An Introduction to Daniel

Daniel 1:1-2

We are going to begin a study in the book of Daniel this morning and I want to give you an introduction. This is a fascinating book, so I want to lay a foundation for you, so you will be able to recognize and see key features of the book as we come across them.

When we think of the book of Daniel we think of two things, the miraculous and the prophetic. The first half of this book contains some of the most amazing stories in the Bible. Stories like, the fiery furnace, Daniel in the lion’s den, the handwriting on the wall. The dream of Nebuchadnezzar.

Or when we think of Daniel we think of prophecy. The second half of the book contains the most amazing prophecies in the bible. Daniel predicts the very year of the appearance of Jesus Christ. The rise and fall of Alexander the Great and the Roman empire. Daniel also predicts the anti-Christ and end of the world.

Despite all of that, none of those things represent the theme of this book. Daniel is about the sovereignty of God over everything. He is sovereign over big things like, international powers, wars, and famines. He is sovereign over little things like the thoughts and dreams of children and teenagers.

That is important for us who find our feet planted in the soil of a Godless world, in an anti-Christian culture, it is important that our hearts be drawn to heaven and our minds be filled with the Word of God. As Paul wrote in Colossians 3:1–2, “So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Thoughts like that were crucial for four Hebrew teenagers who were taken from their homes as prisoners of war to an evil empire, Babylon.

No matter what you are going through in the world today, I can guarantee you it doesn’t compare with the challenges Daniel was facing. Our worst day doesn’t compare with what we will read in this story. Yet Daniel lived an uncompromised life in a compromised world.

Today we live in a post-Christian culture that is growing more and more hostile toward religion, especially Christian religion, and we need to understand our God is sovereign. He is still on the throne, and He is still in control.

The contents of this book span a period of 70 years. Almost the entire life of Daniel. He uses narrative and apocalyptic visions, to encourage God’s people to trust the Lord and be faithful no matter what happens. Among the persecuted believers around the world, the two most favored books in the Bible are Daniel and Revelation. Because they both teach us that in the end our God wins.

We want to be careful not to over moralize the story of Daniel. What I mean is; we have this tendency to look at this story and see how great Daniel and his friends are and say, “Go be like Daniel. Go be great, have faith like Daniel.”

But the story of this book is not how great Daniel is but how great God is. God is the hero, God is the one working out the details in Daniel’s life, so he can be a witness to the Gentile world. And God is the one working out the details in your life as well.

The book of Daniel can be divided up in several ways. First, chapters 1-6 can be called Daniel the man, and chapters 7-12 can be called Daniel the message.

This book could also be divided up by language. It is written in two languages. Chapters 1 through 2:4a, are written in Hebrew. The oldest form of the Jewish language. Chapters 2:4b through chapter 7, are written in Aramaic the common language of the day. Then in chapters 8-12 it goes back to the Hebrew again. It is obvious why Daniel wrote that way. He was writing to a Jewish and a Gentile audience. Since our Bibles are in English, we will stick to the English version.

There is no other book of the bible that comes under such scrutiny as Daniel. But that is just because of the truth it reveals. Skeptics say there is no way Daniel wrote the second half of this book in the 6th century. The prophecies are too accurate, all of this came true. However, the book itself claims Daniel as its author. The Jews accept it as being written by Daniel and we have no reason to doubt it either.

In fact, Daniel was verified by Jesus. Matthew 24:15 Jesus said, “Therefore, when you see the Abomination of Desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place.” So, we must accept Daniel as the author of this book, Jesus accepted it and verified it.

I want to look at 1:1-2 today, because they establish the setting for the entire book. What we learn from this is; we must trust the will of God for our lives no matter what and pray for the mercy of God on our nation. (Read Daniel 1:1-2)

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.

2 The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god.”(Pray)

The first thing I want you to see is the historical context Vs. 1. Here we are given the historical context for the book of Daniel. This is a real event that happened at a real time in history. Vs. 1 says, “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah.”

