The Study of Daniel דנאל

Today, we continue our journey through the Bible with today’s study of Daniel. May God show us what He wants us to learn?

“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14

As we study the Bible alone or in a group setting, there are several questions we can ask ourselves to help us dig deeper. The five questions are:

What does the scripture say about God
Then what does the scripture say about me
Does something in this passage challenge me
What gives me hope in this passage
Is anything unclear to me

I hope these questions help you as much as they help me.

Book of Daniel

Author: Daniel.
Audience: Captives in Babylon.
Date Written: About 536 BC.
Length: 12 Chapters.
Keywords: Kingdom.
Key Verses: He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. (2:22).
Key People: Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Belshazzar, Darius.

Summary of Daniel:

Nebuchadnezzar ruled the land during this time. Daniel was part of the exile and taken to Babylon at 16. With his ability to interpret dreams, Daniel rose to prominence in three kingdoms: Babylon, Media and Persia. But Daniel never let his power and influence compromise his faith. Daniel also witnessed the power of God’s miracles in the story of Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego (Daniel 3, NIV). We also see the miracle of Daniel’s rescue from the lion’s den (Daniel 6 NIV).

Daniel also delves into six moral conflicts that still plague us today. Those conflicts are:

A look at abstinence verses self-indulgence (1:8-15).
Pagan magic verses the wisdom of heavenly dreams (2:1-47).
Idolatry verses following the one true God (3:1-30).
A king’s pride verses God’s sovereignty (4:4-37).
Sacrilege verses reverence for God’s sacred objects (5:1-30).
Plotting against God’s people verse God’s protection of His own (6:1-28).

Sections of the Book:

The book of Daniel contains three significant themes, which are:

Prologue: The Setting recorded in Hebrew (Chap 1).
The Destinies of the Nations of the World recorded in Aramaic (Chap 2-7).
The Destiny of the Nation of Israel recorded in Hebrew (Chap 8-12).

Messages in Daniel:

Daniel’s prophetic visions offer hope God will bring all nations under his rule. Daniel as well.

He shows us that God’s sovereignty is over all people and He can change anyone’s heart through us when we live out a godly life. The book shows us this in the king’s confession after his period of insanity (2:47, 4:37 and 6:26).

Final thoughts:

And like so many other books in the Bible, we see God’s character on display in this book. They are:

Merciful–:9.
Powerful – 3:17; 4:35.
Provident – 4:29-31, 37.
Righteous – 9:7, 16.
True – 4:37.
Wise – 2:20-22.
Wrathful – 9:16.

In the book of Daniel, it portrayed Christ as a stone that “became a great mountain and filled the whole earth” (2:35). Daniel’s prophecies describe Christ’s kingdom as standing forever and “consuming all kingdoms” (2:44). Christ is called the coming Messiah, and Daniel foreshadows His death on the cross (9:25, 26). And Daniel also describes Christ as “One like the Son of Man” (7:13). Christ Himself (Matt 16:26 used this title; 19:28; 26:64) and shows the humanity of Jesus.

All Lessons from the Bible

Each book of the Bible contains lessons for us to learn and historical information. We must study God’s Word to see what to do and what not to do in life. Paul reminds us of the importance of the words within the text in 2 Timothy 3.

2 Timothy 3:14-17; “14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Prayer

Please grant me the understanding and knowledge of You and Your word. As I open my Bible to read the scriptures, it gives me wisdom and discernment. And even as I sit and listen to the pastor, preacher or apostle reveal what Your Holy Book is speaking into my life, help me see and understand. Help me know Jesus Christ and how He lived His life so I can follow in His precious footsteps. Amen.

Grace and Peace to you,

Do you need prayer? I would love to pray for you. Submit your prayer request on my website at https://yvonne-morgan.com/submit-your-prayer-request-here/