Homework: Lesson 4

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!

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.

Bible Study Tips: Lesson 8

This is our last week in Daniel, Part 1. I've loved studying these 1st 6 chapters, haven't you?

In our homework this week on Day 3, assignment #3 instructs us to read some verses and look for 1 word that describes Daniel. The same word will show up in each verse. If you are using a New American Standard Bible, the word is very obvious. But, if you are using another translation, this assignment might be a bit confusing. So, I'm going to give you the verses in the NASB below.

If you have access to other translations, it might be interesting to read these verses and see other ways this Hebrew word can be translated.

Ps 7:8: ...vindicate me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.

Ps 26:1: Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity...

Prov 11:3: The integrity of the upright will guide them...

Prov 19:1: Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool.

Prov 20:7: A righteous man who walks in his integrity--How blessed are his sons after him.

I hope this helps!

Study Tip: Week One

Our 1st lesson is an overview of chapters 1-6 in Daniel. Next week we’ll overview chapters 7-12. An overview involves looking at the book as a whole. It’s meant to be a ‘big picture’ approach. We’ll study the details of each chapter later. We’re just trying to get a feel for the flow of the whole book these 1st 2 weeks. If you begin to feel a bit overwhelmed as you read through Daniel, just keep telling yourself that we'll sort out the details later! It'll be fun...I promise!

On Day 1 in this week's homework, assignment #2 (p. 2) tells us to look for key words in each chapter. Key words are words that are repeated and are essential to the meaning of the passage. They help us tune into the author's main message in that chapter. Significant people are always key words. In these 1st 6 chapters, I would suggest you just look for the main people in each chapter. For example, in the first chapter, the following people are key players: Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel’s 3 friends, Ashpenaz, and the overseer. Just remember: Keep it simple these 1st 2 weeks!

If you have questions while you're working on the lesson, want to comment on something in the homework, or are wondering how others answered particular questions, feel free to post your comments or questions. It will be fun to have some online discussions during the week!