Category: Heads Up

At the end of Daniel 1 we are told that God gave Daniel three things. Because of his decision not to defile himself with the food and culture of the Babylonians, God granted Daniel wisdom beyond the wisdom of the Babylonians, influence beyond that of any in the kingdom, and health that resulted in long life. However, when we move from the end of the first to the beginning of the second chapter, we find that each of these is at once either disregarded or threatened. Continue reading ““God of the Nations””

The most important verse in the first chapter of Daniel is verse 8, which says, “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine.”

What is your reaction to that? Remember that Daniel was a young man at this time. We know from the later development of the story that he lived for a very long time beyond this – through the rule of four emperors. He was probably in his nineties when he died. So at this point he was probably between fifteen and seventeen. Continue reading ““A Young Man Makes A Decision””

In 605 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah and enslaved many of the brightest and most promising Hebrew boys and took them back to Babylon. In Babylon they were to be trained for three years and then placed into the Babylonian King’s service. Approximately fifteen years of age, Daniel. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the Hebrew boys who were first captured. Continue reading ““Freedom In Slavery””

One of the most influential books on theology ever written is The City of God by Saint Augustine of Hippo (written between a.d. 412 and 426). Its theme concerns the existence of two societies, which Augustine calls “cities.” One is God’s society. The other is the society of this world. Augustine described them, saying, “Two cities have been formed by two loves: the earthly by the love of self, even to the contempt of God; the heavenly by the love of God, even to the contempt of self.” Continue reading ““Of Man, By Man, For Man””

Tucked between the great Old Testament prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel on the one hand, and the twelve minor prophets that conclude the Old Testament on the other, lies Daniel. Jesus called Daniel a prophet, thus validating both the man and his function (Mathew 24:15). But in spite of this authentication, the Book of Daniel has been more vigorously attacked by higher critics of the Old Testament than perhaps any comparable passage of Scripture. Continue reading ““The Absolute Sovereignty of Yahweh””

The book of Daniel gives the meaning of history more clearly than any other portion of the Bible and, what is more, it tells us how to live for God in ungodly times—like our own. Daniel was one of several young men chosen to serve in Nebuchadnezzar’s court. When Persia conquered Babylon, Daniel was again given a position of power. He remained faithful to God in both of these hostile environments. From the interpretation of dreams, to the fiery furnace, the lion’s den, and the handwriting on the wall, to the prophetic visions, the recurrent theme is God’s sovereignty over human affairs. Continue reading ““The Meaning of History: Living for God in Ungodly Times””