Chapter 10: Daniel (Great Leaders of the Book)

IN THIS CHAPTER, you will discover: 

How Daniel's integrity gave him favor with four kings. 

The importance of prayer in Daniel's life.

AS A RESULT, you will be able to: 

Gain favor with God and man because of your integrity.

Develop a deeper, more consistent prayer life.

Reading: Talk Thru Bible Personalities, pp. 145-56.

Scripture References

Daniel 1 Training and promotion in Babylon.
2 King?s dream and its interpretation.
3:1-7 Refusal of Hebrews to worship image.
3:8-30 Deliverance from fiery furnace.
4:1-33 King?s second dream and later humiliation.
4:34-37 Nebuchadnezzar?s acknowledgment of God.
5 Writing on wall and Belshazzar?s judgment.
6:1-24 Deliverance from lions? den.
6:25-28 Darius? testimony of god.
7-8 Dream, vision, and their interpretations.
9 Prayer of confession and restoration.
10-12 Vision of war and end times.



Biographical Observations

Four Friends
In the third year of Jehoiakim's reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took control of the smaller kingdom of Judah. After Jehoiakim's death, his son Jehoiachin reigned for a brief period. Once again Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem, taking the king into exile in Babylon along with ten thousand elite Jews. He left only the poorest people, and Zedekiah was installed as their puppet king. A decade later Zedekiah himself rebelled. As a result of this treachery , Nebuchadnezzar invaded the Holy City again . This time, however, his troops destroyed the temple, the palace, and even the walls that protected the city. Thus Judah became one more province in the gigantic Babylonian empire.
In Nebuchadnezzar's first deportation Daniel and other teenage boys were taken into exile. The young men had been chosen because they were the "cream" of Judah -- of royal blood, intelligent, refined, and handsome. Daniel was from the family of Zedekiah, and some scholars believe he was also a descendant of good King Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:16-18). Upon their arrival in Babylon, Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, had their Hebrew names changed. Their Babylonian names, Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, represented Chaldean (Babylonian) deities. The king decided to introduce them gradually to idolatry. After they had adopted the pagan Babylonian customs, he thought the Hebrews would then be ready to worship the heathen gods.
The king had ordered that these young men should have the best of everything, which included food from the king's table. Because of their Jewish dietary laws, Daniel and his friends requested a diet of vegetables and water to replace the rich foods and wine served to the king. The king's official Ashpenaz was afraid to grant their request, fearing they would appear undernourished and reflect poorly on his supervision. Then Daniel approached their guard Arioch with his request, who finally agreed to a ten-day trial. At the end of the period, all four young men were healthier and stronger than their peers. The temptations were great, but Daniel and the three others purposed in their hearts to keep their faith in God intact.
The educational advantages offered to the Hebrew youths were the same as those reserved for princes of the empire. Daniel and his three friends were very bright and applied themselves to their three-year course of instruction. At the end of their training, the Hebrews were to serve in the court as scribes -- an important position. The young men studied music, politics, religion, science, literature, and various other Chaldean subjects. The four so excelled that they were without equal in the empire. But unknown to their captors, their great wisdom came through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Successful Seer
Nebuchadnezzar put a difficult request before his court magicians. They were to describe the king's dream and then interpret it. Daniel and his three friends had been appointed counselors to the king. But now things looked hopeless for them -- and the Chaldean magicians and astrologers. Because his close advisors could not interpret his dream, King Nebuchadnezzar became furious and ordered the death of all the wise men in the kingdom. When Daniel heard the news, he asked for more time in which to consult his God. Enlisting the help of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Daniel prayed for revelation. And when his prayer was answered, Daniel praised God: "He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him" (Dan. 2:21-22).
Nebuchadnezzar was so grateful for the interpretation of his dream that he said: "Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery" (2:47). Daniel, who always gave glory to God, was greatly honored and exalted to the position of governor over the provinces of Babylon and overseer of all the wise men.
But Nebuchadnezzar's homage to God was short-lived, for he subsequently built a huge golden statue of himself for public worship. However, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow to the false god. As a result, they were flung into a furnace, where the king expected them to be consumed. Instead, the Lord sent an angel to protect the three, and they escaped without even the smell of smoke about them. Once again Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged the Most High God -- and he promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Nebuchadnezzar had a terrifying dream, which was interpreted by Daniel. In his dream a giant tree represented the king. Because of his pride, Nebuchadnezzar was to be humbled by the Lord. Daniel begged the king to repent, but his supplication was in vain. One year later, the king had his royal authority stripped from him as a result of his insanity. When Nebuchadnezzar finally recovered seven years later, he praised God who had restored both his sanity and his kingdom.

