June 24, 2025 • 22 mins
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Daniel's life demonstrates how to maintain faithful identity in a hostile environment without compromising core values, showcasing God's sovereignty over human kingdoms.
• Daniel and three friends taken from Jerusalem to Babylon during exile (605 BC)
• Renamed to honor Babylonian gods but remained faithful to their Jewish identity
• Refused king's food to maintain ritual purity, choosing vegetables and water instead
• Served four kings over 70 years (Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius, Cyrus)
• Interpreted dreams revealing God's plan for future kingdoms
• Three friends survived fiery furnace after refusing to worship golden statue
• Nebuchadnezzar humbled after pride led to temporary insanity
• "Writing on the wall" foretold Babylon's fall to Persians
• Daniel survived the lions' den after continuing to pray despite royal decree
• First half contains narratives of faithfulness; second half contains apocalyptic visions
• Central message: God remains sovereign over human kingdoms and honors faithfulness
Next time we'll explore the second half of Daniel featuring his visions about future kingdoms and God's ultimate plan. If this episode helped you see Daniel in a new light, please share it with someone who might need encouragement to stay faithful in challenging circumstances.
RELATED EPISODE
When Home Is Lost: Understanding the Babylonian Exile
SOURCES:
- Barnes, A. (1853). Notes on the Old Testament: Daniel. London, UK: Blackie & Son.
- Fee, G. D. (n.d.). How to Read the Bible Book by Book.
- Galan, B., & Curiel, J. (n.d.). Bible Overview (pp. 269–270, 278)
- Ireland, B. (2012). Daniel: Keeping Faith When the Heat Is On (Study Guide) (L. Andres, Ed.). Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Incorporated.
- Lexham Bible Dictionary. (n.d.). [Lexham Bible Dictionary].
- Longman, T. (n.d.). An Introduction to the Old Testament (2nd ed., p. 380) [Kindle edition].
- MacArthur, J. (n.d.). John MacArthur Study Bible, NIV.
- Nelson, T. (Ed.). (n.d.). The NIV Open Bible: Complete Reference System (p. 5592) [Kindle edition].
- Widder, W. L. (2016). Daniel. In T. Longman III (Ed.), The Story of God Bible Commentary (pp. 10–11). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
- Wood, L. J. (n.d.). Prophets of Israel.
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Note: All scripture references are from the NIV translation unless otherwise indicated.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jacqui (00:12):
Greetings listeners.
Have you ever felt pressure tohide your faith or tempted to
compromise just a little sothings go more smoothly?
That's exactly the kind ofpressure Daniel faced, not from
people trying to change hisbeliefs, but from situations
(00:34):
that tested his commitment.
Quietly, gradually andpersonally, he was taken from
his home, given a new name andtrained to serve a foreign king,
and still he held on to hisidentity as God's servant.
He didn't make littlecompromises to survive.
(00:57):
The book of Daniel isn't justabout dramatic miracles or big
moments.
It's about choosingfaithfulness in the day-to-day,
even when no one else iswatching.
Well, welcome everyone.
I'm your host, jackie Adewale,and this is the Bible Basics
(01:18):
Podcast, where, weekly, we breakdown the basics of the Bible
into understandable, bite-sizedchunks.
In our last episode in ourseries on the prophets, we
explored the book of Habakkuk,where we asked God why are you
silent?
Today, we'll meet a prophet whospeaks less and lives more.
(01:44):
His name is Daniel and his lifeis a picture of faith under
pressure.
Now let's set the scene.
The book of Daniel opens duringone of the darkest chapters in
Israel's history Israel'shistory.
It's around 605 BC andJerusalem, the heart of Jewish
(02:07):
worship and identity, has beeninvaded by the Babylonian Empire
, the most dominant power in theworld at the time.
Babylon didn't just defeat thecity.
(02:29):
They plundered the temple,humiliated the royal family and
forcibly removed the brightestyoung men from Judah's noble
families.
