Daniel 1 - 5 || The king & the kingdoms
[Previously at Platt]
◘ Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar & Darius
Whaddaya know? Lions. Writing on the wall.
Visions, interpretation. Prayer. Exile. Power, rule & misrule.
Only book written in Hebrew & Aramaic
Unusual due to the specificity of some prophecies
Chiasm 2 = 7 | 3 = 6 | 4 = 5
605 BC - Babylon, the great superpower
Daniel taken as a teenager & remains until his 80s
Daniel 1 / PM
◘ "God gave" / "God delivered" Judah into exile
Response of Daniel & his friends to being under a new culture
◘ God also delivers Daniel - his faithfulness is rewarded
◘ God knows where he has placed us
◘ God knows the times we are in
◘ God delivers
◘ God knows how long it will be
Daniel 2 / RC
v. 20 - 22
v. 1 - 30 Only God reveals the future
v. 31 - 39 Only God's kingdom will last
Daniel points back to God for wisdom, discernment & interpretation & towards a kingdom which will last
Nebuchadnezzar: acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty
- "the revealer of mysteries"
Who has held in the oceans in his hands?
... Behold, our God, seated on His throne
_______
HG notes:
Daniel's confidence
v. 16, 17 in the context of exile, as a captive
Up to God if He chooses to reveal or not
Contrasts: the astrologers vs. Daniel
"May the King live forever"
vs. fact - the king will not live forever
Daniel as mouthpiece
- his interpretation lands with direct
emphasis on God's sovereignty & power
v. 36 God has placed Neb. there as king
v. 44 God's own longevity
Daniel with Nebuchadnezzer
- Deferential, polite but plain-speaking
- Echoes of Moses & Pharoah (Exodus)
What does Daniel's interpretation of the dream teach about power?
Temporal - the rise & fall of kingdoms v. 39
Ordained by God v. 36 - 38
Commentator: Dale Ralph Davis
◘ Disabusing the Israelites of their if only mindset
- " if only Babylon was destroyed " - there will be other kingdoms after this one
-- The 4 kingdoms? Babylon, Assyria, Greece & Rome
* Where do we look for answers, for hope, towards the future?
* Where do we perhaps misplace our confidence or security?
_______________________
Daniel 3 / JS
v. 1 - 18 Whose kingdom has your loyalty?
v. 19 - 30 God rescues
Good shepherd of my soul
HG notes: v. 16 ~ heart of the chapter (chiasm)
- they know God will rescue them - but even if he doesn't
DRD: the miracle was their faith, with or without rescue
God's protection renders them unbound & unsinged
His presence in the fire with them
He joins us in the fire rather than rescuing us from it
→ Why into the fire?
• attention-grabbing - God making 'big moves' in Neb.'s life
Relationship with God puts us under pressure in the world
- WHEN TO MAKE A STAND?
• Up until this point, SM&A have assimilated into Babylonian culture
• Something about both food & idolatry becomes a sticking point
the heart issue ~ something personal to them
* 1 Cor 10: not everything is beneficial, not everything is constructive
_______________________
Daniel 4 / PM
v. 1 - 18 Nebuchadanezzer's dream
v. 19 - 27 Daniel explains the dream
◘ God rules human kingdoms & gives them to whomever He wants
HG notes:
v. 8 - a renaming of Daniel as Belteshazzar (^ assimilation)
v. 9, v. 18 - Neb's mixed messaging: aware & yet not aware
~ the spirit of the holy gods is in you / chief of the magicians
v.27 - a 'Jonah vibe' with Ninevah
Fulfilment of the dream is not inevitable:
~ Therefore, Your Majesty -- accept my advice -- renounce your sins
SOVEREIGNTY:
v. 18 - the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth & gives them to anyone he wishes
. . . v. 25 "until you acknowledge that - the Most High.. " ^
>> Discussion point: ^ Prompts questions as to some of the more corrupt rulers who have previously wielded power - how & why?
