After years of captivity, Daniel’s faithfulness and wisdom earn him a place as one of King Nebuchadnezzar’s advisors. After serving as an advisor for some time, Daniel is thrown in prison for refusing to pray to a statue made by the king. In prison he meets another prisoner who has been there for 10 years longer than him—the prophet Habakkuk—and learns about God’s plan for his life.
Daniel is the youngest and most humble of the three Hebrew children taken prisoner by the Babylonians. He is a man of deep faith, who remains true to God’s word even after being forced to eat food that violates his religion.
Daniel remains in prison for three years and six months until the king has a dream about a giant statue made out of different metals that represents nations and empires that will come and go before God establishes His kingdom on Earth. When Daniel explains this dream to him, Nebuchadnezzar realizes how foolish he has been worshipping false gods and orders Daniel released from prison immediately so he can serve as an advisor once again.
Story of Daniel In The Bible
Introduction
It’s almost impossible to read the Bible without having heard the story of Daniel in the lion’s den. And if you haven’t heard this story, it may still seem familiar because it is similar to other stories you have probably seen or read before: David and Goliath, Hansel and Gretel. In fact, these classic stories are all about people who were put into a dangerous situation that they could not escape on their own. But instead of ending in despair, these beloved tales conclude with a rescue from an unlikely source—a stone from a sling, an oven that keeps the children alive instead of burning them.
It’s easy to focus on Daniel in the lion’s den and miss out on another important part of his life–the reason why he was thrown into such a scary situation in the first place! The story begins with King Nebuchadnezzar II (probably) becoming upset when Daniel refuses to bow down before him as an act of worship. This is what leads us up until now—and we’ll explore how God helped him through this challenging time later on…
Daniel is a citizen of Israel, taken into exile in Babylon.
Daniel is a citizen of Israel, taken into exile in Babylon.
Daniel is the first of three Jewish exiles taking place over the course of their history. The first two are taken by King Nebuchadnezzar because he fears that God will honor them more than him (though it’s unclear who this God is at this point). The third exile happens when Rome conquers Jerusalem and implements its own empire. Babylon was an ancient kingdom located near present-day Iraq that was conquered by Cyrus the Great around 539 B.C., which means Daniel would have been alive during both kingdoms’ reigns over Israel.
God cares for Daniel even though he doesn’t deserve it.
God cares for us even though we don’t deserve it. We are all sinners, and we have all sinned against God. But he still loves us and cares for us because he is our Father in Heaven, and he will always be there for us to help us through hard times. We must never forget that God is always there with his arms open wide as long as we come running back to him like any loving parent would do when a child runs away from home because they were scared or mad at something or someone else. This same love was shown by Daniel when he ran into Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace (Dan 3:17).
God can protect us from the consequences of our sins.
God is merciful and forgiving, even when we are not. He can protect us from the consequences of our sins if we ask him to.
He knows that some people make mistakes, get into trouble, or do something wrong because they don’t understand that their actions will have bad results. His love for us is so great that he will forgive us when we ask him to forgive us for doing something wrong or making a mistake.
Paul told young pastor Timothy that “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). As you speak, God “breathes out” each individual word in the Bible. It is absolutely original in this respect. That statement is true of the Bible but not of any other literature.
Reading the Bible is not the same as studying it.
The Bible is just another document, therefore we read it as quickly as possible. In contrast, we don’t rush through Bible study. We search for answers to the world’s mysteries as we attempt to make sense of it. What they say is given serious consideration.
Ephesians 1:1-14 can be read in 30 seconds, yet the lessons it contains will last you a lifetime. The Gospel of John can be read in its entirety in roughly two hours. But its complexity ensures that you’ll never get bored exploring it.
The reward of maturing in God’s word will be ours for as long as we live.
It’s important to devote a lot of time to Bible study and have faith in what you’re reading.
We put in the time and effort necessary since we value education highly. However, relying on God also calls for us to ask for wisdom.
Paul urged Timothy to “think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” (2 Timothy 2:7). God endows us with wit, but we have to put it to use.
The evangelist George Whitefield began devoting himself to reading the Bible on a regular basis once he became a Christian. Author says, “I began to read the Holy Scriptures upon my knees, laying aside all other books and praying over, if possible, every line and word… I daily received fresh life, light, and power from above.” Take note of how modest he is.1
Whether or not we choose to get on our knees to study, that’s where our focus ought to be.
Go
This story is a reminder for us that God cares for us, even when we don’t deserve it. It also shows how God can protect us from the consequences of our sins if we turn to him and ask him to forgive us.
Conclusion
It might be easy to think that Daniel was a good person and that’s why God took care of him. But we know from other parts in the Bible that all people have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. So it wasn’t because he was a good person or deserved something good to happen to him. It was solely because of God’s grace and mercy that he rescued Daniel from the lions’ den. We see this same principle today when we are saved through Jesus Christ. We deserve nothing but eternal hell, but because of His grace we are saved if we put our faith in Him for salvation!
