WEEK 18: February 6-12

The Story 31 Week Lectionary

Daniel in Exile

Responsive Prayer 3 L Holy God, holy and most gracious Father,

C have mercy and hear us. . Lord's Prayer & Apostles' Creed . Psalm 137 (Psalm Written for God’s People During Exile in Babylon)

L By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.

C On the willows there we hung up our lyres.

L For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

C How shall we sing the LORD's song in a foreign land?

L If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!

C Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my

highest joy!

L Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its

foundations!”

C O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have

done to us!

L Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!

Today’s Devotion Would Suggest:

Monday – Daniel 1; Tues. – Daniel 2:1-30; Wed. – Daniel 2:46-49; Thurs. – Daniel 3; Fri. Daniel 6; Sat. & Sun. Jeremiah

30:1-3, 8, 10-11; 31:23-25; 29:10-14

If Time Allows: Dan. 1-12, Jer. 29-52; Ps. 148-150; Pr. 28 (Allows Reading the Bible through in 31 Weeks)

Collect for Epiphany 4

Almighty God, because you know that we are set among so many and great dangers that by reason of the weakness of

our fallen nature we cannot always stand upright, grant us your strength and protection to support us in all dangers and

carry us through all temptations; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy

Spirit, one God, now and forever. AMEN

L Let us bless the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

L The Lord bless us, defend us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.

C Amen.

Questions for the Week: February 6-12 – Chapter 18 Consider journaling your response. If you have time consider reading: Dan. 1-12, Jer. 29-52; Ps. 148-150; Pr. 28

1. Monday (February 6): Read Daniel 1 (The Story pg. 249-250(Bottom)). What was the reasoning to change

Daniel (God is my Judge), Hananiah (The LORD Show’s Grace), Mishael (Who is what God is?), and

Azariah’s (The LORD helps) names to Belteshazzar (Bel Protect his life), Shadrach (Command of Aku

(Sumerian moon-god?)), Meshach (Who is what Aku is?), and Abednego (Servant of Nebu) and to culture

them to the Babylonian ways, foods, and pagan worship practices? Did this strategy work? How can we

avoid godless practices of our day? Will God bless our loving resistance?

2. Tuesday: Read Daniel 2:1-30 (The Story 250 (Bottom Last Paragraph)-253 (Top)). Notice the sequence of

events: Daniel pleads for mercy, God Reveals the Dream, Daniel Praises God, Daniel Speaks on Behalf of

God. What can we learn from this sequence in Daniel? Do we ever rush too quickly to a solution without

ever praying for mercy or thanking God? How? More info listen to (http://kfuo.org/2015/09/25/tsw-2015-09-25/)

3. Wednesday: Read Daniel 2:46-49 (The Story 253 (Top) – 254 (Top)). How did God control history? How

did God cause a greater number of people to have a chance to know the true God through Daniel than if

God’s people had never gone into captivity? Consider Babylon was a world controlling empire!

4. Thursday: Read Daniel 3 (The Story 254 (Top) -256 (Bottom) ). How are Christians persecuted today? How

is it easy to simply fit in and give up our beliefs and live like everyone else? Can we trust God today – note

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s answer to King Nebuchadnezzar. What is Nebuchadnezzar’s reaction

after all is said and done?

5. Friday: Read Daniel 6 (The Story 256 (Bottom) – 260 (Top). What lessons can we learn from Darius, Daniel,

and his witness to God? How can you stand up for God? How does God ultimately save us?

6. Saturday & Sunday: Read Jeremiah 30:1-3, 8, 10-11; 31:23-25; 29:10-14 (The Story 260 (Top)-261). If you

have time you may be interested in reading more of Daniel, he records apocalyptic visions of the future

that resemble to book of Revelation (A good Lutheran interpretation of Daniel is included in:

http://www.lcms.org/Document.fdoc?src=lcm&id=417 starting at page 45). Also the famous vision of the

“Son of Man” foreshadows that Jesus will be God Himself in the flesh (Daniel 10). Why does God prophesy

through Jeremiah the return in 70 years (See the chart below)? What return do we have to look forward

to in the future in Jesus?

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Babylonian_captivity_context_-_EN.svg

Daniel in the Lion’s Den