The Gracious Sovereignty of Daniel's God

The Gracious Sovereignty of Daniel’s God Daniel 1 sermon notes I. Introduction to the Book of Daniel Today, we are beginning a sermon series through the book of Daniel. Some of you are excited about this; some of you may be dreading this. Nevertheless, here we are! The Lord has given us a wondrous gift in the book of Daniel, and we will all benefit from exploring the book together. We will all find ourselves challenged by what this book teaches about God, and we will all find ourselves challenged, at times, to re-examine what we thought we knew about this book. Simone Luzzatto, a Jewish rabbi in Venice, Italy, in the early 1600s, said this to some of his fellow Jews about the book of Daniel: “the consequence of a too extended and profound investigation on the part of Jewish scholars would be that they would all become Christians; for it cannot be denied that according to Daniel’s limitation of the time, the Messiah must have already appeared.” We are about to pursue an “extended and profound investigation” of the book of Daniel! And we will see how “Daniel’s limitation of the time” does indeed point directly to Jesus as the Messiah, though Rabbi Luzzatto never embraced that truth, as far as we know. Before jumping into the text, we need to address some introductory questions first. A. Who was Daniel? Outside of this book, Daniel is mentioned exactly four times in Scripture. His older contemporary, Ezekiel, mentions him three times and highlights both his righteousness and his wisdom, and Jesus mentions him by name once, identifying him as a prophet. So, Daniel developed quite a reputation in a relatively short amount of time as a righteous wise man, and we’ll see those character traits shine through in the book of Daniel. B. What is the book of Daniel? The book of Daniel is Daniel’s own record of some of his experiences in Babylon, written in his old age, for the purpose of encouraging the Jews who remain in exile to persevere in trusting their totally sovereign God. For our consideration, as Christians, we can state the purpose of the whole book simply like this: The purpose of the book of Daniel is to encourage God’s people to persevere in trusting our totally sovereign God in the face of the trials of life. In our English Bibles, Daniel is grouped with the Major Prophets. But, what is it that sets Daniel apart from all of the other prophetic books? Daniel does not deliver his messages orally to God’s people, or to pagan nations. Even the dreams and visions given to Daniel in the second half of the book are primarily for Daniel’s benefit. But, of course, as God inspired Daniel to write the record of those visions down to become part of Scripture for God’s people, they obviously are intended to be understood as God’s message for God’s people. And Daniel’s message, throughout the book, certainly has a prophetic character, and Jesus was certainly correct—as are we—to refer to Daniel as a prophet. But, we should acknowledge that he is not the same kind of prophet as Isaiah, Jeremiah, or Ezekiel. In fact, in the Hebrew Bible, the Bible Jesus knew and read, Daniel is grouped with the Writings. The book of Daniel is understood to be primarily a “wisdom book.” It has more in common with Job and Proverbs than it does with the Prophets. It certainly does have some elements in common with other prophetic books—especially Ezekiel and Zechariah—but we need to think of it primarily as a wisdom book, because, as I think will become clear, that is what it presents itself to be. The emphasis on wisdom permeates this book. C. Setting and structure The book of Daniel is a good follow-up to the book of Habakkuk. As Habakkuk announced ahead of time the coming invasion of Judah by the Babylonians, Daniel experienced it. It is his experiences in Babylon that drive the movement of the book. However, the book is not entirely in chronological order. There are several ways to think about the structure of the book, but, however you look at it, this book is a literary masterpiece. That shouldn’t surprise us, since Daniel is described in the book as intellectually brilliant and also spiritually wise. To consider the chronology, take a look at this chart on the screen. Most of the sections in the book are explicitly dated, and those which are not can actually be identified with relative certainty from history. Thus, if the book of Daniel were in chronological order, the sequence would be chapters 1-4, then chapters 7-8, then chapters 5-6, and finally chapters 912. We’ll talk about the payoff of understanding this reality when we come to some of the chapters that are out of chronological order, but as a teaser, consider this: Daniel received his visions of chapters 7 and 8 about a decade before the events of chapter 5, the handwriting on the wall and the fall of Babylon. Also, Daniel’s experience in the lion’s den in chapter 6 syncs up really closely with his great prayer of chapter 9, so that it may be that Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9 is what got him thrown into the lion’s den in chapter 6. As I said, the book is a literary masterpiece. Chapters 1-6 are narrative, some of the most well-known stories in the Bible. Chapters 7-12 are visionary material. We would think that the book would naturally divide into chapters 16 and 7-12, but another factor must be considered, and it is very unusual. The book is written in two different languages. And you might expect that maybe chapters 1-6 would be one language and then 7-12 the other. But it’s not! Chapter 1 is written in Hebrew. Then, chapter 2 verses 1-3 serve as a Hebrew introduction to what follows, and all the rest of