These exiles were takenhundreds of miles away, into a
culture that didn't honor theirGod and didn't share their
values.
If you want more background onhow God's people ended up in
exile, check out our earlierepisode on the exile.
The link will be in the shownotes.
(02:49):
At this point in history, theBabylonian Empire was at its
height ruthless, wealthy andhighly organized, but it
wouldn't stay in power forever.
But it wouldn't stay in powerforever.
(03:14):
Eventually, Babylon would falland the Persian Empire would
take its place under rulers likeDarius and Cyrus.
And in the middle of all thatupheaval Jerusalem falling,
babylon rising and God's peoplebeing displaced we meet a young
man whose life would outlastempires.
His name was Daniel.
Most scholars believe he was ateenager, probably 15 or 16
(03:37):
years old, when he was takenfrom his home in Judah and
relocated to the city of Babylon.
The name Daniel means God is myjudge, and throughout his life
Daniel would live out that name,answering not to kings but to
God, along with three closefriends, hananiah, mishael and
(04:02):
Azariah.
Daniel was chosen for Babylon'selite royal training program.
These young men came from noblefamilies and were described as
handsome, intelligent and quickto understand.
We see that in chapter 1, verse4.
They had everything Babylon waslooking for in future leaders.
(04:25):
But their training wasn't justacademic.
It was about reprogrammingtheir identity New language, new
clothes, new customs, even newnames.
Daniel was renamed Belteshazzar, which means bell protects his
(04:47):
life, a name that honored one ofBabylon's gods.
It was a clear effort toreshape his loyalty.
But Daniel never forgot who hewas or whose he was.
He would go on to serve underfour major kings Nebuchadnezzar
(05:08):
and Belshazzar of Babylon, andlater Cyrus and Darius of Persia
.
And through it all, danielremained faithful, not by
preaching or confronting rulers,but by consistently living with
wisdom, integrity and courage.
Unlike prophets like Jeremiahor Isaiah, daniel's message
(05:34):
didn't come through publicdeclarations.
It came through his life.
In fact, daniel is one of theonly major figures in the Bible
about whom nothing negative issaid.
He was respected by kings andhonored by heaven.
The prophet Ezekiel, hiscontemporary, even listed Daniel
(05:58):
, alongside Noah and Job, asexamples of righteousness.
We see that in Ezekiel 14,verses 14 and 20.
Daniel became God's voice, notjust to his people, but also to
the most powerful non-Jewishrulers of the world, announcing
God's plans, interpreting dreamsand visions and pointing
(06:23):
forward to a future kingdom thatwould never be destroyed.
Now there's something uniqueabout the book of Daniel that's
easy to miss in our contemporarytranslations of the Bible.
It was originally written intwo different languages.
Written in two differentlanguages.
(06:49):
Chapters 1 and 8 through 12 arewritten in Hebrew, the language
of the Jewish people.
Chapters 2 through 7 arewritten in Aramaic, which is the
common international languageof the Babylonian and Persian
empires, similar to how Englishfunctions today in many global
settings.
Scholars have offered differenttheories for this bilingual
(07:11):
structure.
Some suggest it simply reflectsDaniel's own background he was
educated in both Hebrew andAramaic, so the writings reflect
his world.
Others, like Wendy Witter andAlbert Barnes, propose that the
language shifts might relate tothe intended audiences Hebrew
(07:33):
for God's people and Aramaic forthe surrounding nations and
their rulers.
While there's no single agreedupon explanation, what's clear
is this Whether the shift wasfor linguistic, literary or
theological reasons, it servesto show that God's message isn't
(07:55):
limited to one group.
It's a message for his peopleand the watching world.
Now let's get into what'scontained in this book of Daniel
.
The book spans the full 70years of the Babylonian exile.
It was written to encourageGod's people by revealing that,
(08:18):
despite appearances, god isstill in control, both during
the exile and in what's still tocome.
The book falls into twodistinct halves.
