Topic: Daniel
The Book of Daniel is one of the most exciting books in the Bible. The first thing we think of when we hear the name Daniel are the fiery furnace and the lion’s den. The second thing is the prophecy chapters. A quarter of the books in the Bible are of prophetic nature. One fifth of the content of Scripture was predictive at the time of its writing; a large portion of that has been fulfilled. Therefore, the prophecy in Scripture can be divided into fulfilled and unfulfilled prophecy. We will find a great deal of fulfilled prophecy in Daniel.
There are three words which characterize Daniel’s life: purpose, prayer and prophecy.
1. Daniel was a man of purpose (Dan. 1:8; 6:10).
When the king made a decree that everyone had to eat the same thing, Daniel and his friends decided they would abide by the law of Moses, and they did. Daniel was a man of purpose, and we can see this all the way through his book. Here was a man who stood on his own two feet and had the intestinal fortitude to speak God’s Word.
2. Daniel was a man of prayer (Dan. 2:17¨C23; 6:10; 9:3¨C19; 10).
There are several incidents recorded in this book about Daniel’s prayer life. By the way, prayer got Daniel into the lion’s den. How about that for answered prayer? Well, God also miraculously saved him from the lions. Daniel was a man of prayer.
3. Daniel was a man of prophecy.
The Book of Daniel divides itself equally: the first half is history, and the last half is prophecy. Daniel gives us the skeleton of prophecy on which all prophecy is placed. The image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Dan. 2) and the beasts (Dan. 7) are the backbone of prophecy; the seventy weeks (Dan. 9) are the ribs which fit into their proper place. A key verse is Daniel 2:44, " In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever."
The Book of Daniel is the key to understanding other Scriptures. Our Lord, in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:1-25:46), quoted only from the Book of Daniel (9:27 &12:11). The Book of Revelation is largely an enigma without the Book of Daniel. Paul’s revelation concerning the "man of sin" (2 Thess. 2:3) needs Daniel’s account for amplification and clarification.
What can we take away from Daniel? Daniel was only a boy when he was uprooted from everything he was familiar with; his homeland of Judah, his family, his friends, his home, his school, his church. Even worse, he was deported into a pagan heathen land and tempted to abandon his God. Even though Daniel couldn’t control his circumstances, he could control himself; that is, he had the liberty to control his thoughts, his words, his actions, his motives and his heart. And he did. Against overwhelming odds, Daniel was firm in his beliefs and in his commitment to the Lord. As you read Daniel, ask yourself, “how committed to Christ are you?”
See you Sunday!
Dr. Scott Kallem