Session Five - The Cost of Character

We started Session 5 (The Cost of Character) with a summary of Daniel Chapter 5:1-31 before proceeding to Daniel 6:
The Writing on the Wall

Belshazzar replaces Nebuchadnezzar as King of Babylon in the storyline. Once again a disturbing vision- this time a hand mysteriously appears leaving letters on a wall which can only be interpreted by Daniel. They signal the end of the Babylonian era and point to Belshazzar's imminent death, resulting in a takeover by the Medo Persian Empire.

Daniel 5 addresses a pride that not only ignores the proper use of power but also challenges its divine source. Belshazzar threw himself a self centered party that grew with many guests. As they started drinking wine from the temple vessels taken from Jerusalem many years before they began worshipping other gods of gold, silver, wood, iron - objects of creation but not the God of creation.

Here we meet a king that was too proud to have learned from his forefather so it is not surprising that Belshazzar did not acknowledge God. When the king called for Daniel, it was clear that he knew his gods were of no use. Daniel the servant once again interprets the vision and is once again honored because of his God given gift.

SESSION 5 -  The Cost of Character

A Life of Exemplary Character (Pages 52-53, questions 2-4)

Daniel chapter 6 begins with Daniel being in his older years, maybe 70ish or so.  He was one of the top three administrators to King Darius the Mede. Daniel continued to work diligently and responsibly and lived with a high level of integrity and character. No one was able to find any corruption in his many years in the king’s court or find fault in him for anything.  Daniel was one of the few men in the Bible of whom nothing bad was spoken. Daniel held his convictions and honored God. He stayed true to what he believed no matter the consequences.

We discussed how our character, lifestyle and faith will stand the test of time. What are we showing to people in our lives - people we see each day in the work force, in our daily chores such as going to the store or post office? How are we greeting people or treating people? Are we holding convictions that honor God and letting our beliefs shape what we say and do.... even when no one is watching?

In Babylon the King’s rule was law in the Medo Persian Empire and when a law was made it could not be changed. The satraps and other government officials got together and talked the king into passing a decree stating that during a 30 day period anyone who prayed to another God or man besides the king would be thrown into the lion’s den. Even though Daniel knew of the decree he continued to pray three times a day because he had a disciplined prayer life and a love for God. The conspirators knew exactly when Daniel prayed and walked in on him while praying. Then quickly went to tell the king so Daniel would be convicted.

King Darius, who loved Daniel, tried to save him but the decree could not be changed. That night Daniel was placed in the lion’s den. In verse 16 the king tells Daniel, “May your God, who you worship continually, protect you."  That evening the king could not eat or sleep. At dawn he went to the lion’s den and yelled down into the den, asking Daniel if his God had protected him.  Isn't that odd!  The King asked Daniel?  If he had not believed in Daniel’s God he would have thought him dead.

Daniel answers the king, "My God was faithful and sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in His sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O King." ( Daniel 6:22)

Unyielding Devotion to God  (pages 54-55)

In accordance with questions 7 and 8 we moved on to discuss some spiritual disciplines or habits of faith that help us express our love and devotion to Jesus. Some that were mentioned were:

Devotions….

Prayer…

Reading the Bible…

Bible studies....

What are some of the spiritual disciplines in your own life?

Maybe you have some spiritual discipline you have wanted to develop but it seems difficult to get it going or keep it going. I would have to confess that mine would be memorizing verses. I have never been great at this but we discussed that our small groups could keep us accountable for the spiritual disciplines that we need to work on.

The king was overjoyed that Daniel was unharmed because he had trusted his God. Then King Darius issued a new decree which stated that people would fear and reverence the God of Daniel. Darius was acknowledging the dominion of the one true God.

The Power of a Witness (page 55)

Daniel’s willingness to die for what he believed became a witness to King Darius and the world.  The word "martyr" literally means "a person who shows Christ's passion in life and death”. What are we showing the world?  Like Daniel, are we willing - in life and death, to honor our God? A good question to ponder.

Written by Shari

Session Four - It's Hard to Be Humble

As we opened our fourth lesson in Daniel we read the very telling paragraph on page 41 by Gregory the Great, "Pride makes me think that I am the cause of my achievements, and that I deserve my abilities. Pride leads me to despise other people who don't measure up. Pride causes an illusion of self-sufficiency."  On the flip side we discovered, "Humility comes from the reality of God dependency". I encourage you to re-read both of those last statements and let them sink in.

We discussed how taking credit for our ideas, abilities and talents promotes pride in our lives.  Too many pats on our backs can lead to thinking we are responsible for our abilities instead of giving God the glory.

Question 3 about how pride seeps into our hearts and lives received several responses:
distance from God (we moved He didn't.); apathy and laziness; however the big one was selfishness.  We read from Acts 17:24-28 which puts everything into perspective.  It says that apart from God  we are and have nothing. Verse 28 states, "for in Him we live and move and have our being".

We also discussed how and why we are instructed to speak to our sisters in Christ if we see pride and sin growing in them.  Galatians 6:1 says to restore (help and guide) them gently.  Some may even benefit from the restoration example of others, according to 1 Timothy 5:20.  However, we must keep in mind Matthew 7:1-5 where we are told to examine our own lives and keep a "clean house" so that others may not fall because of our personal sins.  This may not be easy.  We might be afraid of their reactions.  However, it could be the difference between life eternal and death.

