Introduction:
Many Christians believe that God made the universe like one gigantic clock and has left it to run its predetermined course. In this case God is an absentee Landlord, and to pray to Him is futile. Prayer in such situation only gives the one who prays a false sense of comfort or security.
The Bible, however, does not disclose God as an absentee Landlord. On the contrary, it portrays Him as having always kept in touch with the human race and having revealed Himself supremely in Jesus of Nazareth. John R. W. S. Stott is right on target when he wrote, "At the cross in holy love God through Christ paid the full penalty of our disobedience himself. He bore the judgment we deserve in order to bring us the forgiveness we do not deserve. Far from neglecting the human race, God has always sought to guide and warn, and to make provision for man’s eternal salvation. This fact is found in all the books of the Bible, much more in the book of Daniel."
From beginning to end, the book of Daniel is saturated with God’s involvement and guidance in the affairs not only of the nations but of individuals. When Daniel’s three friends was thrown into a fiery furnace, God did not save them while He was sitting upon His throne. God saved them by coming down from His throne and being with them, walking with them in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3: 20-25). God was not only in control, He was intimately involved. But there is more to God in the book of Daniel than being in control and involved in the affairs of mankind.
In our study this morning, we will examine the attributes of God, His activities, and how he relates to man as revealed in the book of Daniel.
GOD AS GOD
Daniel does not argue for His existence. For him God is a given. In this respect he follows the pattern of Scripture everywhere. He would have agreed with the Psalmist when he said, "The fool says in his heart, ’There is no God. ’" (Psalms 14:1). Daniel does not even question the whereabouts of God when a pagan ruler proudly helped himself to the vessels in the Lord’s house. Or when innocent young people were taken as captives to a distant land. Daniel knew that God had a purpose. He learned that evil has only a temporary existence, and the time will come when God’s righteousness and goodness will be vindicated.
Ellen G. White writes:
"In the annals of human history the growth of nations, the rise and fall of empires, appear as dependent on the will and prowess of man. The shaping of events seems, to a great degree, to be determined by his power, ambition, or caprice. But in the word of God the curtain is drawn aside, and we behold, behind, above, and through all the play and counter play of human interests and power and passions, the agencies of the all-merciful One, silently, patiently working out the counsels of His own will."
1. His Names
Often the way a person address God reveals his or her relationship to Him. This is true in the case of Daniel. Daniel first uses the Hebrew word adonai, the equivalent of the English word Lord. The name is clearly related to adon, which means "the lord", "the master." Adonai has a possessive suffix and thus means "my lord." But a study of a number of Old Testament texts strongly suggests that the name adonai emphasizes God’s rule over all the world. Jeremiah, and Ezekiel use this name in reference to their commission, or call, and thus the emphasis of the name is on God’s rulership and the prophet’s servanthood.
Thus Daniel probably employed the term because it followed he pattern and example of his dedicated contemporaries, and even more important, he recognized that God is ruler over all and he was an obedient servant. God as supreme ruler decided the fate of Jehoiakim, king of Judah (Danie4l 1:2).
The second word that Daniel employs for God is the Hebrew word Elohim (Daniel 1:9, 17; 9:3, 4). The name would doubtless call to mind Genesis 1:1: A In the beginning God (i,e., Elohim) created the heavens and the earth. This name emphasizes God’s marvelous power and majesty.
Another name which Daniel uses for God is YHWH (Daniel 9:2). This name emphasizes a covenant God (Exodus 6:7). He is the God of Israel (Exodus 20:2). Yahweh is the God who has been active in the history of the children of Israel, but he is also the supreme God. No doubt Daniel recognized Yahweh as his God.
2. His Attributes
A person’s attributes, or characteristics, make him what he is. In the same manner, God has attributes that make Him who He is. We cannot say we know a person or know God until we know at least some of his characteristics.
Daniel’s God is active in human affairs. While He is up there, He is also down here. He has not created the world and left it to follow its own course without direction, but is very much in control in the sense that He intervenes again and again. He has a plan and purpose that He is working out, and, without interfering with man’s freedom of choice and will, He determines how far and how long a person may go in a certain direction. For example, Jehoiakim had sufficiently indicated that he was determined to do evil, and God gave him into the hands of Nebuchanezzar (2 Kings 23:36, 37; Daniel 1:2).
Daniel, on the other hand, showed that even in difficult circumstances he was determined to serve God. In honor of his faith, the Lord gave him favor in the eyes of his superiors (Daniel 1:9) and knowledge and skill so that he could serve the Lord better (verse 17). While Daniel clung to God with unwavering trust, the spirit of prophetic power came upon him. while honored by men with the responsibilities of the court and the secrets of the kingdom, he was honored by God as His ambassador, and taught to read the mysteries of ages to come.
Nebuchadnezzar learns from Daniel that the God in heaven sees everything (Daniel 2:28). Nothing can be hidden from Him. Yahweh can even bring a forgotten dream back to memory. And God can and does reveal such secrets. He is in touch with man, and man can be in touch with Him. The wise men of Babylon believed that the gods can never dwell with men and women (Daniel 2:11). But the true God can and did dwell with men an women (cf. Exodus 25:8).
Nebuchadnezzar was a good learner. He learned about God (Daniel 2:47). But, like many of us, he forgot! He needed the experience of the image on the plain of Dura to realize fully that God is all powerful. Save people from the scorching flames of a fiery furnace? That was impossibleCor so he thought (Daniel 3:15) until he saw the three Hebrews step out of the flames without even the scent of scorching upon them.
