An Introduction to Daniel: God's Sovereignty Over History
The book of Daniel stands as a monumental testament to the unwavering sovereignty of God over the annals of human history. Penned during the tumultuous Babylonian captivity, approximately 600-530 B.C., it chronicles the life of a young Hebrew noble, Daniel, and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (better known by their Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego). Torn from their homeland and thrust into the heart of a pagan empire, these men faced immense pressure to conform to the idolatrous culture of Babylon. Yet, through their steadfast faith and God's miraculous intervention, Daniel reveals a profound truth: even in the midst of seemingly chaotic world events and the rise and fall of mighty empires, the God of Israel remains firmly on His throne, orchestrating all things according to His divine purpose.
The central theme woven throughout Daniel's narrative is the absolute dominion of the Most High God over all earthly kingdoms and human affairs. This book serves not merely as a historical account of a few faithful exiles, but as a prophetic unveiling of God's precise control, demonstrating that His plan is unfolding exactly as He has determined, from eternity past to eternity future.
God's Sovereignty Over Individuals: Faith and Deliverance
The early chapters of Daniel highlight God's sovereignty through the lives of Daniel and his friends. From the outset, we see their commitment to God's law, even when it meant defying royal decrees. In Daniel 1:8, we read, "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank." This act of faith led to God's favour and blessing, as described in Daniel 1:17: "As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams."
Perhaps the most vivid demonstrations of God's power over individual circumstances are the accounts of the fiery furnace and the lion's den. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced death rather than bowing to Nebuchadnezzar's golden image. Their response to the king is a timeless declaration of faith:
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
God honoured their faith by sending an angel to preserve them in the flames, causing Nebuchadnezzar himself to acknowledge the power of their God. Similarly, Daniel's unwavering prayer life led him into the lion's den. Yet, God shut the mouths of the lions, as Daniel testified to King Darius: "My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt" (Daniel 6:22). These miraculous deliverances are not mere stories; they are powerful affirmations that God personally watches over and intervenes for those who trust Him, demonstrating His sovereignty even over the laws of nature and the decrees of powerful rulers.
God's Sovereignty Over Empires: The Unveiling of History
The most expansive and awe-inspiring display of God's sovereignty in Daniel is His revelation of the future course of human history, particularly the succession of world empires. This is primarily seen in Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel 2 and Daniel's own vision of the four beasts in Daniel 7.
In Daniel 2, God gives King Nebuchadnezzar a disturbing dream that he cannot recall, yet he demands its interpretation. When the Babylonian wise men fail, Daniel turns to God, who reveals both the dream and its meaning. Daniel praises God, declaring:
Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
The dream of the great image—composed of a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay—prophetically outlined the rise and fall of successive world empires: Babylon (gold), Medo-Persia (silver), Greece (brass), and Rome (iron). The feet of iron and clay represent a final, divided kingdom, followed by the striking of a stone "cut out without hands," which destroys the image and grows into a great mountain, filling the whole earth. This stone, as Daniel interprets, represents God's eternal kingdom:
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
This prophecy dramatically illustrates that human history is not a random sequence of events but a divinely orchestrated plan. God not only knows the future, but He actively directs the course of nations, establishing and removing kings according to His sovereign will.
Further reinforcing this theme is the humbling of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4. His pride led to a period of madness, during which he lived like a beast, until he finally acknowledged God's supreme authority. Upon his restoration, he declared:
And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
This powerful testimony from a pagan king serves as a universal lesson: no earthly power, however mighty, can escape the ultimate authority of God.
The fall of Babylon itself, recounted in Daniel 5, is another stark example. King Belshazzar's sacrilegious feast, using vessels stolen from the Jerusalem temple, was interrupted by a mysterious handwriting on the wall. Daniel was called to interpret the words: "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin."
This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
That very night, Babylon fell to Darius the Mede, precisely as God had foretold. This demonstrates God's immediate and decisive judgment over nations that defy Him, highlighting His perfect timing and unchallengeable authority.
Daniel's vision of the four beasts in Daniel 7 parallels Nebuchadnezzar's dream, providing another prophetic panorama of world empires (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome) but from a different perspective, emphasizing their beastly nature and the oppressive character of human rule. However, this vision culminates not in a human kingdom, but in the ultimate triumph of God's eternal rule through the "Son of man":
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
This profound vision points directly to Jesus Christ, the Messiah, whose kingdom will ultimately supersede all earthly powers and endure forever. It reaffirms that God's sovereignty is not merely over the past and present, but irrevocably extends to the glorious future when His Son will reign supreme.
God's Sovereignty Over Time: The Prophetic Calendar
Beyond the rise and fall of empires, Daniel also reveals God's meticulous sovereignty over specific timelines and events, most notably in the "seventy weeks" prophecy of Daniel 9. After Daniel's prayer of confession for his people, the angel Gabriel delivers a precise prophetic calendar concerning the future of Israel and the coming of the Messiah:
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
This prophecy details the exact period leading to the first coming of Christ, His atoning death, and subsequent events leading to the end times. It demonstrates God's precise control over history, down to specific years and events, underscoring that His plan is not vague but intricately detailed and infallibly sure. The book also provides detailed prophecies concerning future conflicts involving Persia, Greece, and the "king of the north and king of the south" (Daniel 11), highlighting God's intricate knowledge of geopolitical events centuries before they occur.
Finally, Daniel 12 speaks of the ultimate end, including the resurrection of the dead:
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
This shows that God's sovereignty extends even beyond life and death, encompassing the eternal destinies of all humanity. His plan culminates not just in an earthly kingdom, but in a final judgment and the establishment of everlasting righteousness.
Conclusion
The book of Daniel provides an unparalleled introduction to the concept of God's absolute sovereignty over history. From the personal faithfulness of a few exiles in Babylon to the grand sweep of world empires and the precise timing of prophetic events, Daniel vividly portrays a God who is intimately involved in human affairs. He is not a distant deity, but the active ruler of the universe, who "removeth kings, and setteth up kings" (Daniel 2:21). He knows the end from the beginning and orchestrates all things to bring about His perfect will.
For believers today, the message of Daniel offers immense comfort and assurance. In a world often characterized by chaos, political instability, and moral decay, we can rest in the knowledge that our God is on the throne. His kingdom is everlasting, and His purposes cannot be thwarted. Like Daniel, we are called to live faithfully in a world that often opposes God, knowing that our times are in His hand (Psalms 31:15). The book of Daniel is a clarion call to trust in the God who governs all of history, whose kingdom "shall never be destroyed," but "shall stand for ever" (Daniel 2:44).