And right away we find a discrepancy in the Bible. Because Jeremiah 25:1 tells us these things took place in the 4th year of the reign of king Jehoiakim. But there really is no conflict here when you realize Daniel and Jeremiah are telling this story from their own perspectives.

You see, Jehoiakim came into power sometime between 609 and 608 B.C. In Babylon, they didn’t count the partial year of a king. So, Daniel doesn’t give Jehoiakim credit until 608, but in Jerusalem, from Jeremiah’s perspective, they did, Jehoiakim got credit for an entire year. Critics use this to say the whole story is false, because Daniel and Jeremiah don’t agree on how many years Jehoiakim was king, but that is non-sense.

I will give you a modern-day example. In America, when we get into an elevator to go up to the next floor, we say we are going to the second floor. But did you know in Europe they call the second floor the first floor. When they get into an elevator, in Europe to go to the second floor, they press number one. They don’t recognize the ground as the first floor.

Now, imagine an American and a European wrote about the same event that happened at a hotel. One person said it happened on the first floor and the other said it was on the second. Then imagine a thousand years go by and someone reads that story and says it never happened because their stories don’t match. That is what skeptics do with the book of Daniel.

Then I want you to notice in Vs. 1 were told, “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.” You see the problem Jerusalem faced; it sat between two world powers. Egypt sat to the southwest of Jerusalem, and Babylon sat to the Northeast. They were the two big boys on the block.

At the time Babylon was growing in world dominance, and they were out to prove it. But Jerusalem was already a vassal kingdom of Egypt. In other words, Egypt ruled Jerusalem, and they were supposed to protect it, but they couldn’t.

And Jeremiah tells us that in 46:1-2, “That which came as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations. To Egypt, concerning the army of Pharoah Neco king of Egypt, which was by the Euphrates River at Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim.” Notice the time frame, that is where Daniel begins.

So, before Nebuchadnezzar ever laid siege to Jerusalem, he conquered Egypt.

There were actually three invasions of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. The first invasion is this one we are reading about today. It was on this occasion that Daniel and his three friends we have come to know as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. were captured and carried away.

Eight years later the Babylonians came back and took a large group of the elite: King Jehoiachin, his officials, the warriors, and craftsman. Anyone they thought was of value and use to Babylon.

Finally, in 587 B. C they took everyone that was left except for the poorest people. They destroyed the walls of Jerusalem and burned God’s temple to the ground (2 Kings 24 & 25). This is historical fact, and it sets the stage for the events in the book of Daniel. It was violent time of ruthless kings, and of wars and famines.

The next thing I want you to see in this story is the theological context Vs. 2. Daniel tells us why all of this took place. Vs. 2 says, “The Lord gave Jehoiakim into his hand along with some of the vessels of the house of God.” Daniel tells us that all of this was God’s plan, imagine that.

Now, from a modern historian’s perspective, they would say Jerusalem fell to Babylon because Babylon was a superior military power, they overwhelmed them by force. From a Babylonian priest’s perspective. They would say, the Babylonian gods proved to be superior to the God of Israel. But Daniel tells us exactly what happened, He says “God gave it to them.”

But why would God do that? Why would God allow His people to be taken captive and the city that bears His name be destroyed? Daniel 9:4-7 explains.

4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,

5 we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances.

6 “Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land.

7 “Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You.

So, God allowed His people to be taken captive, His temple to be plundered, and His city to be destroyed because His people were unfaithful. And that should shock us. That should cause our heart to melt. And should serve as a warning to us today.

We are a people who are living unfaithful to God, not only as a society but as a church. The church has become so irreverent today. We are an entertainment industry. And we need to repent, pray, confess, and ask God for mercy on His church and on our nation.

Notice what Nebuchadnezzar does next, when he takes the vessels from the temple. Vs. 2 says, “He brings them to the land of Shinar and puts them in the house of his god.” The Land of Shinar is a reference to Genesis chapter eleven. A reference to Nimrod and the tower of Babel. Daniel wants us to know, this place he has been taken too, is a Godless place. It is a place where people are rebellious against God.

