Daniel 3:1-30 (HCSB)1 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue, 90 feet high and nine feet wide. He set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces to attend the dedication of the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 So the satrap...  Read More

Taking The Road Less TravelledThe events in the book of Daniel took place during the time when God's people had been taken into captivity by the Babylonians and later the Medo-Persian Empire from 605 BC to 536 BC..Study The Word: Daniel lived in a world hostile to his faith and devotion to God. While there was a very real temptation to conform to the world around him, Daniel stood strong.Key Truth...  Read More

One of the key themes this week is how Daniel, while in Exile, wouldn’t defile himself –regardless of the consequences. Daniel experienced push back but stood strong. Why did he experience “favor and compassion” (Dan. 1:9)? What kind of strength does it take to live for God when no one else does? Where do you need to do that? What would that look like? Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah follow...  Read More

Daniel 2:31-49 (HCSB)31 "My king, as you were watching, a colossal statue appeared. That statue, tall and dazzling, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was terrifying. 32 The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its stomach and thighs were bronze, 33 its legs were iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly fired clay. 34 As you were watching, a stone b...  Read More

Daniel 2:14-30 (HCSB)14 Then Daniel responded with tact and discretion to Arioch, the commander of the king's guard, who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon. 15 He asked Arioch, the king's officer, "Why is the decree from the king so harsh?" Then Arioch explained the situation to Daniel. 16 So Daniel went and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could give the king the inte...  Read More

Daniel 2:1-13 (HCSB)1 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled him, and sleep deserted him. 2 So the king gave orders to summon the diviner-priests, mediums, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. When they came and stood before the king, 3 he said to them, "I have had a dream and am anxious to understand it." 4 The Chaldeans spoke to the king (Aramai...  Read More

Daniel 1:17-21 (HCSB)17 God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams of every kind. 18 At the end of the time that the king had said to present them, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king interviewed them, and among all of them, no one was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Misha...  Read More

Daniel 1:1-16 (HCSB)1In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it. 2 The Lord handed Jehoiakim king of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels from the house of God. Nebuchadnezzar carried them to the land of Babylon, to the house of his god, and put the vessels in the treasury of his god. 3 The king orde...  Read More

Courage When It CountsThe events written about in Esther took place between 483 BC and 473 BC during the reign of Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) who reigned in Persia from 485-464 BC. Some of the Jews had been allowed to return to Jerusalem (See Ezra and Nehemiah), but others, such as Esther and Mordecai, remained in captivity under the Persians who had defeated the Babylonians.Study The Word: Though she wa...  Read More

The book of Esther takes place during the time of the Exile–when Israel is being punished for sinfulness. Several of the main characters are Jewish (Esther and Mordecai). What does it say about God’s love for His people that He exalts these two into leadership? What can we take from this book about how to live for God (even during punishment!) in a broken world?   Esther becomes queen after Vashti...  Read More

Esther 9, 10 (HCSB)1 The king's command and law went into effect on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar. On the day when the Jews' enemies had hoped to overpower them, just the opposite happened. The Jews overpowered those who hated them. 2 In each of King Ahasuerus' provinces the Jews assembled in their cities to attack those who intended to harm them. Not a single person coul...  Read More

Esther 5, 6 (HCSB)1On the third day, Esther dressed up in her royal clothing and stood in the inner courtyard of the palace facing it. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal courtroom, facing its entrance. 2 As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, she won his approval. The king extended the golden scepter in his hand toward Esther, and she approached and touc...  Read More