The first half is chapters onethrough six.
We'll focus on these particularchapters during this episode.
(08:38):
These chapters are mostlynarrative.
These chapters are mostlynarrative describing events
associated with Daniel and histhree friends living faithfully
in a pagan empire.
Even if you've never heard ofthe fiery furnace or the lion's
den, each encounter shows howGod's people can remain loyal in
(09:01):
a world that doesn't sharetheir faith.
Here are four major themeswe'll find in this half of the
book Faithfulness under pressure, god's miraculous protection,
pagan kings acknowledging God'sgreatness no-transcript.
(09:26):
Each of these historic episodesreminds us that God is
sovereign even over kings andempires.
The second half of the book ofDaniel consists of chapters 7
through 12, and we'll focus moredeeply on these chapters in
part two of this episode onDaniel.
(09:48):
What happens in this section ofthe book is a shift from
narratives of events to visions,vivid, symbolic pictures of
future kingdoms, global conflictand God's final victory.
This type of writing is calledapocalyptic literature, a word
(10:11):
that simply means unveiling orrevealing.
Though the two halves are verydifferent, one full of narrative
accounts and the other full ofvisions, they share the same
central message God rules overall, he overrules human pride
and he will ultimately overcomehuman evil.
(10:34):
Now let's walk through the majormoments of the first half of
Daniel, chapters 1 through 6.
Starting in chapter 1, thisfirst episode might not seem
dramatic at first glance, but itsets the tone for everything
that follows.
Daniel and his three friendshave just arrived in Babylon.
(10:56):
They've been chosen for theking's elite training program,
and part of that includes eatingfood from the royal table
Lavish, tempting meals straightfrom the palace kitchen.
But there's a problem.
This food would likely havebeen offered to Babylonian gods
(11:18):
and could include meat thatviolated Jewish dietary laws.
For Daniel and his friends,eating it would mean quietly
going along with the values ofthe empire around them.
So what do they do?
They politely ask for adifferent menu, just vegetables
(11:40):
and water.
It may seem like a small thing,but it was a bold choice and it
showed who they were trulyloyal to, and God honored their
quiet, consistent faithfulnessAt the end of their training,
daniel and his friends werefound to be wiser and more
(12:01):
capable than any of the otheryoung men.
Now, chapter two.
The next major moment comesthrough a dream, one that deeply
unsettles King Nebuchadnezzar.
He knows it means somethingimportant, but none of his wise
men, magicians or advisors couldexplain it.
(12:23):
That's when God steps inthrough Daniel.
Daniel prays in through Daniel.
Daniel prays, and God not onlyreveals the dream itself, but
also its meaning.
The king had seen a massivestatue made of four different
(12:45):
materials gold, silver, bronzeand iron, mixed with clay.
Each section represented adifferent empire that would rise
and fall.
But then in the dream, a rocknot cut by human hand strikes
the statue and shatters it.
That rock becomes a mountainthat fills the earth.
What does it all mean?
(13:06):
Daniel explains Human kingdomscome and go, but God's kingdom
will outlast them all.
It won't be built by humanpower, but by God himself.
Nebuchadnezzar is so moved bythis truth that he honors Daniel
(13:26):
and acknowledges the greatnessof Daniel's God.
He also promotes Daniel to ahigh position in his government.
Now, in chapter three, thespotlight shifts to Daniel's
three friends, Hananiah, Mishaeland Azariah, better known by
(13:49):
their Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
King Nebuchadnezzar sets up amassive golden statue on the
plain of Dura and commandseveryone to bow down and worship
it or face being thrown into ablazing furnace.
For most people the choice wassimple bow or burn.
(14:14):
But these three young men stoodtheir ground.
They refused to bow, no matterthe cost.
Their answer to the king is oneof the boldest declarations of
faith in all of scripture, offaith in all of scripture.
(14:35):
Our God is able to save us, buteven if he doesn't, we will not
serve your gods or worship theimage you've set up.
