Exposition of Daniel Introduction

Israel’s Division and Captivity Northern Kingdom 10 Tribes Capital: Samaria Zerubbabel, Ezra, Nehemiah 70 Year Captivity Jeroboam, followed by 18 bad kings. 722 BC 536 BC 605 BC 1043 BC 538 BC Decree of Cyrus 931 BC United King-dom under Saul, David, & Solomon (112 years) 597 BC Ezekiel & 10,000 586 BC Jerusalem destroyed Southern Kingdom 2 Tribes Capital: Jerusalem 605 BC Daniel & 3 friends The book of Daniel covers events from 605 BC (the first stage of the 70 year Babylonian captivity) to approximately 537 BC, the third year of the reign of the Persian king Cyrus (Dan 10:1). Rehoboam, followed by 11 bad and 8 good kings.

Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel Map taken from Ezekiel, NICOT, p. xxi 722 Fall of Israel 701 Jerusalem Spared 605 First Deportation 597 Second Deportation 586 Fall of Judah 536 Construction of temple begun

Historical Background In 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar led Babylon against Egypt at the Battle of Carchemish. (His father, Nabopolassar, was still alive at this time and sat upon the throne). Egypt was defeated and Carchemish was destroyed. While pursuing the fleeing Egyptians Nebuchadnezzar also conquered key cities in Syria and Palestine. Then, as he made his way back north, he stopped in Jerusalem and demanded its submission. It was here that he plundered the Temple and took a number of young men, including Daniel and his 3 friends, captive to Babylon. These were taken not for punishment, but rather to be trained for positions of leadership within the Babylonian Empire.

Historical Background – Despite decades of solemn warning by Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, and many other faithful prophets, the people's flagrant apostasy and immorality--described in 2 Chronicles 36:16: "They mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy"--brought about the total destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, a destruction that God had warned his people about ever since the time of Moses (cf. Deut 28:64; 29:28). The covenant people had at last been expelled from their Promised Land and their Holy City and were condemned to captivity and enslavement in a foreign land. In 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar led Babylon against Egypt at the Battle of Carchemish. (His father, Nabopolassar, was still alive at this time and sat upon the throne). Egypt was defeated and Carchemish was destroyed. While pursuing the fleeing Egyptians Nebuchadnezzar also conquered key cities in Syria and Palestine. Then, as he made his way back north, he stopped in Jerusalem and demanded its submission (“laid siege to it”). It was here that he plundered the temple and took a number of young men, including Daniel and his 3 friends, captive to Babylon. These were taken not for punishment, but rather to be trained for positions of leadership within the Babylonian Empire.

Aramaic was the official language of the Persian Empire, which was in power at the time Daniel wrote his book. The Aramaic section extends from 2:4 to 7:28.

Daniel the Man Daniel, deported to Babylon as a youth in 605 BC, served with distinction in the Babylonian and Medo-Persian empires for some 68 years. Little is known of Daniel’s early life. The text says that he was of noble descent (1:3). Though his parents are not named, they must have done an outstanding job in inculcating faith and devotion to God in their son. He was evidently taken captive in his early teens, and faithfully served God in high positions of leadership within two different Gentile empires, up through his early 80s.

Daniel the Man Daniel was one of those rare individuals in Scripture about which nothing negative is recorded. In fact, he had an outstanding reputation among his contemporaries for righteousness and devotion to God. Daniel 6:4-5 Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs; but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him. Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God.” Ezekiel 14:13-14 “Son of man, if a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it, and cut off from it both man and beast, even though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves,” declares the Lord God. Ezekiel 28:3 “Behold, you are wiser than Daniel; There is no secret that is a match for you.” Ezek 28 is speaking about the king of Tyre

Major Themes in Daniel The Sovereignty of God over the Kingdoms of Man (2-11) Israel as a Remnant Subject to the Gentiles (1, 9) The Progression of Gentile Kingdoms (2, 7) – fourth kingdom is the greatest, out of which one will come who exalts himself against God, but who will be destroyed by the stone made without hands. The Pride of the Gentile Kings (2-5, 7-8, 11) – demonstrated in images they had made, pride in their accomplishments. These kings also believed that their gods were stronger than the God of Israel. God does things to correct this situation, and to demonstrate that He alone is the true God. The Proclamation of the True God throughout the Nations (2, 3, 4, 6) The Ultimate Establishment of God’s Kingdom (2, 7, 12) At the end of each of the stories in chaps. 1-6, Daniel or his friends and their God are honored by a pagan king. On a couple of occasions, a proclamation about God is made throughout the kingdom.

Structure of Daniel The Historical Setting – The Babylonian Captivity – Chap. 1 The captivity of Jerusalem (1:1-2) The Conscription of Certain Jews for Special Training (1:3-7) The Commitment of Daniel and His Companions (1:8-16) The Choice of Daniel and His Companions for Royal Service (1:17-21) The Prophetic Course of Gentile Domination (chaps. 2-7) The Dreams of Nebuchadnezzar (chaps. 2-4) The Debauch and Doom of Belshazzar (chap. 5) The Decree of Darius (chap. 6) The Dream of Daniel (chap. 7) The Prophetic History of Israel: Through Desolation to Deliverance (chaps. 8-12) The Prophecy of the Ram and He-Goat (chap. 8) The Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks (chap. 9) The Prophecy of Israel’s Subjection and Restoration (chaps. 10-12)

Daniel and the New Testament Daniel provides the “big picture” of God’s program through history. Some of this plan is fulfilled within the time of the book itself. By the time of Christ, four of the Gentile empires predicted in Daniel had appeared. In His discourse on the Mount of Olives, Christ sketches out the events of the 70th week of the prophecy in Daniel 9. The book of Revelation provides the greatest detail of that 70th week and of the events leading up to Christ’s return and the establishment of His kingdom. Jesus’ favorite title for Himself in the Gospels is the Son of Man, linking Himself to the one in Dan 7 who receives the kingdom.

Purpose Statement for Daniel The book of Daniel provides a panoramic sweep of human history during Gentile domination from Daniel’s own day until the establishment of God's kingdom upon the earth.

Next Week: The Historical Setting – The Captivity of Babylon Daniel 1