Day 260 Reading Schedule: Daniel 1-2

Daniel 1: Daniel and His Three Friends

[Contents Overview]

This chapter is an account of events in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah. God had shown Judah the misery of judgment by allowing it to be conquered by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. But God prepared faithful men from among the people of Judah so that the Gentiles might know His power and love. The king of Babylon's governor chose Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to be renamed in the Babylonian style (vv. 1-7). However, out of faithfulness to God, Daniel and his three friends refused the king's delicacies and wine and requested a vegetarian diet. Furthermore, they demonstrate the greatness of God's power in a ten-day test (vv. 8-16). God gave Daniel and his three friends knowledge and understanding, and even gave Daniel the ability to recognize visions and dreams (vv. 17-21).

Daniel 2: Daniel Interprets King Nebuchadnezzar's Dream

[Overview]

This chapter now turns to the story of King Nebuchadnezzar's strange dream. In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had a strange dream and was caught up in great distress as he did not know the content of the dream, let alone its meaning. Magicians and soothsayers residing in Babylon and all the vassal states were mobilized to find out the dream, but their efforts were in vain, and instead, they incurred the wrath of King Nebuchadnezzar, resulting in the death of all the wise men of Babylon (verses 1-13). In response, Daniel wisely promises King Nebuchadnezzar that he will interpret the dream within the desired time limit (verses 14-16). Daniel and his three friends praise God's power and pray for wisdom to interpret the dream (vv. 17-24). Arioch, the king's minister of protest, runs to King Nebuchadnezzar and introduces Daniel, who first identifies God as the author of the dream (vv. 25-30). Daniel reveals to Nebuchadnezzar that the dream is a divine image, and he gives the king a detailed interpretation of the judgment that is to come upon Babylon or the three kingdoms (vv. 31-45). Nebuchadnezzar bows to Daniel for revealing his dream and praises God for His great power (vv. 46-49).