Daniel E-Book

Todd Wilson

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: Knowing the Bible
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 107

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

The Knowing the Bible series is a resource designed to help Bible readers better understand and apply God's Word. These 12-week study lead participants through books of the Bible and are made up of four basic components: (1) Reflection questions help readers engage the text at a deeper level; (2) "Gospel Glimpses" highlight the gospel of grace throughout the book; (3) "Whole-Bible Connections" show how any given passage connects to the Bible's overarching story of redemption, culminating in Christ; and (4) "Theological Soundings" identify how historic orthodox doctrines are taught or reinforced throughout Scripture. With contributions from an array of influential pastors and church leaders, these gospel-centered studies will help Christians see and cherish the message of God's grace on each and every page of the Bible. The book of Daniel has all the makings of a great story: memorable characters, cliff-hanging moments, and incredible visions. Yet we miss the point if we pay more attention to Daniel's story than we pay to Daniel's God. In this helpful study, readers will see how this fascinating biblical book ultimately points to the sovereign Lord of history, who rules over all earthly kingdoms and whose plans cannot be thwarted.

Leseprobe

DANIEL

A 12-WEEK STUDY

Todd Wilson

Knowing the Bible: Daniel, A 12-Week Study

Copyright © 2015 by Crossway

Published by Crossway 1300 Crescent Street Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law.

Some content used in this study guide has been adapted from the ESV Study Bible (Crossway), copyright 2008 by Crossway, pages 1581–1618. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cover design: Simplicated Studio

First printing 2015

Printed in the United States of America

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. 2011 Text Edition. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-4342-5 EPub ISBN: 978-1-4335-4345-6 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-4343-2 Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-4344-9

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

TABLEOF CONTENTS

  Series Preface: J. I. Packer and Lane T. DennisWeek   1: OverviewWeek   2: Prologue (1:1–21)Week   3: Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream of a Great Statue (2:1–49)Week   4: Nebuchadnezzar Builds a Great Statue (3:1–30)Week   5: Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream of a Toppled Tree (4:1–37)Week   6: Belshazzar’s Feast (5:1–31)Week   7: The Lions’ Den (6:1–28)Week   8: The Vision of Four Great Beasts (7:1–28)Week   9: The Vision of the Ram, the Goat, and the Little Horn (8:1–27)Week 10: Daniel’s Prayer and Its Answer (9:1–27)Week 11: Daniel’s Vision of the Final Conflict (10:1–12:13)Week 12: Summary and Conclusion

SERIES PREFACE

KNOWING THE BIBLE, as the series title indicates, was created to help readers know and understand the meaning, the message, and the God of the Bible. Each volume in the series consists of 12 units that progressively take the reader through a clear, concise study of that book of the Bible. In this way, any given volume can fruitfully be used in a 12-week format either in group study, such as in a church-based context, or in individual study. Of course, these 12 studies could be completed in fewer or more than 12 weeks, as convenient, depending on the context in which they are used.

Each study unit gives an overview of the text at hand before digging into it with a series of questions for reflection or discussion. The unit then concludes by highlighting the gospel of grace in each passage (“Gospel Glimpses”), identifying whole-Bible themes that occur in the passage (“Whole-Bible Connections”), and pinpointing Christian doctrines that are affirmed in the passage (“Theological Soundings”).

The final component to each unit is a section for reflecting on personal and practical implications from the passage at hand. The layout provides space for recording responses to the questions proposed, and we think readers need to do this to get the full benefit of the exercise. The series also includes definitions of key words. These definitions are indicated by a note number in the text and are found at the end of each chapter.

Lastly, for help in understanding the Bible in this deeper way, we urge readers to use the ESV Bible and the ESV Study Bible, which are available in various print and digital formats, including online editions at www.esvbible.org. The Knowing the Bible series is also available online. Additional 12-week studies covering each book of the Bible will be added as they become available.

May the Lord greatly bless your study as you seek to know him through knowing his Word.

J. I. Packer Lane T. Dennis

WEEK 1: OVERVIEW

Getting Acquainted

The book of Daniel is a favorite for Sunday school teachers and students alike. And for good reason. It has all the makings of a great story—memorable characters, cliff-hanger drama, and science fiction–like visions. It’s like Harry Potter meets Lord of the Rings with a dash of Star Wars thrown in!

Yet therein lies a potential danger. Because the human actors and events are so fascinating, we are tempted when studying this book to fix our gaze on the human plane. But when this happens we can inadvertently lose sight of the fact that this book is ultimately not about Daniel or his three friends, but about God and his victory in the world.

Sure, the book of Daniel tells Daniel’s story—and a fascinating and instructive story it is. But the main purpose of Daniel is to reveal to us who God is—his character, his purposes, his way of working in the world for the good of his people. The main lesson of Daniel, then, is not, as is often assumed (and taught!), Dare to be a Daniel! Rather, the main point is this: Dare to trust in Daniel’s God!

The story of Daniel is about the story of God and his victory in the world. For God is the sovereign Lord of history, the one who establishes kingdoms and brings them down. From the opening chapter and the story of Daniel’s exile1 to Babylon, to the closing chapter and its vision of the future, we see how God achieves his victory in the world. (For further background, see the ESVStudy Bible, pages 1581–1585; available online at www.esvbible.org.)

Placing It in the Larger Story

The book of Daniel, named after and written by Daniel in the sixth century BC,2 records the events of Daniel’s life and the visions he saw from the time of his exile in 605 (1:5) until the third year of King Cyrus in 536 (10:1). Sweeping in scope, the book deals with the rise and fall of various world empires. But these historical events are seen through the lens of God’s sovereign control of things, and thus serve a pastoral purpose to encourage the Jewish people during a critical time in their history. The Jews were in exile, suffering at the hand of pagan rulers who cared little for God or his people. They had every reason, then, to wonder whether God was in control, and whether he would deal with the situation—for his own glory and the good of his covenant people.

