1. Stories of Fidelity to God and Service to Rulers (Daniel 1-6)
A. Faithfulness in Small Things (Daniel 1:1-21)
As Babylonian captives, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego prosper in the service of the king while remaining loyal to dietary practices that mark their fidelity to God.
B. The King’s Dream and God’s Power (Daniel 2:1-49)
Daniel is able, with the help of God, to tell the king both the content and the interpretation of his disturbing dream.
C. Faithful unto Death (Daniel 3:1-30)
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego survive the fiery furnace after refusing to worship the image the king had built.
D. The Proud Will Be Humbled (Daniel 4:1-37)
The king’s self-satisfied status is disrupted by a dream that Daniel interprets; the fulfillment of the dream involves animal behavior to humble the king.
E. The Writing on the Wall (Daniel 5:1-31)
The king’s banquet is disrupted by handwriting on the wall that Daniel interprets as the end of the Babylonian era.
F. May Your God Rescue You! (Daniel 6:1-28)
Daniel survives the lion’s den when entrapped by jealous officials seeking to condemn him in the eyes of the king.
2. Visions of Raging Evil and God’s Final Defeat of Evil (Daniel 7-12)
A. Thy Kingdom Come (Daniel 7:1-28)
Daniel has a vision that needs to be interpreted by a heavenly being. In the dream a series of violent conflicts leads to a final king who challenges the Most High and oppresses the holyHoly is a term that originally meant set apart for the worship or service of God. While the term may refer to people, objects, time, or places, holiness in Judaism and Christianity primarily denotes the realm of the divine More people. Eventually, the heavenly court delivers a final verdict against this manifestation of evil rebellion.
B. By No Human Hand (Daniel 8:1-27)
Daniel’s vision, which needs divine interpretation, depicts a succession of violent animals representing empires, culminating in a final king who attacks the faithful and challenges God but ends up being destroyed.
C. O God, Do Not Delay (Daniel 9:1-27
Puzzled by the reference to a seventy-year exile in Jeremiah, Daniel’s subsequent prayer confesses the past sins of the community and urgently requests God to forgive and to act without delay.
D. Your Allotted Inheritance (Daniel 10:1-12:13)
Daniel is prepared for the final vision (10:1-21), which describes a climactic contest to destroy a final king, unprecedented in his deviousness and blasphemyBlasphemy is disrespecting or dishonoring of something held sacred. To use the name of God in swearing or to commit a profane act is to commit blasphemy. More (11:1-45). God promises an allotted inheritance to the faithful, even those who die in the intervening turmoil (12:1-13).
