This week I teach from Daniel 1, where Daniel and friends arrive in Babylon, refuse the king’s food and drink, yet end up healthier than the others. My class is comprised of kids aged 8-11. My constant goal is to teach the gospel of Jesus no matter where in the Scriptures we begin.

In the past, with this passage I’ve focused on the allures of the great kingdom of Babylon—the promise of satisfying food, wealth, power, and the friendship of the king. I’ve expanded the context to include chapters 2 and 7, which are visions of the Kingdom of Jesus, and taught that Daniel was able to resist the lures of Babylon because he had in view a greater kingdom. We who see Jesus with far more clarity than Daniel did have even more strength to forsake the world in favor of the supreme satisfactions and friendship of the greater King.

Now my questions:

1. Is it right to presume Daniel had some inkling of the coming Kingdom already in chapter 1, or am I reaching?

2. If I’m reaching, what’s a better way to trace a path to the gospel of Jesus from this text? Possible themes include God’s vindication of his people, God's faithfulness to those who keep themselves undefiled (Jesus kept himself undefiled), God's reversal of the get-ahead schemes of the world.

3. I hesitate to turn any Bible story primarily into a moral example lesson based on a human character. But in the case of Daniel, does the genre suggest this is indeed a primary purpose of the account—that God gave us the account to show us how to act in a hostile world?

A lot there. What do you think?

__________________
Jack K.
PCA, worshiping with some fine Baptists in Colorado