Yet Nebuchadnezzar still had lessons to learn. He did not know that God is the only source of everything good and humanity has no cause to pride. The ruler learns his lesson, and when understanding returns to him, he recognizes God as the Most High, who lives forever, who reigns supreme on the earth from generation to generation. No one can oppose Him; no one can question the rightness of His course (Daniel 4).
3. His Activities
It is difficult to separate God’s activities from His character. He lives out what He is. Perhaps the most outstanding deed of God that the book of Daniel reveals is the way He hears and answers prayer.
Daniel is facing death because the wise men have not been able to tell the king his dream or interpret it. His career has only just begun. He asks for an extension of time, and the king grants it. Now he goes to his companions in faith and suggests a session of prayer. God honored their prayers, and He granted them their petition.
In Daniel 2:21 we read that God changes times and seasons. In Daniel 5:11 we find that the queen mother refers to Daniel as a man Awho has the spirit of the holy gods in him. Although the language is pagan in style, it does tell of another divine activity: God is able to come into our lives if we invite Him.
B. GOD IN RELATION TO MAN
It is a good thing to consider God in His self and being, but we are especially concerned how He relates to human beings. The question is an important one, especially since all have sinned (Romans 3: 23) and, in this case, deserve nothing from God. What does the book of Daniel tell us about this side of God’s character?
1. He is Concern for All
One of the message of the book of Daniel is that God has concern for the welfare of allCthe good and the bad! God has no favorites (Acts 10:34).
The captivity of the children of Judah in the days of Jehoiakim resulted from the continued wickedness of the king and people. But not all people were guilty. Some, like Daniel and his companions, had been true to God and had kept His commandments. Yet the righteous had to go with the wicked. God gave some of the righteous positions of responsibility that enabled them to continue their lives of witness. They may not have chosen to go to Babylon, but once there they could not have asked for better treatment thant they received.
In the book of Daniel we also see God’s concern for the unbelievers. God’s purpose had been that the children of Israel would be a light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6). Unfortunately, they had failed in their mission. Paul uses strong language when he says that their behavior blasphemed His name (Romans 2:24). What God could not get them to do by missionary means, He now accomplishes at least through Daniel and his companionsCby captivity.
The story of how Nebuchadnezzar gains a knowledge of the true God is a thrilling one. The wise men of Babylon also had opportunity to see the vast difference between the God of heaven and the false gods they worshipped. Belshazzar and his princes failed to recognize how foolish it was to worship statues of gold and silver, wood and stone (Daniel 5: 23), to venerate mere figments of the imagination, when the God in heaven controls their destinies. He is their judge and He alone can execute His judgments. The governors who came from far away to Babylon at the command of a great potentate, expecting to bow at his feet, witnessed a miracle that revealed a greater Ruler in heavenCOne who could save from fire and the only One who deserved worship.
It is remarkable that even in the establishment of a great power like the Neo-Babylonian empire, under Nebuchadnezzar, benefit came to the people. The symbol of a tree where birds could make nests, beasts could find shade, and people could obtain fruit (Daniel 4) indicates that God looks upon governments as a means of providing the needs of the governed.
2. His Righteousness
God’s righteousness does not merely refers to God’s ethical quality, it refers to an activity in which right prevails, in which a right relationship is established between god and His people. God is righteous because His judgments are true and fair. And he is supremely righteous because He has made provision for forgiveness and salvation.
The judgment scene in Daniel is most impressive (Daniel 7:9-10). The vision portrays the Judge in terms that suggest dignity and experience. The fire around the throne and streaming from it hints at the transcendency of the Being on the throne. Also it implies the ability to consume all evil and carry out judgment upon it. The thousands who minister to the One on the throne testify to the extent of divine dominion and power. The opening of the books symbolizes the keeping of records. The judgment is necessary for good reason: a power on earth has acted unrighteously. It has mouthed great things, claiming authority that does not belong to it. Warring against the saints, it seeks to overturn the symbol of God’s righteousness and has apparently gained some signal victories (Daniel 7: 8, 24-25; 8: 912). Shall wrong prevail? Thus the need for a judgment. The cosmic hearing takes place, pronouncing the verdict in favor of the saints (Daniel 7:26-27). Truth and righteousness prevail and wrong is vanquished.
In all this we see that righteousness is not just being rightCit is doing right. It is seeing that righteousness prevails on the earth. Righteousness reaches out to the poor and the needy. Daniel 4:27 (KJV) is significant for this consideration. The prophet advises the king to break off his sins by righteousness, and his iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Thus he equates righteousness with displaying mercy to the poor.
His Long-suffering Mercy
We have seen that God’s righteousness includes acts of mercy. But in the book of Daniel it is God’s long-suffering mercy that the prophet seems to emphasize (cf. Daniel 2:18; 9:4, 9, 18).
Daniel and his companions prayed for mercy when they needed to know the king’s dream and its interpretation. Their lives were in real danger because Nebuchadnezzar had the power to carry out his threat. The Hebrew word for mercy here Ahas to do with God’s tender compassion, that pity which has for man in his weakness and misery and helplessness.
The same word appears as in part of Daniel’s prayer in which he says that mercy and forgiveness belongs to God (Daniel 9:9, 18). Daniel contrasts the confusion of his people and their leaders with the mercies that belong to God. Man cannot deny that he has done wrong, that only condemnation awaits him. His only hope is God’s mercy.
In the latter part of the prayer the prophet points out that no one has any claim on God because of any righteousness he or she may have. Daniel would agree with Isaiah that man’s righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Man’s only hope is God’s great mercy.
CONCLUSION:
The book of Daniel clearly proclaims that God is not an absentee Landlord who decided to take a break off and forget his creation. On the other hand, we find in the book of Daniel that God is actively engaged for the well being of his creation.
This engagement culminated in the death of His Son on the cross.