PRIDE & SELF-GLORY | v. 30 .. he said, Is not the great Babylon I have built -
- by my mighty power & for the glory of my majesty?
RESTORATION | v. 34 - Neb's praise
At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever.
v. 35 IN PRAISE OF GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY
His dominion is an eternal dominion;
his kingdom endures from generation to generation.
All the peoples of the earth
are regarded as nothing.
He does as he pleases
with the powers of heaven
and the peoples of the earth.
No one can hold back his hand
or say to him: "What have you done?"
Eterna & Authority with echoes of Job.
Alpha & Omega:
* God does not exist inside our small framework.
* FAITH: to trust in that authority
The effects of last year, in 2020:
a loss of control reminds us & humbles us that God is in control
________________
JS / ◘ Only God saves . . . "Honour Daniel's God, who saves"
- "We're never going to be quick enough, never going to be strong enough to save ourselves."
- "He is good, He is strong, He is faithful. He has the ability to save & - more than that - He is willing to save us."
______________________
Daniel 5: 1- 31 / TW
Scene set - Action - Explanation:
BRAVADO - Sacrilege & mockery of God
through the goblets, taken from the Temple
PANIC - Could see the writing,
visible 'by the lampstand' but didn’t know what it meant
GIFTS - His days being 'numbered' so offer of gifts
~ no value in power & advancement, prestige, privilege = Short-lived
LEGACY - ‘You did not honour’ / 'you set yourself up against'
A delicious irony:
Belshazzar thought he could hold God in his hands - drinking from the goblets, that God could be contained. Daniel's reminder - quite the reverse: You are in God's hands.
mene, mene, tekel, parsin
Numbered, numbered; weighed, divided.
◘ Time’s up.
◘ You’ve not met God’s standard.
◘ Your kingdom’s finished.
A day of reckoning: in the long run, God will bring him to nothing
“God has a massive God complex. He really does think that He’s God.”
Chiasm
2 = 7 : Both chapters in Aramaic
two mysterious visions
God is in control of history
3 = 6 : two miraculous rescues
God is in control of Now;
He can turn a situation around
4 = 5 : Qu: Will you let God be in control of you?
Will you submit to the God who rules?
Carl Truman: The Rise & Times of the Modern Self
* We’ve turned inwards
* Attitude to authority changed; “you do you”
* The sovereignty of the individual
(ie: the danger of the Belshazzar within)
Acknowledgement:
5 v.21 God is sovereign over all kingdoms
including the kingdoms we might build in our own hearts, including the little empires of personal ambition that we can all fall prey to. Will we acknowledge there's a God who's greater?
* What are you living for? What are you building - & what will remain of what you are building?
= The lasting kingdom
The challenge is: you're either living for Jesus or you're living for dust
Daniel’s response: carries on, believing God is God.
Quiet steady confidence. Boldness.
________________________
Daniel 6 - HG Notes
How do we see ourselves in the two men?
What's similar* or dissimilar?
Daniel
Darius
v.4 exceptional qualities
plus high profile status
v.14 trapped but very
much wants to resolve issue
v.11 regular prayer life*
trust in God's faithfulness
v.9 easily swayed,
temptation to deny higher power
& glorify himself; individualistic
v.23 innocent in God's sight
& delivered by God *
v.24 ruthless in anger
[cf: Est 7]
acting as minority in
a secular workplace
v.26 moment of recognition:
professing some kind of faith *
How Daniel prays:
◘ Giving thanks
◘ Asking for help
Commentator: it's not necessarily a defiant act*,
it's more about Daniel's consistency:
he does what he has always done
(*cf: Matt 6 v 5)
also - 1 Kings 8: 46 - 51 Solomon's prayer
◘ Repentance
◘ Request for mercy
"who have sinned against you" || Lord's prayer
Again, (DRD as with SM&A)
the act of prayer = more miraculous than the lions' den
How Darius prays:
◘ A God who rescues & saves
◘ A God of power & control
*cf: Daniel 4 & Neb's prayer
◘ Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar & Darius
Whaddaya know? Lions. Writing on the wall.
