Despite what it looks
like, God is in control. And that’s good news for a conquered kingdom
like Israel at the opening of the book of Daniel. For Nebuchadnezzar, the
king of Babylon, had come and laid siege upon God’s promised
land and his chosen population. Israel’s temple was plundered,
their land was sabotaged, and their king, Jehoiakim,
was made a slave in Babylonia. But this was not the only way Babylon
wreaked havoc on the kingdom of Israel. They also captured their nobility,
their wisest, and their most capable. One of whom was
a man named Daniel. Yet, the most surprising
statement we come upon is not that the temple’s holy ground
was trampled on or that its holy objects were taken to a pagan temple
in which they did not belong. It’s not even that evil Babylon
conquered the Holy Land. The most surprising statement
we find is that it was God himself who gave Israel into
their enemy’s hand. And this is really what the book of
Daniel communicates as a whole. That even when the worst events imaginable
begin to unfold, someone is still on the throne. Because despite what it
looks like, God is in control. For this destruction
was already foretold. For Israel and their king had
committed all kinds of evil. They had defiled the temple,
neglected orphans and widows, and even built and
worshipped false idols. Sin was on their throne
and needed to be overthrown. So God sent them a prophet named Jeremiah
and through him promised that he would send the Babylonians to demolish them, to punish
their sin, to bring about their destruction. But God’s people didn’t listen. They refused their opportunity for repentance,
and so from God’s land they were evicted. Daniel and his friends were taken
to Babylon to serve their king, to worship their gods, to become
Babylonian down to the bone. But Daniel knew that even though
Nebuchadnezzar was in power, God was still on the highest throne. And so, God rose Daniel
to a place of prominence in order to show that he
alone reigns over every king. It is God’s kingdom that will remain
after all others have been overthrown. And he made this known through Daniel and
his friends by a series of miraculous events. Daniel and his friends refused to eat
the unclean food offered by the king. But God’s control made it so they grew
fat from nothing but water and greens. The king was driven mad by a dream
no one could interpret accurately. But God’s control made it so this unknown
mystery was seen by Daniel clearly. Daniel’s friends were thrown into a furnace
for not bowing to the king’s golden image. But God’s control made it so not even
their clothes were singed by the embers. As King Nebuchadnezzar’s power increased,
he became proud and boasted of his strength. But God’s control made it so
the king became like a wild beast to show that God is truly over
every empire’s highest seat. The King’s son threw
a feast and drank wine from Israel’s holy objects which
Nebuchadnezzar had seized. But God’s control made it so the writing
on the wall, which only Daniel could read, spoke of this King’s downfall
by the Persians and the Medes. And finally, Daniel was thrown into a lion’s
den for praying to God when it was forbidden. But God’s control made it so
the lion’s hunger was overwritten. Their mouths were shut to show that no
matter the power, kingdom, or position, God has full dominion. All these stories in Daniel
contribute to a central goal. And that is to show that despite
what it looks like, God is in control. Now, these stories which show God’s
control only compose the first half of the book. But the second half will show
how God’s control is going to look. While the first half is filled
with stories of God’s provisions, the second half
is filled with visions. And these visions
were given to Daniel. Visions of kingdoms that rise and fall,
visions of beastly empires being uninstalled, visions of war both in
and outside Israel’s walls. But no matter what the visions depict
or what their symbols are called, the hope of every
vision is the same. God is in charge of it all. One day he is going to place his own
king over every nation and every land, one king whose kingdom will always stand, one king
who has actually reigned ever since the world began. And this king in Daniel
is called The Son of Man. But when Daniel’s visions had come to an
end and when his life and his book had finished being penned, that Son of Man
had still not come for them. For as the visions promised, God’s kingdom
would come long after Daniel and his friends. It would come after the Persians,
Medes, Greeks, and Babylonians. It would even extend to the
time of Caesar and the Romans. For even though Israel was back in their
land, they were still waiting for their savior. They were still waiting
for the Son of Man. So, when Jesus came and applied the title,
“Son of Man,” to himself, he was saying that
he fulfilled its role. He is the Son of Man the
book of Daniel foretold. He is God’s king who would
spread God’s rule from pole to pole. But he would not do so by
fitting the Babylonian mold. No, he would not reach his goal through
furnaces, lion’s dens, or amassing armies and gold. Instead, he would transform
a cross into his throne. Because every nation, every king, every
person was ruled by the same thing. It’s the thing that led to Israel’s
destruction and Babylon’s demise. It’s the thing that toppled
kingdoms and rules every life. It’s the thing that makes us put
ourselves on the throne instead of him. And that thing is called pride, lust, greed. That thing is called sin. So, when Jesus left his throne to take
up the cross, he made our sin his own. But despite what it looked
like he was still in control. Because Jesus rose from the dead and now he
sits on the highest throne above every president, army, and power unknown in order to give
us this vision, to give us this hope that this Jesus who conquered sin and sheol will
return to reign forever as Daniel has told. So, take heart for he has and does and
will forever have the world in his hold. For despite what it looks
like, Jesus is in control. Hey, David here with Spoken Gospel. Thank you so much for watching our
introduction to the book of Daniel. We are on set where we film all of our video
introductions. And we’ve been working hard on our series on the wisdom literature,
and we can’t wait to share it with you. We’re able to be in this space making these
videos and sharing them with you for free because of the generous support of people
like you who love our videos and watch them. So, if you want to join us in helping us make
more videos, we invite you to go to SpokenGospel.com to join us in our mission,
view our free resources. But until then, we hope you enjoy
everything we’ve published so far. Up next is the book of Job.
