HarveyDunn

Q4. (Daniel 3:28-30) How does Nebuchadnezzar sum up their faith and commitment? "They trusted in [their God] and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God." (3:28b) Are you willing to disobey a command or law to be faithful to God? We are living in a somewhat similar time frame (2015) as Daniel was in that many laws are being instituted in the United States which are contrary to Christian belief and doctrine. Case in point government agencies are having to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, this is the law of the land. Kim Davis of Kentucky recently defied that law by not issuing these licenses to gay couples and she stood her ground. I believe that before long each of us will be called upon to stand up for what we believe as Christians, I pray that I will be strong when the time comes. Sharia law could easily be imposed upon America if it continues to be governed as it has been for the past 6+ years. Christians will definitely (me included), will have to make a Daniel decision. Are you willing to lay down your life to be faithful to God? What might hold you back? I want to say without reservation that I would lay down my life to be faithful to God, if so required I pray that I'm faithful. My humanity would be my worst enemy. Come quickly Lord Jesus!

Q3. (Daniel 3:19-27) What effect does their deliverance have on their government official colleagues? In God's sovereign plan God takes the three Jewish boys defiance in obeying the kings command and turns it into an opportunity to show the king and kingdom the steadfastness of the boys and God's ability to deliver them from imminent death. What effect does it have on the king? It causes the king to go completely berserk, demanding that the furnace is made even hotter and then throwing them into the furnace expecting immediate death. What kind of glory does God receive? God divinely intervenes on behalf of the boys and not even the smell of the smoke was evident or the singeing of a hair was seen. You might say that it was a walk in the park for the trio. The king recognizes that this is the work of the God of all Gods, their God, that they were servants of the "most high God"!

Q2. (Daniel 3:16-18) How do the Jews answer Nebuchadnezzar? Outrightly and frankly. There was no beating around the bush about their disobedience. They were bound to their faith and a decree and a statue was not going to cause them to sin. What is their attitude? Their attitude was without question one that was grounded in their faith. How do they witness about their God? They have unwavering faith in God that He will deliver them out of any situation as long as their are obedient to Him. Do they face death with resignation or defiance? They are resolute in their actions; they are resigned to the fact that whatever situation they are facing....God is able. They are defiant because God's commandant instructed them not to bow or worship any other god other than He. Characterize their faith Their faith was exemplary. There was left no doubt who their god was, what their god expected and that God would show up on the scene on their behalf when needed. That is confidence!

Q1. (Daniel 3:8-15) Why do the Jews’ fellow government officials report them to Nebuchadnezzar? The government officials reported Daniel out of jealousy, envy, and greed. Here was this foreigner serving in such a high position, in their eyes it just wasn't right. After all, they were born in Babylon and they thought that that position was for them. Another problem that they were dealing with was Daniel's worship to the LORD. He was living in a heathen land that worshiped many gods. With their greed of position, wealth and the kings favor in mind they knew that if they could manipulate the king into total obedience to him and king worship they would have Daniel and his companions' head on the platter. Why is the king so angry? The kings' pride was at stake. "What! Somebody would dare not bow down to my image!" Put them into the furnace. The kings' counselors knew exactly how to play the king and their game was winning out. What is his motivation to have people bow to the statue? Once again the kings' pride was on the line. How could he rule over a people that had a faction that refused to show obeisance to the king? The three showed total disobedience to the king by not bowing before the statue but displayed obedience to the LORD by not worshiping another god.

Q2. (Daniel 2:27-28) How does Daniel show humility in this situation? Daniel knows that the answer is not his doing but that God had revealed it to him. Knowing this, he began to praise and worship and give thanks to God for this revelation knowledge. How does he use this situation as an opportunity to witness before the king to his faith in God? Daniel doesn't claim any credit or insight for the answer to the Kings dream, he directed the King to his source of knowledge. According to 1 Peter 5:5-6, should we try to exalt ourselves? If we do so, what will happen? 5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, We should NOT try to exalt ourselves. According to 1 Peter 5:5-6 God will oppose the proud, we are to humble ourselves and God in His good timing will exalt you.

