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454 N7:71hl- • I 11 • t t Jr 1,1t44, Pr., $ 1. essons From the Days of the PATRIARCHS and PROPHET . From the Captivity in Bab- 'hird Quarter ylon to the Restoration o f Number 1944 the First Dominion. 197 INDIVIDUAL SABBATH SCHOOL OFFERING GOAL "As God bath prospered him" MY WEEKLY GOAL (Check Amount) 5.00 2.00 1.00 .50 .30 .25 I "God loveth a cheerful giver" RECORD ti l'o" i -o n '..8 0 a) .-I C4 0, .. ). E.0 .—g CO OD mil OD CO N. CO CDr-i •-• .-4 .-4 a; ..E; E. DAILY LESSON STUDY PLEDGE As one who greatly desires to improve my knowledge of the Scriptures, I pledge myself to the careful and prayerful study of some portion of my Sabbath school lesson each day of the week. Name If desired, a record of daily study may be maintained in the blank below. STUDY RECORD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 1ST DAY'S STUDY 2D DAY'S STUDY 3D DAY'S STUDY 4TH DAY'S STUDY 5TH DAY'S STUDY 6TH DAY'S STUDY 7TH DAY'S STUDY Place a check ( V) mark in each space above for the days you have studied your lesson. Form the habit of regular daily study and record marking. Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly, No. 197, July-September, 1944, 25 cents a year in U. S. A.; 40 cents a year in Canada and foreign countries. Published in the U. S. A. by Pacific Press Publishing Association (a corporation of S. D. A.), Mountain View, California. Entered as second class matter Oct. 13, 1904, at the post office in Mountain View, California, under Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of Oct. 3, 1917, and authorized Sept. 18, 1918. Copyright, 1944, by Pacific Press Publishing Association [ 2 ] Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly Lessons From the Days of the Patriarchs and Prophets FROM THE CAPTIVITY IN BABYLON to the RESTORATION of the FIRST DOMINION Lesson 1, for July 1, 1944 Trained to Loyalty; the King's Dream LESSON SCRIPTURE: Daniel 1; 2. MEMORY VERSE: "Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He: before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me." Isa. 43:10. STUDY HELP: "Prophets and Kings," pages 479-502. Trained to Be Loyal 1. When Nebuchadnezzar besieged and captured Jerusalem, what did he do with certain of the children of Israel? What did he pro- pose for their future? Dan. 1:1-7. NoTE.—"The king did not compel the Hebrew youth to renounce their faith in favor of idolatry, but he hoped to bring this about gradually. By giv- ing them names significant of idolatry, by bringing them daily into close assod- ation with idolatrous customs, and under the influences of the seductive rites of heathen worship, he hoped to induce them to renounce the religion of their nation, and to unite with the worship of the Babylonians."—Prophets and Kings, page 481. 2. Who early appeared as a leader among them? To what de- cision did he and his companions come? Verse 8. NoTE.—"A portion having been offered to idols, the food from the king's table was consecrated to idolatry; and one partaking of it would be regarded as offering homage to the gods of Babylon. In such homage, loyalty to Jehovah forbade Daniel and his companions to join. Even a mere pretense of eating the food or drinking the wine would be a denial of their faith."—Prophets and Kings, page 481. 3. What request did Daniel make of the chief steward? With what result? Verses 9-16. 1 3 1 4. What special favor did God show these young men? In what condition did the king find them? How long did Daniel serve Baby- lon? Verses 17-21. The King's Dream Troubles Him 5. What startling experience came to King Nebuchadnezzar in the second year of his reign? How did he seek to solve his per- plexity? Dan. 2:1-9. 6. What outstanding admission did the wise men of Babylon make? What was the king's angry reaction? Verses 10-13, first part. 7. Who was first sought to be slain? What did Daniel obtain? How did he manifest faith in united prayer? Verses 13-18. NOTE.—"To this request the monarch acceded. 'Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his com- panions.' Together they sought for wisdom from the Source of light and knowledge. Their faith was strong in the consciousness that God had placed them where they were, that they were doing His work and meeting the demands of duty. And they did not plead in vain. The God whom they had honored, now honored them."—Prophets and Kings, pages 493, 494. The Dream Revealed 8. How was the king's dream revealed to Daniel? How did he express his gratitude? Verses 19-23. 9. To whom did Daniel then go? What request did he make and with what result? Relate the conversation which took place before the king. Verses 24-30. 10. What had the king seen in his dream? What was the appear- ance of the image and its effect upon the one who saw it? Verse 31. 11. Describe the image as portrayed by the prophet to King Nebuchadnezzar. Verses 32, 33. 12. What did Daniel say the king had seen? Verses 34, 35. [4] The Interpretation of the Dream 13. In the interpretation of the dream how did the prophet trace the course of world history? Verses 36-43. 14. How is the final overthrow of all earthly kingdoms described? What does the prophet say of the certainty of the vision? Verses 44, 45. 15. What acknowledgment came from the king? What action did he take? Verses 46-49. NOTE.—"As God called Daniel to witness for Him in Babylon, so He calls us to be His witnesses in the world today. In the smallest as well as the largest affairs of life, He desires us to reveal to men the principles of His kingdom. Many are waiting for some great work to be brought to them, while daily they lose opportunities for revealing faithfulness to God. Daily they fail of dis- charging with wholeheartedness the little duties of life. While they wait for some large work in which they may exercise supposedly great talents, and thus satisfy their ambitious longings, their days pass away."—Prophets and Kings, pages 487, 488. Lesson 2, for July 8, 1944 The Fiery Furnace; Its Significance LESSON SCRIPTURE: Daniel 3. MEMORY VERSE: "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." Isa. 43:2. STUDY HELP: "Prophets and Kings," pages 503-513. A Golden Image Set Up 1. What image did Nebuchadnezzar set up on the plain of Dura? Dan. 3:1. NOTE.—"The words, 'Thou art this head of gold,' had made a deep im- pression upon the ruler's mind. The wise men of his realm, taking advantage of this and of his return to idolatry, proposed that he make an image similar to the one seen in his dream, and set it up where all might behold the head of gold, which had been interpreted as representing his kingdom. "Pleased with the flattering suggestion, he determined to carry it out, and to go even farther. Instead of reproducing the image as he had seen it, he would excel the original. His image should not deteriorate in value from the head to the feet, but should be entirely of gold,—symbolic throughout of Baby- lon as an eternal, indestructible, all-powerful kingdom, which should break in pieces all other kingdoms, and stand forever."—Prophets and Kings, page 504. [5 ] 2. How many did the king order to be present at the dedication of this image? Verses 2, 3. 3. To ensure the recognition by the entire nation of the perpetual sovereignty of Babylon, what did the king command? Verses 4-6. 4. How many obeyed the command of the king? Verse 7. God's Servants Disobey the King's Command 5. Who came near and accused the Jews of failure to obey the king's command? After repeating the king's orders, whom did they specifically accuse? Verses 8-12. 6. What effect did this accusation have upon Nebuchadnezzar? When the three men were brought before the king, what question did he ask them? Verses 13, 14. 7. What opportunity to recant did he give them? When thus addressed, what was their bold reply? Verses 15-18. NorE.—"In vain were the king's threats. He could not turn the men from their allegiance to the Ruler of the universe. From the history of their fathers they had learned that disobedience to God results in dishonor, disaster, and death ; and that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the foundation of all true prosperity."—Prophets and Kings, pages 507, 508. 8. How did this reply affect the king? Verse 19, first part. Into the Fiery Furnace 9. How fully did the king prej,are to ensure that these rebellious subjects should be consumed? Verses 19, last part, 20.