Old Testament Heroes – Daniel

Daniel: A Turning Point in the Hopes of Ancient Israel

Class Date: May 25, 2022

The Book of Daniel consists of two sections. Chapter 1-6 are comprised of a series of stories. The main character is Daniel, who at the time, is in exile in Babylon and he works for king Nebuchadnezzar. The second half of the book of Daniel contains a series of visions along with prayers from Daniel, and conversations with an angel who interprets Daniel’s visions. This portion of the Book of Daniel is considered “apocalyptic’. This type of writing did not arise in Jewish culture until the second century B.C. Thus it is the view of most scholars that the book of Daniel was written not during the Babylonian exile (approximately 50 years starting in 587 B.C) but rather during the time of the Greek rule in Judea. Most date it to around 169 B.C.

The first six chapters of Daniel are heroic stories of Jews who obeyed God instead of a king or the king’s associates, and faced retribution for it. In all these stories, God protected his obedient servants such that ultimately, they prospered. One of the most familiar stories comes in Chapter three. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel’s friends) are accused of violating an edict of king Nebuchadnezzar, which required everyone in the kingdom to bow down to a statue of the king, or be thrown into the fiery furnace. The three Jews inform the king that they serve the God of the Jews and him alone. They are thrown into the furnace, but remain unaffected by the searing heat. The message is that God protects the people who are righteous before him. The story is meant to encourage the people to remain faithful to God, whether he delivers them from their suffering or not.

The other story in Daniel that is so well known is the story of Daniel in the lions den. The king issues an edict that anyone who does not worship the king shall be thrown into the lion’s den. Daniel, an advisor to the king, does not obey this proclamation, but prays only to the God of the Jews. Daniel is led into the lions den where he spends the night. He is unharmed, and informs the king that God sent an angel who shut the mouths of the lions. This story also illustrates that faithfulness to God is always the right thing no matter what the consequences. God is just and will uphold his justice.

The second part of Daniel provides many connections to the New Testament. Daniel introduces a new concept into Jewish perspective on human history and God’s kingdom. The evil committed by the many human empires that captured the Jewish people will be punished at a last judgement when the dead shall rise. Those who remain faithful to God will be welcomed into his kingdom. The judgement will take place through the figure who came on the clouds of Heaven: “the son of man”. The importance of this book lies mostly in the visions Daniel has. It is these visions that established the idea of resurrection from the dead, and a last judgement. Daniel is a bridge book that lays some of the foundations for the New Testament. The central idea that the son of man will rule in God’s kingdom, that there will be a resurrection from the dead, and that God’s providence controls human history to meet a preordained goal are all ideas that come from the book of Daniel.