Q1. (Daniel 2:17-18) Why does Daniel ask his friends to “plead for mercy”? According to Scripture, is intercessory prayer important? Is it effective? How can we implement intercessory prayer in our churches? He knows and recognizes that it would only be by the mercy of the king that he and the others would be spared from death. Since the king is sovereign, his edict would be binding and without recourse. It could only be by God's intervention that they could be saved. Intercessory prayer is essential to the Christian faith. It is the prayers of the saints of God (the Christians) that permeate the throne room of God and God can change any situation be it prevention of wars, healing the sick, changing the minds of kings and presidents. Intercessory prayer is the petitioning to God on behalf of a need or situation that Christians are aware of. How do we implement intercessory prayer? It begins with a praying pastor who has his parishioners in his heart. Intercessory prayer is then ignited when the church sees divine intervention among its own church and is then convinced that God Almighty can act upon our prayers regardless of what the situation is.

Q4. (Daniel 1:8-16) What is Daniel’s first approach to eat a different diet? What does he do when his first attempt failed? What is his demeanor towards those over him? In what ways do you think God affects the outcome of Daniel’s request? Daniel first approached his overseer with reference to spiritual things but when refused then he resorted to earthy or natural things. He didn't want to defile himself with forbidden food so he then appealed to the overseer's reasoning ability. Daniel recognized authority. God likes authority and He likes obedience. Daniel displayed his wisdom in dealing with the problem. God interviened on behalf of Daniel and the others, God gave Daniel favor with his overseer.

Q3. (Daniel 1:8-10) Why do you think Daniel took a stand concerning being defiled by the king's food and wine? How do you think eating the king's food would cause defilement to Daniel's conscience? What does this tell you about Daniel? . In spite of Daniel and his companions being of noble or royalty heritage, they were "Followers of God". Their lifestyle was formed around worshipping the One true God, they lived by the Mosaic law. When it came to eating from the king's table or that which was prescribed for them to eat, it was evident that to do so would violate their belief system. I don't believe that their resistance was due to rejecting their dependance upon the king. Service to the king, being known by a different name or even speaking the language of the king would not defile them, in fact it could bring honor to God. Eating foods that are not approved by God is an offense to God and therefore a sin. This is not a matter of conscience.

Q2. (Daniel 1:1-7) What changes did Daniel and his friends experience? Everything changed. They were transported from everything that they knew and their everyday experiences to something completely different. Different country, different language, customs, traditions, etc. How shocking it must have been to become slaves basically overnight from nobility to slave. What was their status in Jerusalem? In Jerusalem they were young, capable, smart members of nobility. In Babylon? They really were nothing but slaves, however, the king knew that the countries that he conquered had among the average, smart, intelligent young men who could contribute to his kingdom as counselors, interpretors, and contribute to the good of the country. What do you think was the effect of changing their names to Babylonian names? We who live in the West have absolutely no concept of the meaning of names! In the culture of that day, names not only identified who your were but also what you were. What impact might it have on them to be made eunuchs? I have tried to review the material and it seemed like it said that all eunuchs were not necessarily nutered. Either way, they had to succumb to the service of the king and yield themselves to his whems and desires. Did they make compromises? They were firm in their beliefs. They yielded to the preparation to serve but they did not compromise their belief system. If so, why?

Q1. (Daniel 1:1-5) Have you ever made a rapid transition between your customary culture and a new and radically different culture? My wife is from Germany and her only living relatives live there and in France. When we have the opportunity to visit them from America it is a real culture blast for me. Everything is different from the houses and shops to the language spoken and traditions practiced. Even though I am among friends and relatives, I am like the sixth finger on a hand, about all I can do is nod my head and acknowledge what is going on around me but not understand what is necessarily being said. What did it feel like? On the other hand, when the German and French relatives come to visit us I can empathize with them when they don't catch a word, a phrase or the meaning of something written or said. I can only imagine what it would be like that change was a permanent one and knowing that nothing will ever be like it was yesterday. Were you able to take your faith with you, or did it fade to the background during this time? Fortunately in my particular case I was able to take my faith with me and practice it. I always each time that we go to Germany and France I have shared my faith and was able to pray with individuals.

My name is Harvey Dunn. I was born and raised in Florida, USA. Born in St. Petersburg, Fl, currently living in west central Florida (75 miles due west of Disney World). I am a Navy veteran and served as associate pastor of a church in Inverness, Fl. I am now retired, wonderfully married to my bride of 52 years, 5 children, 10 grandchildren, and 1 poodle. My wife and I love to cruise and camp. We belong to a vintage trailer club called Tin Can Tourist. We have 3 vintage trailers; 2 Airstreams and a Williams Craft. Love people and love the Lord.