Wilson / Ortlund Daniel

A 12-Week Study
1. Auflage 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4335-4345-6
Verlag: Crossway
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, 96 Seiten

Reihe: Knowing the Bible

The Knowing the Bible series is a resource designed to help Bible readers better understand and apply God's Word. These 12-week study lead participants through books of the Bible and are made up of four basic components: (1) Reflection questions help readers engage the text at a deeper level; (2) 'Gospel Glimpses' highlight the gospel of grace throughout the book; (3) 'Whole-Bible Connections' show how any given passage connects to the Bible's overarching story of redemption, culminating in Christ; and (4) 'Theological Soundings' identify how historic orthodox doctrines are taught or reinforced throughout Scripture. With contributions from an array of influential pastors and church leaders, these gospel-centered studies will help Christians see and cherish the message of God's grace on each and every page of the Bible. The book of Daniel has all the makings of a great story: memorable characters, cliff-hanging moments, and incredible visions. Yet we miss the point if we pay more attention to Daniel's story than we pay to Daniel's God. In this helpful study, readers will see how this fascinating biblical book ultimately points to the sovereign Lord of history, who rules over all earthly kingdoms and whose plans cannot be thwarted.

Todd Wilson (PhD, Cambridge University) is the cofounder and president of the Center for Pastor Theologians, a ministry dedicated to resourcing pastor theologians. He is the author of several books, including The Pastor Theologian. Todd and his wife, Katie, have seven children.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Wilson, Todd

Ortlund, Dane

Leseproben

WEEK 2: PROLOGUE

Daniel 1:1–21

The Place of the Passage

This first chapter introduces the book as a whole by describing how Daniel and his three friends were deported to Babylon, where they were educated in Babylonian culture (Dan. 1:1–7). Daniel’s faith is put to the test, and the chapter ends with Daniel and his three friends being promoted into the service of King Nebuchadnezzar.

The Big Picture

Daniel 1:1–21 shows us how a sovereign God accomplishes his purposes and achieves his victory by sending Daniel and his three friends into exile in Babylon.

Reflection and Discussion

Read through the complete passage for this study, Daniel 1:1–21. Then review the questions below and write your notes on them concerning this introductory section to the book of Daniel. (For further background, see the ESV Study Bible, pages 1586–1587; available online at www.esvbible.org.)

1. Daniel and His Friends Taken into Exile (1:1–7)

The opening verse sets the stage for Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest of Jerusalem (v. 1). But what comes next is a bit of a shocker: “And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand . . .” (v. 2). Why would Daniel ascribe ultimate responsibility for the capture of Jerusalem to the Lord? What does this teach us about Daniel’s view of God? And what does this imply about human agency?

Verse 2 draws considerable attention to “the vessels of the house of God,” mentioning that they were seized by Nebuchadnezzar and carried off to Babylon. Take a close look at this verse. Given all the things that could have been mentioned, why draw attention to the fate of the temple vessels? Note as well where they end up—in the house of Nebuchadnezzar’s god, “the treasury of his god” (v. 2). What is the significance of this?

Why does Nebuchadnezzar go to all the trouble of deporting some of the Jews to Babylon? What strategy might he have in deporting members of “the royal family and nobility” in particular (v. 3), and then training them in the culture and customs of the Babylonians (v. 4), as well as providing for them materially (v. 5)?

2. Daniel and His Friends Remain Undefiled (1:8–16)

Notice how verse 8 begins with a sharp contrast: “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food” (v. 8). Why did Daniel believe eating the king’s food or drinking his wine would defile him?

Verse 9 tells us that God gave Daniel “favor and compassion.” How does the Lord’s favor and compassion manifest itself in Daniel’s life in these verses? What concrete evidence could we point to?

3. Daniel and His Friends Promoted and Preserved (1:17–21)

This first chapter climaxes when King Nebuchadnezzar tests Daniel and his three friends in their learning. And the text isn’t bashful about telling us they pass the test with flying colors; in fact, it says they were “ten times better” than anyone else. Why, though, do you think this point is emphasized?

