The Fellowship Residency Program has introduced me to the idea of reading commentaries alongside scripture. By August of 2019, I will have read through the entire Bible as well as The King in His Beauty, our selected commentary. As I am reading, I am writing a little bit about each of the books of the Bible so you and I can have a more thorough understanding of the scriptures. I invite you to follow along with me as we learn the Bible in its entirety from Genesis to Revelation. This summary does NOT encompass the entire book, but it is a good place to start. I encourage you to read for yourself and begin your own Biblical journal along the way. To read any of my other Residency related posts, click here.
Introduction– Daniel addresses Israel while in exile (605 – 536 BC), calls them to recognize God at faithful, and urges them to resist the temptation to fall into paganism. There are three primary discussions or themes of the book: Daniel and the faithfulness of God’s people, God’s sovereignty over the way history unfolds, and how God humbles those in need of humbling.
The Deliverance of the Faithful – Israel’s King, Jehoiakim, is taken to Babylon with Nebuchadnezzar, the human revelation of the depiction of Babel. During this time, God gifts Daniel and his friends wisdom, intellect, and the bravery to resist many Babylonian norms so that they could distinguish themselves. God sovereignly worked on their behalf, and, in response, they also lived a life of obedience that pleased God. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego serve as models for the rest of Israel. They refuse to fall into idolatry and are ultimately rescued by the Lord. This depiction isn’t a promise that declares that choosing obedience means we won’t suffer. Instead, it is a promise that Israel will in fact be delivered if they will choose to serve Yahweh. At this time, God is even starting to be known by unbelievers as a deliverer, rescuer, and one who works miracles.
The Humbling of the Proud – The book depicts a couple of instances of the haughty being humbled by God Himself. Daniel interprets a dream for Nebuchadnezzar in which God warns him that he would be struck with insanity if he does not humble himself before the Lord. Instead, Nebuchadnezzar takes credit for his kingdom and is plagued with insanity for 7 years before humbling himself to God. His son, King Belshazzar did not take a lesson from his father. He drank from vessels that were taken from the temple. Daniel interprets writings on the palace wall for the king that the kingdom as a whole has come to an end due to their pride. Even the evildoers were subject to the will of God.
Yahweh’s Sovereignty over History – Yahweh answers Daniel’s prayers to reveal the mysteries of the dreams and writings. In response, Daniel praises God for the gift and shares the glory of God to Nebuchadnezzar. We learn in Daniel that history is very much determined by God before human actions even take place. We also learn that the King’s dream is about four kingdoms who are unable to withstand the power of God’s kingdom. It is clear that we should remember that only the kingdom of God will remain for eternity and not to place our hope in this world.
Daniel’s vision mirrors the King’s. A beast will reign for a few years (the number given is symbolic in nature), but the reign of the beast will not endure for eternity. A son of man will come. Israel will serve this redeemer, who is indicated to have divine attributes. Daniel recognizes the link between the son of man and the stone in the King’s dream. Ultimately, Daniel prophesies that the evil kingdom will reign for many years and lead to great devastation, but one day God’s people, through the son of man, will be redeemed and restored to reign in the kingdom with God.
Chapters 8-12 focus on the history between the two dreams. There are a great deal of disputed details in these passages. However, in summary, Daniel prays for God to show mercy to Israel and return them from exile. Gabriel comes to assure Daniel that God has heard and will answer this prayer. Daniel then goes on to predict that a messiah will be put to death. Until then, abominations are coming. It will be a long and treacherous journey to get there. It may also take longer than expected, but God will remove their covenant breaking sins forever. The final chapters of the books remind us that ultimately, the promises of Abraham will be fulfilled. However, it won’t look like they expect and will take some time to make themselves known. However, God will keep his promises.
Conclusion – Ultimately, God reigns over all that is on Earth and throughout time. Israel’s victory will not be soon or easy. They will suffer, but Daniel calls them to outright refuse the pagan worship. Those who are faithful will struggle, but will be sanctified in the process such that they are worthy of entering into the eternal promise-keeping kingdom of God.
Themes: God is sovereign over history. God delivers the faithful. God will humble the proud. All are subject to God’s will.