Faithfulness Through Uncertainty
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Can you think of a moment or season when you found yourself in uncertain times?
Can you think of a moment or season when you found yourself in uncertain times?
What made those circumstances feel uncertain?
What made those circumstances feel uncertain?
How did this affect your faith in the short term? Long term?
How did this affect your faith in the short term? Long term?
What do we do in times of uncertainty? When we don’t know what is coming. When the future, our future is unclear. What do we do?
Stay confident
Stay confident
We will see how Daniel’s confidence in God was unwavering.
Stay humble.
Stay humble.
Daniel didn’t care who got credit for what he was getting ready to do. He wanted God to receive the glory for what was going on.
Stay focused.
Stay focused.
Daniel realized the only thing He needed to focus on was God’s Kingdom. Anything here on earth is only temporary.
Stay faithful.
Stay faithful.
We must never give up. We must remain faithful to our one true King.
Let’s begin digging into the scripture for tonight’s lesson.
24 Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.”
25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.”
26 The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?”
27 Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked,
28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:
29 To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be.
30 But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.
What stands out about how Daniel approached the king?
What stands out about how Daniel approached the king?
I think we need to remember Daniel was more than likely unsure of how N would react to what he was going to share with him. All he knew was the faith he had in God, and He would see him through.
How did Daniel use the opportunity to testify to the one true God? ‘
How did Daniel use the opportunity to testify to the one true God? ‘
He does let the king know the only one who could reveal what the king wanted to know was God. He was taking no credit for himself.
How did Daniel point to God’s character?
How did Daniel point to God’s character?
31 “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening.
32 The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze,
33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.
34 As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.
35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
36 “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation.
37 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory,
38 and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold.
39 Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.
40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these.
41 And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay.
42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.
43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.
44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,
45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
What did King Nebuchadnezzar see in his dream?
What did King Nebuchadnezzar see in his dream?
A statue made out of different materials. The material of the head was the most precious, but each one below was worth less, but stronger until the feet.
What did it mean?
What did it mean?
Each represented a new dynasty which would rule the world. Since the material was less worth, it was thought each would show more depravity within the society. However, since the material was stronger, it was thought that each would hold a tighter more dominate hold on their rule.
Side bar - Since we have the blessing of being further out in history than these, it is believed the gold head represented Babylon (605-529BC), the chest and arms - the Medo-Persian empire (539-331 BC), the stomach and thighs - the Greek Empire (331-146 BC), the legs - the Roman Empire (146 BC-1476 AD), and the feet were the continuation or future revival of Rome.How did Daniel seek to give the king a right perspective of the future?
How did Daniel seek to give the king a right perspective of the future?
How did Daniel seek to give the king a right perspective of the future?
He told him he was a king God had established as the king of kings on earth. He made sure he mentioned it was God who placed him there. The kingdom which would shatter all kingdoms was the one which will be established by God.
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him.
47 The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.”
48 Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.
49 Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.
How did the king respond to Daniel’s interpretation?
How did the king respond to Daniel’s interpretation?
Why do you think he responded this way?
Why do you think he responded this way?
Did the king recognize Daniel’s God as the one true God?
Did the king recognize Daniel’s God as the one true God?
Some things to think about:
Some things to think about:
What feels uncertain in your own life right now? Where are you struggling to be faithful in the process?
What feels uncertain in your own life right now? Where are you struggling to be faithful in the process?
How does this account of Daniel help to encourage your faith, even if your circumstances look very different? How does his story point you to the gospel and the unwavering nature of our God?
How does this account of Daniel help to encourage your faith, even if your circumstances look very different? How does his story point you to the gospel and the unwavering nature of our God?
How might you share the truth about Jesus with someone based on this account in the life of Daniel?
How might you share the truth about Jesus with someone based on this account in the life of Daniel?