Daniel and "Social Culture"

October 26, 7:59 PMDenver Evangelical ExaminerRichard Beattie

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As a youngster Daniel was carried off into captivity to Babylon. Despite this obvious tragedy Daniel received a good education; rose to a high position in Babylon and later Persia. Daniel rose to a high position but as indicated throughout the book was subject to deep persecution and barbaric treatment because of his obedience to and his faithfulness in God. The major them in the Book of Daniel is God’s sovereignty. Even though powerful governments exist God still rules over them and directs men’s paths, the course of history, and God works through men to accomplish His goals. The book was probably completed around 539 B.C. It consists of mainly two genres a historical narrative and the second apocalyptic.

Daniel 1-6:28
Those of us who live in a secular or pagan culture will be faced with the dominant “social culture” and that of our belief system or religion. Everything from what we eat to what we drink, read, watch or listen to. Daniel is placed in the position of having to make decisions which bring him persecution and if it not for God even death. Three of his friends are thrown into a fiery furnace for their choice of God over culture; Daniel Himself is thrown to the Lions because of legislation which prohibited prayer to God. These choices are between theological obedience or social and political correctness. These stories are the timeless ones that show a strong conflict of the human condition versus the godly application! Daniel’s faithfulness to God trumps the government’s rules and regulations and God honors Daniel for this. The reader reads of a change in Nebuchadnezzar the King, over Daniel’s God and his leadership in communicating vision. He wins favor by example (and through a few miracles) but his steadfast obedience is dully noted.

Revealing Truth

While the first portion of the book is historical and biographical the second part is a prophecy and revelation of things to come and yet it is also messianic. It is difficult to really understand without some understanding of the messianic and the nature of the Christ. Daniel seals the vision for future reference in Daniel 12 meaning to keep it safe for future generations. This is most likely because he did not fully understand the vision. In 12:2 there is reference to the resurrection of the good and evil. The eternal destinations of both are different directions! This vision may have been foreign to Daniel since the teaching of such matters was not usual during his life. The bodily resurrection of the saved and the lost was not discussed or even thought about. The entire book of Daniel will not be understood until the end of the world. The messianic references are primarily the second coming of Christ. In Daniel 8:17 the reference to the “time of the end” is from the ”end of the exile to the second coming of Christ. The events that would happen under Antochus IV Epiphanes are described in the final conflict prior to Christ’s second coming.



Bibliography
Douglas, J.D. NIV Compact Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI : Zondervan, 1989.
Duvall, J. Scott and Hays, J. Daniel. Grasping God's Word. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001.
NIV Study Bible. NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI : Zondervan, 1997.
Smith, Gary, V. The Prophets as Preachers. Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1994.