Key Verse

“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (7:13–14).

Date and Historical Background

While some place the writing of Daniel in the second century BC, there is good reason to believe that Daniel himself is the author of this book and that it was composed in the sixth century BC. This was a tumultuous time in the ancient Near East and a crucial moment in the life of God’s people. Daniel opens against the backdrop of the rise of the Babylonian empire, which had recently toppled the Assyrian empire. The book closes some 70 years later with the overthrow of Babylon by the Persian empire under Cyrus. It was the strategy of the Babylonians to bring to Babylon the “cream of the crop” of the peoples they conquered; the Persians reversed this process by returning the exiles to their homeland. The events of Daniel take place between these two major world-changing events: the rise of Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar and the displacement of Babylon by the Persians under Cyrus roughly 70 years later.

Outline

   I. Daniel and the Three Friends at the Babylonian Court (1:1–6:28)

A. Prologue (1:1–21)

1. Daniel and his friends taken into exile (1:1–7)

2. Daniel and his friends remain undefiled (1:8–16)

3. Daniel and his friends promoted and preserved (1:17–21)

B. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a great statue (2:1–49)

1. The dream and Nebuchadnezzar’s threat (2:1–13)

2. Daniel’s response and prayer (2:14–24)

3. Daniel interprets the dream (2:25–45)

4. Nebuchadnezzar promotes Daniel (2:46–49)

C. Nebuchadnezzar builds a great statue (3:1–30)

1. The nations worship Nebuchadnezzar’s statue (3:1–7)

2. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego preserved in the fiery furnace (3:8–29)

3. Nebuchadnezzar promotes Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (3:30)

D. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a toppled tree (4:1–37)

1. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and its interpretation (4:1–27)

2. Nebuchadnezzar’s humbling (4:28–33)

3. Nebuchadnezzar’s exaltation (4:34–37)

E. Belshazzar’s feast (5:1–31)

1. An idolatrous feast (5:1–4)

2. An unreadable message (5:5–9)

3. A forgotten interpreter (5:10–12)

4. A message of judgment (5:13–31)

F. The lions’ den (6:1–28)

1. Daniel promoted (6:1–3)

2. The administrators plot to remove Daniel (6:4–15)

3. Daniel preserved in the lions’ den (6:16–24)

4. Darius acknowledges the power of Daniel’s God (6:25–27)

5. Daniel preserved until the end of the exile (6:28)

  II. The Visions of Daniel (7:1–12:13)

A. The vision of four great beasts and the heavenly court (7:1–28)

1. The four great beasts (7:1–8)

2. The Ancient of Days judges the beast (7:9–12)

3. The coming of the Son of Man (7:13–14)

4. The interpretation of the vision (7:15–27)

5. Daniel’s response (7:28)

B. The vision of the ram, the goat, and the little horn (8:1–27)

1. The vision of the ram and the goat (8:1–14)

2. The interpretation of the vision (8:15–26)

3. Daniel’s response (8:27)

C. Daniel’s prayer and its answer (9:1–27)

1. Daniel’s prayer concerning the 70 years (9:1–19)

2. Gabriel’s answer: 70 sevens before the promised redemption (9:20–27)

D. Daniel’s vision of the final conflict (10:1–12:13)

1. A heavenly messenger brings news of heavenly conflict (10:1–11:1)

2. A detailed vision of future earthly conflicts among nations (11:2–45)

3. The promise of resurrection to glory or shame (12:1–4)

4. How long until the end? (12:5–13)

As You Get Started

What is your current understanding of how Daniel helps us to grasp the whole storyline of the Bible? Do you have an idea of how aspects of Daniel’s message are fulfilled in the New Testament?

What is your current understanding of what Daniel contributes to Christian theology? How does his book clarify our understanding of God, Jesus Christ, sin, salvation, the end times,3 or any other doctrine?

What aspects of the visions of Daniel have confused you? Are there any specific questions that you hope to have answered through this study?

As You Finish This Unit . . .

Take a few minutes to ask God to bless you with increased understanding and a transformed heart and life as you begin this study of Daniel.

Definitions

1Exile – Several relocations of large groups of Israelites/Jews have occurred throughout history, but “the exile” typically refers to the Babylonian exile, that is, Nebuchadnezzar’s relocation of residents of the southern kingdom of Judah to Babylon in 586 BC. (Residents of the northern kingdom of Israel had been resettled by Assyria in 722 BC.) After Babylon came under Persian rule, several waves of Jewish exiles returned and repopulated Judah.

2BC – Abbreviation for “before Christ” in calendars. It immediately precedes the era designated AD (Anno Domini, meaning “in the year of our Lord”) and, counting backwards, refers to the number of years before Jesus Christ was born.

3End times – The time associated with events prophesied in Scripture to occur at the end of the world and the second coming of Christ—also known as “the last days.” Because the early church expected the return of Christ at any time, the end times can refer to any point in the period from Pentecost until Christ returns.

WEEK 2: PROLOGUE

Daniel 1:1–21

The Place of the Passage

This first chapter introduces the book as a whole by describing how Daniel and his three friends were deported to Babylon, where they were educated in Babylonian culture (Dan. 1:1–7). Daniel’s faith is put to the test, and the chapter ends with Daniel and his three friends being promoted into the service of King Nebuchadnezzar.

The Big Picture