“How can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” (Psalm 137:4).
Though the name ‘Dani-el’ means “God has judged,” he is not considered among the prophets like Isaiah or Jeremiah. This book is not written in reference to a judgment against Daniel, but through his experiences, dreams, and visions, he stands as a judge against the Jewish people in Jerusalem and Babylon during his days to the ‘Mystery Babylon’ in the future. The accounts and visions reveal Daniel’s faithfulness to God and how God rewards his obedience to Torah.
The book of Daniel is written in two languages: Hebrew through chapters 1, 8-12 and Aramaic through chapters 2-7. Aramaic was a common semitic language of the times while Hebrew was used by more educated Jews.
Daniel is an example of a man who understands what it means to know God and receive the blessings that come from knowing God. He was resolute in his life choices because he was a man who was grounded in the Word of God. His study of the Hebrew Scriptures, especially the prophets, enabled him to victoriously stand against the cultural trends of Babylon. He made no excuses or rationalizations for conforming to the Babylonian culture and its gods; he remained a separate, holy man.
Daniel faithfully prayed and honored the tradition of praying three times a day facing Jerusalem. Even in captivity he continued this tradition that was well-known by Babylonian officials. His practice of prayer eventually brought him before the lions.
Daniel understands the challenges faced by the Jews who have been exiled and no longer live in Jerusalem where they can govern themselves. He understands the powerlessness that comes at the whims of kings and leaders. Daniel encourages his people to wait with patient endurance for the 70 years determined for them to live in captivity. He knows that during this time, his people must repent and return to worship God for any deliverance to occur. Though the Babylonian exile is short term, he learns through visions there is a greater exile that will last seven times 70 years.
Daniel emulates the lifestyle and conviction needed when living under oppressive governments. Whenever possible, he follows the laws of Babylon; otherwise he stands for the Torah of God. He doesn’t encourage rebellion against the authorities; he shows through his own life that close cooperation with kings is acceptable and even necessary for survival.
Daniel’s perspective of Messianic deliverance is its imminence. His focus on the revelation of the Messiah and his vision of redemption is more developed than any other prophecies in the Hebrew Bible. His dreams and visions detail the rise and fall of kings and kingdoms, the end of days when persecution will cease, and the resurrection of the righteous and wicked when each will receive their eternal rewards.
The eighth chapter of Daniel gives a vision of a particularly evil king who will come from the north and attack Jerusalem –– this is not only Antiochus Epiphanes from the days after Alexander the Great, but a vision of the coming anti-messiah written about in Thessalonians and Revelation. Both events mirror each other with a false messiah ruling from a defiled Temple in Jerusalem.
When reading the book of Daniel, keep in mind the people to whom he is writing: the Jewish people; the time in which he is writing: the Babylonian captivity under three different kings; the languages in which he is writing: Aramaic and Hebrew; and the two cultures that are clashing: the Biblical culture and the pagan Babylonian one. Each of these is central to understanding the visions not only in the historical sense, but in our world today as Biblical truth will clash with the world around us.
Though Daniel is a book of great mystery that needs unraveling, it is also a book of hope in the future redemption of Israel and those that join with her. It is a book that will draw the seeker into other books of prophecy preparing them for the days and world to come.
Intro: Timeline of the Book of Daniel
Intro: Prophets and Years of Captivity
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