Author: Rev. Nori Anderson

Date: January 3, 2010

Series: In The Hands of God

In The Hands of God

Life Together Study Questions

FSAC, January 2010 – June 2010

Introduction

It will be very beneficial for the Life Together groups who are tracking with this message series to purchase copies of ‘Daniel by Tremper Longman III (NIV Life Application Commentary, 1999 Zondervan).  This excellent commentary will supplement the messages and provoke much discussion.

Text: Daniel 1:1-7
January 3, 2010

1. 1:1-2 The exile into Bablyon was long forewarned by the prophets that this would be the discipline upon the people of God if they would not seek to live by the covenant established at Mt. Sinai (Lve 26:33,39; Deut 4:27, 28:64).  The amazing story in this book begins with a dream for life that was brutally shattered.  The people of God were under disciplined and their hopes and dreams for life were now under construction.  We tend to shy away from this dicussion, but the story of the people of God is filled with stories of God reshaping our agenda’s for His glory.

• Recall a time in your life when God reshaped your life goals to fit His agenda.  How did you feel when that was occuring?  What was He teaching you? How do you think the exiles were feeling?

1. 1:3-7 As Longman articulates, these youth were to be forcefully educated in the ways of Bablyon¹, which included the ways of the pagan religion.  While this was a strategic move employed by King Nebechadnezzar and others to eventually send them back to their homeland friends of Bablyon and no longer clear as to their own identity, it evokes the question of kingdom ethics.  As Christ followers we are ‘resident aliens’ here on earth.  One foot in this world and the other in the world to come.

• (Note that they were even given Babylonian name associated with Chaldean gods to replace their orginal names that once gave glory to Yahweh.)  How do you think they felt in that moment? What does it tell us about God? Be careful to let Scripture lead this discussion.
• These were obviously youth, but they did not resist the reprogramming at this point (Resist jumping ahead to 1:8-12_.  Reflect on the schemes of the devil in how he seeks to use the surrounding pagan culture to slowly make us forget who we really are.  How has this happened in our lives?  How do we forget who we are?  Where in our lives have we made peace with the world, where there should be no peace?

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¹ The forced education was so intense as Longman explains that some scholars believe that the phrase – “youths without blemish” (4a) could have meant that they may have been castrated to be eunuchs in the king’s palace.

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