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Ezekiel and Daniel: Babylonian Crisis

  1. Lesson One
    Ezekiel's Prophetic Word (Ezekiel 1–24)
    19 Activities
    |
    2 Assessments
  2. Lesson Two
    Ezekiel: Israel's Shame and Restoration (Ezekiel 25–39)
    22 Activities
    |
    1 Assessment
  3. Lesson Three
    Ezekiel's Distinctive Message (Ezekiel 40–48)
    24 Activities
    |
    2 Assessments
  4. Lesson Four
    Daniel: Dreams and Prophecies (Daniel 1–3, 9–12)
    18 Activities
    |
    1 Assessment
  5. Lesson Five
    Daniel: Kings and Kingdoms (Daniel 4–8)
    18 Activities
  6. Course Wrap-Up
    Course Completion
    1 Activity
    |
    1 Assessment

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Grab your Workbook Journal!

[Record your answers in the workbook provided at the beginning of this course.]

Martin Luther King, Jr. famously referenced the book of Daniel in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” on April 16, 1963. He referred to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as ancient models for the type of peaceful civil disobedience he and his followers practiced.

Of course, there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. It was evidenced sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, on the ground that a higher moral law was at stake. It was practiced superbly by the early Christians, who were willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks rather than submit to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire.

King also connects these Old Testament figures with early Christian martyrs who were willing to give up their lives for their relationship with YHWH. 

Source: Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” in The Civil Rights Reader: American Literature from Jim Crow to Reconciliation, 2009, p. 185.

  1. In our daily lives, most of us are not faced with stakes this high in terms of civil disobedience, but what are some ways that God might be calling you to step out in your relationship with Him? What kind of consequences might you face for these choices?
  1. How do examples like the exiles in Daniel, early Christian martyrs and Martin Luther King, Jr. inspire you to cling to the kingdom of God rather than the kingdoms of this world?