Verse 21 looks, at first glance, to be an incidental historical detail tacked onto the end of the story: “And Daniel was there [in the court of the King of Babylon] until the first year of King Cyrus.” Who is King Cyrus? And why do you think this is mentioned? What does it say about Daniel? What does it say about God?

Read through the following three sections on Gospel Glimpses, Whole-Bible Connections, and Theological Soundings. Then take time to consider the Personal Implications these sections may have for you.

Gospel Glimpses

GOD GAVE. A simple subject-verb combination is used three times in the opening chapter of Daniel: “the Lord gave . . .” (1:2), “God gave . . .” (v. 9), and “God gave . . .” (v. 17). Arguably, these three “God-gives” shape the flow of this chapter and the division of its paragraphs (vv. 1–7, 8–16, 17–21). But more important, this simple expression captures the good news about what God has done in Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16). What a wonderfully succinct way to express the heart of the gospel, the meaning of grace, and the story of Scripture—God gave! And yet, surprisingly perhaps, we find this glorious theme right here in the opening chapter of the book of Daniel.

DEFEAT AS THE PATH TO VICTORY. We’re taken aback when we read in verse 2 that the Lord is the one who ultimately gave Jerusalem into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. In a book designed to show the victory of God, this is a counterintuitive way to begin. And yet this is the gospel story—defeat is the path to victory. Before Jesus wears the crown, he bears the cross. The Son of God, the Davidic Messiah,1 is first the Son of Man, the suffering servant who must tread the lonely path of humility and suffering and even death. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). So, too, this is the way of the gospel in our lives: we share in Christ’s suffering, “becoming like him in his death,” before we “attain the resurrection from the dead” (Phil. 3:10–11).

Whole-Bible Connections

EXILE AS COVENANTAL CURSE. We will miss the full import of the opening chapter of Daniel if we fail to see the exile of the Jews to Babylon in light of the covenant curses threatened for failing to keep the stipulations of the Sinai covenant.2 Both Leviticus (26:14–45) and Deuteronomy (28:15–68) provide an extensive list of the curses that will come upon Israel if they fail to abide by the terms of the covenant. Note that the climactic curse of the covenant is the exile of the nation itself (Lev. 26:33; Deut. 28:64)—viewed as a death sentence for a capital offense (i.e., apostasy/idolatry). We are therefore to understand the dramatic events of Daniel 1 as the fulfillment of the curses threatened centuries earlier (cf. Jer. 25:1–14).

BLESSING TO THE NATIONS. The book of Daniel envisions the Jews living in exile among the nations. Jeremiah prophesied of this situation, and his counsel to the exiles was clear: “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jer. 29:7). Even though exile is an expression of God’s judgment upon the nation, the Jews are nevertheless to seek to bless the people among whom they dwell. Daniel and his friends, among others, are hauled off to Babylon, yet we see them embody this commitment to bless Babylon. The story of Daniel’s life can thus be seen as a partial fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham: that his offspring would be a blessing to the nations (Gen. 12:3).

Theological Soundings

SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD.3 The God of Daniel is sovereign over men and nations. Indeed, from the start we are confronted with the Lord’s sovereignty over the events of history and human circumstances. Daniel is clear that it was the Lord who ultimately orchestrated the fall of Jerusalem (Dan. 1:2). So too we learn in chapter 1 that God works in and through the most seemingly mundane details and decisions of life: the Lord is responsible for the favorable reception Daniel receives from the chief of the eunuchs (v. 9), the nourishment the four young men receive from only a vegetable diet (v. 15), and the acquisition of knowledge and insight through their study of Babylonian culture (v. 17). There is a compatibility between divine sovereignty and human agency; these are not to be set in opposition but understood as different perspectives on the same unfolding events.

CHRIST AND CULTURE. Perhaps no book in the Old Testament presents more material for thinking about the Christian presence in the world, or what has classically been referred to as the relationship between Christ and culture. Daniel and his three friends display a readiness to engage in the culture and customs of the Babylonians, and yet this clearly has limits. Daniel does not simply accommodate to the host culture of the Babylonians. At the same time, he does show a high degree of acculturation: acquiring both learning and skill in “all literature and wisdom” of the Babylonians (v. 17). This provides a good case study for thinking about the challenge of being in the world, but not of the world (John 17:15–16).

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