01 May Studying the Book of Daniel – May 11

By: Ferdinand Haratua

Christians of all ages have heard and loved the book of Daniel. Many love it for the exciting stories found in the book, for examples, Daniel in the lion’s den and the fiery furnace account of Daniel’s friends – whose names may not be the easiest to spell out but somehow we all manage to remember them quite accurately, yes, they are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These stories could easily be some of the top stories from the Bible that most Christians remember.

Another reason why many Christians love the book is largely due to its unique characteristics and contributions. On its unique characteristics, the book of Daniel is one of the only two books in the whole Bible that is written in two languages, Hebrew and Aramaic. The book is interweaved with history and prophecy, and together with its not-so chronological structure, it demands a careful reading and study from any serious disciples of Christ.

For its contributions, the book of Daniel gives the readers insights into the conditions in Babylon during the 70 years of captivity. It also contains one of the most comprehensive prophetic plan in the Old Testament. The book links the Old Testament to the New Testament by revealing the events that are going to take place during the intertestamental period, the 400 silent years roughly between the Old Testament prophet Malachi and John the Baptist in the New Testament.

On top of all those exciting information, the book allows us to see and study one of the most amazing characters in the entire Bible. Daniel’s life provides to us a model on how we should live our lives for God. Though Daniel was not a priest nor did he receive a specific prophetic calling like some other prophets, he lived out his entire life nothing short of a life of that a godly priest or a prophet. Some have said that Daniel was one of the only few characters who have no faults written against him in the Bible. Now, that’s worth our attention!

We could learn much from Daniel. Just like Daniel, today we are also living in a godless society. Daniel shows us how one could and should live a godly life in this fallen world, bear witness to the power and grace of God and at the same time, making an impact to the society. There is so much in the book of Daniel, why don’t we start reading and studying it.

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Daniel shows us how one could and should live a godly life in this fallen world, bear witness to the power and grace of God and at the same time, making an impact to the society.