DANIEL TWO (Part 1)
Keys of the Kingdom Study Guides • Daniel Six
DANIEL SIX
Whose Law? God’s or Man’s
INTRODUCTION
Daniel’s first 5 chapters have shown us six practical keys:
Key #1 Giving my heart to God
Key #2 Staying connected to Him
Key #3 Increasing faith by prophecy study
Key #4 Memoring and claiming God’s promises
Key #5 Asking for and living in the Spirit
Key #6 Acting immediately on truth
In today’s lesson we will discover yet another key:
Key #7 Being sealed by God and used by Him
Read Daniel 6:1-3
1.What had just happened to Babylon? What kingdom was now in power? Why was Daniel in this position?
Note:Babylon had just fallen to the Medes and the Persians (see verse 28). Daniel was immediately placed in a position of great responsibility so the king would ‘suffer no loss’. In Ezra 4:13 the word used for ‘revenue’ (money) is the same as those used in this verse for ‘suffer no loss’. Evidently the king could not trust those closest to him with financial matters. Financial gain, political power or position did not motivate Daniel. Most individuals are extinguished by success and close scrutiny. However, Daniel only became more distinguished. The six spiritual keys we have studied were a reality in His life.
Read Daniel 6:4-9
2.Why did Daniel’s enemies want him gone? How did they go about attempting to get rid of him?
Note: The Bible says, ‘Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy’ (Proverbs 27:4 KJV)? Envy is the fruit of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). Those who live by the Spirit have lives characterized by His fruits (Galatians 5:22,23). Obedience to God is a natural result of faithfulness (Romans 1:5; 16:26). These envious men realized that Daniel was a man of faith and obedience. The only way to cause Daniel to fall out of favor with the king would be to pit the king’s words against God’s words—against God’s law.
Read Revelation 12:17; 13:15
3.At the end of time will God’s people and their relationship to His law again be the focus?
Note: These two texts indicate that God’s law and His people will again come under close scrutiny. The Dragon (the devil, Rev 12:9,10) will be very upset with God’s people (woman = God’s church, Rev 19:7,8) who keep His commandments. It will get so bad that they will, like Daniel, be threatened with death.
Read Daniel 6:10
4.What does this verse tell us about Daniel’s devotional life? What does it tell us about his courage and confidence?
Note: Daniel’s devotional life was the life-blood of His relationship with God. With confidence and courage He faced Jerusalem because that was where God’s sanctuary had been. God had promised to hear and answer prayer directed toward the sanctuary (1 Kings 8:44,45). He prayed three times a day, as Scripture indicated this to be the best policy (Psalm 55:17).
Read Psalm 37:30-32; Psalm 119:165
5.What does God promise to those who meditate and love His law?
Note: Faith in God’s word is the basis of peace and confidence in the Christian walk. The longest song in the Bible (Psalm 119) deals with the promises of God to those who meditate on His law.
Read Daniel 6:11-13
6.On what basis did the leaders in Darius’s realm base their criticism of Daniel?
Note: The devil, through the use of lawless men and women, will do anything to get us to turn away from God and his law. He hates God's law and those who live in obedience to the law.
Read Daniel 6:14,15; Mark 6:18-27
7.What did the king attempt to do? What lessons can we learn from this interesting New Testament parallel?
Note: Herod enjoyed John’s preaching. He would listen to it for hours. However, Herod had a blind spot. Though he knew it was wrong, he had married his brother’s wife—a clear violation of God’s law. He had a liking for sins of the flesh. As a result, the dancing and request of his wife’s daughter were used by the devil to cause Herod to promise anything up to half of his kingdom. The devil took advantage of this rash promise to bring about the death of God’s messenger. Instead of being sealed by God’s Spirit, Herod grieved the Spirit away as a result of his love of the flesh. If we are to be successful Christians, God’s Spirit must seal us. When this has happened, we can withstand the times of testing which God in His wisdom allows.
Read Daniel 6:16-18
8.What adds a note of finality to the king’s law?
Note: The king’s seal was his official endorsement of the decree of death. Daniel’s fate was ‘sealed’. What were the fruits of the king’s action? The text tells us that just as He had no rest during the day (verse 14) he also would have no rest at night (verse 18). At the end of time, those who don’t follow Christ fully will also ‘have no rest, day or night’ (Revelation 14:11).
