Daniel 9:1-19

Why was Daniel in Babylon?  The obvious answer is that God is sovereign, and in his sovereignty raises up kingdoms and brings kingdoms down.  The major theme of the book of Daniel is the sovereign might of a good God who works out his will for his glory and the good of his people.  However, what was it that eventually caused Daniel to be carried off from his homeland to a foreign land?  He spells it out for us in what is one of the longest prayers in the Bible; Daniel 9:4-5 is a summary of his prayer: “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.”

It was the sins of Daniel’s people of past generations up to his own generation that led to his present circumstances in the region of Babylon.  God led his people out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt through Moses, he then gave them a code of ethics in the form of the Law and the Ten Commandments to be obeyed and followed.  At Mount Sinai, God entered into a covenant relationship with a people instead of a person (e.g. Adam, Noah, Abraham).  He spoke to Israel through Moses, and said to them, “…if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:4–6).

While Moses was with Israel, God promised that he would bless Israel as a nation if they obeyed his commandments.  However, God also warned that they would experience his discipline in the form of curses if they turned from worshiping him (see Deut. 30:15-18).  A little more than eight hundred years before Babylon invaded Judah, God warned that one of the curses that his people would experience would be the forceful removal from the land promised to their forefathers: “The Lord will bring you and your king whom you set over you to a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known. And there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone. And you shall become a horror, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where the Lord will lead you away” (Deuteronomy 28:36–37).

In many respects, Daniel 9:1-19 serves as a warning for the Church today.  Today, we are surrounded by the Spirit of Babylon and the same dangers that faced Israel, face the people of God today.  Not only does Daniel’s prayer serve as a warning to the Church today, it also serves as a recipe to show us how we can remain faithful to the God who has redeemed us from the slavery of sin through Jesus Christ. 

Daniel Pursued God

Daniel’s prayer came within a year after the Medo-Persian Empire conquered the Babylonian Empire.  Daniel’s life was spared during the transfer of power after Belshazzar; the Babylonian king was killed (see Daniel 5) and the prophet was placed in a position of leadership under Darius (see Daniel 6).  His prayer was in response to reading the word of God through the book of Jeremiah. 

There are several things worth pointing out from the first three verses of Daniel 9.  The first is that Daniel recognized that the “word of the Lord” that was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was indeed the word of God and had the authority of God over his life.  What was it from Jeremiah that Daniel was reading?  It was Jeremiah 25.  Here is some of what Daniel read from Jeremiah:

“You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the LORD persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets, saying, ‘Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds, and dwell upon the land that the LORD has given to you and your fathers from of old and forever.  Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, or provoke me to anger with the work of your hands.  Then I will do you no harm.’  Yet you have

Daniel 8:1-27

William Cowper’s masterful poem-turned hymn, God Moves in a Mysterious Way, has been a source of comfort to me over the years, especially during seasons of pain and confusion.  Over the course of four months, our son Nathan was hospitalized with COVID, my mother almost died, and a dear friend of mine suffered critical head injuries recently.  It has been the first three verses in Cowper’s poem that I have thought most about over the past four months:

God moves in a mysterious wayHis wonders to performHe plants His footsteps in the seaAnd rides upon the storm

Deep in unsearchable minesOf never failing skillHe treasures up His bright designsAnd works His sovereign will

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage takeThe clouds you so much dreadAre big with mercy and shall breakIn blessings on your head

If I could pick one scripture passage from Daniel that sums up the theme of the book it would be 2:20-22 which states: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.  He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.” 

I don’t know if you have ever been deep in a cave or under the earth’s surface in a mine, but without a lamp, I know of no other darker place.  Although life may seem darker than blackest night, we have a God who, “reveals deep and hidden things” because, “the light dwells with him.”  William Cowper understood this: “Deep in unsearchable mines of never failing skill, He treasures up His bright designs and works his sovereign will.”  Daniel 8 is a case in point of this reality!

Two years after Daniel had his dream in chapter 7, he had a vision we learn about in chapter 8… in the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar.  The only difference between a dream and a vision is that one you experience while sleeping, and the other while you are awake.  What sets Daniel’s vision apart from his dream is that the vision was not about four kingdoms, but only two empires.  The first empire was represented by a two horned ram with one horn longer than the other; this empire represents the Medo-Persian Empire that eventually was dominated by the Persian side of the Empire to only become known as the Persian Empire. 

