The first return is a trip into the fog. They do not know exactly what will greet them. They do not fully know the condition of the land. The journey of hundreds of miles will take them weeks to complete. Yet they go because they have a higher purpose in mind. They go to rebuild God’s holy temple and to reestablish the true worship of God in God’s chosen city of Jerusalem. They go also to replant the land given to their father Abraham.

The story follows Israel as a nation. However, the nation can be used as a type of an individual. As in the case with Israel, an individual can receive the word of God, become a child of God, and then rebel against His commandments. An individual can reject God’s judgment against their sin and make things even worse. Hebrews 12:5-11 can help you make this comparison. Follow the story of the rebellion and punishment of the nation of Israel as if they represented one person.

God wants us to be faithful as was Daniel. We need to learn to be faithful in the spiritual practices of love and obedience to the Lord and especially in our time of prayer with the Lord.

The story in this chapter shows us that God will judge sin and He will defend His honor. We know that God often delays to judge man for sin (Ecclesiastes 8:11). However, this should never be taken as weakness or lack of conviction. God delays punishment in order to give men a longer time in which to repent. The goodness of His forbearance should lead to repentance (Romans 2:4).

This chapter deals with the dangerous consequences of pride and the need for humility concerning self and praise and admiration toward the greatness of God. Nebuchadnezzar tells the story as a personal testimony. He tells how the most powerful man in the world (himself) was brought low in a moment by God, and how he was restored to his former position—though as a wiser man than before.

The emphasis of this lesson will be on the revealing of the forgotten dream by the God of Daniel, the God who knows all secrets. This is an important lesson for all ages.

The main points of this outline (though not in the same order) are taken from verse 28: “Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.” What an example these three young Hebrew men are to all of us!

The book of Daniel contains a wonderful set of prophecies that have thrilled and challenged Bible students for hundreds of years. But the book also tells some great stories. In this series of outlines, we will look at the first six chapters of the book where we will find a couple of the easier prophecies and several interesting stories.

We consider the Jews foolish because they did not obey the commands of the Lord. They knew that His words were always true, but they still rejected them when they did not agree with their opinions. How often do we foolishly disobey God’s word as well?

This chapter is one of the greatest chapters on Christ in the Bible. Of this chapter, the Baptist preacher J. Frank Norris said: “The greatest chapter, the highest mountain peak of the whole Bible. This chapter should be memorized by all.”