Daniel:                   Excellence in Exile

Lesson One:         The Life and Times of Daniel the Prophet

Prayer:                   Ask for wisdom, understanding, insight and revelation as we go into the study of Daniel. Ask God to make you to be consistent throughout this study

INTRODUCTION:

The Book of Daniel is unlike any other book in the Old Testament. The first of its unique features is that much of the book is written in a Gentile language. Daniel 2:4 through 7:28 is in Aramaic, the diplomatic language of the Babylonian empire. Another of its outstanding features has to do with the nature of its prophecies. Daniel contains detailed prophecies of countries and events far ahead of its times. The prophecies recorded in Daniel are so precise that skeptics insist it was impossible for them to have been written before the events they describe. They look upon Daniel at best as history, more likely a religious allegory, but certainly not the writings of a prophet. The final remarkable feature of Daniel is the miracles it records. The fiery furnace. The lion’s den. The madness of Nebuchadnezzar. The handwriting on the wall. For about seventy years, God performed one miracle after another to authenticate the ministry of the man whom Jesus called, “Daniel the Prophet.” (Matthew 24:15)

For these reasons and more, Daniel should be considered “a must read” for every Christian. Three times in the course of their dealings, God calls Daniel “greatly beloved.” – Dan 9:23; 10:11 & 19. He is to the prophets what Abraham is to the patriarchs. Daniel was given the most comprehensive view of God’s plan of the ages found in the Bible. For this reason, the Book of Daniel has been called “the key to prophecy” by more than one author. Much of the Book of Revelation would be shrouded in mystery if not for the prophecies of Daniel.

We cannot begin a study of the Book of Daniel without saying something about the life of the man who wrote it. Daniel is one of the few men in the Bible who is presented completely unblemished – Dan 6:4. Not even a hint of sin is charged to his name. In this, Daniel demonstrates that it is possible to live a godly life in a godless society. For this reason, we have entitled this series, “Excellence in Exile,” for if Daniel had been of a different character, it is doubtful God would have used him as He did.

For clarity, this study is divided into 3 parts:

1. I.        The Captivity of Daniel
2. II.        The Characteristics of Daniel
3. III.        The Contributions of Daniel

1. I. The Captivity of Daniel

A. The Decline of Judah

1. When Daniel was born, the strength of David’s reign and the splendor of Solomon’s kingdom were long past.

1. The Southern tribes had been carried into captivity by the Assyrians a century earlier.
2. Pharaoh had placed Judah’s king, Jehoiakim, upon the throne and a garrison of soldiers enforced his obedience to Pharaoh’s commands. See 2 Kings 23:33-35

2. In 605 BC, Jerusalem was taken by the Babylonians.

1. The Babylonians did not typically destroy the nations they conquered. Their goal was only to bring them into submission and receive taxes from them.
2. It would be nearly twenty years before Jerusalem was destroyed and most of its citizens killed or taken captive back to Babylon because of rebellion against Chaldean authority.

B. The Deportation of its princes

1. Daniel and his companions were taken to Babylon in the summer of 605 BC.

1. That this would happen was prophesied nearly a hundred years earlier in the days of King Hezekiah. Isaiah 39:7 (At that time, Babylon was not even a world power.)
2. Nebuchadnezzar chose the “cream of the crop” of Judean youth, transporting them to Babylon and requiring them to use their skills in the service of the Babylonians.

2. From the outset, Nebuchadnezzar planned to diminish their Jewish identity and mold them in the image of Babylon – Dan 1:4

1. They were made eunuchs, insuring that they could not father any children.
2. They were required to learn the Chaldean language and receive a Babylonian education.
3. They were given Babylonian names.

• Daniel means God is my judge. Belteshazzar means whom Baal Favors or protects.
• Hananiah means The Lord is gracious. Shadrach means Illumined by the Sun God.
• Mishael means who is as God? Meshach means who is like the goddess Shach (the goddess of love and fertility).
• Azariah means The Lord is my help. Abednego means a servant of Nego (Nebo) – a Babylonian god.

