Recap

So far in Daniel, we’ve read how Daniel and his friends found themselves in Babylon and how they rose to authority. King Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem, sieging it and taking its residents into exile back to Babylon. Some of the Israelites that were taken were chosen to be given an education and trained to serve in the king's court.

Amongst these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They were renamed Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and trained in the king’s court. We read as these men were faced with three tests. The first was whether they would eat the royal food that was previously forbidden to them. They don't and end up being healthier. Then came Nebuchadnezzar's dream, which Daniel interpreted. The third test was if they would bow down to Nebuchadnezzar's giant golden statue. They refused and were thrown into a flaming furnace, but survived untouched. Each of these tests demonstrated God's authority in Babylon and caused the men to rise in prominence.

Then came stories of proud kings. The first is Nebuchadnezzar, who had a dream interpreted by Daniel and then becomes like a wild beast for seven years for his pride. After seven years he humbled himself and God restored him as king. The second was his son, Belshazzar. Belshazzar decided to mock God by using the sacred things of Jerusalem's temple to drink and feast with and was judged for it. He was killed and his kingdom became part of the Medo-Persian empire. We then got one final test, like the tests before where Daniel chooses to be thrown into a lion's pit rather than stop worshipping God. This ended the first section of the book focused on stories from Daniel’s life.

Then came the start of Daniel's vision. He dreamt of four beasts that rose out of the sea and set themselves against God. God then sat on his throne and declared judgement on the beasts. Then a human was lifted up to sit next to God and all authority on earth was given to him. In Daniel's second vision, he sees a goat and ram fighting, and the goat had various horns that rose up. These are named, with the ram being the Medo-Persian empire, and the goat being the Greek empire that would defeat them. The point of both these visions was not necessarily to focus on specific empires or leaders. Instead, it sets the chaos and powers of Daniel's time, and our time, in the wider context of a spiritual war that God is waging and will one day finish.

Finally, we read as Daniel prayed for his people in exile. The angel Gabriel came and warned Daniel that while the exile is soon other and the people will return home, they will still struggle. There will be a future king that will come and restore the people and there will be a final judgement on the chaos of the world.

Daniel 10-12

Upon hearing the news that his people would continue to suffer, not for just seventy years, but for 490 years, Daniel goes into mourning. He weeps and fasts for twenty-one days, praying for his people.

After Daniel had finished his fast, he was visited by an angel who had come to answer Daniel's prayers. He had planned to come when Daniel started praying, but he was caught up in a battle with a spiritual being known as the prince of Persia.

Again, we're given insight into a much broader spiritual war that is happening in the spiritual realm. Michael, a spiritual being known as a chief prince, came and rescued this angel so that he could go to Daniel. All this is leaving Daniel weak, so the angel strengthens him and encourages Daniel. He is here to let Daniel know what is going to happen.

There shall be four more kings that reign in Persia. But then, after them, the Greeks will rise up and take power. Once the Greeks are in power, their empire will split into four, but two, in particular, are important. The kingdom in the north, and the kingdom in the south.

First, the southern kingdom would dominate. They will attack the northern kingdom and raid them of their wealth. But then the northern kingdom will rise up and start attacking the southern kingdom. During this time, there will be some violent Jews who will join in the fighting in the hope of destroying these Greek kingdoms and freeing themselves from their control. They will fail.

After the northern kingdom will come a contemptible man. This man will get power for himself through bribery and stealing power. He is a being of chaos. There will be great battles and wars, and this man will become proud in his own mind, setting himself up above the gods. The Jews should be wary of this, because they will, like Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, have to decide if they will bow or be faithful and risk death.

But eventually, the chief of princes, Michael, will come and destroy this man. There will be a great war, like has never been seen before. Then Michael will set free God's people, and they will be saved. In that time, there will also be some who are raised from the dead, and God's people will shine like stars.

Daniel then sees two spiritual beings talking and one asks, "how much longer till all this happens?". The other responds, "a time, times, and half a time". Daniel turns back to the angel and asks what will be the outcome of all this. The angel basically tells him not to worry about it. There will be those that pursue righteousness, and there will be those that pursue wickedness. Daniel is just called to be faithful to God.

And the book ends. There has been a lot of very dense imagery in this book that you could spend most of your lifetime unpacking and trying to work out all the symbolic meanings. But aside from all that, the most important take away is the realisation that the world we're living in is part of a much broader spiritual war between the forces of chaos and wickedness, and God's force of order and righteousness.

When we see the wars and the evil around us, it can be easy to wonder what it's all for. But through books like Daniel, we can see that these individual wars are just reflections of the greater war that is happening in the spiritual realm. But we can take comfort from the fact that one day God will defeat the powers of chaos and wickedness and will forge a new kingdom for his people. We can also take inspiration from Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego for how they live in lands that are often opposed to God.

Psalm 46

This psalm is attributed to the sons of Korah and falls into the category of praise psalm. Each section of the psalm ends with selah, which is likely a musical term to pause.

Psalm 46:1-3 - God’s protection against natural disasters

Psalm 46:4-7 - God’s protection against enemy nations

Psalm 46:8-11 - Be confident in the Lord for he will be exalted

The psalm opens with the theme of the psalm: God is our protection and refuge. Because of this, we do not need to fear. The first thing we do not need to fear is the natural order of the world.

Even if the embodiment of order and stability, the mountain, is thrown in the embodiment of chaos and destruction, the sea. In other words, even if the world seems turned upside down, and everything feels chaotic, even then we do not need to fear, because we can rest in God.

In the next section we get mention of God's city, that’s fed with rivers, which were often seen as sources of life. But while God’s city is secure, there are nations that would try to rage against it. 

But we need not fear what nations and governments do. Even against these, God needs only speak and they melt away. God is with us and he will protect us.

The last section is a call to the listener. See for yourself the might of God. See how he is able to put an end to all wars and defeat the might of men. All that’s needed of you is to be still and trust that God is in control. Then you will see God's rule over all the earth.

The psalm reminds us of the confidence we have in God.