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In what way is God’s promise to Joshua, “I will give you every place where you set your foot,” a conditional promise? They have to actually go there and occupy the places and do what God directs them to do with the inhabitants before God will give them possession of a particular area. They have to obey God and remain obedient to retain control over the land He has given them. What’s wrong with a faith that consists primarily of the philosophy: “If God wants me to have it he will give it to me”? God wants us to work with Him using the skills and abilities and spiritual gifts He's provided to go the places He guides us and do the jobs He gives us. People who are physically able to work for their own living and the common good are required to do so in God's economy.Proverbs 18:9-10 Whoever is lazy regarding his work is also a brother to the master of destruction. The name of the Lord is a strong tower; a righteous person rushes to it and is lifted up above the danger. Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, the place where you will eventually go. 2 Thessalonians 3:9-10 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give ourselves as an example for you to imitate. For even when we were with you, we used to give you this command: “If anyone is not willing to work, neither should he eat.” What areas that God has promised you that you must press forward to receive? God has called me to be a leader of His people and a pastor of part of His flock. He guides me but expects me to be diligent in my responsibilities and faithful to Him and my congregation to work hard and well for them in order for us all to receive continued blessings in Christ. We (I) must move forward in obedience to His commands and not simply remain static, expecting Him to do the work for us.

Q2. (Daniel 7:13-14) How do these verses describe “one like a son of man”? What makes us think he is a divine figure? What authority and glory does he receive? Why do you think Jesus called himself “the Son of Man”? He looked like a human being (son of man in Hebrew understanding). He came with the clouds of heaven. This shows him as divine because only God rides the clouds in Scripture. He was given all authority, glory (those of every people, nation and language serve and worship him) and a kingdom that will never pass away. He is the ruler of the universe. Because he was fully human AND fully God. He was a "son of man" or human being in the ancient Hebrew understanding.He was also divine and that title would make him recognizable to those who knew the Scriptures well. They would see the reference to the "one like a son of man" in Daniel 7: 13-14.

Q1. (Daniel 7:1-2) What is the relationship of the Ancient of Days (God) to the various beastly nations that rage against each other and against him and his people? What happens to these beast-nations? Why is it sometimes so difficult to believe that God is in charge of the world we live in? It seems that He is the judge and they are the defendants in a cosmic court of law. They're all convicted and the fourth beast (the one with the horn whose mouth kept up it's boastful talk all along) is killed and it's body thrown into the blazing fire. The others are allowed to live for a time. God has allowed the ruler of this world (Satan) to have power over everyone who doesn't belong to God. The attitudes, ambitions and aims of the world say that serving yourself is the greatest good, no matter how adversely it might affect others. Sometimes even those of us who do belong to God are deceived by the lies of our enemy and we don't act as we should. Ours is a fallen world where fallen people are allowed to have free will by their creator such that it is sometimes hard to see His hand at work. We feel like Habbakuk who asked God "How long will you let this go on? How long will you allow the evil ones to prosper?"

Q6. (Daniel 5:22-24) In the New Testament, Jesus doesn't present God as legalistic, but as holy -- "hallowed be thy name." We are to be God-fearers. How do Christians commonly act irreverently in ways that would offend God? How have you changed your ways to conform to God's holiness? I believe we mostly are irreverent in our persons. Jesus tore the curtain so that all can come into the holy presence of God, and we forget that we are really always in His presence. All through the N.T. we are reminded that we are part of a nation of priests, that our bodies are temples of the living God, that we are each living stones in a spiritual house built on the cornerstone of Jesus and so forth. Therefore our speech, dress, actions, etc. should reflect God's holiness. I find that is very often not the case. It's usually hard to tell the difference between believers and non in social situations. I am personally offended by the way people who aren't praying to or praising Him use the phrase "Oh my God!" or "GDit." I have made an effort not to say such things or to swear by His name so that His "name be kept holy" as Jesus said in the model prayer in the Sermon on the Mount. Of course I am no more perfect than anyone else in doing so. I try to keep a repentant heart and constantly ask God to help me in my sanctification. Like all Christians, I believe I'm a work in progress and God's not finished with me yet. (Praise Him for that!)

