By Jason Hood with assistance from Generous Giving staff
Some of the most famous stories in the Bible are found in the book of Daniel. But far from being simply a collection of stories for children, these stories and visions contain profound insight into the nature of the kingdoms of this earth. Moreover, Daniel provides excellent portrayals of the response that Christians should have to such kingdoms. We must live our lives in the world in light of the eternal kingdom revealed to Daniel in his visions.
Our study of Daniel consists of two parts. In the first section, readers will find our stewardship study notes. These notes analyze, in a passage-by-passage fashion, the implications of the book’s teaching for Christian generosity and related issues. The second section consists of short essays describing the book’s major stewardship themes. These notes and essays are not intended to be comprehensive explanations of the author’s goals in writing this book, nor do they exhaust the book’s possible applications in matters related to stewardship and generosity.
While Generous Giving’s Bible study material will aid anyone who is searching the Scriptures for guidance, they may prove especially useful as sermon helps for pastors and as a resource for teachers, advisors and lay leaders interested in obeying and teaching the message of Scripture in matters of generosity and stewardship. We readily acknowledge our fallibility in writing these study notes, for they are the work of humans, not God. Please search the Scriptures (Acts 17:11) as you read this material critically, carefully and prayerfully. May God bless you in your studies.
Passage-by-Passage Study Notes
Daniel 1:1-7 — The disobedience of the Israelites leads to exile. Our own disobedience—adultery, idolatry, greed, gambling in greed, drug abuse and many other sins—can result in great financial loss, not only for us but for our families, churches and nations as well. Of course, godliness does not always result in prosperity, and sin does not always lead to financial ruin. Sinful gain, however, is always temporary. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar’s lust for power and insatiable desire to please himself and his god, Marduk, led him to raid the temple of the God of Israel. The temple vessels would be given to his own god as a symbol of tribute and triumph, essentially showing that Israel’s God was a servant to Marduk. Moreover, Daniel and his friends lose their Hebrew names and identities; they are renamed after Babylonian deities (see Daniel 4:8) and “dedicated” as gifts to the gods of the culture. Similarly, we Christians may find ourselves and our gifts co-opted by the society around us as we “live in exile.” Churches and institutions such as colleges, universities and seminaries depart from their faithful roots to become idolatrous opponents of the true God and his kingdom. It can be discouraging to see our gifts corrupted in such ways, and we should avoid contributing to such corruption whenever possible. But ultimately, we must recognize that God will win, just as he did with Nebuchadnezzar. Our sorrow and disappointment must not lead to despair, nor should our interaction with society lead us to cultural confusion so that we forget our status as “foreigners” in this present world. See Jeremiah and Daniel theme essay Living in Exile.
Daniel 1:8-16 — Remarkably, Daniel and his friends refuse to take some of the “blessings and benefits” of their new position in order to maintain their identity as God’s people. Put another way, they explicitly denied themselves the use of some resources from a “human” source and, in doing so, laid great stress on God as the source of their physical well-being (see note on Daniel 1:17-21; 2:11, 27-28). We do not know precisely why they resisted wine and food cooked in the king’s kitchen—perhaps these were sacrificed to pagan gods (see 1 Corinthians 8, where the apostle Paul addresses this issue). When living in a “foreign” place, God’s children sometimes must resist its benefits and pleasures in order to live for heaven in the power of God’s resources. Paul, for example, pointed to his own sacrificial way of life as something his followers must imitate (1 Corinthians 4:8-17; Colossians 1:24). This included surrendering many of his rights—even economic privileges—in order to provide a model way of life for his Corinthian disciples. Indeed, Paul learned to “do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Paul knew “what it is to be in need” and “what it is to have plenty.” He rejoiced because through Christ he had “learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12-13). For Daniel and his friends, being “set apart” and resisting benefits requires wisdom and sensitivity. It does not mean becoming hostile to one’s neighbors—in fact, Daniel and his friends even benefit their “enemies,” according to Jeremiah’s instruction (Jeremiah 29:1-10). Daniel even pleads for the lives of those who would later betray his friends (Daniel 2:24; 3:8-12). See Jeremiah and Daniel theme essay Living in Exile, Daniel theme essay Human Pride and Philippians theme essay Relinquishing Our Rights.
