The Prophet Daniel

Daniel means “God is my judge.” He is one of the four major prophets recorded in the Bible. In the past, before cuneiform could be deciphered, Daniel was thought to be a fictional character. However, in 1854, clay cylinders discovered in the ruins of the ancient Babylonian city of Ur, containing deciphered palace inscriptions, revealed details of his life outside the Bible to the world.

After King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon besieged Jerusalem, he selected some nobles from the Israelite royal family—men who were handsome and skilled in learning—to be trained in the Babylonian way. After three years of training, they were to serve the king (Daniel 1:1-6). Daniel, whose name means “God is my judge,” and his three companions from Judah were chosen and given new names. Daniel was called Belteshazzar, while Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The Babylonians likely gave them new names entirely different from their Hebrew roots to accelerate Daniel and his friends’ assimilation into Babylonian culture.

Daniel and his companions proved to be the wisest among all the trainees. After their training, they entered the service of King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel’s first demonstration of faithfulness to God was when he and his three friends refused the rich food and wine from the king’s table, considering it defiling, and opted for a vegetarian diet instead. As their health improved, they were allowed to continue their chosen diet. Throughout their education, these four Jews gained knowledge in all matters of Babylon, and God uniquely gifted Daniel with the ability to understand all kinds of dreams and visions (Daniel 1:17).

In the second year of his reign, King Nebuchadnezzar was troubled by a dream he couldn’t explain. Besides interpreting the dream, Nebuchadnezzar commanded his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers to describe his dream. These men were willing to attempt an interpretation if Nebuchadnezzar told them the dream first, but they stated that revealing the dream itself was an impossible task for humans. The king then ordered that all the wise men, including Daniel and his companions, be put to death. However, after Daniel prayed to God, God revealed the mystery of the king’s dream to Daniel, and he was brought before the king to interpret it. Daniel immediately attributed his ability to interpret the dream to the one true God (Daniel 2:28). The main feature of this dream was that one day God would establish a kingdom that would last forever, and God’s kingdom would destroy all previous human-made kingdoms (Daniel 2:44-45). Because of his wisdom, Daniel was honored by King Nebuchadnezzar and appointed to govern all the wise men of Babylon. At Daniel’s request, his three companions were also appointed to administrative roles in Babylon.

Later, King Nebuchadnezzar had another dream, and Daniel was again able to interpret it. The king acknowledged that the spirit of the holy gods was in Daniel (Daniel 4:9). Daniel’s interpretation of the dream proved correct. After a period of madness, Nebuchadnezzar recovered his sanity, and he praised and honored Daniel’s God as the Most High (Daniel 4:34-37).

Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson, Belshazzar, ascended the throne as the new king. At a banquet, he ordered that the gold and silver vessels plundered from the Jerusalem Temple be brought out for use. In response to this desecration of sacred objects, Belshazzar saw a hand writing on the wall. His astrologers couldn’t interpret it, so Daniel was summoned to translate the writing on the wall (Daniel 5:13-16). As a reward for interpreting the writing, Daniel was elevated by King Belshazzar to the third highest position in the Babylonian kingdom (verse 29). That very night, as Daniel had prophesied, the king was killed in battle, his kingdom was conquered by Cyrus the Great of Persia, and Darius the Mede ascended the throne.

Under the new rulers, Daniel performed his duties as an administrator so excellently that King Darius was considering putting him in charge of the entire kingdom (Daniel 6:1-3). This angered the other administrators, who sought a way to undermine Daniel. They couldn’t find any fault in Daniel’s conduct, so they focused on his religious practices. These administrators used flattery to trick Darius into issuing a decree forbidding prayer to any god or man other than the king for the next thirty days. The penalty for disobedience was to be thrown into the lion’s den. Naturally, Daniel defied the decree and continued to pray openly to the true God. Since Daniel made no attempt to hide his actions, he was observed praying and arrested. The king deeply regretted his decision and ordered Daniel to be thrown into the lion’s den, but because of Daniel’s prayer, God would rescue him (Daniel 6:16). The next day, when Daniel was found alive and unharmed, he told the king that God had sent His angel to shut the mouths of the lions, so he was not injured. Then King Darius issued a decree that all people should serve Daniel’s God. Daniel continued to prosper during the reign of Darius.

Daniel is also renowned for the prophetic dreams and visions God gave him, which are recorded in the Book of Daniel. Daniel’s prophecies span all aspects of human history; he foretold the rise and fall of the Greek and Roman empires, as well as the rise of a powerful king who “will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak dreadful things against the God of gods” (Daniel 11:36). Daniel’s “seventy weeks” prophecy mentions a Messiah who would be cut off (Daniel 9:24-27). We see this prophecy fulfilled in Jesus. The remaining part of the prophecy—the 70th week—will be fulfilled in the end times. Daniel also had other apocalyptic visions, and understanding his prophecies is crucial for eschatology.

Daniel’s integrity as a man of God earned him favor in the secular world, but he refused to compromise his faith in God. Even under intimidation from kings and rulers, Daniel remained steadfast in his commitment to God. Daniel also teaches us that no matter who we deal with, regardless of their status, we should treat them with compassion. Observe how concerned he was when interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream (Daniel 4:19). As Christians, we are called to obey the rulers and authorities God has established and to treat them with respect and empathy. However, as we see from Daniel’s example, obedience to God’s law must always take precedence over obedience to human beings (Romans 13:1-7; Acts 5:29).

Daniel was likely only fourteen years old when he was exiled. From a young age, he was influenced by King Josiah’s piety and did not succumb to the corruption of the wicked King Jehoiakim. He remained faithful to God and became a man greatly beloved (contemporaries included Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Habakkuk, and Obadiah). Daniel’s life witnessed the tragic fall of his nation, the destruction of his home, and the rise and fall of world powers. Yet, the more hopeless the circumstances appeared, the more singularly devoted his heart became to God, in reverence and obedience. He refused to “defile himself” with the king’s food and wine, as these foods had likely been offered to idols, and the meat was not slaughtered according to Mosaic Law. Daniel and his friends faithfully looked to God, willingly offering themselves to fight for God. By being faithful in small matters like eating and drinking, God raised them up to be victors among the defeated people, becoming His witnesses.