Q7. (Daniel 6:21-23) How does Daniel use his experience in the lions’ den to testify about God? What might have happened if, in his response to the king, Daniel had focused on the injustice done to him? What experience in your life might you use as a testimony of God’s mercy to you? When the very concerned Darius calls out to find out if God had saved Daniel from the lions, Daniel said that God had sent an angel to keep the lions' mouth shut and not let them hurt him because he was innocent in the sight of God. I suppose he might've upset the king even more. The king was already aware that a great injustice had been done to Daniel and the king himself had been tricked into ordering it! The king was already distraught and Daniel seems to have perceived that no good would come of sort of rubbing the king's nose in it, so to speak. He might've given some new order that would be harmful to Daniel in the heat of a moment like that. At one point in my life, God was calling me back to Him after I'd walked away from Him for a very long time. He kept using increasingly drastic measures to get my attention but I kind of kept ignoring Him, even after I finally realized what was happening. I ended up having a year where I was becoming sicker and sicker as a malformed heart valve began to fail. Then I was laid off from my job of 25 years (because I was sick), both my dogs died and I continued to worsen until open-heart surgery was the only option. I finally surrendered to God and told Him that I was OK with whatever His will was. I finally trusted Him and made Jesus Lord of my life completely. I had the surgery and nearly died from an adverse drug reaction. It sounds like a country song about the worst year possible, but in many ways it was the best year of my life. He made a way for me to support my family and continue my education and now I am the pastor of a church. There was a lot more to it, but that's it in a nutshell.

Q6. (Daniel 6:10-11) How would you characterize Daniel’s prayer practices? Which of these have you adopted? Which might help your prayers if you adopted them? He knelt, he prayed in a certain place, he prayed at specific times, it seems, three times a day and always gave thanks to God. I don't kneel unless someone I'm praying with asks me to, because it hurts my knees so. I pray on the edge of my bed in the morning and try to do it every morning, but I don't keep a schedule otherwise. I try to pray all through the day as I go through my life and as various things arise, or I am reminded of someone who needs prayer and so forth. I almost always remember to thank God for His grace, mercy and love and I try to find a way to thank Him for His providence even if I don't understand what's happening at the time. A healthy prayer life is essential to our walk as Christians and all these practices help to establish prayer as a priority in our lives.

Q5. (Daniel 6:4) What do we learn about Daniel’s character qualities as a government official from verse 4? How do such qualities reflect on Daniel’s God? Does your employer or supervisor see those qualities in you? He was faithful, always responsible and completely trustworthy. These qualities directly reflect the moral and ethical laws laid down by God for the Israelites. They also reflect the way God calls us as Christians to live. God is completely holy and the author of all moral law for humankind and His laws are righteous and just and He expects His people to live according to them. In my previous jobs, I believe that they did. I listed the same kinds of qualities as strengths on my resume and always strove to live up to what I had professed as my standards. Now, as a pastor, I have no human supervisor. Jesus Christ is ultimately my employer and I can only pray that He approves of my efforts and for Him to constantly be with me as I try to model Christlike behavior to all around me. It's only through His strength that I can ever succeed.

Q4. (Daniel 3:28-30) How does Nebuchadnezzar sum up their faith and commitment? Are you willing to disobey a command or law to be faithful to God? Are you willing to lay down your life to be faithful to God? What might hold you back? They were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Yes, I believe that I am. I pray that I will be if/when it comes to that. If my faith and salvation are as true and guaranteed (chosen of God) as I believe they are then nothing will hold me back, even the love of my own life or worry for my kids, wife or congregation..

