The God Who Rules the Kingdom of Men BACKGROUND: • This “confession” made in the form of an “open letter” of sorts most likely documents a season near the end of Nebuchadnezzar’s life if we take his words in Daniel 4:30 to mean that the bulk of his building program had already been completed. • “The Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men” is a truth found throughout Scripture (1 Sam 2:8; Psa 33:10-11; 113:7-8; 115:3; 145:13; Prov 19:21; 21:1; Isa 14:27; 40:17; 43:13; Luke 1:52; Rom 13:1). • Kings and nations were often depicted as mighty trees in Old Testament poetry (Psa 37:35; Isa 2:13; 10:33-34; Ezek 17:22-24; 31:3; Hos 14:5-7; Amos 2:9; Zech 11:1-2). • Nebuchadnezzar’s condition as described in Daniel 4:31-33 is often conjectured to have been a form of lycanthropy, a mental disorder in which the sufferer believes and acts as if he is an animal. Lycanthropy has afflicted such notables as England’s King George III and Bavaria’s King Otto (Lucas, Daniel, 111). In 1946, R.K. Harrison personally witnessed a case of lycanthropy in Britain. The man was in his 20s and spent his time outdoors in the winter with no coat of any kind. “The only physical abnormality noted consisted of a lengthening of the hair and a coarse, thickened condition of the finger-nails. Without institutional care the patient would have manifested precisely the same physical conditions as those mentioned in Daniel 4:33” (Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament, 1116). QUESTIONS WORTH THINKING ABOUT: 1. Using Daniel 4:8, what did Nebuchadnezzar still not clearly and accurately grasp about God and “gods”? 2. Is Nebuchadnezzar the only one who has ever repeatedly failed to learn the most fundamental truths of life? If not, how would we illustrate the same folly in modern terms? 3. How would you summarize the truth of Daniel 4:17 in your own words? 4. What does Daniel 4:19 tell us about Daniel? 5. What was Daniel calling Nebuchadnezzar to do in Daniel 4:27? 6. How do we fall into the same Daniel 4:29-30 trap of a mindset? CLOSING THOUGHT: “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Rom 2:4)

• LESSON 3 (January 21) • The God Who Delivers BACKGROUND:  A “cubit” was the distance between one’s elbow and the tip of the middle finger—approximately 18 inches—which means Nebuchadnezzar’s image of gold would have been somewhere in the vicinity of ninety feet tall and nine feet wide.  God’s prohibition against idolatry would have been well-known to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. o At the head of the Ten Commandments were “You shall have no other gods before me” and “You shall not make for yourself a carved image… you shall not bow down to them or serve them” (Exo 20:3-6). o The Old Testament Scriptures were filled with declarations that the LORD is the one and only God (Isa 43:10-13; 45:5-6, 18, 21-22). o Idolatry was one of the primary reasons God’s people had been sent into exile in the first place (Isa 30:19-22; Jer 8:19; Ezek 6:1-14).  “The plain of Dura” was an area six miles south of Babylon. QUESTIONS WORTH THINKING ABOUT: 1. Why do you think these “certain Chaldeans” would “maliciously accuse” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego by name? (3:8-12) 2. What are some possible ways Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could have responded after Daniel 3:15? 3. What can we learn about these men from their response in Daniel 3:16-18? 4. What should we make of Daniel 3:25? 5. Are there any ways that Christians experience any shade of the same sort of pressure today? CLOSING THOUGHT: “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)

• LESSON 2 (January 14) • The God Who Establishes His Kingdom BACKGROUND: • The events of this chapter take place during Nebuchadnezzar’s second year (603-602 B.C.) • Nebuchadnezzar was not the first king to dream in the Bible (Gen 41:1-8; 1 Kings 3:5-14) • If Nebuchadnezzar’s threat in Daniel 2:5 seems too extreme to be believable, consider what he later did to King Zedekiah (2 Kings 25:7). • Dates of world empires referenced in Daniel 2: o Babylonian Empire (625-539 B.C.) – head of gold (Dan 2:36-38) o Medo-Persian Empire (539-331 B.C.) – chest and arms of silver (Dan 2:32,39) o Greek Empire (331-63 B.C.) – middle and thighs of bronze (Dan 2:32,39) o Roman Empire (63 B.C.-A.D. 476) – legs of iron; feet of iron and clay (Dan 2:33, 40-43) QUESTIONS WORTH THINKING ABOUT: 1. “Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion…” (Dan 2:14). What does this mean? What can we learn from his example? 2. What should we take away from Daniel 2:17-18? 3. How would you summarize Daniel’s blessing of God in Daniel 2:20-23? 4. What does Daniel want to make sure Nebuchadnezzar understands in Daniel 2:27-30? How can we make application to our own lives? 5. Explain the significance of what is being foretold in Daniel 2:44-45. CLOSING THOUGHT: “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.” (Pro 21:1)

• LESSON 1 (January 7) • The God Who Works Behind the Scenes DANIEL: “God is my Judge” BACKGROUND: • The third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah (605 B.C. – 2 Kings 23:36-24:7) • God had promised exile if his covenant with Israel was not respected (Lev 26:27-39; Deut 4:25-27; 28:58-68). • When God’s prophets warned that Babylon was going to bring disaster, the people refused to listen (Jer 7:1-4; 20:7; 26:1-24). • Daniel and his three friends were uprooted and transported 500 miles away. • “The first year of King Cyrus” (Dan 1:21) was 539 B.C. QUESTIONS WORTH THINKING ABOUT: 1. “And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into [Nebuchadnezzar’s] hand…” (Dan 1:2) What is that statement communicating? 2. What did the names of the four Hebrews originally mean? What did their new Babylonian names mean? (Dan 1:6-7) 3. How do we know God was working behind the scenes in Daniel 1? What impact should that truth have on our everyday lives? 4. How was the resolve of these young men a living answer to the call of Proverbs 3:5-6? CLOSING THOUGHT: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’ He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision” (Psalm 2:2-4)