Sovereignty of god in the book of daniel

The sovereignty of god 1 the sovereignty of god in the book of daniel, king nebuchadnezzar is king over one of the powerful empire that has ever existed, the babylon empire. In the fifth chapter of the book of daniel beginning at verse 18, as. I came across a couple of childrens prayers this week. The christians answer is that the sovereignty of god is beyond human understanding.

Daniel was a jew who lived far from his homeland, about six hundred years before christ. The god of israel is consistently called the most high god in the book of daniel. The way i like to explain god s sovereignty best is simply to say, god is in control. The overall theme of the book of daniel is god s sovereignty over history, and the theme of the tales in chapters 16 is that god is sovereign over all earthly kings. Daniel is a book for today if only for the reason that it shows the sovereignty of god in dealing with despots. Our church has been steadily working through the book of daniel and each of the four preaching pastors selected their favorite chapter in daniel to preach. Gods sovereignty is seen and declared in the government of the nations. The message of the book of daniel faithlife sermons. Throughout the book of daniel we see god s sovereignty. But daniel illustrates this fact in graphic new ways.

The sovereignty of god was a truth the disobedient jews in babylon needed to understand, and it is also a truth desperately needed today. Daniel gives the meaning of history more clearly than any other portion of the bible. God gave jehoiakim into the hand of nebuchadnezzar. The message is that god is in control and in the end will triumph completely. The sovereignty of god the selfdestructive pride of humankind the ultimate victory of god s kingdom.

In any case, daniel, like revelation the other book length apocalypse in the bible provides much valuable material relevant to work. As it happens, the book of daniel offers a readymade framework for unpacking its meaning in the workplace. It is true, the sovereignty of god is evident throughout the book of daniel. Gods sovereignty over the nations northside harvest. The book of daniel recounts events of worldwide proportion in daniel s own day that continue to have decisive significance for the global church today israels homelessness. From the first chapter to the last, prophecies are evident revealed by god through his angel to daniel.

It is a sermon on the sovereignty of god, the great lord who presides over our lives and over the destiny of all the nations of the world. The global message of daniel daniel in redemptive history. The reassurance of gods sovereignty would certainly have aroused their aspirations for gods vindication in what seemed like a hopeless situation. In todays excerpt from the most recent edition in the story of god bible commentary series, author wendy l. When the germans occupied the netherlands anne and her family hid in a secret attic in a home for two years, they never left the home. In daniel 2 these two merge, and the claim of god s sovereignty extends beyond the immediate story to take in all of history. The audience of daniel 4, this paper assumes, was the discouraged band of captive israelites in babylon. While the sovereignty of god is infinite, the use of his power is defined by his other attributes. Both times allowed me to see god as completely sovereign, which helps me to rest in him and his plan for my life. The book of daniel is found in the prophetic section of the old testament. First, if the same kingdom is identified in different visions with unique specifications, the chance of misinterpretation is greatly reduced, and different views of the same kingdom expand our understanding of that kingdom and its duration.

Nebuchadnezzars dethroning and god s sovereignty by fat vox while there are many interesting narratives in the book of daniel, one of the most profound and provocative transpires in the fourth chapter. Ive studied the whole book two different times and can honestly say ive seen and heard different things on each occasion. Out of their testimonies, god s presence is known to the people of the israelites who are in exile. There, god pronounces a judgment against nebuchadnezzar as a result of his pride. As for the youth in captive their souls are at ease for they know and believe that god is still present with them. Our sovereign god blesses godly character daniel 1 a. The book of daniel is a clear revelation of the meaning of history. Daniel is one of the most controversial books of the bible, yet its message is clear and unmistakable. Daniel chapter 5 records nebuchadnezzars son belshazzar misusing the items taken from the temple in jerusalem and receiving a message from god. There are many passages in the bible that illustrate the sovereignty of god.

Even during the times of the gentiles, god is still in charge, carrying out his eternal plans. Persistent government of god in the government of the world. The message of daniel is that because god is sovereign and his eternal kingdom will reign, his people should and must be faithful to him. Nebuchadnezzar is judged by god for his pride, but later restored once he recognized and admitted god s sovereignty. These critics deny that god is sovereign and supernatural. Campbell morgan gave this theme for the book of daniel. Pic this is the famous young women, anne frank lived close to the netherlands and lived during wwii. The sovereignty of god in the book of daniel, king nebuchadnezzar is king over one of the powerful empire that has ever existed, the babylon empire.

When the earthly sovereignty was transferred from israel to nebuchadnezzar, god raised up this notable man, daniel, to represent him at the babylonian courts, so that. That framework is a nested parallelism structure in technical terms, a chiasm. For at least two reasons, god implemented this architecture in daniel so that history would produce this matrix. Sovereignty of god in the book of daniel sermonaudio. We have been considering the sovereignty of god as taught in chapters 24 in the book of daniel. It leads others to rebel against his representatives in government.

