Daniel Intro

Let me invite you to take out your copy of God's Word and turn to the book of Daniel.

There is no shame this morning in turning to your table of contents.

You'll find it between Ezekiel and Hosea.

While you're getting the artist to share a funny thought I had with you this morning,

sometimes the room is so quiet and it's amazing.

You go like, man, all these kids are in the room and it's so very quiet in here.

And sometimes the babies are so chatty.

And I think, I think, when you start paying attention,

because when they walk in, I think they look at each other like,

if you'll speak up, I'll speak up.

Like, we'll show them who's in charge.

Seems to be one of those mornings.

They're on the same rhythm this morning, aren't they?

Before I begin speaking about the book of Daniel,

I just want to remind you there's a few of them left out there.

I think 10 or so of these ESV scripture journals.

This is something we've been doing for a little while,

back when we started the book of Hebrews.

Great little resource.

It's got the text on one side and notes,

the spot for notes on the other.

So if you'd like to pick one of these up out there in the book nook,

if they run out, they're not expensive.

I think Amazon has them for six bucks.

We've got them out there for five,

so we're saving you a little.

But feel free to take one,

even if you don't have money today to pay for it.

You can owe us.

It'll be just fine.

We will trust you.

So if you'd like to grab one of those,

I want to encourage you to grab that out there in the hallway in the book nook.

Today, I'm simply going to preach a Daniel overview sermon.

I'm going to labor to give you a brief summary of the book of Daniel

as we are set to begin our study of it starting next Lord's Day.

We'll spend 10-ish weeks in the text.

I'll first give you a quick flyover of the entire book,

and then we will consider the three most prominent themes of the work.

So even as you have the book open in front of you,

I'm going to reference it at a number of times,

and I would encourage you to flip to those spots and see that text yourself.

But just keep in mind we're big picture, high flyover this morning.

So Daniel consists of 12 chapters,

and it is widely agreed that Daniel is its author.

It's not even really up for debate.

The first six chapters of it are historical narrative

and consist of six accounts, six different stories,

one for each chapter.

This is probably the part of Daniel you're most familiar with.

The final six chapters are predominantly visions that Daniel has about the future.

It is helpful that this work is largely, not entirely,

but largely written in chronological order.

The entire work takes place during the exile of the Jewish people

after the Babylonian sacking of Jerusalem in the 6th century BC.

The first four chapters occur during the reign of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar.

In chapter one, we learn of the famous story of the four young Hebrew boys

who refused to eat the defiled food of their captors

and end up prospering both in health and in position

because of their faithfulness.

In chapter two, king Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that he wants interpreted,

but to ensure that none of his wise men can fabricate the interpretation,

he insists that they tell him both the content of his dream

and the interpretation.

And their response to that is,

that's impossible.

How could we know?

So they're unable to do so,

but God makes Daniel able to do so.

In chapter three, we have the famous story

of the king's great idol that Daniel's friends refuse to worship.

So Nebuchadnezzar throws them into the fiery furnace,

but God is merciful to them and they survive.

Chapter four, Nebuchadnezzar writes a letter to his whole empire

praising God in response to what happened in chapter three,

but then it seems across a bit of time,

he becomes very proud

and God through an illness humbles the king.

In chapter five,

Belshazzar, who is Nebuchadnezzar's son,

is now king

and we are told of a riotous feast he holds for pagan gods.

In fact, they take vessels that were taken out of the temple in Jerusalem

and they're drinking wine.

They're getting drunk out of those vessels,

which were meant for the worship of God.

And so a hand appears and writes on a wall,

a language nobody understands.

And Daniel is called upon to interpret the writing.

He tells the king that he has been weighed in the balance

and found wanting.

And that night, Belshazzar is slain.

Chapter six contains the most famous story from Daniel.

Daniel, Darius the Mede is now king

and he issues an edict that he alone is to be prayed to.

Daniel continues to pray to the Hebrew God,

to our God,

and he's therefore thrown into a den of lions.

Interestingly, this is toward the end of Daniel's life.

