The hymn that will be used as the theme for this quarter is from “The Church Hymnal, Official Hymnal of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church” which was surpassed by the “Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal” in 1985.In the ‘old’ hymnal, 
Number 497 – Standing by a Purpose True, that is, ”Dare to be a Daniel” will be the favourite. I do hope you are able to source this hymn and use it frequently during this quarter’s Sabbath School study time.

The Memory Text this week reminds us all to be faithful –
Hymn 602 O Brother, Be Faithful.

Prayer is Daniel’s time with his God (and ours, too) – 
Hymn 378 Sweet Hour of Prayer, 
Hymn 501 Tis the Blessed Hour of Prayer and 
Hymn 658 Heavenly Father, Hear Our Prayer. Once again Daniel remains faithful – 
Hymn 602 O Brother, Be Faithful.

After Daniel’s deliverance from the lions’ den, the king could sing 
Hymn 88 I Sing the Mighty Power of God and 
Hymn 506 A Mighty Fortress is our God.

On Thursday Darius sings 
Hymn 694/695 Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow.

God’s blessings as you enjoy your “Singing with Inspiration” this quarter.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Amen!(0)

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Read Daniel 6:24-28. What testimony does the king give about God?

An important point of the narrative is the fact that Darius praises God and recognizes God’s sovereignty. This is a culmination, even a climax, of the praises or expressions of recognition offered to God in the previous chapters (Dan. 2:20-23; Dan. 3:28-29; Dan. 4:1-3, Dan. 4:34-37).

Image © Lifeway Colletion at Goodsalt.com

Like Nebuchadnezzar, Darius responds to Daniel’s deliverance by praising God. But he does more, too: he reverses his previous decree and commands everyone to “fear before the God of Daniel” (Dan. 6:26).

Yes, Daniel is miraculously saved, his faithfulness rewarded, evil punished, and God’s honor and power vindicated. But what we see here is a mini-example of what will happen on a universal scale: God’s people delivered, evil punished, and the Lord vindicated before the cosmos.

Read Daniel 6:24. What might we find rather troublesome about this verse, and why?

There is, however, one disturbing problem, and that is the wives and the children who, as far as we know, are innocent, and yet who suffer the same fate as the guilty ones. How can we explain what seems to be a mishandling of justice?

First, we should note that the action is decided and implemented by the king according to Persian law, which includes the family in the punishment of the culprit. According to an ancient principle, the entire family bears responsibility for the offense of a family member. This doesn’t mean it’s right; it means only that this story fits with what we know about Persian law.

Second, we must note that the biblical narrative reports the event but does not endorse the action of the king. In fact, the Bible clearly forbids that children be put to death because of the sins of the parents (Deut. 24:16).

<–Wednesday Friday–>

Amen!(0)

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

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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.

Amen!(0)

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1. No fault in him. What twist of events has government officials wracking their brains to find fault with Daniel? How successful are they? And, by the way, who is Darius?
2. Jealous souls. Have you ever felt the sting of jealousy aimed at you? What was there about Daniel that aroused the sense of jealousy in the officers of the king’s court where Daniel was working? Wait a minute. If Daniel was careful in all that he did, why would any of his fellow workers be jealous of that? What did they want from Daniel? How did they propose to achieve their goal and get rid of Daniel? 
3. The plot against Daniel. How would a new law proposed to defer all petitions to the king for thirty days affect the standing of Darius before the people? What was the real purpose of this new law? How would the den of hungry lions contribute to the elimination of Daniel? What was there about this law that made it especially difficult even to imagine Daniel’s release from the execution?
4. Daniel’s prayer. Daniel’s habit was to pray three times every day standing and facing in the direction of the temple of God. Now he faces a dilemma. The decree forbids prayer or petition to any person except to the one chosen by the government as the king. But Daniel is not about to pay heavenly tribute to a human being. His prayer is one of loyalty and surrender to the God who is above all. His worship is of Divinity.
5. The lions’ den. Those with a burden to eliminate Daniel from the earth haven’t given up. The lions, the lions. We can depend on the lions, they must have said, to give Daniel the punishment he so richly deserves. We can’t allow insubordination like this. But at the site of execution, what do the royal onlookers see? Some might have snarled, “We promised to put them in the lion’s den. We did that. But their God rescued them.”

Amen!(0)

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Read Daniel 6:11-23. What does the king say to Daniel that reveals just how powerful a faithful witness Daniel is to God?

The conspirators soon spot Daniel praying — that is, doing exactly what the decree has forbidden. And as they bring the accusation before the king, they refer to Daniel in a demeaning way: “that Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah” (Dan. 6:13, NKJV). In their eyes, one of the chief officers of the empire, the king’s favorite, is no more than “a captive”.

Image © Providence Collection at GoodSalt.com

In addition, they pit Daniel against the king by saying that Daniel “does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed” (NKJV). Now the king realizes he has been entrapped by signing the decree. The text says that “he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him” (Dan. 6:14, NKJV). But there is nothing he can do to save the prophet from the prescribed punishment. The irrevocable law of the Medes and Persians must be applied to the letter. Thus the king, however reluctantly, issues the command to throw Daniel to the lions. But in doing so Darius expresses some glimmering hope, which sounds like a prayer: “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you” (Dan. 6:16, NKJV).

The biblical text does not say what Daniel does among the lions, but one can assume he is praying. And God honors Daniel’s faith by sending His angel to protect him. In the morning, Daniel remains unharmed and ready to resume his activities in the government. Commenting on this episode, Ellen G. White says: “God did not prevent Daniel’s enemies from casting him into the lions’ den; He permitted evil angels and wicked men thus far to accomplish their purpose; but it was that He might make the deliverance of His servant more marked, and the defeat of the enemies of truth and righteousness more complete”. — Prophets and Kings, pages 543, 544.

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

Amen!(0)

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