In this story, God shows what he does with one who remains unrepentant. He shows himself to be more powerful than any hostile king, giving comfort to his faithful and suffering people.

God used the most powerful king in the known world to show His people that they were not forgotten in exile, and He uses the same story to show that we are not forgotten today.

When the heat is turned up and we are forced to put our faith in God.

What message would the dream of a despotic, foreign king have in the life of the people of God reading or hearing this story?

How should we live when we feel out of place, exiled from all that we know? The intro to the book of Daniel reminds us that God is still at work even when you feel out of place, and your determined living brings glory to God as He works in and through you.