7 Key Bible Verses From The Book Of Daniel

7 Key Bible Verses From The Book Of Daniel May 24, 2016

Here are seven key Bible verses from the Book of Daniel.

Daniel 1:8-9 “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs.”

When Daniel was taken captive by the Babylonians, he was singled out among a few others as “youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans” (Dan 1:4) so “The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king” (Dan 1:5). Daniel stood his ground, intending to obey God and not defile himself by eating those things forbidden by God.

Daniel 2:19 “Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.”

Daniel acknowledges that it is God Who revealed these mysteries and not himself, therefore he blessed the “God of heaven,” giving Him the glory and the credit. This was why “Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king” (Dan 2:16) so “Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon” (Dan 2:17-18).

Daniel 2:27-28 “Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these.”

Daniel knew that it was God Who revealed these mysteries and dreams and visions and not him because it is God Who “changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding” (Dan 2:21) but He also “reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him” (Dan 2:22). Daniel plainly told the king that “this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind” (Dan 2:30). Such humility and God will give more grace to the humble while being opposed to the proud (James 4:6).

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Daniel 2:48 “Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.”

Daniel was somehow still credited with giving the king the interpretation, even though he had earlier acknowledged that it was God Who reveals mysteries and He alone Who knows the future. Even King Nebuchadnezzar understood that it was “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery” (Dan 2:47).

Daniel 6:3 “Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.”

It wasn’t long after Daniel had been raised to such a high position of honor and authority that “the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him” (Dan 6:4) but later realized said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God” (Dan 6:5).

Daniel 9:4-5 “ I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.”

Daniel was a brilliant man of God and “Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years” (Dan 9:2) and this caused Daniel to say “I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes” (Dan 9:3), praying “we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land” (Dan 9:5-6). Even though Daniel had not personally been involved in Judah’s disobedience, he still says “we” in including himself.

Daniel 10:12 “Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.”

Daniel “was standing on the bank of the great river (that is, the Tigris)” (Dan 10:4) when he saw “a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude” (Dan 10:5-6) but “the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves” (Dan 10:7). Daniel fell on his face, trembling but “a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling” (Dan 10:10-11). Daniel was humble, fasted often, prayed frequently, and obeyed God despite the consequences and by doing so, God allowed him to know things that few others did.

Conclusion

Daniel is the perfect example of a godly young man who was determined to obey God, even at the risk of his own life. God knew that Daniel was loyal and obedient and thus, trusted him enough to reveal those things that have been hidden or at least partially revealed, as with Jeremiah’s prophecies. Today, God is still looking for young men and women willing to obey Him no matter what the cost, as long as they are humble, obedient, and give all glory to God.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.


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