Winter finds us at Woodland right in the middle of the Book of Daniel—and right where we need to be!
Daniel is about how the Kingdom of God overcomes the kingdoms of this world and about how God’s people should live in a foreign land while God brings history to a close. Like I say, I think we’re listening. It’s where we need to be, right now.
This week we’re in the back half of chapter 2, where Daniel tells the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar, about his own dream, and interprets it for him. I’ll let you read it for yourself, but note verse 44, a verse I take to be the key verse of the entire book:
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.
We’re told earlier in the passage that the dream is given to Nebuchadnezzar, ” … that you may know the thoughts of your mind” (in other words that you, oh king, may conform yourself to the ultimate reality of God’s plan). What will the king do with this knowledge? What will each of us do?
The beauty of the Book of Daniel is that we can, likewise, conform our minds to the ultimate reality of God’s will. When nations rise and fall, we don’t have to be angry, afraid, or even confused. Like Israel of old, we will live under godless rulers, but we can … Expect to know God’s plan when we are subject to godless rulers, in a foreign land.
Here’s a few questions to guide our group discussion through the passage:
- What can we learn from verses 25-30 about God’s purpose in revealing His plan to King Nebuchadnezzar?
- What general observations from verses 31-35 can be made about the statue in King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream?
- What part does the stone “cut out by no human hand” play in the dream? What does this tell us about ultimate reality?
- In light of the interpretation of the dream, found in verses 36-45, what should we look for when we see world powers rising in importance?
- We see, in verses 45-49, how Nebuchadnezzar responded to the dream—and will see next week what he really thought. How should we respond to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, revealed by God in Daniel?
Be blessed … And see you this Sunday, at Woodland!