chapters 2-7 are written in Aramaic. Then, chapters 8-12 revert to Hebrew. We’ll talk about the possible rationale for the language switches when we come to them. From these observations, and then paying attention to the content of the book, we can see an outline that emerges to make sense of all of these factors. One commentator has crystallized this more than any other, but most students of Daniel recognize an outline that is similar in breakdown. This may be hard to see up on the screen; let me briefly walk us through it. Chapter 1 serves as a kind of narrative prologue or introduction to the whole book, written in Hebrew. Then, the Aramaic block from chapters 2-7 all fit together, but chapter 7 does double-duty as an introduction to Daniel’s visions recorded in chapters 7-12. Chapters 1-7 take on a very clear shape, often referred to as a chiasm. Chapters 2 and 7 are parallel; both deal with dreams or visions focused on four human kingdoms followed by God’s kingdom. Chapters 3 and 6 are parallel; both deal with Babylonian kings witnessing God’s rescue of his faithful servants, Daniel’s three friends in chapter 3 and Daniel himself in chapter 6. And then, in the middle of it all, chapters 4 and 5 both highlight God’s judgment of Babylonian kings, the first king, Nebuchadnezzar, in chapter 4, and the final king, Belshazzar, in chapter 5. Finally, the last Hebrew section of the book has a kind of chiastic structure as well. Chapter 8 contains Daniel’s vision about a ram and a goat, depicting kingdoms coming after Babylon, and parallel to that is the one vision that covers the last three chapters of the book, which also contains Daniel seeing a vision of the warfare and conflict between kingdoms coming after Babylon. Centered between these visions about Gentile kingdoms is Daniel’s awesome prayer and God’s answer, delivered through an angel regarding the restoration of Jerusalem and the fulfillment of God’s great restoration promises. The centerpieces of the two sections of the book, chapters 7 and 9, carry the major prophetic significance of the book, as most students of Scripture recognize, especially in terms of the “limitation of the time,” as Rabbi Luzzatto said. That’s enough stage-setting, don’t you think? Let’s jump in to chapter 1. The story will probably be familiar, but I wonder sometimes if our over-familiarity with some of these stories actually causes us to miss the point. Up front, let me summarize the message of Daniel chapter 1, which will be the main point of our sermon today: God will enable his faithful people to endure, even in exile. The chapter breaks down into three clear sections, with each section focusing on something that God “gave.” Let’s read verses 1-7. II. God Gave Judah to Babylon (Dan. 1:1-7) In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, 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 placed the vessels in the treasury of his god. 3 Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, 4 youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. 5 The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king. 6 Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. 7 And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called 1 Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego. “The third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah” is 605 BC. Notice in verse 2 the phrase “the Lord gave.” This is not the divine name, Yahweh; rather, this is the title Adonai, that means “Lord” or “Master.” It emphasizes his sovereignty and sets him above the human kings who are in the story. This was God’s judgment on the idolatry of Judah, as he promised he would do in response to their unfaithfulness to the Mosaic Covenant. The Lord is being faithful to his covenant, punishing his people as he promised because of their sin. Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians would’ve told the story very differently, right? They would’ve said that their gods defeated the weak God of Israel. Nebuchadnezzar takes some valuable items from the temple in Jerusalem, and he placed them in the temples of his own gods, especially the god at the top of the Babylonian pantheon, called Marduk. However, Daniel’s telling the story, and he knows the truth. The truth is not that Babylon’s gods got the upper hand over Yahweh, the God of Israel, in some kind of heavenly combat. Rather, Yahweh has chosen to judge his rebellious people; he has chosen to hand them over to the Babylonians, as a punishment for their great sins, not as a reward for anything the Babylonians had done. Daniel refers to Shinar here; this is simply an older name for Babylon. Daniel probably uses this name to specifically tie what’s going on here back to Genesis 11, where God came down to judge rebellious people who exalted themselves in building a famous tower. More connections like that will show up later in the book. In verses 3-4, we learn that Nebuchadnezzar essentially kidnaps some of the best and brightest Jews, especially “youths,” young teenagers. Thus, if Daniel is a young teenager at this point, he was probably born around 620 BC, when King Josiah was sitting on the throne of Judah. Daniel and his family may have been positively impacted by Josiah’s re-discovery of Scripture. He probably heard the preaching of Habakkuk and read his words once they were recorded and circulated, before Nebuchadnezzar showed up. In verse 4, we learn that these youngsters are to be indoctrinated with a reeducation program. They would go through a three-year program of learning the literature and language of the Chaldeans. Now, in Habakkuk, we saw the term Chaldean and saw it as a synonym for Babylonian, as