Daniel Commentaries

Here are some of my thoughts on commentaires on the book of Daniel.

1. Tremper Longman is the best all-around commentary.

2. Homiletical commentaries abound.
-Iain Duguid is fantastic. A must have! Very Christ-centered.
-James Boice is good and helpful.
-Sinclair Ferguson is also good and helpful.
-Stortz is not as helpful as the others.

3. Not worth the time or money.

Olyott and Wallace.

4. Notable.

-Archer is very helpful.

-Hope in the Midst of a Hostile World is the weakest volume in The Gospel According to the Old Testament Series I have read. However, it is still helpful (which says a lot about this series).

-I wish I would have purchased Young at the beginning. A lot of commentators refer to him.

Jesus: God's Ultimate Jubilee

What is the significance of the 70 "sevens" of Daniel 9:24-27? Most scholars agree that this is referring to 70 units of 7 years, or 490 years.

While I certainly think a time-frame is being given here, I also think there is a significance to 490 years that goes deeper than merely being able to do the math (not matter how you view the dates, you run into problems because we don't have the exact dates given to us in Scripture).

I would argue that these numbers find their ultimate significance in the Sabbath and Jubilee principles found in Leviticus 25-26. You see, God commanded His people to separate one day out of every seven days (the Sabbath day). And, He commanded them to separate one year out of every seven years (the Sabbath year). And, He commanded them to celebrate a year of Jubilee after 7 Sabbath years (or after every 49 years).

The year of Jubilee was a huge celebration. All land was returned to its original owner; all Jewish slaves were released; and all debts were cancelled.

So, 490 years is 10 Jubilee units. This is an intensification of the Jubilee concept, pointing to the ultimate Jubilee. This is the Jubilee of all Jubilees. God is alerting Daniel to His plan to send a Messiah who would usher in God’s final and ultimate Jubilee. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment and intensification of all that the Law foreshadowed.

God-Centered Prayer

Daniel 9:1-19 contains Daniel's prayer for the restoration of Jerusalem. It is a fantastic model of God-centered prayer.

1. This prayer is prompted by Daniel's study of God's Word (9:1-2).
-We should allow God's Word to inform our prayer life.

2. This prayer is based on God's character (9:4).
-Daniel recognizes the greatness of God and pleads with God to act according to His character.

3. This prayer is permeated with confession and repentance.
-v. 5 – “we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled.”
-v. 5 – “we have turned aside from your commandments and rules.”
-v. 6 – “we have not listened to your servants the prophets…”
-v. 8 – we deserve open shame
-v. 8 – “we have sinned against you.”
-v. 9 – “we have rebelled against him.”
-v. 10 – “we have not obeyed his voice.”
-v. 11 – “All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice.”
-v. 11 – “we have sinned against him.”
-v. 14 – “we have not obeyed his voice.”
-v. 15 – “we have sinned, we have done wickedly.”
-v. 18 – we do not present our pleas because of our righteousness

4. This prayer in grounded in God's passion for His own glory (9:17-19).
-Daniel appeals to God to act on behalf of His own name.

The Most Controversial Passage in the Bible

I can't think of a more controversial passage in the entire Bible than Daniel 9:24-27, the prophecy of the seventy weeks.

It was a joy to study and preach this passage this week. I grew to love this passage because of how clearly it points to the person and work of my Savior, Jesus Christ. In the middle of all the controversy, underneath the difficulties, Jesus shines like a beacon on a foggy, dark night.

I read about 30 different sources on this passage and didn't find any two that completely agree on every detail of this passage. In fact, there is not a single phrase in Daniel 9:24-27 that is universally agreed upon. This is no exaggeration. I think I could give you a differing interpretation on every phrase of this passage.

In my view, God is responding to Daniel's prayer in 9:1-19 by giving an immediate and an ultimate answer. The immediate answer is that Jerusalem will be restored (which is what Daniel pleads with God to do based on Jeremiah's prophecy). The ultimate answer is that God will send a Savior to redeem His people from their sin and reconcile them to Himself. God will inaugurate the promised New Covenant through the cutting off of the Messiah.

Jesus (9:24):
-finished transgression in His death.
-put an end to sin by His blood.
-atoned for the iniquity of His people.
-brought in everlasting righteousness in obedience to His Father.
-sealed vision and prophet by being the fulfillment of all God's promises.
-was anointed as the true temple, the most holy One.

What a Savior!

The Systematic Exposition of Scripture and Daniel 7

I am grateful for a commitment to the systematic exposition of the Scripture. If I were to simply choose a text each week to preach from, I would avoid certain passages and sections of Scripture. I would justify sticking with familiar and straightforward passages. I would never preach through Daniel 7-12.