So they were thrown into thefire, but something incredible
happened.
Nebuchadnezzar looked into thefurnace and saw not three men
but four walking unharmed in theflames.
The fourth looked like quote ason of the gods, unquote.
(14:59):
God delivered them completelyand once again Nebuchadnezzar
was forced to recognize thepower of the God of Israel,
giving honor to the God whorescued his servants from the
fire.
Now we'll move on to chapterfour.
In this chapter we hear fromNebuchadnezzar himself.
(15:22):
He shares a second dream, thistime about a great tree that
reaches to the sky, visible fromall the earth.
But the tree is cut down by aheavenly messenger, leaving only
the stump.
None of his advisors couldexplain it.
Once again, daniel is called in.
(15:44):
Daniel interprets the dreamwith both courage and compassion
.
He tells the king plainly youare the tree.
Then he warns him if he doesn'thumble himself, god will.
Then he warns him if he doesn'thumble himself, god will.
A year passes, butNebuchadnezzar doesn't change.
Then, just as Daniel had said,it happens.
(16:10):
The king loses his sanity andlives like a wild animal until
he finally looks up andacknowledges that heaven rules.
Looks up and acknowledges thatheaven rules, the king is
restored to his throne.
But, more importantly, he'srestored to a right view of God.
He says of God, quote hisdominion is eternal dominion.
(16:32):
His kingdom endures fromgeneration to generation, and
those who walk in pride he isable to humble.
We see that in chapter 4,verses 34 and 37.
Now let's move on to chapter 5.
We're going to fast forwardseveral decades.
(16:54):
Babylon is about to fall and anew king, belshazzar, is on the
throne.
One night, during a lavishfeast, belshazzar crosses a
dangerous line.
He brings out the gold andsilver cups taken from God's
temple in Jerusalem and use themto toast pagan gods.
(17:19):
In the middle of the party,something terrifying happens.
A mysterious hand appears andwrites a message on the wall.
No one can read it.
None of the wise men have aclue what it means.
Finally, someone remembersDaniel, now an older man long
(17:39):
out of the spotlight.
He's brought in.
Daniel reads the words andinterprets them with bold
clarity.
The message is from God.
You've been weighed on thescales and found wanting.
Your kingdom is over.
Kingdom is over.
And that very night Babylonfalls to the invading Persians.
(18:02):
Belshazzar is killed.
The empire shifts just likethat.
Now here's a side note.
This is where we get the phrasethe writing is on the wall, a
modern way of saying thattrouble is coming or something
is about to end.
That expression comes straightfrom this biblical moment.
(18:28):
Now, chapter six.
By this point, in Daniel'saccount, the Babylonian empire
has fallen.
The new world power, persia, isin charge.
King Darius now rules over theregion and he holds Daniel in
high esteem.
In fact, Daniel has risen sofar in the Persian government
(18:50):
that some of the other officialsbecome jealous.
They know they'll never findfault in his work, so they go
after his faith.
They convince the king to passa law saying that for 30 days no
one can pray to any god or manexcept the king himself.
If they do, they'll be throwninto a den of lions.
(19:15):
Daniel hears about the law andkeeps right on praying.
He doesn't make a scene, hejust continues, as always, to
pray to God three times a day byhis window.
He's arrested and, despite KingDarius's anguish, he's thrown
(19:36):
into the lion's den.
Early the next morning, theking rushes to the den and calls
out, hoping for a miracle.
And there it is Daniel is alive.
God shut the lion's mouths.
Overjoyed Darius lifts Danielout and justice is quickly
(19:57):
turned on.
The plotters, the very men whoschemed against Daniel, are
thrown into the same den anddon't survive.
That phrase thrown to the lionsit comes straight from this
moment.
It's still used today whensomeone is pushed into a tough
situation with little support,to a tough situation with little
(20:26):
support.
Now let's pause and look back.
Let's see what Daniel, chapters1 through 6, teach us.
