Lesson 5 (Jan 25-31), From Pride to Humility

Why is pride so abhorrent to God?

Is Not This Babylon the Great

1. Since the king related his dream of the great tree, why couldn't the wise men conjure up an interpretation?
2. Knowing the dream what interpretation would you have given?
3. Seeing that the wise men were helpless with his previous dream, why did Nechadnezzar bother to consult the wise men again?

Warned by the Prophet

1. What gave Daniel enough courage to warn the king? What were the chances that the king would punish Daniel for presuming to warn him?
2. What was the connection between the great tree of the dream and the poor and the needy of the country?
3. How could aiding the poor and need address the matter of the king's pride? Could such activity solve the problem of pride in a person today?

The Most High Rules

1. What significance, if any, is there in the twelve months that passes between the dream and its fulfilment?
2. Was the fulfilment of the dream inevitable or could it have been averted?
3. How could the king have survived in the wild for seven years?

Lifting Eyes Toward Heaven

1. Was the lifting of the eyes to heaven literal or figurative?
2. Why do you think God interfered with Nebuchadnezzar so much? Does He do that with other kings too?
3. Did seven years have to pass before the king's restoration or could it have been earlier or later?

Humble and Grateful

1. Is a person born with humility or does one have to cultivate it?
2. How can one cultivate humility?
3. Are there things one can boast about without falling into pride?

Lesson 4 (Jan 18-24), From Furnace to Palace

Would it have been better for the three Hebrews to have reported sick rather than go the place of testing? 

The Golden Image

1. How can we know when a dream is from God?
2. On what basis do we claim that Nebuchadnezzar constructed the image fully of gold to counter the image of his dream which had only the head of gold?
3. Was the image of gold a result of the pride of Nebuchadnezzar?
4. Why would the king have wanted everyone to bow down before the image? What would that signify?

The Call to Worship

1. Why did the king make a provision for a furnace? Whom could he have had in mind?
2. Why were musical instruments involved in the call to worship?
3. What if any is the connection of the image to the number 666? Are we justified in associating Babylon with the number?

The Test of Fire

1. What could have been the objective of the whole exercise at the plain of Dura with the image?
2. Would it have been wrong for the three Hebrews to bow down in front of the image and pray to their God Yahweh privately?
3. Why couldn't the Hebrews explain their allegiance to the King despite not bowing before the image?

The Fourth Man

1. Why do you think God decided to join the Hebrews in the fire besides keeping them from getting burnt?
2. How could the king have felt that the fourth person looked like the son of God?
3. Why does God allow some martyrs to die while delivering others?

The Secret of Such a Faith

1. How do some develop such a strong faith while others fail?
2. Would God have forgiven anyone for bowing before the image to save their lives, if they repented afterwards?
3. Where was Daniel? 

Lesson 3 (Jan 11-17), From Mystery to . . .

The Immanence of God

1. Did the wise men of Babylon know that they were con men?
2. How can we know if a dream is from God?
3. What would the king accomplish by having all the wise men of the country killed?

The Prayer

1. What was the motive for Daniel and his friends to run to God? What might God take into account when people run to him for rescue?
2. How right was it for the killing of the wise men to cease when Daniel was given the king's dream? Would it have been better for Daniel and the kingdom for them to have been destroyed?

The Image

1. Is the message of Nebuchadnezzar's dream good or bad for the king?
2. What did Daniel accomplish by giving the credit for solving the mystery to his God? How could the story have ended differently if Daniel had taken the credit?
3. What evidence is there whether Nebuchadnezzar believed Daniel was telling the truth? 
4. Why do Adventist evangelists place so much significance of this dream of Nebuchadnezzar? Why does practically no other denomination treat this as of prime importance?
5. Why has gold become so valuable? Does it deserve it's value?
6. Why is silver more expensive than iron and brass?
7. Why didn't God reveal the names of the empires that would follow Babylon as in chapter 8?

The Stone

1. Would it have been more logical to follow the sequence of stone age, bronze age, iron age, etc.?
2. Why did God choose to represent his kingdom with a rock?
3. Doesn't the European Union, the Commonwealth, etc prove that iron and clay can mix?
4. Why can we not interpret God's kingdom to have begun with the ministry of Jesus?

Lesson 2 (Jan 4-10), From Jerusalem To

God's Sovereignty

1. Why is Babylon seen as the antithesis Jerusalem? Which is a greater enemy of Judah, Rome or Babylon?
2. What lesson does "Shinar" teach about God? How well did Babylon learn that lesson?
3. What attempts did God make to teach the King of Babylon that the God of Israel was the supreme sovereign?

Faith Under Pressure

1. Could Daniel and his companions eased their conscience like the apostle Paul and eaten the king's food even though it might be offered to idols first, without guilt?
2. How much difference can ten days of healthy food make?
3. How could Daniel and his companions have gained the favour of the chief steward so quickly?

Firm Resolution

1. Why did Daniel and his companions not protest when they were given pagan names to replace their Hebrew names?
2. How could the food from the king's table defile a person eating it?
3. How likely was it that any Hebrew was a vegetarian?

Unblemished and Wise

1. On what basis would the king and his agents have selected Daniel and his companions for training for high positions in the kingdom?
2. How much difference in studies can diet make nowadays? Do vegans and vegetarians perform better in exams?
3. Does God grant wisdom only to those who are faithful to what they know to be true?

Final Exam

1. What is the real meaning of "ten times better?"
2. How much could the Hebrew youth have actually learnt from the Babylonian system?
3. How does God grant a person "learning and skill?"