The second empire was represented by a goat who started out with a “conspicuous horn between his eyes” that eventually broke and was replaced by four conspicuous horns.  This goat represents the empire of Greece, the first horn represented Greece’s first emperor (Alexander the Great), and the four generals who took Alexander the Great’s place.  Daniel also noticed a little horn that came out from the four horns who represents another king in Greece who became “exceedingly great.”  Concerning the little horn, one third of the dream describes, and is the primary reason why, in verse 27, Daniel wrote: “And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days.  Then I rose and went about the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it.”

What I would like to do with the time that we have left is briefly address why only the empires of Medo-Persia and Greece are mentioned, and then spend the rest of our time reflecting on the three kings that Daniel’s dream forces us to consider. 

The Rise of Empires

I want to be brief concerning the rise of the two empires that Daniel’s dream is about because they have been addressed multiple times in Daniel already.  The Medo-Persian empire was led by King Cyrus II, who at the time Daniel had his vision, would eventually invade Babylon, kill Belshazzar, and appoint Darius to oversee things in that region.  Eventually, the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians became one empire that was ruled by Ahasuerus (Artaxerxes I) who married Esther (see the book of Esther in the Bible).

Although some Jews elect

Daniel 7

When she was 18 years old, Joni Eareckson Tada went swimming with some friends in the Chesapeake Bay.  Joni was healthy, active, and had what appeared to be her whole life a head of her.  What she did not plan for was on that same day, she would end up a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the shoulders down.  Joni decided to dive into the Bay but misjudged the shallowness of the water and suffered a fracture between the fourth and fifth cervical levels of her spine. 

While in rehabilitation, Joni experienced anger and depression over her injury.  She wrestled over whether or not life was even worth living, and even contemplated suicide, but then she found hope in the midst of her profound disability after placing her faith and trust in Jesus.  Since her accident, Joni has written over forty books, founded Joni & Friends which is an organization committed to bringing the Gospel and practical resources to people impacted by disability around the globe, and continues to serve around the world by communicating the gospel.  She is now in her 70s, and has since survived cancer and COVID.

A frequent theme in all Joni’s books, messages, and conversations is her hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ that promises a redemption that includes a resurrection.  One of the things that motivates her is a promise from the Bible that no other religion can offer, here is what she said: “No other religion, no other, promises new bodies, hearts, and minds.  Only in the gospel of Christ do hurting people find such incredible hope.   

The Reign of the King will be Enjoyed

In Daniel 7:13-14 we are told that, “one like a son of man” will come to the Ancient of Days and dominion, glory, and a kingdom will be given to him, then we are told that, “…all people, nations, and languages should serve him…”. The “should” is not a suggestion, it is what will happen under the rule and reign of the Son of Man.  The Son of Man is Jesus who will come again, and when he does, he will establish universal peace, not through politics or diplomacy, but through his dominion alone.  This is what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote to the Philippian church: “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11).

When Jesus comes, he will come to make war with all who would fight to keep things as they presently are.  This is why Jesus said of that day when he comes again, “…all of the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:30).  However, we are assured that what sets Jesus apart from all other kings and religious leaders is sevenfold according to Revelation 19:11-16:

Jesus will come as the triumphant King.  The color white does not symbolize purity here as it does when used to describe garments.  The white warhorse that Jesus descends from heaven on symbolizes His role as a conquering King.  A roman emperor would wear white only after the defeat of a nation or enemy, but Jesus will come already dressed in white because His victory will be sure. 

Jesus will come as the Faithful and True King.  Faithful and True are not simple adjectives attributed to Jesus although faithfulness and truth do describe Him.  Here, “Faithful” and “True” are ascribed to Jesus as the essence of who He is: Jesus is the embodiment of faithfulness; He is also the embodiment of truth.   If you want the perfect example of faithfulness or if you are not sure what truth in its purest form looks like… look at Jesus. 