Visions, interpretation. Prayer. Exile. Power, rule & misrule.
Only book written in Hebrew & Aramaic
Unusual due to the specificity of some prophecies
Chiasm 2 = 7 | 3 = 6 | 4 = 5
605 BC - Babylon, the great superpower
Daniel taken as a teenager & remains until his 80s
Daniel 1 / PM
◘ "God gave" / "God delivered" Judah into exile
Response of Daniel & his friends to being under a new culture
◘ God also delivers Daniel - his faithfulness is rewarded
◘ God knows where he has placed us
◘ God knows the times we are in
◘ God delivers
◘ God knows how long it will be
Daniel 2 / RC
v. 20 - 22
v. 1 - 30 Only God reveals the future
v. 31 - 39 Only God's kingdom will last
Daniel points back to God for wisdom, discernment & interpretation & towards a kingdom which will last
Nebuchadnezzar: acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty
- "the revealer of mysteries"
Who has held in the oceans in his hands?
... Behold, our God, seated on His throne
_______
HG notes:
Daniel's confidence
v. 16, 17 in the context of exile, as a captive
Up to God if He chooses to reveal or not
Contrasts: the astrologers vs. Daniel
"May the King live forever"
vs. fact - the king will not live forever
Daniel as mouthpiece
- his interpretation lands with direct
emphasis on God's sovereignty & power
v. 36 God has placed Neb. there as king
v. 44 God's own longevity
Daniel with Nebuchadnezzer
- Deferential, polite but plain-speaking
- Echoes of Moses & Pharoah (Exodus)
What does Daniel's interpretation of the dream teach about power?
Temporal - the rise & fall of kingdoms v. 39
Ordained by God v. 36 - 38
Commentator: Dale Ralph Davis
◘ Disabusing the Israelites of their if only mindset
- " if only Babylon was destroyed " - there will be other kingdoms after this one
-- The 4 kingdoms? Babylon, Assyria, Greece & Rome
* Where do we look for answers, for hope, towards the future?
* Where do we perhaps misplace our confidence or security?
_______________________
Daniel 3 / JS
v. 1 - 18 Whose kingdom has your loyalty?
v. 19 - 30 God rescues
Good shepherd of my soul
HG notes: v. 16 ~ heart of the chapter (chiasm)
- they know God will rescue them - but even if he doesn't
DRD: the miracle was their faith, with or without rescue
God's protection renders them unbound & unsinged
His presence in the fire with them
He joins us in the fire rather than rescuing us from it
→ Why into the fire?
• attention-grabbing - God making 'big moves' in Neb.'s life
Relationship with God puts us under pressure in the world
- WHEN TO MAKE A STAND?
• Up until this point, SM&A have assimilated into Babylonian culture
• Something about both food & idolatry becomes a sticking point
the heart issue ~ something personal to them
* 1 Cor 10: not everything is beneficial, not everything is constructive
_______________________
Daniel 4 / PM
v. 1 - 18 Nebuchadanezzer's dream
v. 19 - 27 Daniel explains the dream
◘ God rules human kingdoms & gives them to whomever He wants
HG notes:
v. 8 - a renaming of Daniel as Belteshazzar (^ assimilation)
v. 9, v. 18 - Neb's mixed messaging: aware & yet not aware
~ the spirit of the holy gods is in you / chief of the magicians
v.27 - a 'Jonah vibe' with Ninevah
Fulfilment of the dream is not inevitable:
~ Therefore, Your Majesty -- accept my advice -- renounce your sins
SOVEREIGNTY:
v. 18 - the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth & gives them to anyone he wishes
. . . v. 25 "until you acknowledge that - the Most High.. " ^
>> Discussion point: ^ Prompts questions as to some of the more corrupt rulers who have previously wielded power - how & why?
