Homework: Lesson 1, Part 2

This week we are working on the 2nd part of the 1st lesson. This past Wednesday we reviewed the history of the Middle East as it relates to Daniel, and we did an overview of Daniel so we could see how the book is put together. This week we are diving into chapter 7. (For those of you who missed class, start working on assignment #2, page 5 in your workbook. This lesson ends on page 10.)

If you are new to our study, there is a copy of the entire book of Daniel in the appendix of your workbook. Each chapter is double spaced and has wide margins, so you can write all over it!

Our first assignment is to "observe Daniel 7" (page 5, #2a). The workbook instructs us to mark key words as we read Daniel 7. You'll need colored pens or pencils to do this, and you get to choose how you mark each word. Try to keep your markings simple - that helps! For example, you might just draw a blue box around Daniel. Remember to also mark any pronoun or synonyms for the words you're marking. This will take some time, so pace yourself. As you mark each word, think about what you're learning about that word.

After you mark the key words they give in the workbook, you will also want to mark all the time phrases you find. Time phrases help us keep the sequence of events straight, so they're helpful when we're observing a chapter, especially in these chapters. Again, keep it simple! I usually underline a time phrase with a black pen and draw a small clock in the left margin next to the verse (okay, so sometimes I don't draw a clock next to every single time phrase I underline...just the biggies).

There are a lot of time phrases in chapter 7. For example: verse 1 begins with the phrase "In the year of Belshazzar king of Babylon." That's a biggie, so we need to note it. Here are examples of a few other time phrases that aren't so big but are helpful to notice: v2: by night, v6: after this, v7: after this, v 8: while. This is just to get you started - there are a lot more of them in the chapter!

After you mark the key words and time phrases, it will be helpful to notice when Daniel is describing his dream and when he is given the interpretation of his dream. Next to verse 2 I wrote Dream in the left margin. When you find the verse that begins the interpretation, you could write Interpretation next to it. This will help you see the flow of the chapter.

After you've spent time observing chapter 7, there's a wonderful assignment at the top of page 6. There are pages in the appendix where you can record what you learn about God and about Daniel in each chapter. This is where things can become personal for each of us. We want to make sure we aren't just going for 'head knowledge' as we study Daniel but also let it sink into our hearts. Take time to think about what you're learning about your God in chapter 7 this week. How does all this apply to you...to how you think about God? As you watch Daniel in each chapter, what can you learn from this godly man? How does he respond to this dream?

I encourage you to spend some time in prayer and then write down your thoughts. This can become a journal of sorts as you go thru Daniel. Won't it be interesting to reread it when we finish our study in December?

The main point of everything we're doing is to closely observe the text of each chapter...this week, chapter 7. It's important to slow ourselves down and really look objectively at what the text says. This way of studying is all about the process. No one is gonna grade your homework! The goal is to know God more intimately.

I hope this helps a bit! If you've never done a Precept study before, it can seem rather overwhelming at first. If you're feeling that way right about now, you're not alone...trust me! But, if you stick with it and give it a try, I think you'll find that this way of studying God's Word is truly a blessing. Remember to give yourselve time and lots of grace along the way!

Do you have questions about your homework for week two? About marking Key Words or Time Phrases? If so, please post them in the "comments" section of this post.