I want my faith in this same sovereign god to be like daniel s. The book of daniel is often read for its contribution to our understanding of endtimes events, but sometimes christians have been so obsessed with this that we have missed its main message. Daniel attributes his vast wisdom, insight, and understanding to his wise god dan 2. Martin collins, reiterating that god s sovereignty is a major theme in the book of daniel, reminds us that if we submit unconditionally to his sovereignty, we have a winwin situation even when initially, it looks bleak and hopeless. The big picture of the book of daniel bible commentary. The book of daniel is a great place to begin studying and understanding the sovereignty of god. Calvinists have exaggerated this doctrine to teach their decree of predestination whereby god is supposed to have foreordained every event which has, is, or will come. Gods sovereignty according to daniel a jar full of joy. According to this book, the god whom we serve not only drives the forces of history through his sovereignty but also mercifully intervenes in the lives of his people to provide them with crucial. Because so many of daniel s prophecies have already been literally fulfilled, it gives substantial basis for faith that the prophecies not yet fulfilled will have the same literal fulfillment in god s time. Let us consider how the sovereignty of god related to the. The overall theme of the book of daniel is gods sovereignty over history, and the theme of the tales in chapters 16 is that god is sovereign over all earthly kings.

If you were to look up the word sovereign in the dictionary, you would find words and phrases like superior, greatest, supreme in power and authority, ruler, and. The sovereignty of god is a very humbling doctrine. As one studies the book of daniel, one sees that ultimately almost everything one encounters functions as an agent of god s sovereignty. Daniel wrote in the face of the babylonian empire which had swallowed up palestine. Characteristics such as truthfulness, goodness, faithfulness, righteousness, and love define god s every action. He is above all principalities and powers, being the supreme lord of the world. Other old testament prophets knew that yahweh, the god of israel, was sovereign over the whole world, including the other nations. Chapters 712 are especially full of symbols that speak of what is yet to come. Unknowingly, nebuchadnezzar was an agent of god s sovereignty. The doctrine of the sovereignty of god simply states that god is the supreme ruler of all creation. Misunderstanding his will leads men to underestimate his goodness.

Yet trying to ignore the sovereignty of god hardly makes it go away. The one that impresses me the most is god s dealings with nebuchadnezzar, king of babylon, in the book of daniel chapters three and four. At least two aspects of the book highlight this truth. The portrayal of god in daniel is that he is the sovereign, eternal king the king of all kings. The personal, covenant name for israels god, yahweh, appears in only one chapter ch. This is the book of the universal sovereignty of god. As we face the challenges of the twentyfirst century, we need to recapture the perception of god that is so vividly reflected in the book of daniel. Critics attack the book of daniel because it supernaturally predicts the future. This is the pastor bringing the message entitled god s sovereign choice of nebuchadnezzar the conquests of nebuchadnezzar. Daniel, theology of bakers evangelical dictionary of. While there are many interesting narratives in the book of daniel, one of the most profound and provocative transpires in the fourth chapter.

It seems almost frustrating, as we study the great doctrine of god in the bible, to know how in the world we can possibly communicate all this wonderful truth in an organized and effective way that we can understand from week to week. God was the one stonewalling paul, and he was the one blocking this frustrated angel who is essentially trying to apologize for being late. I think he graciously saved prideful nebuchadnezzar and maybe even egotistical cyrus. Clearly seen in the book of daniel is god s sovereign control over the affairs of rulers, nations and all people. The theme of the book of daniel is the universal sovereignty of god. Prophecy is here interwoven with history to show that god is overruling the idolatry, blasphemy, selfwill, and. Daniel also has vivid, symbolic visions about the future of israel, world kingdoms, and the kingdom of god exposing us to some of god s longterm plan for the world. Also evident in the book of daniel is god s sovereignty. God is still on the throne is the message of this book. Both paul and the angel should know better than to try and. God s sovereignty is a stumbling block for atheists and unbelievers who demand that if god is in total control, that he eliminate all evil and suffering from the world. He was arrogant, confident, and it appeared that he was in complete control of everything within the empire and that he was sovereign over his own life. Many valuable and relevant truths are contained in this prophetic book of daniel. God, the king of the universe, has the power to do whatever he wills.

The king s words indicate his recognition that the god of daniel is a sovereign god. While bible scholars debate issues like when it was written and whether it is historically accurate, the book of daniel consistently calls god s people of every generation to faithfulness. Accordingly, the book of daniel is not only important as a key to understanding the past in god s sovereign. Making yourself subject to others is a powerful act of faith in god s sovereignty.

He is the god who is sovereign not only over heavenly powers, but over earthly powers as well. And what is more, it tells us how to live for god in ungodly times, like our own some approach this book as if it were a puzzle given to stretch our minds and to challenge us to compare scripture with scripture, to figure things out. Sovereignty of god in the book of daniel my church my history my favorite broadcasters my favorite speakers my favorite sermons my favorite videos my favorite series notification manager. Daniel s gifts are from the god of israel, and the young man becomes a living testimony to his god in a strange land. Our second subject on who god isthe sovereignty of god. Through both the narratives and visions, daniel demonstrates the lordship of. Let me give you 5 practical truths related to god s sovereignty.

It was my privilege to preach at risen life church this week for the first time as the student pastor. The sovereignty of god by david hocking blue letter bible. Of the three possible interpretations for the book of daniel, which do you consider the best one. Now the miracles in this book of daniel were a sign from god, both to israel and the gentiles. Sovereignty reminds us that god is god and we are not. If one attribute were disproportionate or overemphasized, chaos would result on a universal. Daniel 1 introduces the fundamental question that runs through the entire book, how god may continue to work his plans when all seems lost.