The emphasis here is on the defeat of the God of Israel. In this moment, it appears as though the enemy has won. After all this is what they believed in the ancient world. They believed when a nation was conquered by another nation, it was because their gods were stronger and more powerful. So, Nebuchadnezzar believed he had defeated Yahweh, and the vessels from the temple were his trophies.

But isn’t that the story of the Bible. Doesn’t the enemy always think he has won. Satan stood at the foot of the cross and laughed because he thought he won. But on the third day Jesus rose again, ascended into heaven, and claimed victory over hell and death.

Acts 7 tells us the story of Stephen; as Stephen’s enemies stoned him to death, he looked into heaven and saw Jesus “standing on the right hand of God “Why? Because Stephen was faithful unto death. What looks like defeat to some is eternal victory for others.

What I find interesting in the story of Daniel is God’s people are invaded. They are carried away to a foreign land, and it is all for God’s glory. Because God now has a witness among the Gentiles nations. God is going to use His faithful believers to teach the people about the one true God. How ironic is that? As God’s people were being invaded, God was the one doing the invading in an unsuspecting way.

What we learn from this story is God will be glorified, and He can bring glory to Himself in ways we would never expect. He is going to use our life, the good times and bad, the heartache and pain, the chaos and confusion we go through to bring Him glory.

We have this tendency to believe that God is only at work in our lives when everything is great, when we are healthy, wealthy, and prosperous. But the truth is God is at work in our lives no matter what the circumstances, and He will use the circumstances we face for our good and for His glory.

In a sense we live in Babylon today. Babylon was a place that would tolerate your religion if you didn’t bring it out in the public square. They didn’t care if you practiced your religion if you blended in with the culture. In America we live in a situation where religion is tolerated more than it is respected. Especially if you are a Christian. It is tolerated as long as you keep it to yourself.

In Babylon it seemed as though the enemy was winning. Does it ever seem that way to you today? Like we are living in a time and an age when the enemy is winning? When everywhere you turn, you see the erosion of the family, Christian values, and our beliefs. People are making a mockery of God. There is so much talk about how the church is dwindling and fading away. But Jesus said, “not even the gates of hell can prevail against it.” The church will outlast the world.

No, I believe what we are seeing is the separation of the wheat and the tares, and of the sheep and the goats. After all we are told the road is wide, but the gates are narrow. God is preserving for Himself a faithful remnant. And no matter what is going on in the world He is in control. He still sits on the throne.

God used Daniel at a difficult time, to give a great testimony, of a great God. The question is what will your testimony be? Will it be a testimony of faithful obedience to God. Will it be a life well lived of uncompromised faith?

If you know anything about this story, you know Daniel was a man that climbed through the ranks by holding on to his convictions. In many ways he reminds me of Joseph in Egypt, who refused to compromise. The testimony of Daniel is that God can honor you in spite of the world around you.

We don’t have to go far in this story to find Jesus. Daniel was exiled to a foreign land, in a similar way Jesus left the glory of heaven to come to the earth. Daniel was faithful and obedient to God in everything he did, in the same way Jesus said, “I came to do the will of the Father.” He said, “Not my will but your will be done.” Daniel was exalted and given a position of authority in Babylon, and Jesus is seated at the right hand of God and given a name that is above every name.

There is no doubt we are living in turbulent times, and it is easy to get caught up in worrying about what is becoming of the world we live in. But the solution is the same, we need Jesus. We need Christ to intervene in our lives and the world we live in and save us. We need to be a people of prayer.

Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.”

Do you have the peace of God that surpasses all understanding today? Is your heart and your mind guarded in Christ Jesus? Has He become the Lord and Savior of your life?

What we learn from this story is; we are to trust the will of God for our lives no matter what is going on in the world around us, and pray for the mercy of God on our nation.