However, I am committed to working through the Scriptures passage by passage. And, I'm committed to alternating between Old and New Testaments. So, I force myself to serve the Lord's church from the entire menu of divine truth. ALL Scripture is God-breathed and profitable...

Daniel 7-12 is profitable. I believe that. Therefore, I'm preaching through it for the good of my soul and because I love the people entrusted to my care.

Here are the 3 points I focused on from Daniel 7 Sunday:
-The Depravity of Earthly Kingdoms
-The Glory of the Ancient of Days
-The Certainty of Ultimate Victory (The pervasive centrality of The Son of Man)

I observed 5 aspects of God's glory revealed in 7:9-10:
-God's sovereignty (He is on His throne)
-God's eternality (Ancient of Days)
-God's holiness (white garments and hair)
-God's omnipresence (wheels on His throne)
-God's judgment (courtroom scene and fire)

Fighting Pride and Cultivating Humility

The final verse of Daniel 4 says that God is able to humble those who walk in pride.

Here are a few practical strategies for fighting pride and cultivating humility that I gave at the end of the sermon Sunday:

1. Recognize that pride is already a major problem in your life. Pride is not like the flu. We don’t catch it every now and then. No, pride is at work in us constantly. Recognizing and repenting of it is the first step to fighting it.

2. Recognize that everything you have is a gift from God. You have never accomplished anything on your own. God has blessed you so that you would give Him the glory, not take it for yourself. Do you consciously give God glory for everything good in your life?

3. Become familiar with the greatness of God. That’s the message of Daniel 4: Fight pride by recognizing the infinite worth of your Creator and Redeemer. Proud people have a small God. Humble people know God’s power, sovereignty, and glory. Only God is great.

4. Constantly survey the wondrous Cross on which the prince of glory died.
-Jesus died for our pride. He bore the wrath of God that our pride deserves. Jesus was treated like an animal (beaten and mocked) for our arrogant attitudes.
-The broken body and spilled blood of Jesus Christ is sufficient to cover the offense of our pride.
-Pride and arrogance die at the foot of the cross. It is impossible to look into the bloody face of the Savior and boast of your achievements and superior worth.
-John Owen counseled: “Fill your affections with the cross of Christ, that there may be no room for sin.” Replace pride with a love for Jesus Christ, who willingly gave His life in your place.

The Greatness of God in Daniel 4

5 aspects of God’s greatness acknowledged by Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:34-37:

1. God’s existence is unending (“him who lives forever”).
-All through this book, Nebuchadnezzar is addressed with the phrase, “O king, live forever.” He finally realizes that only God is unchanging in His existence.

2. God’s rule and reign are unending (“his kingdom endures from generation to generation”).
-God is still on His throne and no one will overthrow this King.

3. God is absolutely sovereign over heaven and earth (v. 35).
-“none can stay His hand.”

4. God’s ways are just and right (“all his works are right and his ways are just”).
-This is an astonishing statement after what God just did to him (made him act like a cow for seven years). Nebuchadnezzar is acknowledging that he deserved the judgment he received (“just”). He is even acknowledging that what happened to him was for his good (“right”).

5. God opposes the proud (“those who walk in pride he is able to humble”).
-God’s greatness is revealed in His opposition to our pride.

Faithfulness to God is Better than Life!

Daniel 3 is relevant because it tells us that there is something worth living and dying for. When you get beyond the courage and bravery of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you realize that their actions were a result of the fact that their God was worth more to them than their own lives.

They were so captivated by the glory of this great God that they believed faithfulness to Him is better than life. Faithfulness to God is better than life!

What is so precious to you that you are willing to die for it?
Let me ask that question in another way, because most of us will never have to face death for our values (although some of us will).

What is so precious to you that you are willing to lose your job over?
What would you be willing to go to jail for?
What would you be willing to give up your financial security for?
What would you be willing to put your family at risk for?
What would you be willing to tarnish your reputation and good name over?
What is so valuable to you that you are willing to give up the comforts of this life for?

If you have never been gripped by anything worthy enough to die for, you are not really living.
If all you do is conform to the world around you in order to keep your job, your reputation, and your comfort, you are not really living.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had something worth living and dying for. They were so gripped by the majesty of God that they remained faithful to Him in spite of the pressure to conform with everyone else.

Daniel chapter 3 exists to shake us from our sleepy conformity and point us to the God who deserves our complete allegiance.

I brought out 3 truths from Daniel 3 in my sermon Sunday:
1. Faithfulness to God is rooted in knowlege of God.
2. We are to be faithful to God regardless of the consequences.
3. God is with His people in their trials.