The Book of Daniel
Did you know that Daniel is the most authenticated book in
the Bible? There is a five-sided prism
on display at the Istanbul Museum that contains variations of the names of
Daniel’s three friends: Hananiah,
Mishael and Azariah. You may know them
better as Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.
Dr. Missler spends a few moments pondering the reason that
Daniel wasn’t in the fiery furnace also.
Perhaps those who instigated this event waited until Daniel was away on
an affair of state to push this issue in an attempt to destroy these
Israelites.
One thing I learned was that, during Nebuchadnezzar’s seven
years of mental derangement, Daniel was his personal nurse. When I attempted to verify this information,
I learned that there is much debate on whether this time of insanity was fact
or folklore. Apparently,
Nebuchadnezzar’s first 11 years were recorded meticulously, but after that time
there is virtually no record.
This made me realize that I want to believe Scripture so
badly, my tendency would be to not question it.
But that isn’t an intelligent way to read the Bible. That isn’t behaving like the Bereans. So, how do I take a more scholarly approach
to reading and studying Scripture? If
anyone has any advice on this, I would love to hear it.
I’ve studied Daniel previously – multiple times, in fact –
but I never get tired of studying the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar and the vision
of Daniel and their interpretations. The
prediction of the Messiah’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem gives me chills
every time I read about it.
But I must say that the greatest lesson I took home from
this week’s video is this: when Daniel
knew that the 70 years of captivity was coming to a close, he prayed. We should be doing the same thing: praying for the Lord Jesus to come
quickly. Hallelujah!
Homework for next time:
Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
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