| Spending time in the Scriptures Daniel | by A. Kimber | |||||
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If you’ve been following these articles since we started looking at books of the Bible you’ll have seen all my bad puns about books named after principal characters. So if you want to spend time with another Daniel feel free but this month I’m concentrating on this one. That immediately brings me onto a question and not a rhetorical one! As I read through this book I was intrigued that Daniel is always referred to by his Israelite name whereas Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are referred to by their Babylonian names. I’d really like to know, so if you can tell me that would be great. I’m sure that many of us are already fairly familiar with this book so just a quick recap. We are presented with four who were from among a number of children from Israel who were healthy, intelligent and quick and willing to learn. These were selected to be brought up with all the teaching and good things that their rulers could provide; this was not simply goodwill on the part of Nebuchadnezzar the king but a well practiced conquest strategy depriving the conquered nation of much of its future power while boosting his own nation. So these young men are given all the good things that they could have wanted but right from the start we see that these people are different, they know that they have privilege but they do not allow themselves to be corrupted by the things the world could provide. They quickly reject all the fine foods and wine offered to them; asking simply for the essentials the body needs, pulses and water. We see that despite their guardian’s reticence at this request they are found to have done better on the simple foods then all the others who were dining on the bounty of the land. I wonder what you do when faced with a difficult problem? This book really gives us good examples of how to live for God in a society which doesn’t really care what it says or does. Let’s look at some of the reactions we see in possibly well known passages in this book.
It should be noted that although we read of several great acts of deliverance in this book it is not always God’s will that His people should be preserved. You only have to look to the many Christians martyred in New Testament times e.g. Stephen and those who died in the coliseums in Rome to realise that God’s will is perfect and many people’s faith has been proven by a willingness to die for the Lord they love. So throughout this book we see that these men of God stood up for what they believed. However you will no doubt realise that what I have covered so far concerns only about half of this book. The other half is taken up largely with dreams, visions and their interpretations. Many better scholars than me have applied themselves to these visions showing their prophetic place and the things that are one day to occur. For inclusiveness I will list the dreams here but in such a limited space it is difficult to say anything more that will do them justice; please take the time to read them yourselves, some cover things that have happened and others things that will happen, some have clear interpretations, others not so. By reading them for yourself you will have a greater understanding than anything I can supply here. In chapter 2 we read Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a giant statue made of many different materials which was destroyed by a stone cut without hands. In chapter 4 we read Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a tree that grew great and strong under which all animals sheltered and in which all birds roosted; this tree though was cut down and the man who it represented would be given the heart and mind of a beast for seven years. In chapter 7 we come to a vision that Daniel had in which four beasts came upon the earth. This is one of the great prophetic chapters of the Old Testament so please take time to read it as it concerns things that are yet to come. In chapter 8 we read another of Daniels great visions. In it he sees a ram which despite its might is destroyed by a goat; this goat then proceeded to do away with all the sacrifices and destroy and cast down the holy people. In chapter 10 we see a vision that Daniel had of a man robed in gold and linen with eyes like fire and the voice of a multitude. This man spoke to Daniel addressing him as ‘greatly beloved’ telling Daniel that ‘his words were heard’. I would like to do more justice to some of the prophetic aspects of this book but space does not allow. May I just conclude by saying that there are many wonderful examples of how we ought to live before God and men which would be a great help to us if we were to observe and follow. Also may I recommend once again that you take time to read this book and study it in its prophetic contexts; it’s good to have a basic grasp of what the scriptures say is going to happen in future days. Key Verses
And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes;
Daniel 1:3
Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
Daniel 2:20
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Daniel 3:17-18
And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
Daniel 7:27
Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
Daniel 10:12 As always we welcome comments and suggestions, would you have selected different verses? Let me know what you think, it’s always good to get some feedback. You can e-mail me at a.kimber@assemblyyouth.net
All quotes are from the King James version of the Bible unless otherwise specified. | ||||||
Lord's return
Dare to be a Daniel