Q3. (Daniel 3:19-27) What effect does their deliverance have on their government official colleagues? What effect does it have on the king? What kind of glory does God receive? It doesn't really tell us exactly what effect it has on them. It says they gathered around and saw they were unhurt -- even their clothes were! They didn't even smell of smoke! They must've all been amazed like the king was, though. Another thing was that the king made a new decree that anyone who spoke against them or their God would literally be torn apart and their houses reduced to rubble. That would've stopped the jealous backstabbing. He praised God as being like no other and made the decree that no one was allowed to speak against them or God. Then he promoted them even higher in the government, which was as opposite to the aims of the other officials as it could've been. He received all the glory for what happened in the furnace and was glorified as being above all others.

Q2. (Daniel 3:16-18) How do the Jews answer Nebuchadnezzar? What is their attitude? How do they witness about their God? Do they face death with resignation or defiance? Characterize their faith. I would say they answered very straightforwardly and matter-of-factly. They simply said: "Yes, it's true. Our God does not allow us to bow to any graven image or worship anyone but Him. We don't need to justify ourselves to you. That's just how it is." I would imagine they were defiant, but trying to remain respectful at the same time, as was their character. They tell the king that they must obey God rather than him, because God is King over every king, country or person that's ever been in the world, is in the world or ever will be in the world. They showed by their words and actions that they believed God and trusted Him. They said they wouldn't do what He forbade them to do whether He chose to save them or not. Defiance, fueled by their strong faith. Their faith was so strong that they chose to obey God in the face of horrific punishment. They knew He could save them and trusted His motives and His plan enough that they went ahead knowing that if He didn't save them His holiness and knowledge and plan and wisdom guaranteed that He was doing the right thing.

Q1. (Daniel 3:8-15) Why do the Jews’ fellow government officials report them to Nebuchadnezzar? Why is the king so angry? What is his motivation to have people bow to the statue? It's mainly jealousy. These foreigners have been raised above a lot of folks who are older and, in their minds, wiser and more deserving of the positions they have. They couldn't get ahead of them by honest means so they found a way to discredit them and have them moved out of the way. Because he is a very powerful and prideful man. That's why he built the statue in the first place. He hasn't learned the lesson Daniel tried to teach him about the sovereignty of God over all kingdoms and people yet. It is to show that they are obedient to him over everyone else including God. It's as if he believes that he is at least equal with God and wants everyone to know/acknowledge it.

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? He 1st asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat the unacceptable foods, which the chief declined because he was afraid of the king's reaction should the Hebrews fail to thrive as much as the others. He proposed a test to his direct overseer (not the chief) to see whose diet was better. He is always humble and respectful. God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. The overseer could see that his boss liked Daniel and that colored his decision. God caused him not only to be favorably disposed towards Daniel, but gave him the thought that that he could gain favor with his boss if his bosses friend were to thrive more than the others. If they were noticeably more robust after only 10 days, I believe God must've had something to do with that as well.

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? I think Daniel may have been shown by God that here was one way to be faithful and maintain a connection with his heritage that was possible without being damaging to Daniel himself and the mission God had for him. I would think there were many things that Daniel wasn't comfortable with that he had to do such as answering to a Babylonian name or learning "wisdom" and "science," etc. that he knew were wrong because they went counter to what God said. God gave him the wisdom to discern that he could remain faithful to kosher laws through the test he proposed to the overseer. the dietary laws and really all the laws were very important to the most devout of Jews, especially. Look at all the conflict that arose in the 1st century Church around such things as diet and circumcision. It suggests to me that Daniel was such a devout man. He took seriously the message of the prophets and knew that they were still leaders among their people, even in exile. He knew their exile was judgment from God for having been unfaithful as a people and the way back was through a faithful remnant. He had to be an example for Hebrew people and a teacher for Nebuchadnezzar, too. He was firmly committed to the mission God had given him. The wine is a little confusing to me because it isn't forbidden to Jews. It occurs to me that Nazirites were forbidden to consume anything to do with grapes, even the leaves or raisins as a sign of their lives being completely dedicated to God. Though he wasn't a Nazirite, it could be a sign of the complete dedication of his life to God's purposes.