Daniel 2:31-45 — The kingdom of God, Jesus says, is like a mustard seed—it’s tiny, but when it grows, it will take over the whole earth. What is the kingdom of God worth? Everything. And that, of course, is what it costs: everything. If we desire to be disciples of Jesus, all of life must be surrendered to the Lord. We must prioritize his kingdom and his righteousness and trust him to take care of us. As Nebuchadnezzar learned in this interpretation of his vision, this is the only kingdom that will truly last; all other kingdoms we could build or in which we might invest eventually will come to an end and be replaced by other kingdoms. The kingdom of God, however, will last forever. It is the only thing in which it is worth investing, according to Jesus (Matthew 6:19-21, 33).
Daniel 2:48-49 (Key Passage) — Seeking the Common Good: God is capable of placing his people in strategic places so that they can be instruments of cultural change and transformation. At times, God even uses his people’s spiritual gifts to produce wealth and prosperity. Of course, if God has given us the ability to gain wealth, we must ask ourselves, “Why do I have what I have? Why have I been given this wealth?” After all, there are bad ways to use wealth (namely, indulging our own pleasure; Deuteronomy 17:14-17; Luke 12:15-21); and there are good ways to use what God has given us (namely, to be generous in obedience the Lord; 1 Timothy 6:16-19; Acts 2; 4). From Daniel’s moderate lifestyle (described in Daniel 1) and from ancient Near Eastern practice, we learn that these gifts were not for Daniel’s personal indulgence or his assimilation into Babylon’s pagan and materialistic culture. Rather, this wealth was to be used for the benefit of God’s kingdom via Daniel’s royal influence. That is, he was to use these gifts for the common good (cf. Jeremiah 29:7), just as he already had done with his spiritual gifts of insight and wisdom. Moreover, Daniel used his power to aid his friends (Daniel 2:49). See 2 Corinthians 9:11. See Nehemiah theme essay Modeling Generosity, Daniel theme essay God’s Permanent Kingdom and Jeremiah and Daniel theme essay Living in Exile.
Daniel 3:8-28 (Key Passage) — Idolatry or Inheritance? These three young Jews refuse to worship the golden image of Nebuchadnezzar and are “willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God” (Daniel 3:28). The gods of this world are easy to worship, in part because worshiping them often brings immediate comfort, pleasure and security (see note on Jeremiah 1:16). Moreover, refusing to worship can be dangerous and result in the loss of worldly comfort and pleasure. But God does not tolerate competition from earthly blessings, as Jesus teaches (Matthew 6:19-24; see note on Mark 12:28-34), and the apostle Paul makes it clear that the quest for accumulation and love of money is idolatry pure and simple (Colossians 3:5; Ephesians 5:5). While in this passage we observe the glory of their deliverance without detecting even the scent of their trial (Daniel 3:27), we dare not assume that we, too, will always emerge unscarred from our own present trials. As the apostle Paul says, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Romans 8:17). As we refuse to worship the idols of our age like power, sex and money, a little loss in the present is a small substitute for sharing in an inheritance of eternal, unfading glory in the new creation. See Daniel theme essays Resisting Idolatry and Deuteronomy theme essay Prosperity Idols and Colossians theme essay New Creation.
Daniel 4:4, 17, 27-37 (Key Passage) — Prosperity and Pride: The narrator is careful to tell us that the Babylonian king’s fear-inducing dream occurred at a particular point in time: “I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous” (Daniel 4:4). Daniel’s response to the bad news of the dream was to challenge Nebuchadnezzar to pursue righteousness and mercy, two of the crucial attributes of right behavior in the Bible, particularly for kings (Matthew 23:23). The economic implications of “mercy and righteousness” are contrasted in the text with the initial description of Nebuchadnezzar’s great prosperity and ease (for commentary on the connection between righteousness and its economic implications, see notes on key passages Isaiah 9:7 and Jeremiah 21:11-23:8). The Bible often depicts the downfall of those who seek pleasure and prosperity at the expense of generosity and mercy, and the Lord sovereignly uses humiliation to set us right—if not in this life, then in the next (Luke 12:15-21; 16:19-31). As with so many others, Nebuchadnezzar’s downfall begins with self-confidence in his own power and pride in his own success. His pride in empire building and self-glorification stand in sharp contrast to what God requires of leaders (see note on Deuteronomy 17:14-17) But God is determined to get glory, and he is capable of humbling us by removing power and possessions. God’s kingdom is only inherited by the poor in spirit, the meek and the persecuted (Matthew 5:3-12). See Daniel theme essays Human Pride and God’s Permanent Kingdom.