In a foreign land, far fromeverything familiar, daniel
didn't just survive.
He thrived, not because heblended in, but because he
stayed true.
Quiet, courage, steady faithhere's what his life teaches us.
(20:49):
Faithfulness matters.
Even small choices, like whatyou say yes to or no to shape
your soul.
Two God is in control overkings, cultures and crises, he's
on the throne.
Three prayer is powerful.
(21:10):
Daniel didn't need a pulpit,just a window.
And four even if deliverancedoesn't come, god is still
worthy of trust and throughevery challenge, the events in
the book of Daniel circle backto one core truth God is
(21:33):
sovereign, he rules overkingdoms and he honors those who
stay faithful right where theyare.
If this episode inspired you toread the book of Daniel or
helped you see Daniel in a newway, consider sharing it with
(21:53):
someone you know.
You never know who might needthe reminder that faith still
matters, especially when theworld says otherwise.
Next time we'll step into thesecond half of the book Daniel's
wild visions, strange beasts,powerful symbols and what they
(22:15):
reveal about God's plan for thefuture.
They reveal about God's planfor the future.
Until then, keep reading, keepseeking and keep growing in your
faith.
Greetings listeners.
Have you ever felt pressure tohide your faith or tempted to
compromise just a little sothings go more smoothly?
That's exactly the kind ofpressure Daniel faced, not from
people trying to change hisbeliefs, but from situations
(00:34):
that tested his commitment.
Quietly, gradually andpersonally, he was taken from
his home, given a new name andtrained to serve a foreign king,
and still he held on to hisidentity as God's servant.
He didn't make littlecompromises to survive.
(00:57):
The book of Daniel isn't justabout dramatic miracles or big
moments.
It's about choosingfaithfulness in the day-to-day,
even when no one else iswatching.
Well, welcome everyone.
I'm your host, jackie Adewale,and this is the Bible Basics
(01:18):
Podcast, where, weekly, we breakdown the basics of the Bible
into understandable, bite-sizedchunks.
In our last episode in ourseries on the prophets, we
explored the book of Habakkuk,where we asked God why are you
silent?
Today, we'll meet a prophet whospeaks less and lives more.
(01:44):
His name is Daniel and his lifeis a picture of faith under
pressure.
Now let's set the scene.
The book of Daniel opens duringone of the darkest chapters in
Israel's history Israel'shistory.
It's around 605 BC andJerusalem, the heart of Jewish
(02:07):
worship and identity, has beeninvaded by the Babylonian Empire
, the most dominant power in theworld at the time.
Babylon didn't just defeat thecity.
(02:29):
They plundered the temple,humiliated the royal family and
forcibly removed the brightestyoung men from Judah's noble
families.
These exiles were takenhundreds of miles away, into a
culture that didn't honor theirGod and didn't share their
values.
If you want more background onhow God's people ended up in
exile, check out our earlierepisode on the exile.
The link will be in the shownotes.
(02:49):
At this point in history, theBabylonian Empire was at its
height ruthless, wealthy andhighly organized, but it
wouldn't stay in power forever.
But it wouldn't stay in powerforever.
(03:14):
Eventually, Babylon would falland the Persian Empire would
take its place under rulers likeDarius and Cyrus.
And in the middle of all thatupheaval Jerusalem falling,
babylon rising and God's peoplebeing displaced we meet a young
man whose life would outlastempires.
His name was Daniel.
Most scholars believe he was ateenager, probably 15 or 16
(03:37):
years old, when he was takenfrom his home in Judah and
relocated to the city of Babylon.
The name Daniel means God is myjudge, and throughout his life
Daniel would live out that name,answering not to kings but to
God, along with three closefriends, hananiah, mishael and
(04:02):
Azariah.
Daniel was chosen for Babylon'selite royal training program.
These young men came from noblefamilies and were described as
handsome, intelligent and quickto understand.
We see that in chapter 1, verse4.