Q2. (Daniel 1:1-7) What changes did Daniel and his friends experience? What was their status in Jerusalem? In Babylon? What do you think was the effect of changing their names to Babylonian names? What impact might it have on them to be made eunuchs? Did they make compromises? If so, why? Pretty much everything about their lives changed. Complete culture shock. It would be easier to list what didn't change. As far as I can see, the only thing that didn't was their faith in and commitment to God. It seems they were a part of the most privileged class in Judah as the children of the ruling class. In Babylon, they still were involved in life at court, but they knew their place was more subservient as expatriates, exiles and even hostages. That would change over time but they couldn't have known that then. At the same time, Daniel was bold enough to speak up about the food, so maybe they weren't as intimidated as I think they would've been. I believe the boldness was a gift from God that helped them to be faithful witnesses...Lights to the pagan world. Changing their names probably really upset them, especially at first, since names carry so much deeper meaning in Hebrew culture than in Babylonian. The narrative doesn't tell us that there was any conflict over the names though, so I believe God must've let them know that it was a battle He didn't necessarily want them to fight. There are the obvious physical impacts of being gelded -- no desire for marriage or anything that entails. That could've been a real positive as far as their perceived usefulness to their new master. It would also allow them the same focus as far as their devotion to God and the mission they had from Him. It seems they compromised about the names they were given, even if they weren't too happy about being named for Babylonian gods.I think they saw that such things didn't mean as much in Babylon as in Judah and that resisting would have been possibly hazardous to their well-being or advancement, which would've impacted the effectiveness of their witness for God.

Q1. (Daniel 1:1-5) Have you ever made a rapid transition between your customary culture and a new and radically different culture? What did it feel like? Were you able to take your faith with you, or did it fade to the background during this time? The closest thing I can recall to that is when I left my small town to move to Ann Arbor to attend the University of Michigan. Even though I came from a rural part of the same county it was a big adjustment. U of M was also not the most nurturing environment for a young Christian's faith. It was confusing at times because very learned people were teaching me that my faith was a collection of ancient fables borrowed, in many cases, from older cultures than the Hebrew. They also made me feel stupid for believing creationist and young earth worldviews over and against "science." I tried to take my faith with me, but it gradually faded and I really didn't walk closely with the Lord for around 20 years after that. I never quit believing in God as creator or ruler of the universe, but I had a lot of non-biblical ideas and practices for a long time. He never let go of me though, no matter what I did and I thank Him constantly that He didn't.

Hi, my name is John and I live in South-central Michigan. I am the pastor of Clarklake Community Church. I began using Pastor Ralph's studies quite a few years ago, even before I realized I was preparing for vocational ministry. I have found many of the studies valuable, both for myself and for classes I've lead. It's part of our Christian duty to continue to study and deepen our understanding of and relationship with our Lord. Many thanks to Pastor Ralph for his accessible and insightful studies.

The Passover feast for the Jews was (is) all about remembrance of God's deliverance of His people from slavery to the Egyptians. The various elements of it are each to remind them of the sequence of events that came to be known as the Exodus. In our celebration of The Lord's Supper, we are doing much the same thing as we remember our Lord Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf in which He delivers us from eternal death and punishment and our slavery to our sinful nature. Some differences are the actual menu and the specific thing that is recalled. Christians eat no meat or fruit or bitter herbs to recall what Moses and the Israelites did. We partake only of the bread and the cup as Jesus ordered us to do, in order to remember that specific Passover meal known as the Last Supper and the sacrifice that Jesus would (did) make the next day on our behalf.

The blood of the lambs that the Israelites put on their door frames protected their firstborn from the avenging angel of The Lord. As well as keeping their children and livestock from being killed, this was the thing that finally affected Pharaoh enough to cause him to release the Hebrew people, thereby delivering them from their exile and slavery. The primary comparison that I see is that Jesus shed His blood to protect us from the spiritual death that is due to us all as the wages of our sinfulness. A secondary point is His deliverance of us from our exile from God and our slavery to sin.