Daniel 6:28 — Again Daniel prospers because of God’s care and generosity. See Daniel 2:48 for analysis. In Daniel 6 God’s ability to control the beasts in Daniel’s life is contrasted intentionally with the “beasts” of the nations in the following chapter. Our God is able to control the whole world, and he is also in control of the smallest situations in our lives, down to the smallest financial crisis or challenge. His control and care merits our confidence and trust, encouraging us to pursue his kingdom rather than our own lives (Matthew 6:25-34). Daniel 6:23 tells us that it is precisely this sort of trust in God who keeps Daniel from changing his worship (Daniel 6:10-11) and from being bitter against the king after his incarceration in the lion’s den (Daniel 6:19-23). See Daniel theme essay Resisting Idolatry.
Daniel 7 (Key Passage) — The King Reigns: In Daniel’s vision we see the ultimate end of all things: the Son of Man and the Ancient of Days, whose rule is contrasted with that of the people of God together, even over their most powerful enemies. According to the New Testament, Jesus already has begun to reign (Acts 7:54-56). All authority is his, and all things belong to him. God’s people are called to recognize that he is not yet finished bringing all things into submission. The oppression that his saints experience in this present world shows that they will receive a great inheritance in the next (Romans 8:17-18). The thirst for power and the hunger for justice and righteousness in this world (Matthew 5) are not signs that we need more faith, more Christian political power or more weapons. Simply put, we need to cling to hope, as Daniel and his friends did, that God will rescue us in this life if he wills, use us in this world as he wills, and ultimately restore his saints and this earth according to his will. Our kingdoms on earth in the present age will fall prey to rust and moth, says Jesus; but in the end we will share in the dominion of the Lord over all the earth (Daniel 7:27; Matthew 19:26-28). Therefore, we should place our hope in God and in his eternal kingdom. Finally, God has not abandoned his own original project: having humans rule over his creation (Genesis 1:26-28). Daniel 7 represents good Jewish and Christian theology insofar as it lays stress on our vocation as rulers of the earth God has entrusted to us. Stewardship of the earth and its resources is not a temporary event; it is forever. See Daniel theme essay God’s Permanent Kingdom.
Daniel 8 — The opposition to God’s people throughout history is represented by historical opponents and particularly what is apparently a reference to the notorious Antiochus Epiphanes (Daniel 8:9-14, 22-27). In Daniel’s vision this particular opponent will harm God’s people and fight ruthlessly against the worship of the one true God. While such images are not used often, Jesus teaches us that idolatrous competitors for divine worship still exist: Mammon (“stuff” or “possessions,” including money) is at the top of the list (Matthew 6:19-24; Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5). On Daniel 8:25, see notes on Daniel 1; 4:4, 27. See Daniel theme essay Resisting Idolatry.
Daniel 9:24-27 — Some interpreters believe that God is explaining in this passage that the time of exile will not be merely 70 years (after which many of the Jews did return to the promised land, but never to the prosperity and Davidic rule prophesied), but closer to 70 times 7 years. This throws the expectation of peace, restoration and the “Anointed One” (the English translation of “Messiah” in Hebrew, or “Christ” in Greek) even further into the future than anticipated. Great patience is required for the fulfillment of God’s plan, but his great love for us assures us that we are not abandoned even though we continue to face trials in this life. In a similar passage, Jesus calls for endurance on the part of his people, “for those who endure to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13). What is important to note here is that despite loss of possessions, comfort, health and even life, salvation still comes. In fact, salvation—our own and that of others (Colossians 1:24)—invariably will come through and despite our suffering, not in place of it (Romans 8:17-18). See Jeremiah and Daniel theme essay Living in Exile.
Daniel 12:1-13 (Key Passage) — Hope in the Resurrection: Setting aside the difficult nature of some aspects of this passage, it is clear that Daniel is learning to put his hope in the future resurrection. The task for us in the present is to wait patiently. It is critical that we cultivate this “eternal perspective” by investing in heaven and placing our hope in the One who will bring new creation: new heavens and a new earth (Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16). Verses 3 and 10 give us the task for this present time: purifying ourselves by trusting in the Lord and encouraging others to do the same, “shining like stars” by acting wisely and righteously in this present age. The New Testament has a great deal to say about such things: Committing ourselves to generosity for the sake of the kingdom (Philippians 4), we are to invest in heaven, not earth, being rich toward God by giving generously to those in need (Luke 12:15-34). We are to shine like stars, giving light through good works and benevolence (Matthew 5:13-16; 1 Peter 2:11-12, 15). Such acts show our true citizenship in heaven and reveal a picture of heaven to those around us in the world. See Daniel theme essay God’s Permanent Kingdom and Jeremiah and Daniel theme essay Living in Exile.