9.It is interesting to notice that everything the king and the leaders of Medo-Persia said about their law was only partially true. Notice the following:
Man’s LawGod’s Law
Loveless display (Dan. 6:5)(Ex. 20:6) ‘Them that love’
Written on clay (Dan. 6:8)(Heb. 8:8-12) Written on heart
Man’s throne (Dan. 6)(Ex. 24:12) Gods’ throne
Man’s signature (Dan. 6:5)(Deut 4:13) Gods’ writing
Changeable (Dan. 6:7)(Mal 3:6) Unchangeable
Man’s seal (Dan. 6:9,17)(Rev. 7:3) God’s seal
Note: Daniel 6 shows us the struggle between the law of man and the law of God. The Bible teaches that we are to have God’s law written in our hearts and minds. In fact the largest direct Old Testament quotation (Jer. 31:31-33) found in the New Testament is in Hebrews 8:8-12. This shows us that it is, and always has been, God’s desire to write His law in our hearts. God desires us to allow Him to write His law in our hearts because we love Him and desire Him to seal us in His image.
10.Let’s take a closer look at the sealing of God’s people:
a. What will happen before Jesus returns? (Revelation 7:1-3)
b. What is a servant? (Ephesians 6:6)
c. What is the will of God? (Psalm 40:8)
d. What is the seal called? (Romans 4:11)
e. Will God’s disciples be sealed? (Isaiah 8:16,20)
f. Who seals them? (Hebrews 8:10)
Note: God’s desire is that His servants (pictured as tree, just like Nebuchadnezzar was in chapter 4) will be sealed before He returns (Rev. 7:1-3). To be a servant, one must have a desire to do God’s will (Ephesians 6:6). The will of God is His law (Psalm 40:8). A seal is also a sign (Romans 4:11). God’s disciples are sealed with God’s law (Isaiah 8:16,20). It is God himself who seals them (Hebrews 8:10).
Read Daniel 6:16,19-23,25,26
11.How was Daniel tested? What were the results?
Note: Daniel was a true servant of the living God. As a result of His faithfulness when sealed and tested, God was able to use him as His example for the entire nation. He was lifted from the lion’s den, a fitting preview of Christ’s resurrection from the sealed tomb at Calvary. This also provides a picture of those lifted from the clutches of the devouring lion, Satan, at the second coming of Jesus.
Read Revelation 19:7,8; 22:11,12
12.What will be the final outcome for true believers that are faithful unto death at the end of time?
Read Daniel 6:24
13.What happened to those who stood for man’s law instead of God’s law?
Conclusion
When a person cans their own vegetables or fruits, they go through quite an in-depth process. First the produce must be grown. Then it is picked and cleaned in preparation for canning. Next it is boiled and sealed in jars. God uses the same process with us. He plants seeds of love in our hearts that leads us to give our hearts to Him. Through prayer we maintain a vital connection with the source of all life. He strengthens our relationship with Him by pointing to prophecies of the past and sending His Spirit in the present. As we act on the truths He’s given us, even when tested He seals us and then works through us to reveal His will to others.
Commitment Questions
Do you desire to have God’s law written in your heart?
Do you desire to be sealed by God and used as His example to reach others for His cause?
Suggested Memory Text
“Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” Psalms 119:165
Parallels Between Daniel 6 & The Mark of The Beast in Revelation
Comparison No. 1:
1.Daniel was persecuted because he chose to obey God’s law. (Daniel 6:5)
2.The Remnant will be persecuted for keeping God’s law, as did Christ. (Rev. 12:17)
Comparison No. 2:
3.The king of Persia made a law that commanded false worship. (Daniel 6:6-9)
4.The beast power will lead the world to make a law that commands false worship. (Rev. 13:15)
Comparison No. 3:
5.The Persian law led people to worship a man - Darius the Mede. (Daniel 6:7)
6.The mark of the beast issue brings the world to worship a man with the number 666. (Rev. 13:18)
Comparison No. 4
7.The penalty in Daniel 6 involved the death decree. (Daniel 6:7)
8.The penalty in the mark of the beast issue involves the death decree. (Rev. 13:15)
Comparison No. 5
9.Daniel was saved by the intervention of God. (Daniel 6:19-23)
10.God’s people are delivered by the coming of Christ. (Rev. 19:11)
Comparison No. 6
11.Daniel’s persecutors were thrown to the lions. (Daniel 6:24)
12.The worshipers of the beast who persecute God’s people will receive the seven last plagues. (Rev. 18:4; Rev. 16:6)
Comparison No. 7
13.No rest day or night for the king (Daniel 6:14,18)
14.No rest day or night for those who receive the mark of the beast (Rev. 14:11)
Next Time
Next week we will be thrilled with the dream of Daniel, which repeats but enlarges upon the information of Daniel two. We will see the same information presented in Nebuchadnezzar’s great image revealed by different symbols in Daniel’s dream. A new element however is introduced which we will find to be a central element in the remainder of Daniel and as well in Revelation.
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