It has something to say about our past, our present lives and the future of the earth. It is a book considered to be Holy Scripture by both Jewish and Christian communities and its stories have gripped both throughout history. Furthermore, some of the almost psychedelic visions in the second part of the book could make the uninitiated postulate that Daniel was smoking something.
Its stories of a few men holding fast to their faith and convictions amidst an exile in a foreign nation do not fail to inspire. It is a blend of compelling narrative and prophetic predictions of the rise of men and nations over time. The book of Daniel is at once a fascinating and intoxicating piece of ancient Scripture. Their example is given to us in Scripture to teach us how we too may follow faithfully even when sojourning in our own time and place. In this exile, Daniel and a faithful group of God-followers realized that God himself was to be their home and they were to be faithful to him even in a strange land. Yet they found themselves conquered by a foreign power and taken away into exile in a land known as Babylon. It was called the land of promise and it would be where God would dwell among them. Yet how do we live in a world that does not love God, does not worship him and is at times hostile to the gospel of Jesus Christ? Long ago God's people were in what they considered to be their permanent home.
We all long for a place "where everybody knows your name.and they're always glad you came" - a place where we are truly home. We travel from birth to the grave through various places and times heading towards an ultimate and final home. Life is a journey, a short stay, a passing through.a sojourn. However, we as a people can feel as if we are in perpetual exile, never quite finding the deep rest of truly being home. Woven into the spiritual DNA of human beings and impressed upon us by popular proverbs is the reality that there is no place like home.