Introduction
Exiled to Babylon in 605 B.C., Daniel was one of several young men chosen to serve in Nebuchadnezzar’s court. When Persia conquered Babylon in 539, Daniel was again given a position of power. He remained faithful to God in both of these hostile environments.
From the interpretation of dreams, to the familiar stories of the fiery furnace, the lions’ den, and the handwriting on the wall, to the prophetic visions, the recurrent theme is God’s sovereignty over human affairs.
In the historical sections (chs. 1-6) God supernaturally rescued Daniel and his friends. The rest of the book consists of visions of future judgement and deliverance by the Messiah. Some of Daniel’s prophetic themes are echoed in the New Testament, especially in Revelation.
Daniel Taken to Babylon
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim King of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord gave Jehoiakim into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God and took them to the treasury of his god.
Then the king commanded his chief eunuch, Ashpenaz, to bring some of the people of Israel of both the royal family and nobility. They were to be “youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.”
The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that he ate and the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years and then stand before the king.
Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. The chief eunuchs game them names:
-Daniel, “God is (my) Judge” = Belteshazzar, “Bel (i.e. Marduk), protect his life!”
-Hananiah, “The Lord shows grace” = Shadrach, “command of Aku (Sumerian moon-god)”
-Mishael, “Who is what God is?” = Meshach, “Who is what Aku is?”
-Azariah, “The Lord helps” = Abednego, “servant of Nego/Nebo (i.e. Nabu)”
Daniel’s Faithfulness
Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or wine. *Israelites considered food from Nebuchadnezzar’s table to be contaminated because the first portion of it was offered to idols. Likewise a portion of the wine was poured out on a pagan altar. Ceremonially unclean animals were used and were neither slaughtered nor prepared according to the regulations of the law.
Therefore, Daniel asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief, but the chief was afraid the king would see that Daniel would be in worse condition than the others for not eating the food, and would endanger the chief.
Daniel told the steward to whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over himself, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, to test them for ten days by letting them eat vegetables and drink water. At the end of the ten days, they could see their appearances compared to those of the other youths who ate the king’s food. *Daniel used good judgment by offering an alternative instead of rebelling.
So he listened to them and tested them for ten days. At the end of the those days it appeared that they were in better appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king’s food. So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.
“As for those four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.”
At the end of the time, the king commanded they be taken to him and the king spoke with them. Among all of them there were none found to be like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore, they stood before the king and he inquired of them in every matter of wisdom and understanding, and he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.
Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar, he had dreams and his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him. So the king commanded the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell him his dreams. He told them that he had a dream, and his spirit was troubled to know its meaning.
The Chaldeans said to the king to tell them his dream so they could interpret it. The king replied with a pretty extreme response saying that if they could not tell him his dream and its interpretation, they would be torn limb from limb and their houses would be laid to ruin.
However, if they did show him his dream and interpret it, they would receive from the king gifts and rewards and great honor.
They answered a second time and said to the king, to tell them his dream and they would interpret it. The king realized then that they were trying to buy time since his word was so firm. He assured them again that if they could not tell him his dream there would only be one sentence for them.
The Chaldeans answered the king and said that there was not a man on earth who could meet the king’s demand, for no other great and powerful king had asked such a thing of them. What the king was asking was difficult, and no one except gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh, could answer it.
Because of this the king was furious and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. So, the decree went out and the wise men were about to be killed, and they sought Daniel and his companions to kill them. Daniel asked Arioch, the king’s captain, what was going on and why the urgency. Arioch explained to Daniel the situation, which resulted in Daniel requesting a time to meet with the king so he could interpret his dream.
God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to his companions Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery so they would not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
Then, the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Daniel blessed the God of heaven, and answered saying,
“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 have now made known to me what we asked of you,
for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”
-Daniel 2:20-23
Daniel went before the king to interpret his dream. He said to the king, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days.” -Daniel 2:27-28
Daniel told the king of his dream:.
Daniel Interprets the Dream
Daniel told the king that he saw a great image, mighty and exceeding brightness that stood before him. Its appearance was frightening. The head of the image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.
As he looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away. There was not a trace of them that could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
Daniel then went on to tell the king the meaning and interpretation of his dream.
He said, “You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all–you are the head of gold.
Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule the earth. And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these.
And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.
As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.
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, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold.
A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
-Daniel 2: 37-45
Daniel is Promoted
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” -Daniel 2:47
Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel made a request to the king and appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. Daniel remained at the king’s court.