Sabbath School Lesson for January 4-10, 2020
[Reminder: The Bible verses in blue allow you to reference the Bible verse
by clicking or hovering the mouse over the verse.
A “print friendly version” option is also available at the end of the lesson.]
Overview
The first chapter of Daniel sets the stage for the story by exploring these themes…
- God orchestrated the Babylonian captivity (Sunday)
- the pressures of the new regime demanded a great deal of faith (Monday)
- tests for Daniel and his friends included the food they would be required to eat (Tuesday)
- Daniel and his friends exhibited God-given wisdom (Wednesday)
- God gave them success and they were promoted to high positions in the kingdom (Thursday)
Introduction
The Jewish nation had failed to provide a positive witness to the nations that surrounded them. Their lack of faith, disobedience, and rebellion against God resulted in the severe test that came upon the three young captives in our story. God saw that His will would be preserved by allowing His remnant to share the gospel in another land, even though it meant being a captive there.
Although we look to Daniel as a figure that stands out in the story, God is really the main character. His sovereignty is unquestionably dominant in the story. He not only rules over kings and the empires they represent, He also intervenes to protect His precious remnant and allow them to share their steadfast faith with their captors.
Memory Text: “As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.” Daniel 1:17 NKJV
Daniel attributes all their wisdom as coming from God. Their part was simply to remain loyal to His commandments and tactfully and prayerfully work with their overseers to achieve their goal of not defiling themselves with pagan practices and beliefs.
The young men had wisdom and the ability to become knowledgeable of their surrounding culture without letting it cause them to forget God. Daniel, in particular, also had a special kind of wisdom that enabled him to receive and interpret visions and dreams. This prophetic wisdom served them well in the coming years and kept them from wavering in their faith and duty to God.
Sunday: God’s Sovereignty
The first two verses in Daniel show us that Nebuchadnezzar was allowed by God to besiege Jerusalem. The king of Judah, Jehoakim, and his fathers before him, had neglected the covenant relationship that once bound them near to God. This attack was the consequence of their idolatrous practices.
What is amazing is that the temple articles were carried away to Shinar. This was the land where the famed Tower of Babel had been constructed. It was now the center for pagan worship in the Babylonian Empire.
This must have seemed particularly offensive to the faithful remnant. But it was not a totally hopeless cause for the likes of Daniel and his friends. Prophets, like Jeremiah, had predicted these events, which gave comfort to the characters in our story. They relied on the fact that God was in control and would be with them throughout their difficult situation.
Discussion Questions:
Read Daniel 1:1, 2 and Genesis 11:2, 4. Why would Nebuchadnezzar’s victory appear to be a victory over God’s covenant people? How do we know that God was still in control over this situation?
Read 2 Kings 21:11, 12 and 24:8-11. Why were the sins of these kings more wicked than those of the Amorites (a pagan tribe)?
Read Jeremiah 3:13. What could Judah have done to prevent the captivity? What purpose might God have had in scattering them to these alien lands?
Monday: Faith Under Pressure
Daniel and his friends must have been considered some of the best captives to have been selected to serve in the king’s palace. But this special privilege presented especially hard tests as they later discovered. The reason for this selection was to create in them a firm loyalty to their new king and the gods of their captors.
One of the first steps in this process was to give the captives new names. Their Hebrew names, which pointed to the God of Israel, were thus replaced with names that honored foreign deities. This practice was meant to cause them to lose their identity as Jews, and become permanently associated with the new land they were being forced to adopt.
As if that weren’t enough, Daniel soon learned that they were to eat at the king’s table. This presented some difficult dilemmas for the faithful Jewish youths.
- First, the items on the menu would include foods forbidden for God’s people to eat.
- Also, there would be foods there that had been offered to idols, which would indicate their participation in the king’s false worship.
Just how far they felt they could compromise their beliefs became an immediate matter of prayer for Daniel and his devout friends.
Discussion Questions:
Read Daniel 1:3-5. What was the king’s purpose in bringing some of the young captives to his palace? What were some of the things that would qualify them for this apparently special privilege?
Read Daniel 1:6, 7. Why were these name changes important to the captors? Was there anything Daniel and his friends could do about their name changes?
Read Daniel 1:8. Why was the food at the king’s table something Daniel did not think he could compromise? How would it defile him?
Tuesday: Firm Resolution
Although the new names probably felt uncomfortable for the young captives, there was little they could do about the situation. What they were called by others was out of their control. We can’t help but think that perhaps they still used their Hebrew names privately among themselves. This would help them to some extent to retain their Jewish identities. This may be true, due to the fact that Daniel continues to use his own name throughout the book.
The matter of eating at the king’s table, however, was an even greater test. For reasons already mentioned, this seemingly generous invitation would cause their religious defilement, and cause them to drift even further away from their Creator’s purpose for them in this foreign land.
Only after much prayer were Daniel and his friends confident in their decision to refuse this added defilement of eating at the king’s table. Showing sensitivity and understanding for the Babylonian officer’s dilemma of granting their request, Daniel proposed that they be given a trial of just ten days on a plant-based diet, similar to God’s original one at creation. This would prove if this better diet would be beneficial to them or not. The officer hesitantly granted them their request.
