Goals
1. To further student’s understanding of the Old Testament book of Daniel
2. To help students understand the difference between narrative literature in the Bible and prophetic literature
3. To inspire students with the simple truth that God is in control
Scripture Memorization
Daniel 6:26-27
OPENING PRAYER (5 to 10 minutes)
GROUP BUILDING (5 minutes)
Split your group into three teams. Have each team spend some time sharing with one another the weirdest dream they have ever had. As a team, have them select a winner, the person with the weirdest dream in their group.
Next, have each team’s winner share his or her dream with the whole group. Serving as the judge, elect an overall winner for the class.
This exercise will surely bring about some laughs, and will help your group get to know each other better.
GETTING STARTED (10 minutes)
General Discussion:
• What has been your favorite part of our Daniel study so far?
• What is one thing you’ve learned that you didn’t know before?
• If someone asked you what the book of Daniel was about, what’s the one thing you would say to him or her?
Today, we’re going to cover the last chapter of the story-telling part of Daniel and the first two chapters of the more prophetic part of the book. Yet during this shift in style, we realize that one thing is the same no matter what chapters we are reading—God is in charge.
DIGGING IN (30 minutes)
Assign each team, which were assigned during “Group Building,” one chapter to read. The first team reads Daniel 6, the second team Daniel 7, and the third team Daniel 8.
Give each team a chance to explain what happens in their chapter. They may discover some great insights! Below is a brief summary of each chapter’s contents and some questions to ask the entire group once each team reports.
Daniel 6: Daniel & the Lion’s Den
Some administrators seek to trap Daniel by urging King Darius to create some laws that Daniel is sure to violate due to his allegiance to God. Once he does, the king has no choice but to punish him in accordance to his new decrees.
He throws Daniel in a den of lions, feels awful about it, and stays up all night worrying. As it turns out, God protects Daniel and he emerges from the den without a single scratch. Darius praises God and has his administrators punished for their manipulation.
Before their bodies can hit the bottom of the den, the lions have crushed their bones.
Discussion Questions:
1. Do you find it hard to obey God when other people are not?
2. Why is it hard to stay faithful to God when it’s unpopular to do so?
3. If you were in Daniel’s situation, what would you have done when the decree was issued?
4. How do you think Daniel felt in the lion’s den? How do you think you would have felt?
In Daniel 6, we discover that God has great power to shut the mouths of lions. No matter what the situation, God will honor those faithful to Him.
Daniel 7: The Four Beasts
The tides turn again for Daniel. For the first time to our knowledge, Daniel has a dream that doesn’t have to do specifically with a dream or interpretation for the current ruler. Obviously, the events in Daniel are not in complete chronological order, because Belshazzar was defeated back in chapter 5.
The writing in chapter 7 and 8 is completely different from the storytelling type writing we have been reading in Daniel. The writing style used here is called “apocalyptic,” which discusses certain mysteries of today as well as times to come. It is intentionally picturesque, and is designed to evoke not only the mind, but also the emotions.
Remember that this type of writing would be FAMILIAR to a Hebrew reading the book of Daniel, much like a rhyming poem might be familiar to you.
Four beasts are described in chapter 7. Thankfully, the interpretation for each is given to us in the chapter:
BEAST 1: Lion (Babylon)
• Represents the fall of Nebuchadnezzar’s pride when he went insane
• Lions were representative of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar had lions lining the main gate entrance to Babylon
BEAST 2: Bear (Medo-Persia)
• One side was higher- Persians had more influence than Medes
• 3 ribs: made three major conquests before their defeat
• This transition to power happens within the book of Daniel (as we just read in chapter 6, the Persian king Darius is on the throne)
BEAST 3: Leopard (Greece)
• Alexander the Great was leader for 4 years
• Kingdom was divided in 4 parts quickly after his death
• Greeks ruled basically all of the known world, but didn’t do so well after the sudden death of 33 year-old Alexander
• Greeks “Hellenized” everywhere they went, spreading language and culture
• This transition does not occur for a couple more centuries after Daniel is written
BEAST 4: Terrifying and Frightening Beast (Rome and world rulers)
• Rome was historically more powerful than any empire before it
• The 10 horns were likely two sets of 5 antlers, possibly representing the 10 states of Rome
• The Romans do not take power until shortly before the New Testament narrative begins
Also noteworthy is the title, “Son of Man.” This figure in this passage is a title Jesus adopts for Himself in the Gospels. All people everywhere will eventually bow down to Him. His kingdom will not pass away nor be destroyed. As He puts it, His kingdom is not of this world.
Discussion Questions:
1. How can these four confusing visions be helpful to us? (They show us that God is more powerful than us, that He is in control, that He is incomprehensible, etc.)
2. What do these interpretations tell us about worldly kingdoms? (They will come and go. They never last.)
3. These visions tell of four powers from history. How many powers do you think have risen and fallen since? (Dozens, if not hundreds!)
4. Does this shake your confidence in the worldly powers of today? How might that be a good thing? (Allow for discussion.)
5. In whom should we put our confidence? (God.)
In Daniel 7, God is sovereign over big and small. We are on the winning team now and forever. Hard times may come, but we are promised victory.
Daniel 8: The Vision of the Ram & Goat
In this vision, Daniel sees various rams being defeated by animals that are more powerful. He is troubled by the vision, and has it explained to him by an angel. However, after hearing the explanation, which he is plainly told involves the distant future; he is worn out and lays motionless for days. He even claims it is beyond understanding.
Discussion Questions:
1. How can trying to apply visions like this to history be a difficult task? (They are hard to understand, so they are hard to apply, they can unintentionally be misinterpreted, they can be taken too literally, etc.)
2. Do you think it is good to focus on predictions like these? Why or why not? (Prophecy’s main point is never just for the sake of prediction, but rather as encouragement to believers.)
3. Does a prophecy being confusing make it unhelpful? (No. In light of above, it is encouraging to know that in the end, God stands alone as eternal and strong.)
4. How is this vision from Daniel 8 still helpful to us? (Again, it is encouraging in light of suffering, just as it was to Daniel in his time in captivity.)
We should always focus on this: when things seem uncertain, one thing is certain—God is in charge of all history and all future.
MAKING IT REAL (10 minutes)
In Daniel 6-8, one theme emerges from each chapter. God is in control.
General Discussion:
• What does it mean to you that God is in control?
• If God can control the mouths of lions or cause kingdoms of this world to rise and fall, what does that mean for His power in your life?
• Being faithful to God does not make life easier. In fact, it will probably make it harder. How can these chapters encourage you?
• What is your one take-away from the passages that we’ve studied together?
There is no doubt that being a Christian does NOT totally protect you from hard times in life. In fact, Jesus Himself predicted that we would even have trouble because of Him (see John 14).
However, there is great peace in knowing that we are on the winning team. The Bible is clear that sin is a temporary king-only ruling for a time, and the spotless lamb wins the war (Revelation 2:10).
Often times it is difficult to be a Christian, especially if we don’t feel like God is doing big things in our lives. In Daniel’s time, most of the world, along with the Hebrew people, seemed to think that God was dead and wasn’t at work in their lives. However, He WAS at work and doing things, and He had everything under control!
CLOSING PRAYER (2 minutes)
Pray for your students to completely trust God with their lives.