We talked about how interruptions (page 46) can really....... interrupt our day! - that we are prideful of our "lists", "agendas" and "schedules" and that our reactions to these interruptions reveal our levels of pride or humility. A prideful heart says, "ME first", "MY schedule", "Why should I have to do, be or have this?" A humble heart says, "OTHERS first", "my time is NOT MY OWN", "how might I help or do or give this?"

As we finished out Daniel chapter four it was wonderful to see King Nebuchadnezzar have a change of heart (repentance) after seven years of eating grass! He finally realized he was but a blip on the time line of history.  And after God gently humbled King Nebuchadnezzar He restored him to the power he knew previously, and more!  God also does that daily with us - It's called GRACE!

Written by Melanie

Session Three - Meeting God in the Furnace

This week's lesson focuses more on Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and their fiery furnace experience.

We opened with ideas of what we might leave in a note to loved ones if God gave us the time to leave our thoughts. (Pg 34 - Q 1). From a couple gals we heard "Fret Not - I'm in heaven" and "This is why you put your trust in Jesus."

We talked about "furnace avoidance" on pages 34-35 where essentially we find ourseleves praying "God deliver me from pain, discomfort, suffering and inconvenience. Make my life smooth, Make my journey easy. Make my years on this earth comfortable. Remove all obstacles from my path." Interesting that we should expect this in our Christian walks when the great men and women of the Bible endured much hardship for the sake of serving and knowing God. Even Jesus himself walked a path of suffering all for the glory of the Father and for our benefit.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had heard King Nebuchadnezzar's decree to bow down to his infamous 90' statue. They knew their demise was coming and all they had to do to avoid the furnace was to bend their knees to the statue. They could have easily saved their skin and rationalized that "in their hearts they could still be devoted to God" but still save themselves by being "someone one else on the outside". However they had firmly stated that they would not give in to King Nebuchadnezzar's demand. Therefore they honored God and their witness to the Bablonian community stayed intact and no doubt even grew.

Question 3 threw me for a little loop when referring to current theological sytems and teachings that tell us that furnace avoidance is what we should practice. Sadly we learned about how some churches, pastors and Christian authors today preach a false gospel that tells us God is all about our earthly health, wealth and happiness and that God wouldn't want us to endure a furnace experience. God does want the best for us which may sometimes include good health, some wealth and even happy times but HIS BEST COMES THROUGH HARD STUFF because HE WANTS US TO LEARN DEPENDANCE ON HIM - TO TRUST HIM. God will allow furnaces for each of His children in our stay here on earth all the while walking with us step by step. Our furnaces can be the best way to experience the love and depths of God.

In question 9 regarding how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego shaped the future of their people we concluded that their testing received much attention and probably created an environment for the Jews to worship more openly while in Babylon. At the same time they were witnesses to Nebu, other Babylonians and those from other nations of how great their God was (Q10)

In my small group the challenge I participated in was the Loving and Being Loved segment on page 39. I had to write YIKES! in the sidebar of my book as I read this:

"God spends lots of time in furnaces; He has felt the heat. In the ultimate furnace, He went to the cross and bore the weight of human sin for us. As an act of sacrificial love, consider doing SOMETHING DANGEROUS. Make a decision to stop asking for less heat and flames in your life. Don't ask for an easier, richer, more pleasent or more secure life. Instead tell Jesus you want to go with Him wherever He goes. Commit to walking with Him as He leads....even if this means stepping into a furnace."

So consider doing SOMETHING DANGEROUS for God. Cling to His promises, not the possibilities.

Written by Melanie

Session Two - Let God Be God

This weeks study found Daniel witnessing boldly to King Nebuchadnezzar. King "N" was operating under the illusion that he was God. After all, he was the leader of a powerful nation, directed a mighty army and when he said "jump", people asked "how high?".

The lesson revealed that we have fallen into that trap of believing we too are God. We believe that we are the center of the universe - at least our "own" little universe. This mindset affects all areas of our lives. We named a few in question 3, page 25-26.

Daniel proved he wasn't suffering from the "I Am God" syndrome by

• seeking God,
• thanking God and
• praising God.

Remember every word in the Bible is true. I find myself kind of discounting the fiery furnace story. I mean no one gets thrown into a furnace and lives. And what about that fourth man? Realizing the power of prayer and faith reminds us that only God is God.

Daniel needed prayer partners during this very real time. He went to his BFF's (best friends forever) and asked them to pray with him. He knew that only God could help him in this dire situation. We looked up two other examples of good friends which remind us to support our friends through prayer and encouragement. We read in Mark 2 about the four friends who lowered their paralyzed friend through a roof. They were willing to do whatever it took to get him in front of Jesus so he could be healed. What faith!

The other story we read was in Exodus 17. Aaron and Hur were standing beside Moses, one on one side and one on the other - sharing his struggle, sharing his burden during a very difficult battle. Coming alongside a friend to offer that kind of support is essential. Have you been that kind of friend?

As a group we found the statement, "God is God and I am not so I can stop worrying" very freeing. One gal in the group whose father died when she was only four years old said she didn't ever see her mom worry because her mom's trust was totally in God. She and God "just went about it". This woman found her strength in God and truly relied on Him to be her partner in ALL THINGS. An awesome goal for all of us in EVERY situation.

Written by Melanie