Daniel Chapter 1 Lesson 2

Welcome back from your first Core Discussion. Hopefully everyone had a chance to contribute. We want you to be comfortable, cared for and confident. Let us remember as we pray to Our Father God those who have died in defense of our freedom. Let us Pray

Ladies, I was a bit nervous when I realized the many authors who had written a study on Daniel and Revelation. History was not by best subject, but God gave me affirmation in my morning devotions from Isaiah 50:4

The Lord God has given me
    the tongue of those who are taught,
that I may know how to sustain
 with a word.. him who is weary.
Morning by morning He awakens;
    He awakens my ear to hear
as those who are taught.

1 Thessalonians 2: Who God calls he equips. When we were children our parents often warned us what would happen If:

·        If you keep crossing your eyes, they will stay like that.

·        If you're too sick to go to school, you're too sick to play outside.

·        If you don’t finish your dinner, you won’t get dessert.

·        If you keep climbing, you are going to fall.

Our parents were trying to teach us proper manner and good habits for living.  We know there are consequences for the things we do.

Think about the consequences of sin. The people of Israel had been warned by many prophets.  God promised blessing for obedience and curses for disobedience. In Deuteronomy 28, He warned very specifically that if His people rebelled against Him, He would allow them to be defeated by their enemies and become subjects of a foreign king. God warned about the desecration of the temple.

JEREMIAH 25:8-9

“Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Because you have not obeyed my words, behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the Lord, and for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. 

Did they believe Him?

DANIEL Chapter 1

·        Charms of Prosperity

·        Living with Integrity

·        Blessing and Longevity

Circumstances will not determine my obedience.

How many of you have a teenage son or grandson? Can you imagine these young men being gathered up and taken to a foreign land while you stay behind in your homeland? Only the brightest and the best were chosen to live in the palace of the king and be groomed and educated in the culture of their captors.

Deported to Babylon

V. ³ Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, ⁴ youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.

Why did they allow others to remain in Jerusalem as a province with a king of his choosing Zedekiah? (Perhaps to free Jeremiah from the dungeon.)

They had taken the cream of the crop of the nobility. The plan was to submerge these Israelites in the culture, language, and history of Babylon so they had no time to think of Jerusalem and their LORD God. 

Charms of Prosperity

This is the same way the enemy distract Christians today! Athletic events, televised entertainment, possessions, gadgets, worldly pleasures, draw our focus away from God and the study of His Word. Do you think teenagers today would be impressed with rich food, fine clothes and wealth beyond measure?

Don’t we today still applaud beauty! Every year there are lists of the most beautiful women and the most eligible bachelor. Those that were best looking were not necessarily endowed with knowledge, and competent to stand in the king’s palace.

Thank goodness that is not how Jesus chose us to be His!

3 times in Deuteronomy God proclaims- For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 14:7

The Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider how handsome or tall he is... I do not look at the things people look at. Man looks at how someone appears on the outside. But I look at what is in the heart."- 1 Samuel 16:7

 Ladies God loved us on our worst day. Jesus came not just to die for you but to suffer shame and agony and pain that should have been for us. He loves us with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3

Don’t let circumstances determine your obedience.

 In Babylon Daniel and his friends complied with their names being changed, their dress and their education. Most of Daniel's outward life was changed. They could his name but they couldn’t change his heart.

What is in a name? Do you know what your name means? How many of you think that definition fits you?

These Hebrew boys were named after Yahweh their one true God.

·        Daniel ("God is judge") become Belteshazzar ("May Bel protect his life")

·        Hananiah ("Yahweh is gracious") becomes Shadrach ("command of Aku")

·        Mishael ("Who is what God is") becomes Meshach ("Who is what Aku is")

·        Azariah ("Whom Yahweh helps") becomes Abed-nego ("Servant of Nebo")

Their captors changed their names to honor the Babylonian gods: Bel, Aku, and Nebo.

Your commentary and your study questions gave many Old Testament references to the laws forbidding eating certain food. When faced with the prospect of eating food offered to idols, Daniel knew he had to draw the line.  Circumstances did not determine his obedience.

Living with Integrity

⁸ But Daniel resolved ESV  or KJV ⁸ But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

⁹ Now God had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.

Daniel was seeking to honor God, now God honored Daniel by shaping the heart of the chief eunuch and the steward.  

Circumstances will not determine my obedience.

