1. The immanence of God.How does the word, “immanence,” apply to the Christian concept of God? What do you think was the source of the multiple dreams that experts in Daniel’s day took seriously as warnings of approaching disaster? Imagine you are a “wise man” of Babylon. How would you feel when your fellow interpreters can’t explain this prophecy of unknown content, knowing that you are headed for the gallows because of your failure? How did Daniel feel about this and what did he do to turn things around? Do you think he knew that he and the other men would be rescued?
2. The prayer. Starting in Daniel 2:17 what kind of a meeting do Daniel and his four friends immediately call? Imagine if you can what they might have said in their first prayer, a prayer of petition. Besides answering this prayer of petition, what else does God reveal? Should we always take time to thank God for answering our prayers? Even if He doesn’t fill our requests? Why? Or why not?
3. The image, introduction. Would you describe the image presented to Daniel as a frightening presentation for the king? Or did he delight in the solid gold appearance of an image representing him, the king.
4. The image, interpretation. The explanation of the image is spelled out in our lesson for this week. Can you describe what each aspect of the vision represented?
   1. Head of gold
   2. Chest and arms of silver
   3. Belly and thighs of bronze
   4. Legs of iron
   5. Feet of iron mixed with clay
5. The Stone. Suddenly, instead of a gorgeous statue of valuable minerals, we have action. What happens to the stone? How does it change? Explain, if you can, how a mountain can fill the earth when the earth is round but the mountain is not? How do we interpret the mighty stone that arises on earth? How does this event fulfill Bible prophecy? Do you long to be on earth when the stone crashes to the earth? Why or why not? 

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Key Thought: The rise and fall of nations seems to happen based on human whim. But Daniel 2 shows it is the God of heaven who actually moves human history to its finale.
January 18, 2020

1. Have a volunteer read Daniel 2:1-6.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What crisis did the Hebrews face because of the dream the Lord gave to Nebuchadnezzar?
3. Personal Application: What does this dream tell us about how close God is to humanity? How close do you think God is to you? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states: “Why does Nebuchadnezzar get impatient and want to kill the astrologers, but is patient and gives Daniel time to pray and interpret the dream?” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Daniel 2:17-23.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What was the first thing Daniel did when he was granted time? What are the two kinds of prayers offered by Daniel and his friends?
3. Personal Application: In what ways can we be thankful regardless of our circumstances in life we face? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “Why does God answer some people’s prayers for safety and preservation, while He doesn’t protect His people in other situations or circumstances? You know, Elijah was translated, Elisha died a slow lingering, painful death from disease. Where’s the equity and assurance when each situation is not answered the same way?” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Daniel 2:38-44.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. What does this dream say is the fate of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom?
3. Personal Application: Why are church leaders and members so reluctant to tell people when they are doing something wrong and that judgment will come upon them if they don’t change? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states, “What does this statue tell us about the future? How does this dream give us confidence in the accuracy of prophecy and Scripture? Why did God give this dream to a heathen king rather than to His own faithful people?” How would you respond to your neighbor?

4. Have a volunteer read Daniel 2:44,45..

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. What does this tell us about the ultimate fate of this world?
3. Personal Application: How does it disagree with those who believe in the US and Israel against the rest of the world in end-time prophecy? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

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You can view an in-depth discussion of “From Mystery to Revelation” in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris. Click on the image to view:

You may download an MP4 video file, and audio file or a PDF lesson outline from the HopeSS site.

With thanks to Hope Channel – Television that will change your life.

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Daniel immediately grabs his three friends for a prayer session, explaining that they will be executed if God does not reveal the dream. Whenever we face a big problem, we also should recognize that our God is great enough to resolve even the most unsolvable challenges.

Read Daniel 2:17-23. What are the two kinds of prayers prayed here?

Image © Providence Collection at GoodSalt.com

Two types of prayer are mentioned in this chapter. The first is a petition prayer in which Daniel asks God to reveal the content of the dream and its interpretation (Dan. 2:17-19). The words of this prayer are not given, but we are told that Daniel and his friends “seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon” (Dan. 2:18, NKJV). As they pray, God answers their petition and reveals the content and interpretation of the king’s dream. We can rest assured that whenever we seek “mercies from the God of heaven” our prayers will be heard as well, even if not in such a dramatic manner as we see here, because the God of Daniel is our God too.

In response to God’s answering their petition, Daniel and his friends burst into a prayer of thanksgiving and praise. They praise God for being the source of wisdom and for being in control of nature and political history. There is an important lesson we can learn here. As we pray and plead with God for so many things, how often do we praise and thank Him for answering our prayers? The experience of Jesus with the ten lepers provides an apt illustration of human ingratitude. Out of ten who are healed, only one comes back “to give glory to God” (Luke 17:18). Daniel’s response not only reminds us of the importance of thanksgiving and praise, but also reveals the character of the God we pray to. When we pray to Him, we can trust Him to do what is in our best interest, and thus we should always praise and thank Him.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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