daniel 1? What impact should that truth have on our everyday lives? 4. How was the resolve of these young men a living answer to the call of Proverbs 3:5-6? CLOSING THOUGHT: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’ He who sits in the heavens l