Key Thought: To be faithful in one’s own culture and land is a big challenge, but more so when facing the pressure of a foreign land, culture, and religion.

January 11, 2020

1. Have a volunteer read 2 Kings 24:18-20.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. Why does God give Judah and Jerusalem into the hands of the Babylonians?
3. Personal Application: What are some of the challenges your faith faces: from outside, within the church, or from your own personal defects? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states: “I don’t understand why God would allow a heathen nation to defeat and conquer His people, even if they had done wrong. Why allow those that don’t believe in God to be in charge of those who do, even if defectively.” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Daniel 1:15-20

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What pressures are put on these young men to conform to Babylonian culture and lifestyle?
3. Personal Application: Can we draw any lessons from this about the importance of our choices? Does our faith and trust have any impact on our choices? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “Why would Daniel risk the anger and displeasure of the king by refusing to eat the meat and delicacies of Babylon? Is what we eat really that important in our spiritual life? Most people eat some kind of meat from time to time.” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Daniel 1:17-21.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. What was the key to success for these four young men?
3. Personal Application: How can we learn to put all our efforts into whatever we are asked to do for whatever reason? How does a strong faith in God give us the desire and ability to do our best? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states, “What are some of the cultural and social influences that interfere with people knowing and living the Christian life and mentality that may not agree or be in sync with the cultural and social beliefs?” How would you respond to your neighbor?

4. Have a volunteer read Daniel Galatians 2:19,20.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. What does it mean to be crucified with Christ and dead to the law?
3. Personal Application: How do we live with Christ in us? How is it different to live by faith rather than in the flesh? 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 Jerusalem to Babylon” 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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Read Daniel 1:1-21. What pressures are put on these young men to conform?

Upon arrival in Babylon, these four young men have to face a most serious challenge to their faith and convictions: they are selected to undergo special training in order to serve the king. Ancient kings would often recruit some of their best captives to serve in the royal palace, and, thereby, switch their loyalty to the king and the gods of the empire that captured them.

Image © Providence Collection at GoodSalt.com

Indeed, the whole process was intended to effect some kind of conversion and indoctrination that would result in a change of worldview. As part of that process, the Hebrew captives have their names changed. A new name signals a change of ownership and a change of destiny. Thus, by renaming the captives, the Babylonians intend to assert authority over them and force them to assimilate the values and culture of Babylon. Their original names, which point to the God of Israel, are replaced with names honoring foreign deities. In addition, the king determines that the young men should eat from his table. Eating from the king’s food had deep implications in antiquity. It meant undivided allegiance to the king and reflected dependence on him. And as the food was usually offered to the god or gods of the empire, eating also had a profound religious meaning. It obviously meant acceptance of and participation in the king’s worship system.

Thus, Daniel and his companions find themselves in challenging circumstances. For them to remain loyal to God and survive the overwhelming power of the imperial system demands nothing less than a miracle. To further complicate matters, the city of Babylon itself also stood as a monumental expression of human achievement. The architectural beauty of the Babylonian temples, the hanging gardens, and the Euphrates River meandering across the city conveyed an image of unsurpassable might and glory. So, Daniel and his friends are offered an opportunity for promotion and the chance to enjoy the benefits and prosperity of this system. They can cease to be Hebrew captives and become royal officers. Will they compromise their principles to tread the easy path to glory?

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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At first glance the book of Daniel begins with a somber note of defeat. Judah has capitulated to Nebuchadnezzar and the temple vessels have been taken from Jerusalem to the land of Shinar. The word Shinar appears in the Bible in Genesis 11:2 as the location of the tower of Babel. Shinar is an ominous sign, as it alludes to a project rooted in open defiance of God. But even if the builders of Babel failed in their attempt to reach the heavens, external appearances suggested that Nebuchadnezzar and his gods — located in the land of Shinar — had overpowered the covenant God of Israel.

Image © Daniel Pape from GoodSalt.com

Still, the opening lines of Daniel make it clear that the defeat of Jerusalem is not credited to the superior power of the Babylonian king; rather, it has occurred because “the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his [Nebuchadnezzar’s] hand” (Dan. 1:2, NKJV). Much earlier, God announces that should His people forget Him and break the covenant, He would send them as captives to a foreign land. So, Daniel knows that behind and beyond the military power of Babylon, the God of heaven is leading the march of history. It is this clear view of God’s sovereignty that sustains these young men and gives them strength and courage to face the temptation and pressure of the Babylonian empire.

Read 2 Kings 21:10-16, 2 Kings 24:18-20, and Jeremiah 3:13. Why does God give Judah and Jerusalem into the hands of the Babylonians?

As we face the challenges of the twenty-first century, we need to recapture the perception of God that is so vividly reflected in the book of Daniel. According to this book, the God whom we serve not only drives the forces of history through His sovereignty but also mercifully intervenes in the lives of His people to provide them with crucial help in times of need. And as we shall see later, what God did for the Hebrew captives He will do for His people in the end time, regardless of the various attacks on them and their faith.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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