This week we’re working on Lesson 4. This will be our only week to study chapter 8, can you believe it? The 1st 2 days of our homework are to be spent observing the chapter. Like chapter 7, Daniel has a vision and then receives an interpretation of his vision. It can seem rather confusing at 1st glance! So, here are some suggestions that will hopefully simplify things a bit:
1. Don’t worry about interpreting every detail immediately! Remember: focus on what is obvious, not the obscure. What’s obvious? Well, this vision involves a ram, a goat, and a small horn. (That’s right….we’ve got another small horn!) So, pick 3 different colored pens and mark each reference to the ram, the goat, and the small horn.
2. After you’ve marked those 3, make a simple list of everything you learn about each one on a piece of paper. Use Daniel’s words when making your lists….don’t add your own words. This helps us keep our observations objective. We want to become very familiar with the facts of chapter 8.
When you finish making your lists, look back over them and think about what you’re learning. We don’t have to wonder who the ram and goat represent…we’re told very clearly! When you look at your list about the small horn, notice which kingdom he comes out of. Is he the same guy as the little big horn in chapter 7? Reason thru your answer, using chapter 8.
Note: you may not want to mark the ram, the goat, and the small horn at the same time. You might find it helpful to just focus on one of those at a time. For example, you could mark the ram, then make your list on the ram. Look back over your list and think about what you’re learning. Afterwards, get up and go do something else! If you’re like me, there’s always laundry waiting to be done!! Come back later and work on the goat. Breaking it down into smaller steps can help.
3. After you mark the ram, goat, and small horn, you may want to mark all references to God and any other people or angelic beings mentioned in the chapter.
4. Read over the chapter and mark any time phrases you find.
5. After you've spent time observing chapter 8, look back over your notes from the 1st lessons about the history of the Middle East. Review what we learned about the Medo/Persian and Greek Empires. Who was Greece’s 1st king? Hmmmm....does he show up in chapter 8? What happened to his empire when he died?
6. There will be some challenging things to interpret in chapter 8. If you see things you just don’t understand, put a little question mark next to them in pencil. And then move on! If you have a lot of little question marks, that’s ok! Remember: focus on what is obvious! Yes, there are some confusing things…but there are many clear things as well.
As you study, keep in mind that this is a process! Sometimes we want it all to come together quickly and in a neat, orderly fashion. Well, that’s just not gonna happen in Daniel!! So, relax and enjoy the ride! Think about how much we're learning this fall! Isn't it amazing? Yes, we have many questions about what we're learning, but we also have many answers!
Paul prayed this prayer for the believers in Philippi:
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."
Amen!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I searched for the Elam province in Google maps and here's what I found. It was really neat - it gave me a little page of info about the place. Here's what it said:
ReplyDelete"SUSA (su’s a, Heb. shûshan). A city of the Babylonians probably named from the lilies that grow in this region in large numbers. It was famous in biblical history as one of the capitals of the Persian Empire (Neh 1:1; Esth 1:2; Dan 8:2) during the time of Darius the Great. Here also Persian kings came to reside for the winter, and here Daniel had a vision (Dan 8:1-14; see v. 2). The Hebrews called this place “Shushan” (so KJV). It was located in the fertile valley on the left bank of the Choaspes River called the Ulai Canal in Daniel 8:2, 16. It enjoyed a very delightful climate. Many Jews lived here and became prominent in the affairs of the city as the Books of Esther and Nehemiah show. From this city was sent the group who replaced those removed from Samaria (Ezra 4:9). In the last part of the nineteenth century the French carried on extensive excavations at Susa directed by Dieulafoy. This archaeological effort uncovered the great palace of King Xerxes (KJV Ahasuerus, 486-465 B.C.) in which Queen Esther lived."
I thought that was pretty cool! I found it helful to refer to the map when I read Dan 8 since there are so many references to directions in the chapter. It kind of helped for me to see it. Here's the link to the map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=34.597042,43.945313&spn=20.847287,53.481445&z=5&msid=111130569799515818448.0004760f7d3d3042f7e07