a kind of ethnic label, the way we might not distinguish between an Israelite and a Jew. However, in Daniel, it seems that the term “Chaldean” is used as a kind of technical term that refers to the profession of being one of the Babylonian astrologers. Thus, Daniel and the other Jews taken into captivity at this point are going to experience a rigorous re-education program, in which they will be required to master the languages of Akkadian and Aramaic and probably Sumerian, as well as the culture, history, and religion of Babylon, which would also include learning the practices of the magicians or sorcerers. Does this bother you? These Jewish teenagers have been removed from their families and forced to participate in a secular education program. We’ll see Daniel object to the diet being presented to them, but he raises no objections against the education. Godly people and godly families can succeed under the blessing of God in secular education contexts. We all need to beware of the tendency to look down on other Christian families for their choices on how to educate their children. These decisions are not always easy, and things in our educational system are surely more challenging for Christians than they ever have been. Even if we choose to send our children to the public school system, they do not have to become “products” of the public school system. Christians are “products” of God’s grace, not the public school system. Everyone needs to remember that, if our children grow into godly adults, they are products of God’s grace, not of a Christian school education, or even—dare I say it—a homeschool education. So, with Daniel and his three friends God’s grace protected them and preserved them in the midst of a secular, pagan education. The Lord put Judah under the control of Babylon, and the Lord put these Jewish youths into the Babylonian school system; the Lord has put our nation under the influence and leadership of the Democratic party. No one has “taken God out of our schools.” The only people who will take God out of our schools can possibly be Christians who refuse to serve in the school systems as a vocation, or if all Christians take their Christian children out of the school systems, then, and only then, will anybody have taken God out of our schools. Now, having said that, Christian parents have the freedom to choose homeschool or private school. Each family is responsible before God to assess their circumstances and seek to make the wisest decision possible. The bottom line is this: God can and does both protect and use Christian children and Christian staff in the public educational system, and God can and does equip Christian parents to effectively provide alternative educational experiences for their children. Accusations of endangering one’s children, or anything like this, from committed homeschool parents against those who enroll their children in public school are sinful and should be repented of. Daniel and his three friends brought the true God into the Babylonian school system! But for them their education was about to be changed, their diet was about to be changed, and their names were even being changed. This is all part of the Babylonian attempt to re-program their conquered subjects. Change a person’s name, you change their identity. You can see on the screen the significance of these names. I’ve always thought it sadly ironic that most of the time we don’t remember Daniel’s three friends’ original Hebrew names. We remember them by their Babylonian names! In heaven, I bet we won’t call them Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their faithful Jewish parents named them in ways that pointed to the true God; the Babylonians re-name each one of them to reflect the gods of Babylon. How tragic! But that’s not the end of the story! Let’s look at verses 8-16. III. God Gave Loyal Love and Compassion to Daniel (Dan. 1:8-16) But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. 9 And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, 10 and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.” 11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s food be observed by you, 8 and deal with your servants according to what you see.” 14 So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king’s food. 16 So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. In the previous section, we see God giving one nation to another nation. Here, we see God changing someone’s heart toward another person. The word the ESV translates as “favor” here is the Hebrew word hesed. Its basic meaning is “loyal love,” commitment to someone’s well-being and affection for that person. God caused Ashpenaz, the chief of the eunuchs, to become fond of Daniel and to care about his well-being. Can you imagine how strange this would be? A Babylonian official developing a soft spot for a Jewish slave! God did that! And Daniel needed someone to hear him out, to be willing to engage with him, to listen to his concerns. Daniel was asking for an exemption, asking for special treatment, and so God intervened to ensure that the person with the authority to provide such special treatment felt sensitive toward Daniel. Daniel’s concern in these verses is not to “defile himself” with the food and wine from the king’s table. There is all kinds of debate as to what Daniel’s logic is here. The word “defile” is not the word that appears so frequently in Leviticus. If his primary concern was that the food was ceremonially unclean, it seems like he would have used the normal word for “defile” that appears in Leviticus. Also, wine is never said to make one unclean in the Mosaic Law, unless Daniel had taken a Nazirite vow, which seems unlikely. Some have suggested that this food would have been offered to idols first. Undoubtedly it would have, but so would the vegetables that Daniel ends up eating. Others have suggested that Daniel doesn’t want to eat from the king’s table because that would show that he’s dependent on the king, and not on God. But eating the vegetables the king supplies would still be being dependent on the king. I don’t think we can be certain what Daniel’s reasoning is, but, based on the text, I think the simplest explanation is simply that Daniel felt the need to draw the line somewhere. Daniel’s identity was being threatened—they changed his name and he was about to endure three years of attempted indoctrination—but in both of these areas, Daniel could retain his own identity in his own mind. Yes, he’ll answer when they call him Belteshazzar, and, yes, he’ll do every assignment—and get top marks!—at Babylon University, but he will remain Daniel, and he will retain his beliefs about the truth of God’s Word, and he won’t depend on the divination practices he’ll have to learn in school for his success. But, there’s no way around the food issue, without open refusal….unless he gets an exemption. As we see from Ashpenaz’s response in verse 10, even though he is fond of Daniel and cares about him, he will not jeopardize his own life by going along with Daniel’s request. However, we can still see Ashpenaz’s kindness here, because he doesn’t get upset with Daniel’s request. He doesn’t accuse him of rebellion or sedition. He honestly tells Daniel why he can’t help him out, but he leaves a window open for Daniel to secure a different menu in another way, a way that doesn’t endanger Ashpenaz. And so, in verses 11-14, Daniel shrewdly proposes a test with the steward, who is a lower-ranking officer than Ashpenaz, more directly responsible for the day-to-day needs of the foreign youths. Now, verse 11 says that Daniel proposed a ten-day test, but it’s possible that we shouldn’t take that number literally here. We’re going to wrestle with the numbers in the book of Daniel repeatedly, on whether or not they are intended to be taken literally, as estimates, or having some symbolic significance. It’s hard to imagine ten days on a diet like this making much visible impact, and we don’t know whether this is a major change from the diet Daniel and his friends had been accustomed to, or whether it’s more in line with what they were used to eating. So, it may be that we should take the reference to “ten days” as a round number for a short period of time, but long enough to see how a daily diet of fruits, vegetables, and grains—literally, “sown things,” food produced from seeds—for Daniel and his friends impacts their bodies in visible comparison with how a diet of rich food and wine from the king’s table impacts the bodies of all the other youths taken from other nations. God exercised his sovereign power and gave Judah to Babylon; God exercised his sovereign power and gave good feelings about Daniel to a Babylonian official; how will God exercise his sovereign power in the context of this “test” regarding Daniel’s diet. The steward accepts the test! The steward, who would’ve been like a taskmaster to Daniel and his friends, submits to the slaves! Only God could bring about such bizarre results! Do you believe God still does these kinds of things today? But what of the results of the test? How will Daniel and his friends fare? We must see the outcome in verse 15 as a miraculous outcome. This is not what anyone would’ve expected! Notice the way the outcome is described: Daniel and his three friends “were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king’s food.” “Fatter in flesh” has got to be the weirdest goal for a diet in the history of dieting! It’s important to see here that this is in no way commending a “Daniel diet” for God’s people. That is in no way part of the message of this text. In fact, it’s not even clear as to what specific foods they ate. In fact, we should probably recognize that this is one of those occasions in Scripture where the plan is not, humanly speaking, a good plan. Some have tried to suggest that the king’s food, which would’ve included fine meats and other sumptuous things, is unhealthy. However, in training regimens like this would’ve been for these youths, it is altogether more likely that the king’s officials would have been eating incredibly healthy foods. Now, I’m the furthest thing from a dietitian, but I think eating only fruit, veggies, and oatmeal would normally make a person lose weight, all other things considered equal. But the text says they gained weight! They were fatter than all of the other youths who were eating the sumptuous feasts provided by the king! Why? God caused what would normally produce skinny weaklings into something that produced body-building hunks, and presumably they continued to grow and remained in better shape than everybody else for three years. Remember: at this point, these are teenage boys. Can any of you who have or have had teenage boys in your home imagine what it would be like if they ate only fruit, veggies, and grains? Also, it’s important to recognize that after this three-year training period ended, Daniel went back to eating a more balanced diet. We see a hint of this in chapter 10, where he says that he fasted for three weeks, specifically giving up the wine and the delectable food he had normally been eating. So, here God caused the test to succeed in a miraculous way. In verses 17-21, we see how God sovereignly worked to enable Daniel and his three friends to continue prospering in Babylon. IV. God Gave Wisdom to Daniel and Friends (Dan. 1:17-21) As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. 