Jesus will come as the righteous King.  When Jesus comes, He will come in righteousness to judge the nations.  There will be no room to accuse Him as being harsh, rash, or unjust in the execution of His judgment.  The wars we read about in ou

Daniel 7:15-18

In Daniel 7, the prophet had a dream given to him by God that Daniel described as terrifying and dreadful, which greatly alarmed him to the degree that his color changed.  Two times in the chapter, Daniel said that the dream alarmed him and filled him with anxiety.  However, there are four references to our victory at the demise of the kingdoms of this earth, the great beast, and the antichrist that served to remind Daniel and all who read his book where our ultimate victory rests.  Two of those references point us to God as the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man who is Jesus.  The other two references are explicitly about the inheritance of a kingdom that the people of God will receive (see vv. 18, 27).  The kingdom is the place where God is; I want to take the time this Sunday and next Sunday to show you why Daniel 7:18, 27 is a big deal especially if you are staring at some things in your life that are terrifying and dreadful.    

Daniel is not the only place in the Bible that talks about the kingdom of God as an inheritance we will receive; it is a promise throughout the Bible, and the promise of what the people of God will receive serves to encourage us to endure difficult days that are temporary in-light of an inheritance that is eternal.  In Daniel 7:18 we are promised that, “… the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.”   We are given the New Testament equivalence to Daniel’s promise in 1 Peter 1:3-4, which states: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you…” (1 Pet. 1:3-4). 

Concerning the inheritance promised to all who love and worship the God of the Bible, Jesus said: “Let not your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in me.  In my Father’s house are many rooms.  If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1-3). 

So, I want to encourage you this week and next by showing you from the Bible what it is that we will be inheriting as God’s people.  I will begin today by showing you what you can expect should you die on this very day, then next week I will show you from the Bible that we will be receiving something that is even better than the present state of heaven.  So, if you are a Christian and you died this very moment, here is what you can be absolutely certain of regarding your experience in heaven today.

You Will Be A Better Version of Yourself in Heaven

Shortly after I became a Christian, I experienced all kinds of anxiety regarding my identity in heaven, for I was afraid that I would lose my identity in heaven.  If you have that same question, I can assure you that the only thing that will change regarding your identity is that you will no longer struggle with sin. In Revelation 6:9-11 there are at least six things we learn about our individual experience in heaven; Randy Alcorn, in his book, Heaven, lists 21 observations.  Lets first look at Revelation 6:9-11, and then I will offer my six observations from the passage:

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. (Revelation 6:9–11)

Observation #1: As soon as these saints died, they were immediate

Daniel 7:15-28

I saw an interesting Marvel trailer early in May that I thought was brilliant, timely, and emotional.  It was brilliant because it was released at a time when we were just about all fed up with COVID and everything else that was negative in our world.  The trailer was timely because even the powers to be in Marvel studios could see how a year of sheltering in place can have serious and adverse effects on us emotionally and spiritually.  The trailer was emotional because it reminds us of a longing for something greater, deep in the core of our being (show video)[1].

In his article, “The Four Elements of Every Successful Story”, Robert Dickman believes that there are four elements that must be present if a story is to stand the test of time.  He defines story as, “a fact wrapped in an emotion that can compel us to take action and so transform the world around us.”[2]  This does not mean that stories are inherently fiction; it just means that anything worth telling should be told with feeling.  Consider the four elements Dickman believes must be included in all great stories:

Passion.  Does the story contain sufficient passion to engage the emotions of its target audience?  Are the stakes high enough?  The emotions of a story act as its primary anchor in memory and its motivation to actions.Hero.  Does the story provide a clearly defined point of view?  Can the facts that lie at its core be understood?  Can this point of view be comfortably accepted by the target audience?Antagonist.  Are the obstacles that confront the hero of the story (and by extension, the audience) expressed clearly so that the actions needed to overcome those obstacles are understood and the challenge of taking such actions fully accepted?Transformation.  Does the story have the power to change the life of the audience in a meaningful way, and is that transformation positive?

Story is a part of the DNA of every single human being.  The reason why we love to both tell and hear stories is because we live in one.  In our story there is passion.  We all are under a curse where not only must we contend with our own brokenness and sin, but a place where there are great beasts who mean us harm. In our story, the stakes could never be higher.  