¹¹ Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah-test us for ten days then look at our appearance. We know the end of the story. But for a young man in a precarious position his integrity and faithfulness to the LORD God was rewarded with blessings.  

“When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Proverbs 16:7

Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He will.” God turns hearts.

I love how God guides my teaching. A popular Christian author and pastor shared on a Christian broadcast when my ears perked up at the mention of Daniel and Babylon. “Daniel and his friends were taken out of a godly environment and had to learn to live in a secular society. We are living in secular society a post-Christian era that no longer respects a Christian values. We contributed to it the same way that Judah contributed to their captivity.”

Ladies will you agree this is true by raising your hand. Politics has no place in CBS, but we can all see our Christian values are no longer respected. And we have let it happen by not taking a stand. What are we teaching our children? How are they going to react to peer pressure in the secular world?

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.KJV

I worry about my grandson attending his first year in middle school. A sweet lady sent her evening devotion from Spurgeon. He calls them wolves. Isn’t that what Satan is like a lion or other predator seeking to steal, kill and destroy.  Yet he is cleverly disguised as a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  If we have taught him well… Circumstances will not determine his obedience.

Blessings and Longevity

Psalm 13:¹⁸ But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love.

v. 17-God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

²⁰ And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. ²¹ And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.

The word Babylon means 'confusion' and represents the worldly way of life. In many ways, the Christian's life is one of exile similar to Daniel and his friends. We are strangers in this world. We are just travelling through.

1 John 2:¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. ¹⁷ And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

So think about the effect that the world has on your life? Is there a difference between the desires of your life and of those who don’t know the Lord? Because it is fair to say that non-Christians watch you a lot more than you think. And they watch and are interested in your deeds more than your words. So be aware of your actions!

Circumstances will not determine my obedience.

9-11 brings these thoughts to mind. 2 Chronicles 7:14(ESV)

 If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Do we believe Him? If we, like the Israelites, continue in our sin, we shouldn’t be surprised if God allows us to experience painful consequences of sin. But we should know that even then He loves us, and He is waiting for us to repent so He can restore us.

Will you choose to obey God in spite of your circumstances?

Wrap-up for Introduction to the book of Daniel

Welcome Back Ladies, I am Ann Sanger your Teaching Director and at this time I will deliver a wrap-up or teaching for a few minutes.  PRAY Thank you Father for your love and mercy and grace that is new every morning. Bless these women who came out tonight. Speak through me. Put a guard at my lips and bless my words I pray in the name of Your Son Jesus Christ.

Ladies most of remember Daniel from our children’s bible story of Daniel’s miraculous rescue from the lion’s den. We even had a little song:

Daniel, echo Daniel, Daniel, echo Daniel in the li, li, lions
Daniel, echo Daniel, Daniel, echo Daniel in the li, li, lions
Daniel, echo Daniel, Daniel, echo Daniel in the li, li, lions
Daniel in the lions, echo Daniel in the lions, Daniel in the lion’s den.

There are Three Points to my Introduction

•      Historical Background

•      Daniel the Book

•      Daniel the Man

Our Theme: God is in Control

• Historical Background

How in the world did Israel end up in this mess? What happened to God1s covenant with Abraham? Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land and grew into an independent nation with their own kings and mighty armies. In one word-"disobedience. After the reign of Solomon, the twelve tribes were divided into the northern kingdom ISRAEL and the southern kingdom JUDAH. The Assyrians carried ISRAEL INTO captivity in 722 BC. Then between 605 and 586 be the southern kingdom went into captivity under their famous leader Nebuchadnezzar. Only two tribes represent last remnant of God’s people. Throughout the book we will continue to call God's people Israel.

• Daniel the Book:

The book of Daniel is unlike other books in the Old Testament.

Disputes over author and date: Though controversial and the target of non­ Christians, I refuse to enter the banter of when it was written and who wrote it. I believe Author is Daniel (12:4) and it was written 537 B.C.

Jesus references Daniel in Matthew 24:15 and that is all the proof I need.

¹⁵ “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 

Jesus said it and I believe it!

The Jewish Bible divided in 3 groups the Law; The Prophets; Writings. Psalms, Proverbs, Esther, is also listed in Writings along with Daniel.

The first half of the book is largely historical telling of Daniel and his friends' life as they were raised in the temple in Babylon groomed in the culture and language of their capturers. His message was as much to the Gentile world as it was to the Jews.