Daniel and his friends lived the rest of their lives as “strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” (Hebrews 11:13) They no longer had the security of a society that, at least in word, honored God. From this point onward, they were challenged with secular philosophies, government policies, and religious perversions. That is what it meant to be captives in Babylon for these young men. This is the setting in which Daniel lived, served God, and recorded his prophecies.

The Characteristics of Daniel

A. Its linguistic arrangement

1. Daniel is written in two languages – Hebrew and Aramaic.

1. 1:1 – 2:4a is in Hebrew.
2. 2:4b – 7:28 is in Aramaic (Syrian).
3. 8:1 – 12:13 reverts to Hebrew.

2. The Holy Spirit chose this arrangement to emphasize the dual nature of the prophecies contained in the book.

1. The portion written in Aramaic is a message of judgment foretelling the course of Gentile history until its permanent end at the Second Coming of Christ.
2. The portions written in Hebrew are a message of comfort to the Jews, emphasizing God’s sovereignty in human affairs and His resolve to keep the promises He has made to the Jewish people
3. Thus, the prophecies of Daniel span the ages of history from the days of Daniel to the eternal Kingdom of God.

B. Its literary arrangements

1. Daniel can be arranged according to its content.

1. Chapters 1-6 are primarily personal and historical.
2. Chapters 7-12 are primarily prophetic.

2. Daniel can be arranged according to its style.

1. 1:1 – 2:3 is introductory, establishing Daniel’s credibility and God’s sovereignty.
2. Chapters 2 – 7 employ a reverse parallel arrangement of prophecies and events.

Chapter 2 – A PROPHECY OF FOUR WORLD EMPIRES

Chapter 3 – GOD’S POWER TO DELIVER HIS SERVANTS

Chapter 4 – GOD’S JUDGMENT ON A PROUD RULER – Nebuchadnezzar

Chapter 5 – GOD’S JUDGMENT ON A PROUD RULER – Belshazzar

Chapter 6 – GOD’S POWER TO DELIVER HIS SERVANTS

Chapter 7 – A PROPHECY OF FOUR WORLD EMPIRES

1. Chapters 8 – 12 employ a straight parallel arrangement of prophecies

Chapter 8 – Prophecies about the Gentiles and the Antichrist

Chapter 9 – Prophecies about the end times and the Jews

Chapters 10 & 11 – Prophecies about the Gentiles and the Antichrist

Chapter 12 – Prophecies about the end times and the Jews

1. II. The Contributions of Daniel

A. To the Scriptures

1. Daniel demonstrates the accuracy and inspiration of the Word of God.

1. All those portions of Daniel that relate to (now) past history have taken place precisely as his prophecies declared.
2. Only a divinely inspired author could have written with such precise detail.

2. Daniel bridges the 400 “silent years” between the Old and New Testaments.

1. Although God may have been “silent” during the 400 years, He was not inactive.
2. During that time, God was fulfilling prophecy, exercising His sovereign will so that in the fullness of time, He could send forth His Son – Gal 4:4.

B. To the Saints

1. Daniel demonstrates that it is possible to live godly in a godless society.

1. Believers are not excused from a life of faith because of the conditions that pervade the society around them.
2. It is possible to live separated lives in a secular culture.

2. Daniel teaches us that God is in control of the minute details of history and the individual lives of His children.

1. There is a difference between the motives that prompt the ungodly to act as they do and the reason for which God permits them to act as they do. For example, Nebuchadnezzar was motivated by a desire to conquer nations, but He could only overthrow Jerusalem because God permitted it as a means of disciplining His people.
2. God remained present and active during the trials that came upon the Hebrew people. He had not left them nor forsaken them, nor forgotten His promises to them.

3. Daniel shows us that we can serve God, even when we suffer unjustly because of the failures and fanaticism of others.

1. The sufferings of Daniel and his friends began because their nation was disobedient to God.
2. They also suffered because of the corruption, pride, and jealousy of the Babylonians.

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