Week 9: And God Spoke
WEEK 9 | Daniel 3:1-7
Day 1 Father, open my eyes to see the truth in Your Word that I may know and love you more deeply.
And God spoke all these words, saying,
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. — Exodus 20:1-6 ESV
You may wish to use your Bible and/or journal today to record what the Spirit teaches you & your responses as you engage multiple times with this text. Limited space is provided below each engagement to record here.
Read this Word of the Lord out loud. Emphasize key words as you read. Examples: “God spoke ALL these words, saying I am the LORD your God.... You shall have NO other gods before me.”
Pray this Word of the Lord out loud for yourself. Examples: “God, you spoke these words for me. You are the Lord my God. Only you could bring me out of the slavery of.... I will not bow down; help me not to bow down....”
Read this Word of the Lord with your family in mind. Write a prayer warrior prayer. Keep your the personal and unbeliever’s prayer requests in mind that you shared with your triad/quad.
Read the Word again with our church and your triad/quad’s prayer requests in mind. Write a prayer warrior prayer. Perhaps send a picture of your prayer to your triad/quad.
Praise God out loud. Try walking as you do so. Our God is a jealous God. Praise Him for what He saved us from and for because He is a jealous God. Record anything you want to remember.
Days 2-3 Central Passage Father, open my eyes to see the truth in Your Word that I may know and love you more deeply.
King Nebuchadnezzar had a golden statue made. It was 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide. He erected it on the plain in Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent out a summons to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other authorities of the province to attend the dedication of the statue that hehad erected. 3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other provincial authorities assembled for the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had erected. They were standing in front of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had erected. 4 Then the herald made a loud proclamation: “To you, O peoples, nations, and language groups, the following command is given: 5 When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, trigon, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must bow down and pay homage to the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has erected. 6 Whoever does not bow down and pay homage will immediately be thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire!” 7 Therefore when they all heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, trigon, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations, and language groups began bowing down and paying homage to the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had erected. — Daniel 3:1-8 NET
OBSERVATION
We are shifting to teaching you to ask observation questions. Making a details chart is a first step to closely observing the “w” details. This lesson I am modeling that chart for you. Study the chart as if you are looking at the story “from above.” Write any interpretative how/why questions that occur to you on the chart. Messy chart = thinking mind.
How to Read Your Bible – If an author is repetitive, then he|she is either a bad writer or a fantastic writer. Daniel is a fantastic writer. From the passage above, we have great opportunity to learn the purpose of repetition. Note the use of various types of underlinings that set apart each repetition group. Note how the highlighted clue words help you see the logical connections between the repeated details and Daniel’s purpose. Below are clue words grouped by purpose.
Agreement/Addition – and, in addition, likewise, moreover, of course
Time/Order of/Sequence – after, as, before, first, second, etc., finally, next, once, then, until, when, while
Contrast/Opposition – although, but, however, in contrast, while
Cause & Effect/Condition – as, because, consequently, due to, for, if, in order that, since, so, so that, then, therefore
Historical Context – Some commentators believe Nebuchadnezzar erected this statue after Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and its temple in 586 B.C. in order to celebrate his victory over the God of Israel who could not save His city or temple. 2 Kings 25:8 records the destruction as occurring in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign. But Daniel does not record the exact year Nebuchadnezzar built the statue. Based on examples like the Colossus at Rhodes, we know such a large statue would have taken years to build. One of the seven wonders of the world, the Colossus at Rhodes, was a 105 feet high statue of bronze, and it took twelve years to construct.
The NET translation used in this lesson gives the English measurements, but in Aramaic the measurements are in accordance with the Sumero Akkadian sexagesimal number system as sixty cubits high and six cubits wide. The height might have included the base upon which the statue stood. Nebuchadnezzar’s statue was gold-plated (cf. Isaiah 40:19; Jeremiah 10:4) and the furnace used for smelting the ore was likely located quite near the statue.
INTERPRET
Ask: Why did the author choose to include these details, use these words, & make any figurative comparisons?
1. The King erects a gold statue.
How does the King misapply the message God gave him through the dream?
What does this statue reveal about Nebuchadnezzar’s attitude toward the God of Israel?
2. The King commands all authorities to a dedication of the statue.
Why does the King invite whom he invites?
Beyond being incinerated, what might be other reasons why all bow? Consider that the vast majority of those standing before the statue (of diverse peoples, nations, languages) were polytheists.
3. Daniel shows some an attitude! The structure of this story is seen in its strong use of repetitive details and occasional use of clue words. These stand out because the story is told so simply.
How do Daniel’s repetitions of the officials who are commanded to attend, the instruments played before the bowing, and the fact that King Nebuchadnezzar erected the statue affect the reader’s perception of this formal event?
If Daniel had texted this story to us, what emoji or what gif would he have used to communicate his tone/attitude toward the whole event? You can start posting those in your group chat.
Prayer – Praise God who is jealous for you and for all who love Him.
Days 4-5 Deeper Daniel Father, open my eyes to see the truth in Your Word that I may know and love you more deeply.
Recall our reading from Day 1 and how God reminded the Israelites that He saved them from slavery before commanding them to neither serve nor worship any other gods. He is a jealous God who has compassion on all who love Him. John 6 records how Jesus feeds a crowd of five thousand with two fish and five loaves of bread, how he walks on water during a storm to get to His disciples, and how He claims to be the Bread of Life. You will pick up His sermon here.
1. As you read John 6:35-71, listen for how Jesus is telling YOU, “Only Me, _________________” (insert your name). Have no other gods. I am the way, the truth and the life. “I am your only Savior.” Write down or highlight in your Bible anything that particularly speaks Jesus saying,“ Only Me, ________________” to you.
2. The pluralistic world of our time teaches there are many ways to God, many truths, and many ways to happiness.
How do you see this in your everyday interactions with unbelievers?
In the United States we are free to worship as Christians, but we often hear messages that we should not be so narrow minded. We should broaden our “worship” to also include _____________. How do you see believers in contradiction to the Word of God, perhaps in ignorance, living or speaking many ways, truths, or “lifes”? Make a good list of things we worship among the pressures of the crowd & charming music of the world.
3. Among those you listed above, is there an area where you struggle to not offend God who is jealous for all of you?
4. Read Matthew 5:11-12. Imagine yourself standing before Jesus and hearing Him commend you for choosing Only Him on the day you see Him face to face. How would that reward you for enduring insults and persecutions?
Group Reflection Faithful in Exile
1. In a polytheistic culture like Babylon, adding another god to worship would not compromise your belief system. How does this relate to our culture today in the United States?
2. The Hebrews present among the crowd were basically told they could worship the God of Israel as long as they also bowed to the King’s statue. Read Question #2 from Days 4-5 of Deeper Daniel. If you answered this question, share some of your answers for the second arrow. You will pray with these in mind with your triad/quad.
3. Gather with your triad/quad. If time allows, share any updates or praises you have regarding your prayer requests.
Prayer
In light of today’s lesson, pray for one another’s personal prayer request and request for an unbelieving friend or family member. Then also in light of today’s lesson, pray for your group’s global missionary.
Remembering ways where we as Christians fail to serve and worship our jealous God and Him alone, pray that we would all stand firm on the Word and in prayer against the fiery darts of the enemy.
God’s joy & strength to you!