They had everything Babylon waslooking for in future leaders.
(04:25):
But their training wasn't justacademic.
It was about reprogrammingtheir identity New language, new
clothes, new customs, even newnames.
Daniel was renamed Belteshazzar, which means bell protects his
(04:47):
life, a name that honored one ofBabylon's gods.
It was a clear effort toreshape his loyalty.
But Daniel never forgot who hewas or whose he was.
He would go on to serve underfour major kings Nebuchadnezzar
(05:08):
and Belshazzar of Babylon, andlater Cyrus and Darius of Persia
.
And through it all, danielremained faithful, not by
preaching or confronting rulers,but by consistently living with
wisdom, integrity and courage.
Unlike prophets like Jeremiahor Isaiah, daniel's message
(05:34):
didn't come through publicdeclarations.
It came through his life.
In fact, daniel is one of theonly major figures in the Bible
about whom nothing negative issaid.
He was respected by kings andhonored by heaven.
The prophet Ezekiel, hiscontemporary, even listed Daniel
(05:58):
, alongside Noah and Job, asexamples of righteousness.
We see that in Ezekiel 14,verses 14 and 20.
Daniel became God's voice, notjust to his people, but also to
the most powerful non-Jewishrulers of the world, announcing
God's plans, interpreting dreamsand visions and pointing
(06:23):
forward to a future kingdom thatwould never be destroyed.
Now there's something uniqueabout the book of Daniel that's
easy to miss in our contemporarytranslations of the Bible.
It was originally written intwo different languages.
Written in two differentlanguages.
(06:49):
Chapters 1 and 8 through 12 arewritten in Hebrew, the language
of the Jewish people.
Chapters 2 through 7 arewritten in Aramaic, which is the
common international languageof the Babylonian and Persian
empires, similar to how Englishfunctions today in many global
settings.
Scholars have offered differenttheories for this bilingual
(07:11):
structure.
Some suggest it simply reflectsDaniel's own background he was
educated in both Hebrew andAramaic, so the writings reflect
his world.
Others, like Wendy Witter andAlbert Barnes, propose that the
language shifts might relate tothe intended audiences Hebrew
(07:33):
for God's people and Aramaic forthe surrounding nations and
their rulers.
While there's no single agreedupon explanation, what's clear
is this Whether the shift wasfor linguistic, literary or
theological reasons, it servesto show that God's message isn't
(07:55):
limited to one group.
It's a message for his peopleand the watching world.
Now let's get into what'scontained in this book of Daniel
.
The book spans the full 70years of the Babylonian exile.
It was written to encourageGod's people by revealing that,
(08:18):
despite appearances, god isstill in control, both during
the exile and in what's still tocome.
The book falls into twodistinct halves.
The first half is chapters onethrough six.
We'll focus on these particularchapters during this episode.
(08:38):
These chapters are mostlynarrative.
These chapters are mostlynarrative describing events
associated with Daniel and histhree friends living faithfully
in a pagan empire.
Even if you've never heard ofthe fiery furnace or the lion's
den, each encounter shows howGod's people can remain loyal in
(09:01):
a world that doesn't sharetheir faith.
Here are four major themeswe'll find in this half of the
book Faithfulness under pressure, god's miraculous protection,
pagan kings acknowledging God'sgreatness no-transcript.
(09:26):
Each of these historic episodesreminds us that God is
sovereign even over kings andempires.
The second half of the book ofDaniel consists of chapters 7
through 12, and we'll focus moredeeply on these chapters in
part two of this episode onDaniel.
(09:48):
What happens in this section ofthe book is a shift from
narratives of events to visions,vivid, symbolic pictures of
future kingdoms, global conflictand God's final victory.
This type of writing is calledapocalyptic literature, a word
(10:11):
that simply means unveiling orrevealing.
Though the two halves are verydifferent, one full of narrative
accounts and the other full ofvisions, they share the same
central message God rules overall, he overrules human pride
and he will ultimately overcomehuman evil.
