Today, we continue our journey through the Bible with today’s study of Daniel. May God show us what He wants us to learn?
“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14
As we study the Bible alone or in a group setting, there are several questions we can ask ourselves to help us dig deeper. The five questions are:
- What does the scripture say about God
- Then what does the scripture say about me
- Does something in this passage challenge me
- What gives me hope in this passage
- Is anything unclear to me
I hope these questions help you as much as they help me.
Book of Daniel
- Author: Daniel.
- Audience: Captives in Babylon.
- Date Written: About 536 BC.
- Length: 12 Chapters.
- Keywords: Kingdom.
- Key Verses: He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. (2:22).
- Key People: Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Belshazzar, Darius.
Summary of Daniel:
Nebuchadnezzar ruled the land during this time. Daniel was part of the exile and taken to Babylon at 16. With his ability to interpret dreams, Daniel rose to prominence in three kingdoms: Babylon, Media and Persia. But Daniel never let his power and influence compromise his faith. Daniel also witnessed the power of God’s miracles in the story of Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego (Daniel 3, NIV). We also see the miracle of Daniel’s rescue from the lion’s den (Daniel 6 NIV).
Daniel also delves into six moral conflicts that still plague us today. Those conflicts are:
- A look at abstinence verses self-indulgence (1:8-15).
- Pagan magic verses the wisdom of heavenly dreams (2:1-47).
- Idolatry verses following the one true God (3:1-30).
- A king’s pride verses God’s sovereignty (4:4-37).
- Sacrilege verses reverence for God’s sacred objects (5:1-30).
- Plotting against God’s people verse God’s protection of His own (6:1-28).
Sections of the Book:
The book of Daniel contains three significant themes, which are:
- Prologue: The Setting recorded in Hebrew (Chap 1).
- The Destinies of the Nations of the World recorded in Aramaic (Chap 2-7).
- The Destiny of the Nation of Israel recorded in Hebrew (Chap 8-12).
Messages in Daniel:
Daniel’s prophetic visions offer hope God will bring all nations under his rule. Daniel as well.
He shows us that God’s sovereignty is over all people and He can change anyone’s heart through us when we live out a godly life. The book shows us this in the king’s confession after his period of insanity (2:47, 4:37 and 6:26).
Final thoughts:
And like so many other books in the Bible, we see God’s character on display in this book. They are:
- Merciful–:9.
- Powerful – 3:17; 4:35.
- Provident – 4:29-31, 37.
- Righteous – 9:7, 16.
- True – 4:37.
- Wise – 2:20-22.
- Wrathful – 9:16.
In the book of Daniel, it portrayed Christ as a stone that “became a great mountain and filled the whole earth” (2:35). Daniel’s prophecies describe Christ’s kingdom as standing forever and “consuming all kingdoms” (2:44). Christ is called the coming Messiah, and Daniel foreshadows His death on the cross (9:25, 26). And Daniel also describes Christ as “One like the Son of Man” (7:13). Christ Himself (Matt 16:26 used this title; 19:28; 26:64) and shows the humanity of Jesus.
All Lessons from the Bible
Each book of the Bible contains lessons for us to learn and historical information. We must study God’s Word to see what to do and what not to do in life. Paul reminds us of the importance of the words within the text in 2 Timothy 3.
2 Timothy 3:14-17; “14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Prayer
Please grant me the understanding and knowledge of You and Your word. As I open my Bible to read the scriptures, it gives me wisdom and discernment. And even as I sit and listen to the pastor, preacher or apostle reveal what Your Holy Book is speaking into my life, help me see and understand. Help me know Jesus Christ and how He lived His life so I can follow in His precious footsteps. Amen.
Such a great piece! The book of Daniel is chock full of insight.
Thanks Jessica. God bless
I always love hearing from your Dad’s study notes. The symbolic nature of the enormous stone pictures the huge impact of Christ, The Stone the builders rejected Who became the Cornerstone.
Amen Melinda. I love the connection with my dad by doing this study. Thanks and God bless.
So much to learn from Daniel’s life. And you have done a great job of summarizing this most-important book. So much to understand in this book. Great job ma’am.
Thank you JD. I love the stories from Daniel. I pray I can have that kind of faith in desperate circumstances. God bless.
I always learn so much from your bible studies, Yvonne, and today was no exception. There are so many important lessons in the Book of Daniel and you’ve done an excellent job of sharing and summarizing for us. Thank you!
Thanks so much Katherine. I’m learning lots from all the studying. The Bible is full of so much incredible information. God bless.
Daniel is such a fascinating book. Thank you for how you lay it out for us and make it simple to understand.
Thanks Jennifer. God bless
I need to reread the book of Daniel soon. It’s been a while and it is such a powerful book of the Bible. You did a wonderful job as always of summarizing the important concepts. And I like how you said, “But Daniel never let his power and influence compromise his faith.”
I saying we all need to remember and put into practice. Thanks Karen and God bless
Daniel is one of my favorite OT books! John Lennox wrote an excellent book on Daniel, too, and how it’s an excellent study for us today to learn how to live in a culture of relativism. Great summary, Yvonne!
Thanks Lisa. I will check out Lennox’s book too. God bless.