Discussion Questions:
Read Daniel 1:9, 10. How do the doubts expressed by the chief of the eunuchs sound similar to doubts people have about the benefits of a plant-based diet today? Why is vegetarianism now becoming more popular?
Read Daniel 1:11-14. Why did Daniel feel safe in suggesting this ten-day trial? And why was the steward comfortable with the arrangement?
Read Daniel 1:15, 16. In what ways do you think Daniel’s friends were physically better off than the other Hebrew captives after just ten days?
Wednesday: Unblemished and Wise
King Nebuchadnezzar required that the captives chosen to serve in the palace be unblemished and “good-looking”. He, in a sense, compares himself in this with the God of heaven, who also demands sacrifices without blemish. Daniel and his friends therefore may be thought of as living sacrifices, who end up serving God to a much greater extent than they served the pagan king. See Romans 12:1.
The Hebrew youth, who remained loyal to God’s dietary requirements, were rewarded with outstanding performance of their duties as apprentices in the king’s palace. They were not only healthy, but they were healthier than their counterparts who ate at the king’s table.
Daniel, it was then noticed, also excelled in the understanding of dreams and visions. His prophetic abilities stand out among the group of friends, reminding us of the special gift of prophecy bestowed on a few, but at just the needed time and place for the fulfillment of God’s purposes.
These faithful servants of God show us the possibility of serving both God and man. We don’t have to isolate ourselves to accomplish great things in the world. Indeed, we must be in the world, in order to make changes in the culture around us. It takes God-given wisdom to know how to accomplish this while remaining true to God and the lifestyle He has chosen for us.
Discussion Questions:
Read Daniel 1:4 and Leviticus 21:17 and 22:19, and John 1:29. Why was being unblemished important to King Nebuchadnezzar? Why is being unblemished so important to God?
Read Daniel 1:17 and Acts 7:22. How was the experience of Daniel similar to that of Moses? How did these faithful youth survive the false education they received in paganism? How do their stories impact the way we choose to live in our sinful times?
Read Hebrews 11:24-26 and Matthew 16:26. How did this philosophy help confirm the choices of Daniel and his friends? How should it inform the choices we make today?
Thursday: Final Exam
Daniel and his friends knew that in a contest of this nature, God would likely come out the winner. Look at the story of Elijah on Mount Carmel. The people saw clearly then, the difference between pagan worship and worship of the true Creator God. Now, too, it was easy to see the result of their ten-day trial on God’s diet. They not only surpassed the other captives in physical health, but they were noticeably sharper in their mental faculties as well.
The king may have wanted to expunge the identities of these Hebrew youth, but their decision to follow God allowed them to magnify the God they represented, and thus make their identity with Him even stronger.
Daniel was not reticent in his account to attribute their accomplishments with God. “God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom,” he declares in Daniel 1:17. Wisdom especially is a quality that comes from God. Knowing the facts is important, but knowing how to verify their worth and use them for the best purposes is vital for good leadership. These faithful youth showed this wisdom, and even the king was impressed with their outstanding performance at the end of the trial.
Discussion Questions:
Read Daniel 1:18-20 and Matthew 6:11. How do you explain that they were ten times better than the other captives after only ten days? Does this mean that each day with Jesus can make us stronger?
Read 1 Kings 10:1, 3, 9. For what purpose had Solomon been given wisdom from God?
Read Genesis 41:39, 46. Why was Joseph promoted so greatly when he was so young, and how must this story have influenced Daniel and his friends?
Final Thoughts
When just a small group of men commit to be loyal to their God, outstanding results mount up fast. In just one short chapter in Daniel we see much evidence that gives us hope that they will survive the supreme tests they face as captives in a foreign land.
- Babylon is shown right away that there is something spectacular about the God in heaven.
- The Hebrew youth are shown that keeping the requirements of God leads to their betterment and holiness, which makes them closer to God.
- We are shown that obedience to God in our lifestyle choices can either make or break us.
These lessons of faith, as they continue to do throughout the account of Daniel, point to
- a God who is in control of our history,
- a God who gives us wisdom to stay pure in a less than perfect environment, and
- a God who rewards those who trust in Him.
The faith-building experiences shared by Daniel are helpful in these last days, when we often face seemingly insurmountable trials as well. The culture of the world could hardly be more opposite God’s way of life than the pagan society Daniel and his friends found themselves. And yet, they carved out a place of usefulness to both their God and the country of exile.
Only by remaining undefiled before God could they accomplish their purposes. And this led to some very difficult choices that might have seemed extreme, due to the consequences that might have resulted. Namely, the loss of life, for themselves and the Babylonian officer responsible for them.
After prayerfully considering their options, the Lord led Daniel to propose a simple trial that brought them remarkable outcomes. God was definitely with Daniel and those who remained loyal to Him. And He will be with us, no matter how difficult our situation may seem.
” ‘teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen” Matthew 28:20 NKJV
Next Week’s Lesson: From Mystery to Revelation
To read the Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly or see more resources for its study, go to https://www.absg.adventist.org/
Other Outlook blogposts by Teresa Thompson, are at http://outlookmag.org/author/teresathompson/