The next king under whom Daniel served was Belshazzar. During a drunken party for his nobles, the king had the utensils from the temple in Jerusalem brought in. At the height of revelry as they drank from the holy goblets, an unseen hand wrote an undecipherable message on the wall. Daniel was summoned for an interpretation. When he relayed the message, the frightened king realized that it was too late. Belshazzar's hours were numbered, for the enemy already stood outside the palace ready to attack.
Devout Daniel
Belshazzar's death heralded the end of the Babylonian empire and the rise of the Medo-Persian Empire. Once again Daniel found himself in government service. Despite the fact that Daniel had been associated with the last regime, Darius made Daniel one of three presidents over the kingdom. Because he was preferred above the other presidents, they became very envious of him. Although they tried to find ways to discredit Daniel, the officials could find no fault in his public life. But in his private life one thing was found.
It was Daniel's custom to pray three times a day in front of his window, which faced Jerusalem. Daniel's prayer life was consistent and deep -- he was an intercessor and a worshipper as well. When Darius issued an edict requiring everyone to worship the king, Daniel's enemies watched and waited. The king himself had provided them with a way to rid themselves of this foreigner -- he would be thrown to the lions.
The king kept lions in caverns for hunting purposes. These dens had two openings -- a small one in the top through which food could be tossed and a larger one below through which the lions could pass. This exit was blocked with a stone until a lion was loosed into the park, where it would be chased and killed by the king. These lions were also used to mete out punishment for lawbreakers.
As a lawbreaker Daniel was cast into the lions'den. The stone was rolled across the exit and the king's seal placed on it. Realizing he had been tricked into punishing a righteous man, Darius stayed awake all night hoping that the God of the Hebrews would save Daniel. Early the next morning he hurried to the den. The king was relieved to find that Daniel had been miraculously saved by his God. Because of the treachery of Daniel's accusers, Darius had these men and their families thrown into the den. Although God could have saved Daniel from going to the lions'den, he made his deliverance more miraculous by having a heathen king extolling the virtues of the living God: "He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth" (Dan. 6:27).

Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths: Daniel's integrity is a shining example to a world filled with ethical shortcuts and moral compromise. His self-control, courage, loyalty , humility, and steadfast faith were the results of his unceasing prayer life and ready obedience to the steadfast God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Weaknesses: There is no record of any weakness in Daniel's character.
Key Scripture: "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them" (Dan. 10:12).
In this passage the Lord gives the secret to Daniel's great intercessory and penitent prayer life -- he humbled himself and set his mind to gain understanding. Moreover, God gives his children the assurance that their prayers are always heard -- and answered.
Key Thought: Daniel, a man of integrity whose heart was after God, found that God's favor was translated into favor with four powerful earthly monarchs.
Philosophy of Life
Exiled from his homeland at an early age, Daniel's philosophy was: "Bloom where you are planted." Realizing the futility of looking back, Daniel allowed God to use him in the present -- certain that God's purposes would be completed. As he honored God in the smallest tasks, God promoted him to greater things. And in each new capacity Daniel excelled, for he gave God the glory for his success. Daniel believed that God proved his readiness to keep His word by revealing His will in advance. So Daniel lived his long life in hopeful expectancy.
Comparison
The prophets Daniel and Ezekiel were the same age and ministered during the same time period. Daniel went into exile in 605 B.C. with Jehoiakim, and Ezekiel followed in 597 B.C. with Jehoiachin. Although both received many visions from God, their ministries were quite different. Ezekiel was very graphic in his declarations of judgment before the temple was destroyed, but later his messages concentrated on religious restoration. Daniel, as a visible statesman in Babylon, promoted political restoration and encouraged other Jewish exiles.

Daniel in the New Testament
Jesus in His Olivet Discourse spoke of the end times: "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,'spoken of through the prophet Daniel -- Iet the reader understand -- then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains" (Matt. 24:15-16). The phrase, "the abomination that causes desolation," appears three times in Daniel (9:27; 11:31; 12:11). Jesus'description of the antichrist in Matthew 24:24 is drawn directly from Daniel 7:25 and 11:28-45. The writer of Hebrews indirectly refers to Daniel as a prophet "who shut the mouths of lions" (11:33).
The Grand Design
Second Kings 20:17-18 intimates that King Hezekiah was an ancestor of Daniel. Matthew 1:10 shows that Jesus was a direct descendant of King Hezekiah. Both Hezekiah and Daniel were from the royal line of Judah. Perhaps because Daniel was a eunuch, he never married. Nevertheless, Daniel prophesied the coming of the Messiah, His crucifixion, and the destruction of Jerusalem (9:24-26). These prophetic threads form the basic threads on the loom. Without them there would be no messianic tapestry.
Key Concepts:
1. King (Josiah, Jehoahaz) discovered the Book of the Law. [146]
2. True or False. King Jehoiakim looted the temple of Solomon and took captives into Babylon. [146]
3. By the time (Nebuchadnezzar, Darius) came into power, Daniel was an old man. [146]
4. Daniel and his friends were first asked to violate Jewish ___________________ laws. [147]
5. True or False. Nebuchadnezzar wanted young men from noble families to serve in the king's palace. [148]
6. People may argue for their beliefs, but they will die for their __________________________. [150]
7. Daniel is best remembered as a man of (purpose, prayer). [152-53]
8. Daniel refused to pray to King _____________________. [153]
9. True or False. Strength flows from a living relationship with the Son of God. [154]
10. Daniel experienced a (comfortable, consistent) walk with God. [155]
Further Study: Read "Daniel," pp. 251-53 and "Daniel, Book of," pp. 253- 54 in the NIDB.
Life Application: Both Daniel and Praying John Hyde knew the power of intercessory prayer. Each realized victory in the midst of adverse circumstances. Prayer is a powerful instrument of change and a formidable weapon against the enemy. What "enemies" do you presently face in your life? Sickness? Poverty? Prejudice? Commit yourself to daily intercession; and as you pray, expect God to intervene in your behalf.