(10:34):
Now let's walk through the majormoments of the first half of
Daniel, chapters 1 through 6.
Starting in chapter 1, thisfirst episode might not seem
dramatic at first glance, but itsets the tone for everything
that follows.
Daniel and his three friendshave just arrived in Babylon.
(10:56):
They've been chosen for theking's elite training program,
and part of that includes eatingfood from the royal table
Lavish, tempting meals straightfrom the palace kitchen.
But there's a problem.
This food would likely havebeen offered to Babylonian gods
(11:18):
and could include meat thatviolated Jewish dietary laws.
For Daniel and his friends,eating it would mean quietly
going along with the values ofthe empire around them.
So what do they do?
They politely ask for adifferent menu, just vegetables
(11:40):
and water.
It may seem like a small thing,but it was a bold choice and it
showed who they were trulyloyal to, and God honored their
quiet, consistent faithfulnessAt the end of their training,
daniel and his friends werefound to be wiser and more
(12:01):
capable than any of the otheryoung men.
Now, chapter two.
The next major moment comesthrough a dream, one that deeply
unsettles King Nebuchadnezzar.
He knows it means somethingimportant, but none of his wise
men, magicians or advisors couldexplain it.
(12:23):
That's when God steps inthrough Daniel.
Daniel prays in through Daniel.
Daniel prays, and God not onlyreveals the dream itself, but
also its meaning.
The king had seen a massivestatue made of four different
(12:45):
materials gold, silver, bronzeand iron, mixed with clay.
Each section represented adifferent empire that would rise
and fall.
But then in the dream, a rocknot cut by human hand strikes
the statue and shatters it.
That rock becomes a mountainthat fills the earth.
What does it all mean?
(13:06):
Daniel explains Human kingdomscome and go, but God's kingdom
will outlast them all.
It won't be built by humanpower, but by God himself.
Nebuchadnezzar is so moved bythis truth that he honors Daniel
(13:26):
and acknowledges the greatnessof Daniel's God.
He also promotes Daniel to ahigh position in his government.
Now, in chapter three, thespotlight shifts to Daniel's
three friends, Hananiah, Mishaeland Azariah, better known by
(13:49):
their Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
King Nebuchadnezzar sets up amassive golden statue on the
plain of Dura and commandseveryone to bow down and worship
it or face being thrown into ablazing furnace.
For most people the choice wassimple bow or burn.
(14:14):
But these three young men stoodtheir ground.
They refused to bow, no matterthe cost.
Their answer to the king is oneof the boldest declarations of
faith in all of scripture, offaith in all of scripture.
(14:35):
Our God is able to save us, buteven if he doesn't, we will not
serve your gods or worship theimage you've set up.
So they were thrown into thefire, but something incredible
happened.
Nebuchadnezzar looked into thefurnace and saw not three men
but four walking unharmed in theflames.
The fourth looked like quote ason of the gods, unquote.
(14:59):
God delivered them completelyand once again Nebuchadnezzar
was forced to recognize thepower of the God of Israel,
giving honor to the God whorescued his servants from the
fire.
Now we'll move on to chapterfour.
In this chapter we hear fromNebuchadnezzar himself.
(15:22):
He shares a second dream, thistime about a great tree that
reaches to the sky, visible fromall the earth.
But the tree is cut down by aheavenly messenger, leaving only
the stump.
None of his advisors couldexplain it.
Once again, daniel is called in.
(15:44):
Daniel interprets the dreamwith both courage and compassion
.
He tells the king plainly youare the tree.
Then he warns him if he doesn'thumble himself, god will.
Then he warns him if he doesn'thumble himself, god will.
A year passes, butNebuchadnezzar doesn't change.
Then, just as Daniel had said,it happens.
(16:10):
The king loses his sanity andlives like a wild animal until
he finally looks up andacknowledges that heaven rules.
