Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:
1In the first year to Belshazzar, the king of Babel, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head upon his bed. Then he wrote the dream. He told the sum of the matters.
And so it begins. The first six chapters of Daniel have been historical. From chapter 7 on, we get to read about several visions that were given to Daniel. For some time I have been anxiously looking forward to studying chapter 7 to 12 for two reasons. The first is that chapter 7 is the last one written in Aramaic. Starting at 8:1, Daniel goes back to Hebrew. I am glad I got the opportunity to work with the Aramaic, just for the fun of working in yet another language. However, I am looking forward to getting back into Hebrew. The two languages are very similar, then again they’re not. I can honestly say I enjoy working in Hebrew, but I find the Aramaic laborious. I will struggle my way through it here in chapter 7, then look forward very much to getting back to Hebrew in chapter 8.
The second reason I’ve been anxious to get into this study is that, in chapters 7 through 12, we see Daniel interacting with the spirit world. He not only sees the visions themselves, but he is actually speaking with and interacting with angels. He truly gets to see the spiritual warfare that is swirling around us. The thing that intrigues me is to realize that same spiritual battle is still raging around us today, we just can’t see it with our eyes. However, I believe by following Daniel through these visions and his various interactions and observations, we can all learn to perhaps see something of that battle ourselves. We must see it by faith and not by sight, but still I believe we can see it – or at least see it better than we have in the past. I’m hoping that Daniel will awaken in us a clearer perception of that battle. I have wondered for a long time if that clearer perception wasn’t part of what made Daniel who he was. Maybe if, through his example, we ourselves can catch even a glimpse of that clearer perception, it will make us just a little more like him. Maybe if we really were more aware of that great spiritual battle raging around us, we ourselves would be strengthened to make better choices, to do a better job of serving our God while this, our story, is being written?
And so it begins. This first verse is, once again, one of those verses that seem very matter of fact, a simple statement to start the chapter. However, what I find is so much truth, it’s hard to know even where to begin. First of all, we should all note, this is the first year of Belshazzar’s rule. We should note that chapter 5, the handwriting on the wall, was the end of Belshazzar’s rule. So, as he writes chapter 7, Daniel has not yet been through that “hand writing on the wall” and also he hadn’t been through the lions’ den experience of chapter 6. Although we’ve already read about them in the book of Daniel, they have not yet occurred as Daniel writes what we’re reading in chapter 7.
Note too, we are at the beginning of Belshazzar’s rule. The year itself is enormously significant if we think about the history surrounding it. This is believed to be the year 553 BC. Daniel was exiled to Babylon in 605 BC, so in 553 BC he has been there for about 52 years. If he was 15 then, he is now 67 years old. Here in 553 BC, only 10 years have passed since Nebuchadnezzar died in 562.
Daniel served under Nebuchadnezzar for 42 years. As I related in chapter 4, I believe Daniel had grown to love and respect Nebuchadnezzar. He was a cruel, angry tyrant, but he was actually an excellent administrator – possibly one of the best in human history. I have myself worked under men who were excellent administrators and I can personally testify how easy it is to come to love and respect them, even if they have other issues. I think in particular of two bosses I had, both of whom were complete jerks. The one, on the other hand, really was a good administrator and I definitely learned to admire that quality in him. The other was a terrible manager, along with being a jerk. I can’t type the words that come to my mind thinking of him. We should note, for Daniel’s sake, that he probably fondly remembered those years under Nebuchadnezzar when things “were done right” and when there was a capable administrator at the helm.
It was great that he got to enjoy working under Nebuchadnezzar for nearly his entire career and certainly what could have been his entire adult life.
However, that was 11 years ago now. After Nebuchadnezzar died, his son Evil-Merodach ruled only two years before his brother-in-law Neriglissar assassinated him and took the throne. Neriglissar only ruled for six years before Labashi-Marduk assassinated him and he became king. He however, was almost immediately killed by Nabonidus who took the throne and began to rule in 556 BC. Nabonidus was the father of Belshazzar and, in 553 BC, declared him to be his vice-regent, then left to tend business in other parts of the empire. Nabonidus had married a daughter of Nebuchadnezzar, which made Belshazzar Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson.
So now here we are in 553 BC. In only 11 years, Daniel has had to watch as four different kings have occupied Nebuchadnezzar’s throne. Daniel, being involved at the very top of the government, probably knew every one of these men. He probably already knew they were each conniving, back-stabbing charlatans and now he has to watch as one after another takes the throne. Finally, he sees Belshazzar serving as king. He’s probably known him since he was born. He’s probably watched Belshazzar grow up, a snotty little brat who has grown into an arrogant, completely inept ruler, who’d rather throw a party than actually govern the kingdom.
What a grief all of that must have been for Daniel! However, we should note it really isn’t anything unfamiliar. Anyone of us with a few gray hairs has worked under good bosses and bad. We can work at jobs with really great bosses, then suddenly someone else is in charge and everything changes. In this world, governments rise and fall, companies are constantly changing, and churches usually see a steady stream of different pastors. If we would have the faith of Daniel, we’ll have to have it in our ever-changing world, just like he did.
If I may add to this, one more reality in Daniel’s world was that he would have also been aware that Medo-Persia was rising in power to the east, even as Babylon was suffering under one inept ruler after another. Daniel knew about the 70 years and he knew that, after the head of gold there would be the chest and arms of silver. He knew the fall of Babylon was imminent. We don’t know, at this point, how much more he knew, but I can only assume he had no idea how it would all affect him. New kings often kill the counsellors of the previous king. Each time Babylon got a new king, Daniel wouldn’t know what that would mean for him. How much more so if a completely different nation ruled over them? It was not at all uncommon, when another nation conquered a city, they would literally kill everyone in that city, then move in.
As Daniel 7 opens and we read it
was the “first year of Belshazzar the king” we should realize that, for Daniel,
it is a topsy-turvy world of almost complete uncertainty, with a great deal to
legitimately fear. I would suggest our world today in 2023 is not much
different. I was born and grew up in an America I could be proud of, but now I
find my heart conflicted to even recite the Pledge of Allegiance. I do, out of
respect for all the service people who made our nation what it was. However, we
are now ruled by grossly incompetent, totally crooked bald-faced liars who,
like Belshazzar, are there only for there own riches, power, and pleasures. The
nation that was “for the people and by the people” is now “for the politicians
and by the politicians.” The real truth is we are rapidly ourselves becoming
just another third world nation
Add to this that, even as I type, we are watching China rise to world eminence. With Daniel, I fear it’s only a matter of time before our wicked, incompetent government falls to China. It’s bad enough to have the atheists ruling in America, but when China steps in, we can only fear what their tyranny will bring. Once again, if we would live the faith of Daniel, we’ll have to live it in a world not so different than his!
With all of that said, and into that world of fearful uncertainties, Daniel has a vision. Daniel gets to see, as it were, behind the curtain. What we know he is about to see is two things: One, that there is a great cosmic battle going on all around him and that the events of his life are merely the consequences of that battle as they affect this earth. Second, he will see that it is all, however, not random. He will see that, in fact, as he has said many times, “the Most High rules in the nations of men.”
That is precisely where I think we have much to learn from listening to him and watching him. Although we don’t have visions, I believe by faith we can do a better job of seeing “behind the curtain,” of realizing there is a much larger spiritual battle going on around us, and of trusting the Lord through it all. We have our completed Scriptures to nurse on and the recognition that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12).
The Lord has admonished us to “put on the whole armor of God.” I believe learning from Daniel will help us do exactly that.
And so, it begins.