In our story there is an antagonist who is real.  He is moving in the shadows as he influences kingdoms and demonic powers.  He is not above the Ancient of Days and nor is he able to operate his schemes apart from his sovereign will.  But the great antagonist hates humanity for we are the only creature in all of creation that bears the image of God.  Our antagonist is the Devil, and Jesus said of him that he, “was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

In our story there is a hero who was promised long ago to deliver us from all that is evil, who will reverse the curse of sin, make us whole, and to establish a peace in this world that we all long for.  That hero is the Son of Man in Daniel 7:13-14, that hero is Jesus of Nazareth who is the Christ (messiah).  His story is the good news that has changed millions of lives as his redemptive power has the power to transform even the vilest of persons. 

In Daniel 7 are included all the elements that are included in every good story.  Daniel 7 is history that is about the past, the present, and the future. 

Antichrists Have Come and are Coming

In Daniel’s dream were four beasts that emerged from the sea.  The first beast, a lion with eagles wings, represented Babylon (626-539 BC).  The second beast that was like a bear represented the Medo-Persian Empire (539-330 BC).  The third beast, a leopard with four wings and four heads, represented the empire of Greece under Alexander the Great (330-63); like the leopard, Greece was fast moving (unlike the other three beasts), powerful, and extremely dang

Daniel 7:1-14

There are multiple genres that make up the Bible; there is historical narrative, poetry, the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life, the epistles (New Testament letters), and prophecy.  Another popular genre that has been fodder for countless end-times conferences and books is apocalyptic literature.  Apocalyptic literature concerns itself with the end times; the books of Daniel and Revelation are considered to be a part of that genre.

We are fascinated with end of the world scenarios.  Predictions of the apocalypse and the end of the world have been made for hundreds of years, and the anxiety people feel over such matters leads them to Amazon or the local Christian book store to buy the latest on the plight of humanity or where the antichrist might be living (Christian books stores are notorious for this). 

Four of the top five selling books on the apocalypse on Amazon.com are novels inspired by the book of Revelation.  The number two best seller is a book written by Jonathan Cahn titled Harbinger II: The Return (published September 1, 2020).  Cahn is considered by many as a modern prophet who is, “…known for opening the deep mysteries of Scripture and bringing forth messages of prophetic import.”  His first book is titled; The Harbinger: The Ancient Mystery that Holds the Secret of America’s Future was first published in on September 3, 2011.  It remained on the New York Times Best Seller list for over 100 weeks and has since sold more than 2 million copies.  Why?  Because the unknown future can cause a lot of fear and anxiety for people. 

There has always been an interest in the future and how the world might end, but the pandemic and recent events in our world seems to have caused a greater interest in what the Bible says about the apocalypse.  Daniel was written to provide hope for God’s people in times like ours today. 

Like much of apocalyptic language in the Bible, Daniel 7 is describing things and images the prophet Daniel has not seen before and in an effort to describe things and images he has never seen before, he uses the only language he knows that strains to make sense of what he has seen.  The point of Daniel 7 is not to provide a specific and detailed account of future events, but more of a broad stroke of what is coming to move us into a confidence in the God who governs times and seasons for the purpose of finding our comfort and safety in the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man.  

Darker Days Will Come

In chapter five, we were introduced to King Belshazzar who threw a party and praised the gods of Babylon while he, his wives, concubines, and lords drank from the golden vessels stolen from Solomon’s Temple that were supposed to be sacred and used only in the worship of the God of the Hebrew people.  It was in the first year of Belshazzar’s reign that Daniel had a dream and visions while in bed that left him anxious and alarmed (v. 15). 

The dream begins with the four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea.  The four winds represent the North, South, East, and West; the fact that the winds come from heaven is an indicator that the winds come at God’s command and discretion.  The sea represents chaos, confusion, and conflict; in the case of Daniel’s dream, the chaos, confusion, and conflict are where the four kingdoms come from.  Isaiah 17:12 describes the nations in a similar way: “Ah, the thunder of many peoples; they thunder like the thundering of the sea!  Ah, the roar of nations; they roar like the roaring of mighty waters!”

