Speaking What People Need to Hear in the Moment
Scripture background: Daniel 4
Key Verse: Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue. (Daniel 4:27)
Study questions:
1. Be Daniel for a moment. Why are you so unsettled by King Nebuchadnezzar's dream (verse 19)?
2. What did the dream portend for the king?
3. Why did God have to severely prune the king? What outcome was assured if Nebuchadnezzar obeyed Daniel's advice (verse 26)?
4. What main action step did Daniel advise the king to take (verse 27)?
5. What did Nebuchadnezzar do in spite of Daniel's advice (verse 28-30)?
6. What was God's response to the king's "I'm God" speech (verse 31-33)?
7. What brought the king's wilderness experience to an end (verse 34-36)?
8. What connection do you see between Daniel's advice in verse 27 and the king's prayer in verses 34-37?
9. What did God want Nebuchadnezzar to realize as a result of his wilderness experience and Daniel's willingness to boldly speak God's Word to him (verse 37)?
Call to action:
Pray about your role in the lives of others. Ask God to use you to help others become better worshipers and followers of Jesus Christ.
Final thoughts:
In Daniel chapter 4 we find that Daniel has to give some disturbing, unhappy news to king Nebuchadnezzar. He has become arrogant in thinking that his great kingdom was built only by him and that he's the king of kings...WRONG! Daniel has to verbally slap him in the face to help him understand that we have only one almighty God that gives and also takes away. So this week I want us to remember that everything we have, everything we have accomplished so far, and any skills we have were graciously given to us by God. So we must praise him first in everything we do. (Michael Corks)
Scripture background: Daniel 4
Key Verse: Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue. (Daniel 4:27)
Study questions:
1. Be Daniel for a moment. Why are you so unsettled by King Nebuchadnezzar's dream (verse 19)?
2. What did the dream portend for the king?
3. Why did God have to severely prune the king? What outcome was assured if Nebuchadnezzar obeyed Daniel's advice (verse 26)?
4. What main action step did Daniel advise the king to take (verse 27)?
5. What did Nebuchadnezzar do in spite of Daniel's advice (verse 28-30)?
6. What was God's response to the king's "I'm God" speech (verse 31-33)?
7. What brought the king's wilderness experience to an end (verse 34-36)?
8. What connection do you see between Daniel's advice in verse 27 and the king's prayer in verses 34-37?
9. What did God want Nebuchadnezzar to realize as a result of his wilderness experience and Daniel's willingness to boldly speak God's Word to him (verse 37)?
Call to action:
Pray about your role in the lives of others. Ask God to use you to help others become better worshipers and followers of Jesus Christ.
Final thoughts:
In Daniel chapter 4 we find that Daniel has to give some disturbing, unhappy news to king Nebuchadnezzar. He has become arrogant in thinking that his great kingdom was built only by him and that he's the king of kings...WRONG! Daniel has to verbally slap him in the face to help him understand that we have only one almighty God that gives and also takes away. So this week I want us to remember that everything we have, everything we have accomplished so far, and any skills we have were graciously given to us by God. So we must praise him first in everything we do. (Michael Corks)