He's likely about 80.

I don't know that many of us have seen a story Bible

with a picture of Daniel in his 80s

in the lion's den.

And then you likely know that God mercifully spares his life

from those lions.

Chapters seven and eight contain visions Daniel has

during the reign of King Belshazzar

about the rise and fall of earthly kingdoms.

So it's prophetic,

but that prophecy has been fulfilled.

Chapter nine is a record of a long prayer

prayed by Daniel during the reign of Darius.

Possibly one of those very prayers he was praying

when he's taken captive and thrown into the lion's den.

And then chapters 10, 11, and 12

are the most challenging chapters of the book.

And they present another vision of Daniel's

about the end of this age.

So they're prophetic,

but yet to be fulfilled,

most will argue.

So this is a big and broad overview

of the entire book.

This morning, I want to present to you

the three major themes of the book of Daniel, right?

So we're setting up framework for ourselves.

If you're a guest this morning

and you're from out of town,

I apologize that you won't be able to hear

the rest of what we'll be doing.

But certainly for those of you

who are here regularly,

take some good notes.

Have these themes in your mind

as we study the rest of this work.

So those three major themes are,

number one, the rise and fall of man.

Number two, the immovable sovereignty of God.

And number three, the resilient faith of Daniel

and his friends in a hostile culture.

The resilient faith of Daniel and his friends

in a hostile culture.

So the first theme, the rise and fall of man.

A careful study of Daniel, which we intend to do,

will teach us that God raises up men

and God brings men low.

The story of Daniel is set in the context

of a Babylonian renaissance.

Under King Nebuchadnezzar's reign,

the Babylonian empire flourished

after a thousand year decline.

He had really turned the empire around.

Country after country fell to its military might

and it reached its largest size during this time.

In the region, there was just a domino.

They just conquered and conquered and conquered.

And Nebuchadnezzar is not just famous

for the stories that we find in Daniel,

but much was written about him

in an extra-biblical literature.

So in my note writing this week,

I often have to teach pages,

the names, Bible names.

Pages already knew the name Nebuchadnezzar.

I did not have to teach it that

so it would not spell check it any longer.

Like lots of extra-biblical literature

writes of this historic character, Nebuchadnezzar.

He was a big deal in his time.

And he was not only concerned with military might,

but also cultural renewal.

He was zealous to make the city of Babylon great,

and he did.

It was massive.

The Greek historian Herodotus said,

in addition to its enormous size,

it surpasses in splendor any city of the known world.

The city had large gates and avenues,

a new palace,

and as many as 50 temples built to false gods.

This is the days of the hanging gardens of Babylon,

if you know your ancient wonders of the world.

We get a picture of Nebuchadnezzar's pride in the city

in Daniel chapter 4 and verse 30,

Daniel 4 · chapter mention

where he says,

is not this great Babylon,

which I have built by my mighty power

as a royal residence

and for the glory of my majesty.

But Nebuchadnezzar's life came to an end.

He did all of this,

and it came to an end.

And the city itself also is a memory.

He is a distant memory,

and the splendor of Babylon is no more.

His reign was followed by another,

and another,

and so on.

Kings are raised up by our God,

and they are brought low by our God,

as it is with all men.

So we obviously,

none of us have positions of power

like Nebuchadnezzar

or any of the kings that followed him.

But in the same way,

we are brought high,

we are promoted,

and we are brought low.

We are humbled by God.

Nebuchadnezzar himself has a dream

in chapter 2

of a man made up of different materials.

And when the man is struck by a rock,

it cannot withstand the blow,

but it crumbles.

It's utterly destroyed

by this rock that strikes it.

In the last days,

all the kingdoms of this world

will be as nothing

when God establishes

his everlasting kingdom.

Daniel chapter 2

Daniel 2 · chapter mention

and verse 44.

Daniel,

in his interpretation

of the dream,

says,

And in the days

of those kings,

the God of heaven

will set up a kingdom

that shall never be destroyed,

nor shall the kingdom

be left to another people.