Out of the great sea, Daniel saw four great beasts emerge that were different from each other.  It would seem that these four beasts represent the same kingdoms we were introduced to through Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2.  The first beast was like a lion and had eagles wings would appear to be a reference to Babylon and the reference to its wings being plucked off and then made to stand upright on two feet like a man may be a reference to the hu

Daniel 6:16-28

Have you ever heard of the words “revival” or “awakening” before?  Both a revival and an awakening are essentially the same phenomena.  Let me begin by telling you what a revival is not.  A revival is not a worship service that includes a sermon full of manipulative appeals to renew your vows to Jesus.[1]  In their book on revival titled, A God-sized Vision, Collen Hansen and John Woodbridge state that during a genuine revival, “the Holy Spirit contends and convicts, but he does not manipulate as he grants Christians a new experience of God’s presence and power.  Anytime a genuine revival was experienced, the Church first developed a renewed appreciation and love for central truths of Scripture such as the authority of Scripture, that sinners are justified by faith alone in Christ alone, that the death of Jesus on the cross is enough to cover all our sins, Jesus’ miraculous resurrection, the sovereign intervention of God in our world, and God’s holiness and judgment of sin.[2] 

In our history as a nation, we have witnessed four legitimate revivals. There was the First Great Awakening (1730-1740’s), there was the Second Great Awakening (1790’s-1840’s), then there was the Prayer Meeting Revival (1857-1858), and finally there was the Global Awakening that began in Wales and then spread to India, Korea, and then finally America (1904-1910).  Hansen and Woodbridge observe from their research that, “During revival, the church worships, prays, preaches, and evangelizes only with intensified force.”  One of the men who witnessed the Prayer Meeting Revival in New York, observed, “In the church there is a genuine revival when she rises and shakes herself from the dust and puts on her beautiful garments, which have been laid aside to her great discomfort and reproach.”[3]

In 1904, the Global Awakening broke out in Europe and eventually spread to Pennsylvania and ultimately throughout North America; it was also known as the Great Welsh Revival.  By 1905, local revivals blazed in places like Brooklyn, Michigan, Schenectady, Nebraska, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Taylor University, Yale University, Asbury College, and of all places – Denver, Colorado.  During the revival, police reported a 60% drop in drunkenness and 40% fewer people in jail.  Profanity so diminished in the coalmines that the mining horses responsible for pulling the coal carts did not understand the commands of the miners.   When the revival swept through Louisville, Kentucky, the press reported that fifty-eight of the leading business firms closed at noon for prayer meetings.  When the revival swept through Denver, it had a similar affect in Colorado as it had everywhere else; to my knowledge, I do not believe that it ever reached Wyoming.    

Revivals do not happen often and they are a supernatural phenomena involving the powerful move of the Holy Spirit through a people and in the communities they live.  When a revival does happen, it happens as a result of the prayers of his people during times of moral and spiritual decline.  Revivals are then sparked by the preaching of God’s word and received through the deep conviction of those sitting under such preaching, which is a conviction that only the Holy Spirit can bring on a deeply profound level within the souls and minds of those hearing the word of God preached.  From what I can tell, it seems to me that when true revival does come, it first awakens a renewed love in the people of God for the God of the Bible. 

Here is what I want to do with the time that we have left in this sermon.  I want to first remind you why Daniel is in your Bible, and then I hope to show you what the Holy Spirit is screaming to you from the pages of Daniel that is for you.  Then I want to circle back around and tell you why what I just told you about revival is relevant for us today. 

Why Daniel Was Written

In Christian circles, especially in the Evangelical tribe that many of us identify with, we ten

Daniel 6:1-18

What is the worst Mother’s Day gift you ever received?  I did a google search to see what I could find, and here is what I discovered:

A Garbage-Picked Lamp. “My husband got me a really beautiful lamp one year. It had a vintage look to it, was colorful – which I love – and seemed like a really thoughtful gift. Yeah…he garbage picked it. I’m not snobby when it comes to spending money on gifts, but I kind of draw the line at garbage. It seemed like he just drove by a pile in someone’s driveway and thought, ‘This’ll do.’ It didn’t even work! He didn’t bother to test it before he gave it to me, which showed me that he was too busy or too dumb to care.” – Anna, 37, Wisconsin