Second half Daniel’s prophecies used mysterious symbols and strange images. Daniel wrote the half of his book in Hebrew as encouragement for the Jews still in Jerusalem. But he also wrote chapter in Aramaic, a language common to the Gentiles.

God told Daniel to seal up the scrolls until the end of time. Not until the Book of Revelation was one worthy to open the seven seals on the scroll.

Revelation 5:1"Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals."

• Daniel the Man

•      Ezekiel living around the same time as Daniel but he was older and lived on Jewish soil. He delivered messages from God to the Jewish people. Jeremiah also a contemporary tells us God used Nebuchadnezzar teach Israel He can use a pagan king to discipline His people.

•      In the first group captured 14-15 yrs. old but he was not there when the temple was destroyed. Daniel and his friends were not treated as slaves but offered food from the King's table and educated in the palace.

•      Diplomatic in refusing the rich food yet bold enough to ask as you will study in Chapter 1.

•      Never wavered in his faithfulness even when his life is threatened.

•      Daniel never preached a sermon but he Glorified God with his visions. Daniel rose to a position where he was comfort ble in the presence of kings.

•      Lived the entire 70 years God allowed Judah' s' captivity

•      Daniel lived most of his 80+ years under several different kings and rulers.

•      Daniel living in a pagan land offered luxury and power yet maintained his integrity and devotion to God.

Would you choose to be a Daniel and let God be in Control of your life?

Prepare for next week. SHOW BOOK

Lesson 1-your commentary God is in Control is wonderful and explains the history and captivity of the children of Israel. It has wonderful clues to fact we may have missed. My suggestion is to read your commentary as soon as possible: over the week-end. Those 2-3 questions at the end apply to my wrap up and the commentary . It is easier to answer while it is fresh in your mind.

Lesson 2-You will read Daniel chapter 1 and answer questions each day. Work through page 9.

Be wary of using study bibles and commentaries for your answers. A commentary is only one person's understanding. Just like my teaching is one woman's understanding. We want you to spend time with God and allow his Holy Spirit to guide you to the truth.

PRAYER

Dear Father,

We know You have a message for those in this world living in sorrow and pain. Use us to bring the message through the hands, feet, and mouth of Your followers. Lord, You desire us to be Your light in this dark world bringing the kind of encouragement Daniel taught us. Only God can heal people weary of sin and suffering when we look to Him.

Welcome to CBS Women's Evening Class

Welcome to Women’s Evening CBS. I am Ann Sanger your Teaching Director. We want to thank Firestone Wesleyan and their congregation for hosting us this year. It is hard to believe we were at Flint Groves for 12 years. We desire to build a genuine community here in our groups and in the study as a whole—one that will be an example of Christian love and caring Pastor Roger will present an Opening next week and welcome you to the church. We covenant with the church to reach the community for Jesus Christ.

You should have received a WELCOME PACKET beginning with a letter from your TD-Ann Sanger, a list Leadership and Administrative team, Names and contacts for the Servant Team. Member Information and a Calendar we will address on later.

It is so wonderful to see this large group of ladies come out in the evening to study God’s Word and further your relationship with Jesus Our Lord. Together with our leadership team we hope you are ready to study God’s Word. Mary Alice McDanal is my Associate Teaching Director. Valerie Payne is our Coordinator; Jean Falls is our Prayer Chairman/Senior Leader. Jean and Mary Alice will also be Substitutes if any Core Leaders are unable to lead a core. Mary Alice will introduce the Core Leaders at the end when we send you to you rooms.

People of all ages—from a variety of backgrounds, and with different levels of Bible knowledge—come to study the Bible and grow in their knowledge and relationship with the living Lord. CBS in Gaston County is blessed to have a variety of CBS classes for all ages.

•         Men Class @Ranlo Baptist on Tuesday pm

•         Women Day class*Parkwood Baptist on Wednesday am

•         Women Evening Class Firestone Wesleyan on Thursday pm

•         NEW Co-ed Class *Park Street in Belmont on Sunday pm

• Two Classes have a Children Ministry

–       Women's Day

–       Co-ed

• Newly formed in January of 2014 is a wonderful group for E-Teens @ Flint Groves on Monday pm.
• There is Prisoner Ministry@Dallas Correctional Center Tues. @ noon
• CBSI is in 80 countries taught in 60 languages. We will have an Opening later in the year to share about their work

With all these classes across the world it is imperative that we maintain the goals and guidelines of the CBS organization. Your Core leaders will tell you about this when you leave the sanctuary.