It shall break in pieces

all these kingdoms

and bring them to an end,

and it shall stand forever.

The visions of chapter 7 and 8

reinforce this,

as we will observe

four beasts in chapter 7

and a ram and a goat

in chapter 8,

all which represent kingdoms

that will rise and fall.

We now can look back on that

and see that they rose

and they fell.

Beloved,

we ought never be too proud

of our achievements.

We must not become entranced

by some idea

of our might,

for it is God

who raises up

and God

who brings low.

Daniel and his friends,

as conquered captives,

find much success

in this foreign land.

We'll see that repeatedly

throughout the text.

But not,

Daniel records

that he didn't accomplish it.

It was nothing

that he did.

Daniel chapter 1

Daniel 1 · chapter mention

in verse 17,

we hear,

as for these four youths,

God gave them learning

and skill

in all literature

and wisdom,

and Daniel

had understanding

in all visions

and dreams.

He understood

the means

by which he was promoted

as being means

that were given to them

by God.

This book will,

or at least

it ought to,

teach us

about the fragile nature

of the power

of man.

But,

what a wonderful thing

in response,

it will also teach us

about a power

that stands

in contrast

to the rise

and the fall

of man.

And that power

is,

number two,

the immovable

sovereignty

of God.

This is a very good thing,

beloved,

when we recognize

how little control

we have,

and we also realize

who is in control.

You are right

to feel anxious

in this age

when you recognize

that you have

very little control.

control.

But,

you have a reason

to be faithful

to the end

when you realize

that God

is in control.

It's not a single thing

in this world

that escapes

his grasp.

He is an absolute,

immovable

sovereign.

This book teaches us

that.

The God of Daniel,

our God,

is unchanging,

and he never ceases

to rule

over his creation.

It is his.

He declares mine

over it.

After God reveals

the content

and meaning

of Nebuchadnezzar's

dream to Daniel

in chapter 2,

Daniel prays this,

beginning in verse 20.

Blessed be the name

of God

forever and ever,

to whom belong

wisdom and might.

He changes times

and seasons.

He removes kings

and sets up kings.

He gives wisdom

to the wise

and knowledge

to those

who have understanding.

He reveals deep

and hidden things.

He knows

what is in the darkness

and the light

dwells with him.

To you,

O God of my fathers,

I give thanks

and praise,

for you have given me

wisdom and might,

and I have now

made known to me

what we asked of you,

for you have made known

to us

the king's matter.

Daniel begins

his prayer

specifically

praising God

for his eternal

sovereignty

over the kings

of the earth.

Right?

He mentions

also seasons.

He's the dispeller

of wisdom

and of understanding.

The interpretation

of the dream

showed that not only

would earthly kingdoms

come and go,

but that they would

come and go

by the hand

of God.

Daniel chapter 2

Daniel 2 · chapter mention

and verse 34,

and you can also

see this in verse

45,

Daniel says

to Nebuchadnezzar,

as you looked,

a stone was cut out

by no human hand.

It was the hand

of God

that cut the stone

out in his dream,

and it struck

the image

on its feet

of iron and clay

and broke them

in pieces.

After Daniel

tells the king

the interpretation

of his dream,

Nebuchadnezzar

falls before Daniel

and says to Daniel

in chapter 2

and verse 47,

truly your God

is God of gods

and Lord

of kings,

reigning over

all the powers.

In chapter 5,

we will observe

King Balthazar

calling upon Daniel

to interpret

the handwriting

on the wall.

Daniel tells him

in chapter 5

verse 18 and following,

O king,

the most high God

gave Nebuchadnezzar

your father

kingship

and greatness

and glory

and majesty.

God gave it

to him.

Verse 19,

And because of

the greatness

that he gave him,

all peoples,

nations,

and languages

trembled

and feared

before him.

Whom he would

he killed

and whom he would

he kept alive.

Whom he would

he raised up

and whom he would

he humbled.

But when his,

Nebuchadnezzar's,

heart was lifted up

and his spirit

was hardened

so that he dealt

proudly,

he was brought

down from

his kingly throne

and his glory

was taken

from him.

