Daniel lives in faith where God has placed him, being conformed to his God not those of Babylon. In Babylon, God’s people face complete cultural and theological domination.Īnd yet, Daniel doesn’t wage a culture war because he understands that while he may be in exile, his God is not. Babylon seeks to remake Daniel and his friends into its image, immersing them in their language and literature, dictating their diet, and giving them new Babylonian names that reflect the gods of their new land (1:4–7). From the beginning, Daniel makes clear that this is not a conflict between two peoples but between false gods and the true God. The book tragically begins with King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquering Judah and taking Daniel and his three friends (and the temple vessels) into exile (1:1–7). Daniel teaches Christians to be faithful where they are planted. Throughout the whole book, we meet the Most High God who is sovereignly ruling over the kings and kingdoms of human history until the Messianic Son of Man consummates history and brings his people into the everlasting Kingdom of God.Ĭonsider with me several reasons why your church should hear from this faithful prophet of old.ġ.

Preaching Daniel also means digging into the seemingly strange visions of the final six chapters. And I don’t mean just the first six chapters-you know, the ones with the masterfully narrated stories. Nonetheless, this book deserves a place in your preaching schedule. If we preach the book like this, then the sovereign, destiny-determining God of Daniel is ironically swept to the side. This book is more than a hero tale that inspires us to live a courageous life for God amid hard circumstances. If what you’ve taught or learned from this soaring book is that you should “dare to be a Daniel,” then I’m afraid you entirely missed the point. The book of Daniel is about Daniel’s God.

Sermons on the book of daniel