20 And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. 21 And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus. 17 From verse 17, it seems that God only gives Daniel special insight into understanding dreams and visions, but God enables all four of them to excel through the educational program. They become experts in all the idolatrous practices, all the pagan religious literature and customs, and all forms of divination, methods of receiving and interpreting messages from the Babylonian gods. They distinguished themselves, graduating at the top of their class, with highest honors. In verse 20, we see another place where the number ten appears and probably shouldn’t be pressed into literal service, as though the other students scored a 10 on their papers, while these Jews scored 100, literally ten times better. Rather, it is a figure of speech to show that they were one of a kind, in a class by themselves; they really impressed King Nebuchadnezzar. Given this summary statement, it’s a bit surprising in chapter 2 when he does not summon them immediately to interpret his dream. It should also surprise us when we find Daniel having difficulty interpreting his own visions at the end of the book! God seems to give him insight into understanding other people’s dreams, but not his own! Verse 21 summarizes the entire chronology of the book of Daniel. There were only six kings spanning the whole history of the Babylonian Empire. Daniel survives through all of them, and on into the beginning of the Persian Empire. One writer has succinctly summarized the significance of verse 21: “Emperors come and go, but Daniel remains.” There’s an important point here for us to remember. If I may adapt this writer’s comment: Regimes in all nations will come and go, but the church will remain. The gracious sovereignty of our great King Jesus guarantees that he will build his church, as he promised. If the gates of Hades, the power of death, cannot prevail against the church, then we must believe that the political powers of nations cannot prevail against the church either. The message of Daniel 1 is that God will enable his faithful people to endure, even in exile. You may feel like the church in America, Christians in America, you as a Christian in America have never been more in exile than you are now. But, brothers and sisters, you are not under the judgment of God, the way the Jewish people were. Whatever suffering, whatever challenges, we may face in the days ahead in this country, God’s wrath against us and our sin has been completely endured by Jesus on the cross. That means that whatever suffering, whatever challenges, we may face in the days ahead in this country, God is using it all to bless us and build his church. V. Conclusion: The Gospel of God’s Sovereignty God’s giving in Daniel 1 is the major theme, and God’s gracious giving is an exercise of his sovereignty. We’ve entitled this sermon series as “The Gospel of God’s Sovereignty.” The truth of God’s sovereignty, as it will be on display throughout the book of Daniel especially, is really good news. It was good news for the Jews living with Daniel and his friends throughout the exile; it was good news for the Jews who returned from exile when the Persians conquered the Babylonians and let them go home to rebuild their temple and, eventually, their city; and it is good news that you and I need to believe today. But the concept of God’s sovereignty is deeply connected with the gospel message, the gospel that saves sinners, the gospel that grows sinners, and the gospel that brings sinners all the way home. The accomplishment of the events of the gospel could not have been achieved apart from God’s sovereignty. That is true; but the Bible connects the gospel with God’s sovereignty even more intimately. The Bible suggests that the gospel is actually all about God’s sovereignty. Or, said more precisely, the Bible defines the gospel in terms of God’s sovereignty. Let me show you. It’s important to remember that the word “gospel” actually originates in the Old Testament. And it’s also important to remember that the word “gospel” simply refers to news, the announcement of news—good news, the best of news! And news is about events, events that happened that make a difference to certain people’s lives. And, in this case, the good news refers to events that changed the whole world. Isaiah 52:7 is where we begin: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” The one who has beautiful feet is the evangelist, the one who announces the good news, the one who proclaims the gospel. It’s the herald who shouts to the town, “Hear ye! Hear ye!” and then shouts the headlines summarizing the most important event that just happened. Here in Isaiah 52:7, the content of that headline is “Your God reigns.” Thus, the good news is that your God reigns. God sitting on his throne, God establishing his rule, God exercising his sovereignty is the gospel. How does that connect with what we tend to think about when we use the word “gospel”? We tend to think about the person and work of Jesus as the gospel, right? Yes, of course. But isn’t Jesus the king? And doesn’t his work conclude with ascending to sit on his throne at the right hand of God? Yes! The gospel is the story of how the true king of the universe, the true king of humanity establishes his rule, his kingdom. He did that through living a perfect human life, dying as a sacrifice for sinners, rising from the dead, and then ascending to heaven to sit on his throne at the right hand of God. From his throne, he exercises his gracious