Looks up and acknowledges thatheaven rules, the king is
restored to his throne.
But, more importantly, he'srestored to a right view of God.
He says of God, quote hisdominion is eternal dominion.
(16:32):
His kingdom endures fromgeneration to generation, and
those who walk in pride he isable to humble.
We see that in chapter 4,verses 34 and 37.
Now let's move on to chapter 5.
We're going to fast forwardseveral decades.
(16:54):
Babylon is about to fall and anew king, belshazzar, is on the
throne.
One night, during a lavishfeast, belshazzar crosses a
dangerous line.
He brings out the gold andsilver cups taken from God's
temple in Jerusalem and use themto toast pagan gods.
(17:19):
In the middle of the party,something terrifying happens.
A mysterious hand appears andwrites a message on the wall.
No one can read it.
None of the wise men have aclue what it means.
Finally, someone remembersDaniel, now an older man long
(17:39):
out of the spotlight.
He's brought in.
Daniel reads the words andinterprets them with bold
clarity.
The message is from God.
You've been weighed on thescales and found wanting.
Your kingdom is over.
Kingdom is over.
And that very night Babylonfalls to the invading Persians.
(18:02):
Belshazzar is killed.
The empire shifts just likethat.
Now here's a side note.
This is where we get the phrasethe writing is on the wall, a
modern way of saying thattrouble is coming or something
is about to end.
That expression comes straightfrom this biblical moment.
(18:28):
Now, chapter six.
By this point, in Daniel'saccount, the Babylonian empire
has fallen.
The new world power, persia, isin charge.
King Darius now rules over theregion and he holds Daniel in
high esteem.
In fact, Daniel has risen sofar in the Persian government
(18:50):
that some of the other officialsbecome jealous.
They know they'll never findfault in his work, so they go
after his faith.
They convince the king to passa law saying that for 30 days no
one can pray to any god or manexcept the king himself.
If they do, they'll be throwninto a den of lions.
(19:15):
Daniel hears about the law andkeeps right on praying.
He doesn't make a scene, hejust continues, as always, to
pray to God three times a day byhis window.
He's arrested and, despite KingDarius's anguish, he's thrown
(19:36):
into the lion's den.
Early the next morning, theking rushes to the den and calls
out, hoping for a miracle.
And there it is Daniel is alive.
God shut the lion's mouths.
Overjoyed Darius lifts Danielout and justice is quickly
(19:57):
turned on.
The plotters, the very men whoschemed against Daniel, are
thrown into the same den anddon't survive.
That phrase thrown to the lionsit comes straight from this
moment.
It's still used today whensomeone is pushed into a tough
situation with little support,to a tough situation with little
(20:26):
support.
Now let's pause and look back.
Let's see what Daniel, chapters1 through 6, teach us.
In a foreign land, far fromeverything familiar, daniel
didn't just survive.
He thrived, not because heblended in, but because he
stayed true.
Quiet, courage, steady faithhere's what his life teaches us.
(20:49):
Faithfulness matters.
Even small choices, like whatyou say yes to or no to shape
your soul.
Two God is in control overkings, cultures and crises, he's
on the throne.
Three prayer is powerful.
(21:10):
Daniel didn't need a pulpit,just a window.
And four even if deliverancedoesn't come, god is still
worthy of trust and throughevery challenge, the events in
the book of Daniel circle backto one core truth God is
(21:33):
sovereign, he rules overkingdoms and he honors those who
stay faithful right where theyare.
If this episode inspired you toread the book of Daniel or
helped you see Daniel in a newway, consider sharing it with
(21:53):
someone you know.
You never know who might needthe reminder that faith still
matters, especially when theworld says otherwise.
Next time we'll step into thesecond half of the book Daniel's
wild visions, strange beasts,powerful symbols and what they
(22:15):
reveal about God's plan for thefuture.
They reveal about God's planfor the future.
Until then, keep reading, keepseeking and keep growing in your
faith.
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