He was driven

from among

the children

of mankind

and his mind

was made

like that

of a beast

and his dwelling

was with the wild

donkeys.

He was fed

grass like an ox

and his body

was wet

with the dew

of heaven

until he knew

that the most high

God rules

the kingdom

of mankind

and sets over

it whom

he will.

God taught

Nebuchadnezzar,

and Daniel's

here telling

this to his

son Belthjar,

right?

By humbling

him,

making him

mad,

he went

and lived

like an

animal

for a while

for God

to say

to him,

you were

the king

because I

made you

the king

and just

like I

made you

the king

I can

make you

like a

dumb

ox

and when

he realized

this,

he was

restored

once again

to be

the king.

King Darius

too would

eventually

confess

the sovereignty

of God.

after the

observance

of Daniel's

faithfulness

and God's

deliverance

of Daniel

from a

knight

in the

lion's

den,

Darius

proclaims

in Daniel

Daniel 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6

and verse

26,

I make

a decree

that in

all my

royal dominion

people are

to tremble

and fear

before the

God of

Daniel

for he

is the

living

God

enduring

forever.

His

kingdom

shall

never be

destroyed

and his

dominion

shall

be

to the

end.

So here

the king

saying

my

royal

dominion

in my

royal

dominion

in my

reign

we

will

worship

this

God

because

his

reign

will

never

come

to an

end.

Because

of the

immovable

sovereignty

of God

the book

of Daniel

teaches us

that he

will bring

the earthly

kingdoms

to an

end

and

establish

his

kingdom

forever.

I love

this.

I love

this vision

in chapter

7.

It is

good.

I'm

eager

to get

to

Daniel

Daniel 7 · chapter mention

chapter

7

beginning

in

verse

9.

If you'll

turn there

you'll

want to

see this

so if

you'll

turn

there.

We'll

talk about

it

very

briefly

but I

want

to

read

it.

Daniel

Daniel 7 · chapter mention

chapter

7

beginning

in

verse

9.

Daniel

says

!

!

So here he is

ruling over

lifting up

casting

down

verse 13

I saw

in the

night

visions

and

behold

with

the

clouds

of

heaven

there

came

one

like

a

son

of

man

and

he

came

to

the

ancient

of

days

and

was

presented

before

him

and

to

him

was

given

dominion

and

glory

and

a

kingdom

that

all

peoples

nations

and

languages

should

serve

him

his

dominion

is

an

everlasting

dominion

which

shall

not

pass

away

and

his

kingdom

one

that

shall

not

be

destroyed

if

you're

familiar

with

the

book

of

Daniel

you

know

who

he's

talking

about

if

you

are

not

who

is

this

one

like

a

son

of

man

the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

that's

who

this

vision

is

of

God

the

son

coming

to

God

the

father

as

you're

reading

your

new

testament

this

phrase

may

be

familiar

to

you

places

like

Mark

Mark 10:45

chapter

10

verse

45

Jesus

says

for

even

the

son

of

man

came

not

to

be

served

but

to

serve

and

to

give

his

life

as

a

ransom

for

many

right

he

means

for

his

listeners

to

go

whoa

wait

this

is

the

one

you're

the

one

like

a

son

of

man

who

comes

and

sets

up

a

kingdom

that

reigns

forever

!

