Journey Through Ezekiel and Danielಮಾದರಿ

Daniel: Kings & Kingdoms: In Front of the Text

The sovereignty of Daniel’s God is in view through both stories and dreams. This is our takeaway in a world that falls short of recognizing him as the ultimate king of nature and history.

God’s Sovereignty & Rule

Here are some questions to consider as you reflect on a modern day Daniel whose civil disobedience put his life on the line repeatedly.

Daniel & Civil Disobedience (King*)

Martin Luther King, Jr. famously referenced the book of Daniel in his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail” on April 16, 1963. He referred to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as ancient models for the type of peaceful civil disobedience he and his followers practiced.

Of course, there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. It was evidenced sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, on the ground that a higher moral law was at stake. It was practiced superbly by the early Christians, who were willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks rather than submit to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire.

King also connects these Old Testament figures with early Christian martyrs who were willing to give up their lives for their relationship with YHWH.

In our daily lives, most of us are not faced with stakes this high in terms of civil disobedience, but what are some ways that God might be calling you to step out in your relationship with him? What kind of consequences might you face for these choices?

How do examples like the exiles in Daniel, early Christian martyrs and Martin Luther King, Jr. inspire you to cling to the kingdom of God rather than the kingdoms of this world?

Wrap-up

Nicole wraps up this lesson on Daniel which see-saws between promotion and execution.

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*Source: Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” in The Civil Rights Reader: American Literature from Jim Crow to Reconciliation, 2009, p. 185.