There are many new faces to CBS or new to evening CBS. Some of you come straight from work and we in the evening class try to cater to your busy life sharing grace. You will find we are all sisters in Christ and stay true to the Bible, God’s Holy Word.

Show Cover- We are going to guide you through your newly printed books. They arrived just days before our annual training class. What do you notice about the word Community? Yes the small word UNITY which is what we want to create here at CBS. CBS is part of the community but it is not affiliated with any particular church or denomination. Denominational issues will not be discussed or applied as we study. We show grace and understanding to those whose doctrine is different from our own and we strive to make everyone comfortable, cared for and confident.

Here are some ways you can make a difference in CBS:

• Dig deeply into God’s Word.

• Pray for your class.
• Learn more about CBS. Website, request newsletter, FB, contributions

Ladies this slide is for Ann Sanger. I am not gifted in keeping track of my stuff. That’s why I need a team to keep up with my books, keys, phone, iPad, etc. So Please put your names and your core leaders name, #, and email.  You will receive the next volume around Thanksgiving we should begin Revelation in DEC.

CBS-Our mission is to make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ in our communities through caring, in-depth Bible study, available to all.

Thirty‐seven years ago our founder, Lee Campbell, prayerfully and obediently said “yes” to God’s calling and equipping to serve as our first Executive Director.  After Lee’s 21 years of faithful service God called our Camilla Seabolt, to step out in faith and receive the pass of the leadership baton from Lee. Camilla has served faithfully since 1997. Our veteran core members will remember Camilla’s letter was in the front of every book. 

This is our new Executive Director for CBS National: Kimm Carr. She is vibrant and spirit filled and her letter is now in all the books printed by CBS National. Take time to read her letter; it will inspire you.

This is a CBS 4 Step Method-proven effective over time (Illustration- reading  directions for assembling trellis)

•         Personal Study

•         Core Group Discussion Please do not stay home because you have incomplete questions.
·        Teaching time is my wrap-up or additional comments on the lesson. Those who cannot stay because of your jobs will find my notes on a blog. http://gastoniawomensevecbs.blogspot.com/

•         Commentary –I like to read this for my quiet time soon after Thursday’s class. It has wonderful clues to things we may have missed. It has a couple “thinking questions” concerning the core discussion, lecture or commentary. It is easier to answer while it is fresh in your mind.

How many of you sent children or grandchildren back to school recently?

One word that brings dread ~ HOMEWORK.

But Ladies this is going to be the best time of your day. You may have to find the perfect time for you. But it will bless you in ways you cannot imagine. Can I get Amen?

The writers of the lessons have broken it down into 5 days of questions. If you have a tablet or smart phone I recommend you download the ESV version for quick lookup of the numerous Scriptures. As you will soon learn we go from Genesis to Revelation when we study. If you are new to bible study you may not be familiar with all the smaller books in the bible. Some of those minor prophets seem to hide out when the pastor calls for us to lookup Habakkuk or Nahum.

While we encourage you to spend 15 minutes a day in Bible Study. In the beginning just do as much as you can, it may take you a while to figure out what the writers are asking. Your core leader or another member can give you some tips. Please come on even if you were sick or busy or unable to finish. However, we ask that you refrain from answering those questions you did not complete. 

Different type questions –charts; application

Calendar is in your welcome packet. You may want to highlight coffees and dinners. We love to fellowship and desire to form a close knit group capable of sharing. (snow days)WBTV, WSOC

Table of Contents/Do you see number 11-spiritual warfare? Ladies expect difficulty finding time to do your questions and anything can happen on a Thursday to prevent you from coming. Satan will do anything to dishonor Our Father. The enemy does not want us learning his tricks.

Prayer is a must before tackling you study! Put your armor on and get ready for battle. Here is a sample of your lesson 2 for next week. Lesson one is the Commentary. My tip as a school teacher for 33 years is to read all the questions. Sometimes we get so wound up writing the answer we may answer the next 2 or 3 and run out of room on the page.

Mary Alice McDanal will now introduce our Core Leaders and as she calls your names you can follow your leader to your room. You will have only a few minutes to receive you Name Tag, fill in your first page and say “hello” to each other.

Please return to the sanctuary for our wrap-up.