was sent

by

God

the

father

in

human

flesh

like

a

son

of

man

to

fulfill

the

righteous

requirement

of

the

law

that

we

spoke

about

this

morning

in

the

catechism

to

die

the

death

that

all

transgressors

of

the

law

deserve

so that

by faith

in him

we might

become

citizens

of a

kingdom

that

will

never

fade

but

it'll

last

forever

and

ever

with

Jesus

as

its

ruler

this

future

reality

this

sure

and

future

reality

purchased

by the

life

death

and

resurrection

of

Jesus

Christ

is

great

reason

for

us

as

we

await

that

final

day

to

have

resilient

faith

to

recognize

that

we

are

not

of

this

world

while

we

are

still

in

it

so

thirdly

we're

going

to

note

the

theme

of

the

resilient

faith

of

Daniel

and

his

friends

in

a

hostile

culture

finally

let's

look

briefly

at

the

lives

of

Daniel

Hananiah

Mishael

and

Azariah

those

are

their

Hebrew

names

these

young

men

were

captured

in

the

taking

of

Jerusalem

they

had

been

of

high

position

in

Israel

but

were

now

slaves

in

a

foreign

land

and

they

were

being

asked

to

betray

their

God

for

the

sake

of

other

gods

there's

lots

of

cultural

pressure

on

them

to

turn

their

backs

on

the

Hebrew

God

we

will

spend

the

next

seven

weeks

considering

the

details

of

these

stories

are so

much

good

to be

unpacked

out of

them

so I

will

just give

you one

example

this

morning

in

chapter

in

chapter

three

Daniel's

friends

are

asked

to

bow

their

knees

to

a

massive

golden

image

built

by

Nebuchadnezzar

they refuse

to do

so

I think

you're

familiar

with

the

story

and

so

this

report

comes

to

the

king

these

three

will

not

do

it

and

he

brings

them

before

him

so

they're

before

this

Nebuchadnezzar

this

great

and

grand

mighty

king

Daniel

chapter

!

3

beginning

in

verse

14

we

read

then

Nebuchadnezzar

in

furious

rage

commanded

that

Shadrach

Meshach

and

Abednego

these

were the

names

given

to

them

change

their

names

as

they

went

to

be

slaves

in

Babylon

be

brought

so

they

brought

these

men

before

the

king

Nebuchadnezzar

answered

and said

to

them

is

it

true

oh

Shadrach

Meshach

and

Abednego

that

you

do

not

serve

my

gods

or

worship

the

golden

image

that

I

have

set

up

now

if

you

are

ready

when

you

hear

the

sound

of

the

horn

pipe

lyre

trigon

harp

bagpipe

and

every

kind

of

music

to

fall

down

and

worship

the

image

that

I

have

made

well

and

good

but

if

you

do

not

worship

you

shall

immediately

be

cast

into

a

burning

fiery

furnace

and

who

is

the

God

who

would

deliver

you

out

of

as

a

God

who

is

a

God

who

would

oppose

King

Nebuchadnezzar

verse

16

Shadrach

Meshach

and

Abednego

answered

and said

to the

king

oh

Nebuchadnezzar

we have

no need

to answer

you

in this

matter

no need

to answer

in the

face of

this

king

I

don't

think

we

have

a

lot

of

context

for

what's

happening

here

the

fact

that

they're

even

standing

before

the

king

was

massively

significant

thing

and

he

is

furious

at

them

this

is

the

kind

of

off

with

their

heads

sort

of

situation

and

they

say

we

have

no

need

to

answer

you

in

the

matter

what

moxie

what

faith

but

they

go on

to

say

if

this

be

so

our

God

whom

we

serve

is

able

to

deliver

us

from

the

burning

fiery

furnace

and

he

will

deliver

us

out

of

your

hand

oh

king

he

is

more

mighty

than

you

verse

18

but

if

not

be

it

known

to

you

oh

king

that

we

will

not

serve

your

gods

or

worship

the

golden

image

that

you

have

set

up

!

two

ish

months

the

rise

and

fall

of

man

the

immovable

!

sovereignty

of

God

and

the

resilient

faith

of

Daniel

and

his

friends

in

a

hostile

culture

and

I

hope

that

you

will

join

me

in

eager

expectation

of

what

the

Lord

will

teach

us

as

we

continue

our

study

of

this

book

oh

that

it

would

make

us

humble

that

it

would

make

us

confident

in

our

unchangingly

sovereign

God

and

that

it

would

help

us

to

be

faithful

to

the

end

after

all

beloved

this

is

God's

word

to

us

written

for

his

glory

and

our

good

so

we

would

all

do

well

to

listen

to

it

nor

believe

its

promises

and

to

obey

its

commands

let's

pray

together