Food Poisoning. “He and the kids made me breakfast in bed. It gave me food poisoning. We think it was the spinach they used. At the time, I was in agonizing pain, and stuck in the bathroom for hours at a time, so I just kept cursing them out to myself. But, it was a sweet gesture. Breakfast in bed is a pretty standard Mother’s Day gift, so at least they made theirs stand out.” – Lisa, 42, California

A Gift Card From Him, For Him.  “A gift card to his favorite restaurant, which is a steakhouse. I’m a vegetarian! His response was, ‘They have salads.’ I told him to keep it and get me something more thoughtful. Luckily, the gift from my kids that year was awesome. They made a cookbook using all of my homemade recipes. It was so adorable. My husband definitely rode their momentum that year.” – Ann Marie, 35, Connecticut

“A Wii Fit — 12 days after having my first baby. It’s been nine years, still bitter.” – Andrea, New York

Some other terrible gifts given to moms on Mother’s Day include: Deodorant, cleaning supplies, a fire extinguisher, a screwdriver, toilet paper, car parts, a dustpan with a broom, an Ironing board, and a half-eaten cake.

By design, women are givers of life.  You are nurturers. A beautiful picture of this is just after a child has been born and brought up to his/her mother’s chest, everything that baby needs for love, peace, and life in that moment is right before that child.

The imagery of a nursing mother is a picture of the way God sustains his people.  Let me explain what I mean.  There is a name used of God in the Old Testament.  It is first used in Genesis 17:1 when God reassured an aging Abraham that he would be blessed with a son through his wife menopausal wife, Sara.  God first promised Abraham in Genesis 12 when He said: “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:2–3, NIV).  When it seemed to Abraham and Sarah that God’s promise was impossible, God reminded Abraham of His promise in Genesis by first stating: “I am God Almighty…” (v. 1), which in Hebrew is El Shaddai.

El is the root for Elohim (God), the root for word for Shad can mean “to overpower” or “to destroy.” The Hebrew word dai also suggests sustenance and blessing.  When El and Shaddai are used together, it is not only translated “God Almighty” but it can mean the, “One mighty to nourish, supply, or satisfy.  The word shaddai elicits a picture of a loving mother who supplies her child with love, warmth, and nourishment when she brings that child to her breast.  God alone is the “All-Sufficient Sustainer” who cannot only do the impossible, but has the good of his children at heart.  In Psalm 91:1, El Shaddai is used: “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1, NIV).  In the book of Job it is used again: “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4).

Although El Shaddai is not literally used in the book of Daniel, but God’s name is evident all throughout Daniel’s life.  What was Daniel’s secret?  How was it that he was able to weat

Daniel 5

The third commandment given to Moses and the Hebrew people after they were delivered from the slavery of Egypt was simply this: “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain” (Exod. 20:7).  What does it mean to take the name of the Lord your God in vain?  The NIV translates the third commandment a little differently: “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” 

I think the way the NIV translates Exodus 20:7 is better than the way the ESV translates it.  Here is why I feel that way.  To take the name of the LORD your God in vain is much more than to use the word God or Jesus in the form of a curse.  To misuse the name of the LORD is to treat him as weightless or even profane.  To misuse the name of the LORD is even more than to treat him as weightless or profane as we will see in the story of Belshazzar in Daniel 5.

The Arrogance of Belshazzar

Belshazzar was the son of Nebuchadnezzar III; the Hebrew word used here for “father” can also be translated “predecessor.”[1]  Belshazzar’s predecessor, who was Nebuchadnezzar II took the vessels of gold and silver that were used in Solomon’s Temple for the worship of Yahweh.  The vessels were what was left of the Temple after Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed the Temple and forced Daniel and many others into exile in Babylon.  The Vessels were to be treated as sacred and with great care. 

Belshazzar threw a party for a thousand of his lords (v. 1).  This was no small party!  Also invited to the party were the king’s wives and concubines.  The wine that the king tasted was not intended for a wine tasting party, they intended to get drunk among other things.  At some point during the party, Belshazzar decided to use the sacred vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had stollen from the holy temple, to drink their wine.  We are told that they, “drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone” (v. 4); they did this as they drank from vessels that were designed to be used for the exclusive worship of Yahweh. 

