SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Aug 6, 1902

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 28, No. 32.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS

LESSON 8.—AUGUST 23.—THE LIVING TEMPLE REVEALS THE MYSTERY OF GODLINESS.

Lesson Scripture, Dan. 2: 14-30, R.V.

14 "Then Daniel returned answer with counsel and prudence to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon; he answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Wherefore is the decree so urgent from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. 16 And Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would appoint him a time, and he would show the king the interpretation. 17 "Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions; 18 that they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his companions should not 19 perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a vision of the night. 20 Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever; for 21 wisdom and might are His; and He changeth the times and the seasons; He removeth kings, and setteth up kings; He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that 22 know understanding; He revealeth the deep and secret things; He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth 23 with Him. I thank Thee, and praise Thee, O Thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast now made known unto me what we desired of Thee; for Thou 24 hast made known unto us the king's matter. Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and said thus unto him: Destroy not the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show unto the king the interpretation. 25 "Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the children of 26 the captivity of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation. The king answered and said to Daniel, whose 27 name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation 28 thereof? Daniel answered before the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded can neither wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor soothsayers, show unto the king; 29 but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and He hath made known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be 30 in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these: As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter; and He that revealeth secrets hath made known to thee what shall come to pass. But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but to the intent that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that thou mayest know the thoughts of thy heart."

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

To whom was entrusted the work of putting to death the wise men of Babylon?
What question did Daniel ask of him? With what result?
What request did Daniel then make of the king?
What did he promise that he would do?
With whom did Daniel then confer about the matter?
What was to be the subject of their prayers to God?
How much depended upon receiving a specific answer to their prayers?
What response was made to their petitions?
How was this response acknowledged?
In his prayer of thanksgiving what did Daniel acknowledge as being wholly of God?
Name the seven ways in which he declared that this wisdom and power of God are manifested.
For what personal experience did he thank and praise the Lord?
What earnest request did he then make of Arioch? What promise accompanied this request?
How did Arioch respond to this request? What did he say before the king?
What question did the king then ask Daniel?
In what statement did Daniel emphasize the fact that Babylonish wisdom could not meet the kings need?
Whom did he declare to be the source of all wisdom? What had the God of heaven made known to the king?
What subject was occupying the mind of the king the night of the dream?
What was then made known to him? By whom?
What humble estimate did Daniel place upon his own ability?
For what purpose did he say the secret had been revealed?

NOTES.

1. IT was a "secret" or "mystery" which Daniel and his fellows were seeking, upon the revelation of which their life depended. The word rendered "secret" occurring in the singular and plural seven times in Daniel 2, is "mystery" in the Septuagint, and is so transferred. It is the same word so often found in the writings of Paul, denoting the wonderful union between God and man. Note its uses in Daniel 2, and read "mystery" and "mysteries" instead of "secret" and "secrets," with the exception of verse 22, where "secret" comes from a different word. This mystery is defined in 1 Tim. 3:16 and Col. 1:26, 27. It was God's purpose to reveal to the king the Gospel of Christ, "the power of God unto salvation," "the mystery of godliness," "Christ in you the hope of glory." 2. IN making known to Daniel the dream and its interpretation, the God of heaven revealed the working of this divine principle to establish the kingdom of heaven upon the earth, and showed how that the world-kingdoms one after another, and finally all together, would perish because of the rejection of this same divine principle. But this divine principle is the gift of God's life to make men right in His sight, in order that by sharing His righteousness they may share in His eternal existence. This is justification by faith. The real thing, then, which is set forth in this chapter is justification by faith, not as an abstract teaching, but in its concrete outworking in the history of the world. This will appear more fully in the next lesson.

3. WHEN it was put to the test, the religion of Babylon, the wisdom of its wise men, failed because they did not believe that the gods dwell with flesh. The religion of Jerusalem, as represented in Daniel, the wisdom which is from above, met the same test and triumphed, because Daniel knew the experience of justification by faith, the great truth of Christianity that God does dwell with flesh. 4. ALL history finds its true interpretation in the person and work of Jesus Christ. When we have found this Man of the tribe of Judah, we shall find the true key to history. The Bible throws more light upon history than history throws upon the Bible.