PRIDE & SELF-GLORY | v. 30 .. he said, Is not the great Babylon I have built -
- by my mighty power & for the glory of my majesty?
RESTORATION | v. 34 - Neb's praise
At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever.
v. 35 IN PRAISE OF GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY
His dominion is an eternal dominion;
his kingdom endures from generation to generation.
All the peoples of the earth
are regarded as nothing.
He does as he pleases
with the powers of heaven
and the peoples of the earth.
No one can hold back his hand
or say to him: "What have you done?"
Eterna & Authority with echoes of Job.
Alpha & Omega:
* God does not exist inside our small framework.
* FAITH: to trust in that authority
The effects of last year, in 2020:
a loss of control reminds us & humbles us that God is in control
________________
JS / ◘ Only God saves . . . "Honour Daniel's God, who saves"
- "We're never going to be quick enough, never going to be strong enough to save ourselves."
- "He is good, He is strong, He is faithful. He has the ability to save & - more than that - He is willing to save us."
______________________
Daniel 5: 1- 31 / TW
Scene set - Action - Explanation:
BRAVADO - Sacrilege & mockery of God
through the goblets, taken from the Temple
PANIC - Could see the writing,
visible 'by the lampstand' but didn’t know what it meant
GIFTS - His days being 'numbered' so offer of gifts
~ no value in power & advancement, prestige, privilege = Short-lived
LEGACY - ‘You did not honour’ / 'you set yourself up against'
A delicious irony:
Belshazzar thought he could hold God in his hands - drinking from the goblets, that God could be contained. Daniel's reminder - quite the reverse: You are in God's hands.
mene, mene, tekel, parsin
Numbered, numbered; weighed, divided.
◘ Time’s up.
◘ You’ve not met God’s standard.
◘ Your kingdom’s finished.
A day of reckoning: in the long run, God will bring him to nothing
“God has a massive God complex. He really does think that He’s God.”
Chiasm
2 = 7 : Both chapters in Aramaic
two mysterious visions
God is in control of history
3 = 6 : two miraculous rescues
God is in control of Now;
He can turn a situation around
4 = 5 : Qu: Will you let God be in control of you?
Will you submit to the God who rules?
Carl Truman: The Rise & Times of the Modern Self
* We’ve turned inwards
* Attitude to authority changed; “you do you”
* The sovereignty of the individual
(ie: the danger of the Belshazzar within)
Acknowledgement:
5 v.21 God is sovereign over all kingdoms
including the kingdoms we might build in our own hearts, including the little empires of personal ambition that we can all fall prey to. Will we acknowledge there's a God who's greater?
* What are you living for? What are you building - & what will remain of what you are building?
= The lasting kingdom
The challenge is: you're either living for Jesus or you're living for dust
Daniel’s response: carries on, believing God is God.
Quiet steady confidence. Boldness.
________________________
Daniel 6 - HG Notes
How do we see ourselves in the two men?
What's similar* or dissimilar?
Daniel
Darius
v.4 exceptional qualities
plus high profile status
v.14 trapped but very
much wants to resolve issue
v.11 regular prayer life*
trust in God's faithfulness
v.9 easily swayed,
temptation to deny higher power
& glorify himself; individualistic
v.23 innocent in God's sight
& delivered by God *
v.24 ruthless in anger
[cf: Est 7]
acting as minority in
a secular workplace
v.26 moment of recognition:
professing some kind of faith *
How Daniel prays:
◘ Giving thanks
◘ Asking for help
Commentator: it's not necessarily a defiant act*,
it's more about Daniel's consistency:
he does what he has always done
(*cf: Matt 6 v 5)
also - 1 Kings 8: 46 - 51 Solomon's prayer
◘ Repentance
◘ Request for mercy
"who have sinned against you" || Lord's prayer
Again, (DRD as with SM&A)
the act of prayer = more miraculous than the lions' den
How Darius prays:
◘ A God who rescues & saves
◘ A God of power & control
*cf: Daniel 4 & Neb's prayer