Overview of the Bible: Daniel

 

Daniel  

Title: Book of Daniel – personal dairy and visions of a single prophet.   

Date of writing and narrative: From 605 BC – first group of Judeans arrived to Babylon – to the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia (10:1). 533 BC (TLBS has 536 BC as the final vision), when the book was completed. Also, cp. Ch. 1:1, 21.

Structure:

A. Hebrew, ch. 1 – sons of the Kingdom

    B. Aramaic, ch. 2-7

            a. Nebuchadnezzar dreams of 4 kingdoms, ch. 2

              b. test of faith – deadly threat: three servants, ch. 3

                c. judgment and conversion of Nebuchadnezzar, ch. 4

                c’. judgement and conversion of Belshazzar, ch. 5

              b’. test of faith – deadly threat: Daniel, ch. 6

            a’. Daniel’s vision of 4 kingdoms, ch. 7    

A’. Hebrew, ch. 8-12 – establishment of the kingdom

            i. vision of 3 kingdoms in animal form, ch. 8  

              ii. prophecy of judgment of “your city” (the capital), ch. 9

            i'. vision of 3 kingdoms in human terms, ch. 10-12

Main themes:

Faithfulness and submission in the foreign land.

Kingdom development.

Main Characters:

Daniel – God has judged – renamed to Belteshazzar (cp. to Belshazzar) 

Hananiah – YHWH is gracious – Shadrach

Mishael – Who is what God is? – Meshach

Azariah – YHWH has helped – Abednego

Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius – Cyrus

Reflection in other parts of the Bible:

Third day (year, period etc.) idea is important to the Book (1:1; 8:1; 10:1). A preliminary judgement and a course on the future restoration. 

Daniel is a faithful disciple of Jeremiah – he followed the LORD’S command through the teacher to settle in Babylon (29:4-7) and waited for completion of 70 exile period (cp. Jer. 29:10 and Dan. 9:1-2).

The Book of Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14, 20: 28:3)

Lutheran teaching:

Sermon of Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar (4:24-27) is often used as an argument between the theology of faith and the theology of works. “Faith is required… For Daniel did not mean that the king should only give alms. He includes repentance… He converts the king not only to give alms, but much more, to have faith.” [Ap. V (III): 133/254;140/261].

The discussion on theology of worship [Mass] is heavily based on a proper understanding of Daniel ch. 8, 11, 12 – Ap. XXIV (XII):35-57.

Daniel 7:14 is one of the foundational passages for an understanding of the person of Christ – FC, SD VIII:55.     

Lutheran hymnody:

931 – All You Works of the Lord – Song of Three Young Men (deuterocanonical).  

Relevancy of the Book:

The Book of Daniel is important on two levels: personal/devotional and historical. In the book we can see a single person (or a very small group of people) who can resist the outer pressure of godless powers and authorities. The book gives us page after page examples of faithful ones who were ready to risk their lives presenting the Gospel to the hostile society.

At the same time, we see the global picture of development of God’s kingdom using the power of human empires: Persia, Greece, Rome. And how they – empires – will be replaced by true worshiping kingdom of God.       

Memory verses:  

12:2-3 – Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and to everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever.