The Book of Daniel

Daniel |ˈdanyəl| a Hebrew prophet (6th-century bc), who spent his life as a captive at the court of Babylon. In the biblical account, he interpreted the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar and was delivered by God from the lions' den. • a book of the Bible containing Daniel's prophecies written at the outbreak of the persecution of the Jews under Seleucid rule c.167 bc.

The book of Daniel is an Old Testament book written by the Hebrew prophet, Daniel, in the 6th-century BC. Daniel’s prophecies were written into this book during the Babylonian exile right after Babylon’s attack on Jerusalem.

During this time, the Israelites were taken into captivity but Daniel (given the Babylonian name Belteshazzar) and three of his friends named Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abednego) were asked to serve in King Nebuchadnezzar's royal palace.

The Babylonians did not follow God, so Daniel and his friends were constantly being pressured to give up their faithfulness and obedience to God’s commands. They were expected to give up their Jewish identity by eating foods they were not allowed to eat—but they chose to stay faithful to God and eventually, their obedience paid off, putting them ahead of all the other men working in the palace and granted them favor with the king!

In Daniel Chapter 2, the king was having disturbing dreams every night and couldn’t sleep. So he asked all of his advisors to interpret the dream. But the only one who could was Daniel. The king was so happy he continued to elevate Daniel above the other men in his court and this caused a lot of jealousy among them. So, they derived a plan to kill Daniel and his friends by convincing the king to erect a huge gold statue of himself, commanding all the people of Babylon to bow and worship it. These men knew that Daniel and his friends were faithful to God and would refuse—so they had the king create a law saying that if anyone didn’t bow they would be thrown into a fiery furnace!

But Daniel and his friends did refuse. They said, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if He doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18)

Daniel and his friends were thrown into the fiery furnace and God did rescue them. But the most beautiful part of this passage is Daniel’s declaration to be faithful to God no matter what. In life, we will be tested by what feels like fire a lot of times—but when we determine to respond with obedience and trust, that’s when our faith is truly tested and God will respond the way only He can—through miracles and mercy that will draw all people to Him.

Because of their faithfulness, the King experienced the power of God and declared over the Kingdom, “I want you all to know about the miraculous signs and wonders the Most-High God has performed for me. How great are His signs, how powerful His wonders! His Kingdom will last forever, His rule through all generations.” (Daniel 4:2-3)

The book of Daniel is filled with stories and miracles of God rescuing Daniel and his friends from a fiery furnace and then later from being thrown into a lion’s den! Daniel's life of obedience and faithfulness to God is something we should all try to emulate. Daniel was such a powerful prophet, he actually prophesied about the coming Messiah 600 years before Jesus even came to earth!

In Daniel 7:13 he wrote about a dream he had concerning the coming Messiah. He said, “I saw someone like a Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into His presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey Him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His Kingdom will never be destroyed.”

We read the books of the Old Testament not only because they reveal God’s character and love for humankind—but they are also filled with prophecies about our Savior. Jesus said Himself in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets (The Old Testament). I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

The Old Testament and prophets like Daniel only reveal the legitimacy of the New Testament. The Old Testament contains over 400 prophesies about the coming Messiah that Jesus fulfilled in His lifetime—proving that He is the one, true, and only Savior we will ever need.

Amen!

XO-

Sabrina