Unlike his father and those who preceded him, Belshazzar accomplished very little in his lifetime.  Belshazzar lived off the spoils and successes of those before him, what he could do was make a feast and throw a party.  What Belshazzar did that his predecessors did not do, was profane the sacred vessels taken from what was holy by using them for a house party in his dad’s home, at which he praised the gods of Babylon while drinking from the Most High’s cups. 

What Belshazzar did not know, was the history of God’s own people and the dangers of profaning what God has called sacred.  Belshazzar did not know that centuries before his party, one of the priests, known as Aaron, whom God set apart to handle the sacred vessels of God, learned first-hand of what can happen when one profanes the sacred.  Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, for whatever the reason, offered on the altar of Incense while administering the worship of God’s people something foreign and alien from what God had prescribed to be offered as a part of their worship.  The Bible says that Aaron’s sons, “offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them” (Leviticus 10:1).  What followed was something the left Aaron speechless: “And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD” (v. 2).  Aaron could have protested: “That’s not fair!  I gave my life to serve you God, and you killed my two sons because they offered something other than what you prescribed!”  Aaron didn’t say anything, in fact Leviticus 10:3 tells us that “Aaron held his peace.”  Aaron kept quiet because he knew that his sons received the instruction of the LORD: “You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. 10 Aaro

Daniel 4

Can I tell you a story about how the chief god of the Babylonians rose to power?  Long ago existed Tiamat and her mate, Apsu, who were locked in an embrace since the beginning of time. Tiamat was the goddess of saltwater and the mother of all things while Apsu was the god of freshwater.  The two gods kept order over all things and eventually produced lesser gods who disrupted the peace and order that Tiamat and Apsu enjoyed, so Apsu decided the only way to regain the peace that he and his mate enjoyed, that he would need to kill the younger gods.  Before Apsu could carry out his plan, one of his descendants by the name of Ea killed Apsu and took his place. 

Well, as you can imagine, this enraged Tiamat because her children were responsible for creating chaos by killing Apsu, so she raised an army of dragons and monsters and placed Kingu, the very worst of the monsters, at the head to lead Tiamat’s army (he was a type of Satan figure in the story).  However, Ea had a son by the name of Marduk, who was a new god Tiamat did not take into account.  Marduk was asked by the younger gods to defend them as their champion and offered to submit to his rule as king if he was successful in defeating Tiamat and her army.

Marduk defeated Tiamat and her army of dragons and monsters by commanding the wind to enter Tiamat’s mouth and puff up her body like a balloon. Marduk then pulled back his bow and shot an arrow that split her into two halves; with one half of Tiamat’s body, he created the heavens, and with the other, he created Earth.  Marduk reinstituted order in the universe and ordered the gods to build the city of Babylon.  Marduk also killed Kingu and used that evil deity’s blood to create human beings as servants of the gods.  Marduk not only was attributed with creation after successfully defeating Tiamat and her army of dragons and monsters, but also was hailed as the Great lord over the gods and the “lord of heaven and earth.”

Marduk was the chief god that all of Babylon worshiped, so for Nebuchadnezzar to refer to Daniel’s God in the following way is no small thing:

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” (Daniel 4:34–35)

As I stated last week, the God of Daniel is referred to as the “Most High” six times in this chapter.  In Daniel 4:17, God is referred to as the Most High who, “rules the kingdom of men and give it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.”  In Daniel 4:23 and 25, Nebuchadnezzar is warned that he will behave like a wild Ox until he recognizes God as the Most High who, “rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.”   Then when Nebuchadnezzar came to his senses after seven years of insanity, his reason returned to him and he, “blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever…” and whose, “dominion, and kingdom endures from generation to generation” (v. 34). 

This significance of the king’s epiphany is that Nebuchadnezzar praised Daniel’s God as being more powerful with more authority than the god the Babylonians worshiped.  This was not just a personal experience for the king, he made sure that, “all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth…” that the kingdom of the God of the Hebrews, “is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation” (v. 3). 

Nebuchadnezzar Was Unhinged

Who was Nebuchadnezzar?  The Nebuchadnezzar of Daniel 1-3 was considered the greatest emperor of the middle east by which all other kings would be compared.  Sometimes,