I am the slave. Or, more precisely, anyone who isn't a slave to Christ is a slave to sin. Sin. Jesus. Satan is not the owner of us, God is. Satan is the one who lies to us, entices us, gets us to stay in sin and away from God, then accuses us of our crimes before God while mocking us for being so stupid. Perhaps to avoid confusing the issue more than it already is. To think that Jesus (God in human form)must pay a ransom to God in order that we may be redeemed to God is a little convoluted and hard to understand.

Being purchased by Christ and belonging to Him rather than to ourselves means that we are to follow His commands and do His will rather than our own if the two are not always in concert. He paid the price for our souls and our lives and therefore has the right to command them. First, I believe that the combination of what we are redeemed from and the extravagant price paid for our redemption should produce such love and gratitude within us that we will gladly strive to do whatever Christ asks of us. Secondly, when our old fleshly nature is at war with our new spiritual nature we need to remember and apply the first point as quickly as possible. And lastly, we have the advantage of the example of the life of Jesus in the Bible to show us how to behave and the guidance of the Holy Spirit available to us. We just have to focus on God and ask Him for help and He will give it.

Jesus redeems us by paying our price for us, just like a kinsman could pay a debt for his relative to redeem him from bondage. Also like the O.T. Kinsman-Redeemer, Jesus pays a price to gain something for us that we could never gain on our own. He buys us from condemnation to eternal punishment and delivers us into eternal life.

Slaves. Because it is a good analogy for the unregenerate human condition. Those who are not justified by faith in Christ are slaves to sin. It explains that we belong to the world and to Satan when we are slaves to sin. We are slaves to all our carnal instincts and desires but we do not belong to God. Jesus purchases us with His blood. He pays the price to redeem us, and then we belong to Him. To take it one step further, as in Leviticus, every seventh year, the sabbath year, slaves were to be set free. This is what Jesus does for us. He redeems us from slavery to sin and sets us free from it.

Of the passages you listed in your question, I would say that 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 sums it up well. As I said in answer to an earlier question, the song "Jesus Messiah", which says "He became sin, who knew no sin, that we might become His righteousness", is the first thing that came to my mind when thinking about the phrase "substitutionary atonement". Philippians 2:5-11 is also a good summary of the "suffering servant" theme for me. Romans 5:6-10, however, may be my favorite passage in the whole Bible, and it sort of sums up the message of Isaiah 53 pretty well, too: "When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God

In every sense. Scripture says that the wages of sin is death. I'm guilty. I know I'm guilty. Therefore, the penalty must be paid, the sentence must be carried out. Jesus stepped up voluntarily and gave His life so that each one who believes Him will not have to bear the eternal consequences for their own sin. Jesus says in John 10:15,17-18 that He is the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep and that He does it willingly. He says in several places in the gospels that He came to give His life as a ransom for many. We're told all over the place (most famously in John 3:16) that if we believe that, we will have eternal life. I know that He took the punishment I so richly deserve, and that He could never deserve. "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." HALLELUJAH!!!

When I think of the term "substitutionary atonement", one of the first things that pops into my mind is a song by Chris Tomlin, called "Jesus Messiah". It is not taken exactly from Isaiah 53, but from 2 Corinthians 5:21. The songs' first line is "He became sin, who knew no sin. That we might become His righteousness." What a wonderful and totally humbling concept. God loves us so much that Jesus was born as a man and took our sin on himself -- He BECAME sin -- just imagine how terrible it was for one who is truly holy to become the sin of a fallen world. He voluntarily surrendered Himself so that we too can be made holy. WOW. Isaiah 53: 10-12 has the same type of mind-boggling stuff in it. " the LORD makes his life a guilt offering; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities; because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."