Text: Daniel 7:1-28

Dear Young People,

PRACTICAL WAYS OF STUDYING GOD'S WORD
We could learn lots of lessons from Daniel with reference to the study of the Scriptures. Daniel wrote quite a bit about the vision that God had given him with reference to the four earthly kingdoms represented by the four beasts (Cf. Daniel 7).

Let us try and ask ourselves why Daniel wrote these thoughts down. Of course, he had a great task to perform. He was going to preserve for posterity what God had given to him as visions. But there is something else. In writing down what he did, Daniel was doing something really important.

He was actually doing a number of practical things that helped him in his understanding of God's Word. Let's list these things down.

1. He was in fact REVIEWING his knowledge.

2. He was PONDERING over what he had understood.

3. He was WRITING down what he knew, for he must have understood the value and significance of writing things down.

a) Writing helps to clarify thoughts.
b) Writing helps to crystallize things.
c) Writing helps to articulate even more clearly what God sought to teach him.
d) Writing enabled him to go back to finer points that may be missed if he merely relied on his memory.

4. Of course, Daniel sought the Lord in PRAYER even as he took time to study God's Word in such depth.

These are things that we could do as well. If we would only take the trouble and give the time to study God's Word as Daniel did, then the Scriptures would open up to us so much more. It is when we are too lazy, and we are too haphazard in our approach to the Scriptures that we are not able to fathom its depths.

HUMILITY ABOVE EVERTHING ELSE
Daniel recalled an earlier vision that he had from God. We may add this to our approach to the Scriptures. He compared vision with vision, text with text. Let us first note what this vision was, and then take time to examine it in some detail later on.
He noted also the occasion when this second vision took place. His historical notation also tells us that he wrote these things for his own personal study purposes.

"A vision appeared to me - to me, Daniel -
after the one that appeared to me the first time."
Daniel 8:1

What a humbling experience it must have been to Daniel to receive visions, that is, knowledge from God! May this spirit of humility always prevail.

Prayerfully,                                                                             

Pastor Charlie

First released 3rd February 2002, © Bethany Independent-Presbyterian Church, Singapore