People live for God in a hostile society.
Daniel is the only prophet known to have lived the vast majority of his life in a pagan society. Probably born in Jerusalem, he was deported to Babylon in 605 B.C., where he was immediately placed in a reeducation program to prepare him to serve in the same government that destroyed Jerusalem. He was likely the most powerful Jew of the Exile and its aftermath, serving at least three kings and two governments in a career that spanned nearly seventy years.
Daniel powerfully models how to live and work among people who do not follow God. Although Christians can be found at every level of our own society, we often do not profoundly influence the people around us. We are often where we should be, but we are not always what we should be.
Daniel lived up to the courage of his convictions. In a thoroughly godless culture, after decades of working at the highest levels of government, he could be accused of nothing worse than continuing to honor his God.
The Book of Daniel comprises two distinct sections. Chapters 1–6 offer historical highlights from the lives of Daniel and three other Jewish captives, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. Chapters 7–12 record visions of future events given to Daniel beginning about 553 B.C.
These prophecies are often seen as a panoramic world history from Daniel’s time to the Second Coming, although some argue that his prophecies were fulfilled in the centuries soon after Daniel’s lifetime. No matter how we interpret these visions, they point to the fundamental truth that God is Lord of the nations. He controls our world, sovereignly appointing and replacing rulers through whom He orchestrates history in order to accomplish His purposes.
Although much of this book refers to Daniel in the third person, he is nevertheless believed to be its author. There is no narration of Daniel’s call to be a prophet, but we observe that he had a supernatural ability to interpret dreams and visions (Dan. 1:17; 2:19–23) and that God gave him visions (chs. 7–12). His career gives a time frame for the book of 605 to 539 B.C. Daniel lived almost all of his life in Babylon, but his prophecies are worldwide in scope.
Key Events in Daniel
• Daniel and his three friends refuse to eat the king’s food (Dan. 1).
• Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Dan. 2).
• Daniel’s three friends are thrown into a fiery furnace (Dan. 3).
• Nebuchadnezzar is reduced to living like a wild animal (Dan. 4).
• Daniel interprets the writing on the wall (Dan. 5).
• Daniel is protected in a lions’ den (Dan. 6).
• Daniel sees visions of the future (Dan. 7–12).