sovereignty, ruling over his kingdom, bringing sinful rebels out of the rebel kingdom of fallen humanity and into his kingdom to become his citizens, his subjects, and he continues manifesting his rule this way until he returns to transform the whole creation into his kingdom, the New Heavens and the New Earth. The book of Daniel will depict this grand story in various ways. Here, in chapter 1, the main theme is God’s giving, which, as I already said, is an exercise of his gracious sovereignty. And so, whether it be God giving one nation into the control of another nation, or whether it be God giving a nation into the leadership of a new president, or whether it be giving unbelievers a favorable disposition toward Christians, or whether it be giving Christians the ability to endure hardship and to remain faithful, we should respond with gratitude and acknowledge the gracious outworking of God’s sovereignty for the benefit of his people. In this season of challenge for Christians who also happen to be Americans, we need to remember how God has exercised his gracious sovereignty for our benefit. Simply put, we need to remember how much God has given us in Christ. Paul says it this way in Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” Did you catch that? You have been given every spiritual blessing in Christ, every blessing associated with and delivered by the Holy Spirit (that’s what the word “spiritual” means). Or Peter says it this way in 2 Peter 1:3-4, “3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature.” There’s that word “all” or that phrase “all things” again. How comprehensive is God’s gift to us! We draw from, enjoy the benefits of the gift of “all things” as we get to know him better and as we believe his promises recorded for us in Scripture. That’s the key! God exercises his gracious sovereignty for the benefit of his people. Always! Paul says it memorably in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” And then verse 32 strengthens this glorious statement: “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” Notice three things about verse 32. First, the “all things” he promises to graciously give us comes “with him,” with Christ. If God has given Jesus to you, you already have the most important, most valuable gift in the universe. If you have Jesus, you have everything you need. The second thing to notice is the logic; Paul recognizes that, in a figurative but very real sense, it was harder for God, infinitely more difficult, to give up his Son, to sacrifice his Son for us. When a parent loses a child, the pain is excruciating and long-lasting, but that pain is only an analogy, only a faint comparison with what it would’ve been like for the eternal God to experience such a loss. We are treading into the depths of mystery, in considering the infinitely complex heart of God, but Paul drives us to meditate on it in order to move us to the deepest confidence, the firmest certainty that God will graciously give us all things. Finally, notice that the gift of all things is grounded in the prior gift of the gospel itself: specifically, the death of Jesus in our place, for our sins. In Romans 8:28, Paul said that all things only work together for good ends for a certain group of people, those who love God and are called by God. That’s not everyone on the planet. In Romans 8:32, he reveals the key event behind people loving God and people being called by God: it’s the death of Jesus. If Jesus didn’t die for us, we could not and we would not love God, and if Jesus didn’t die for us, God would never have called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light. If Jesus didn’t die for us, God wouldn’t have given anything else. In fact, it’s only Jesus’s death for us that establishes a situation where sinful people could enjoy a real relationship with God. Ultimately, the gospel is the good news of the King taking his throne. The path he took was not the path of human kings, who conquer and assassinate and bribe and cheat their way into power. No, he took the path of suffering. The cross must come before the crown. Jesus did indeed conquer his enemies, the great enemies of Sin, Death, and Satan. He beat them once for all, using their own power against them, dying undeservedly, rising victoriously, and ascending triumphantly. The book of Daniel is going to point forward in many ways to this great gospel, but in the most famous stories of the first half of the book, we’re going to see the characters in the story trusting God’s sovereignty, and we’re going to see God acting with sovereign power. It is the king in his beauty that we want to see as we study the book of Daniel, and his beauty is on display in the form of his gracious sovereignty, exercised for the good of his faithful people. The challenge of the book of Daniel is not to “dare to be a Daniel.” We will see Daniel as a good example of a faithful Jewish person, but the challenge of the book of Daniel for us is to continue trusting God as he unfolds his grand plan for the world and as he works in our individual lives. Make no mistake: this book is not about the wise man, Daniel; this book is not about Nebuchadnezzar or Babylon or any of the other pagan nations featured along the way; and this book is not about revealing a sequence of events coming in the future, at the end of human history. No, this book is about the King of Kings; this book is about the only true God, and we will see him most clearly as we read the book through the lens of Jesus. The gospel of God’s sovereignty is on display. The only question we have left to consider is this: are you living as a subject of the king, a citizen of the kingdom of heaven?