The book of Daniel begins at the start of Jewish exile. The last of the Jewish kings, Jehoiakim, is a delivered into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. The Israelite kingdom that flourished under David, and survived through a rollercoaster of kings had been conquered. God had given up this kingdom as his people failed to live as his covenant people.
A FEW ARE FAITHFUL
Daniel has some of the most memorable stories in the Bible. If you ever read Daniel in Sunday school then you’d remember these great events:
Meshael, Hananiah and Azariah - thrown into the fire.
King Belshazzar and the Writing on the Wall
Daniel and the Lion’s Den
We are no doubt left impressed to follow in the footsteps of Daniel and his friends. Yet, the Book of Daniel is not written to commend these men, but to give us a much bigger picture. Daniel gives us a picture of God’s ultimate authority over kings and kingdoms. The faith and virtue of Daniel are outcomes of the message, not the message itself.
DREAMS AND VISIONS
Many of us shy away from the dreams and visions in Daniel. It is mind-bendingly weird stuff! Yet Daniel contains some of the clearest evidence of future-telling prophecy that demonstrates the divine nature of the Bible. In fact, it is the dreams and visions that contain the main message of Daniel - not the narrative stories. Get ready to unpack them together this term!
The writings of Daniel weren’t arrange chronologically, rather - you have i) the Babylonian narrative, ii) two events for two kings (Belshazzar and Darius) then iii) a group of important visions and holy encounters by Daniel. The grouping of these visions consolidates their importance.
KINGDOMS RISE AND FALL
The big picture of Daniel is in the rise and fall of kingdoms. Daniel begins life seeing his own kingdom, his own country fall. Through his life he serves no less than three kingdoms and four kings. (Understanding this will take an extra effort for who have lived in Australia for a long time). God’s message is that through it all - God is in control.
Most of all, Daniel points to a time that God will establish a kingdom that will never be destroyed. He prophesies about Jesus. And He prophesies about the time (yet to come) where suffering will proliferate under earthly rulers, but will be crushed by the Most High.
In a rapidly changing world, with wars and powers and superpowers - Daniel challenges us where we ultimately put our faith in. The book challenges us to live as people faithful to God who has the whole world, and our lives, in his hands.