Please read Chapters 1-7 and 12 of Daniel carefully. Skim the rest.Daniel is a favorite "Sunday school" book, a book filled stories the lend themselves well to teaching children. But Daniel is an adult book as well. What do you think is the most important or most interesting lesson Daniel teaches to adults?
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I think a big lesson to be learned here that all adults can learn, especially in our time, is that God can do the impossible and he will do the impossible when he so chooses. People need to realize the power of God.
Some example of God doing the impossible in Daniel:
--He allowed Daniel to see what King Nebuchadnezzar's dream had been. This may not seem huge, but if you remember, the magicians and advisors of the king felt is was absolutely, positively impossible and yet God reveled it to Daniel in order for his will to be done.
--He rescued Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fire.
--He rescued Daniel from the lions' den.
All of these miracles not only show the power of God, but they also reminded me that we see God's miracles everyday here on Earth even though they're much harder to recognize because of the mindset of recent history. Many people believe in science as the rescuer of sick newborns, the curer of cancer patients, etc. But I think many would benefit from seeing the hand of God behind the study of science and the workings of the Lord in everyday miracles. We dont need to see lion den or firey furnace rescues any more, we just need to have faith in God's power and have peace with his will, whatever sadness of joy it brings.
The most important lesson in Daniel is nothing is impossible with God and do not be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. Daniel trusted God and was faithful and God will not turn away from those who love Him. God used Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to help show his power and glory to the Babylonians to prove that He is the one true God. The book of Daniel is mostly about having complete trust and faith in God.
One theme that seems to interweave itself through the entire bible is God’s works are justified, in every instance, even though at times people do not understand his reasons. The Book of Daniel is no exception to this theme.
Note the examples of: Daniel interpreting the visions of Nebuchadnezzar God saves Ananias, Azariah, and Mishael from the burning furnace; or when God punishes Belshazzar, for drinking from Jewish temple containers.
There are numerous examples of God’s works, which may be found in the Book of David and throughout the Old Testament. This theme is important to adults, because people want explanations for everything. While they maybe found in some instances, they may not be found in others.
I think one of the most appealing aspects of Daniel is its simplicity. I think this is why we use it so often in Sunday school classes, and why its one of the first books we turn to when people doubt God's powers and we can prove that God can do the impossible.
Daniel exemplifies how our faith in God can do amazing things. I think whether adult or child the message of God's awesome power translates to all ages through Daniel.
We are able to see God rescue Daniel from the lions den, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego saved from the fiery furnace. Children often believe everything their told in Sunday school. However, adults are sometimes a little more sceptical... but I think these stories can also appeal to adults. Someone with a weak faith being told to believe in God because God says so might be a little questionable. But being able to see how faith has affected normal people like us might teach a much stronger lesson for someone of weak faith.
I think one of the lessons that adults and children alike can learn from Daniel is even though you may not understand why something has happened, you follow God anyway. This lesson is reinforced by Daniel and his friends. When the Chaldeans capture the Hebrews, horrible things happen to Daniel and his friends. First, they are castrated and lose any hope of having children or a family of any type. If that is not bad enough, they are also forced to change their names. Before their names glorified God but now they honor the Babylonian gods, so every time their new name is spoken they are reminded of the horrible things that have happened to them. However, Daniel and his friends decide to still follow God. They did not understand why these terrible things had happened to them but that did not make a difference. God was still their number one priority. In the end they would be healthier and wiser individuals for their devotion.
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