Daniel's Prayer Life And Decision Making
Daniel, whose name means "judgment of God" or "God is my judge" [2, 4], is presented in the biblical narrative as a figure characterized by a profound prayer life and discerning decision-making. He is one of the four major prophets, though the Old Testament does not explicitly refer to him as such [4]. Daniel was of noble descent, possibly even royal, and was taken to Babylon during the first deportation of Jews by Nebuchadnezzar around 604 BCE [3, 4]. His life and prophecies are detailed in the Book of Daniel, which is notable for being composed partly in Hebrew and partly in Aramaic [5].
Daniel's decision-making is evident early in his narrative. When he and his companions were selected for training in the king's service, they were offered the king's rich food and wine. Daniel "purposed in his heart" not to defile himself with these provisions [13]. This resolution stemmed from the understanding that such food and drink would likely have been offered to pagan gods, making their consumption a participation in idolatry or a violation of Jewish dietary laws [13]. Instead of outright refusal, Daniel demonstrated wisdom and prudence by respectfully proposing an alternative diet of vegetables and water for a trial period [9]. This decision, made with faith and courtesy, allowed him to maintain his religious convictions without directly antagonizing his overseers [9]. The positive outcome of this trial, where Daniel and his companions appeared healthier than those who ate the king's food, affirmed his decision and God's favor [3].
His prayer life is a recurring theme throughout the Book of Daniel, illustrating his reliance on God in various circumstances. When King Nebuchadnezzar demanded that his wise men interpret a dream he had forgotten, threatening them with death if they failed, Daniel sought divine intervention through prayer [14]. He requested time from the king, then returned to his companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, to seek "mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery" [14]. God answered their prayer, revealing both the dream and its interpretation to Daniel in a night vision. In response, Daniel offered a prayer of praise, acknowledging God as the source of wisdom and knowledge, who changes times and seasons, and reveals deep and hidden things [14]. This episode highlights Daniel's practice of communal prayer and his immediate gratitude to God for answered petitions.
Daniel's commitment to prayer was so central to his life that it became a point of contention and ultimately led to his famous encounter in the lions' den. When jealous officials sought to find fault with Daniel, they could find no occasion for accusation against him, noting his integrity and lack of corruption [6]. Recognizing his unwavering devotion to God, they devised a decree that prohibited anyone from making a petition to any god or man except the king for thirty days [1]. Despite knowing the decree and its severe penalty, Daniel continued his practice of praying three times a day, kneeling in his upper room with windows open toward Jerusalem, just as he had always done [1]. This act of open and consistent prayer, even in the face of mortal danger, demonstrates his profound faith and obedience to God over human authority [1]. The text explicitly states that his adversaries "found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God" [1].
Later in his life, Daniel offered a significant prayer of confession and intercession recorded in Daniel 9. This prayer was prompted by his understanding from the prophet Jeremiah's writings that the seventy years of desolation for Jerusalem were drawing to a close [11]. Daniel approached God with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes, confessing the sins of his people, Israel, and identifying himself with their transgressions [7, 8]. He acknowledged God's righteousness and justice in bringing judgment upon them, while appealing to God's mercy and covenant faithfulness [8, 12]. Matthew Henry emphasizes that this prayer included not only confession of sin but also an affirmation of faith in God and a dependence upon Him [7]. Daniel's prayer was not merely a request for restoration but a deep theological reflection on God's character and promises [12]. He pleaded for God to act for His own name's sake, to bring honor to His name by rescuing His people from exile, just as He had done during the Exodus from Egypt [12].
The answer to Daniel's prayer in chapter 9 came swiftly. While he was still praying, the angel Gabriel was sent to him, bringing a prophetic message concerning the future of Jerusalem and the coming of the Messiah [11]. This immediate divine response underscores the efficacy and importance of Daniel's intercessory prayer [11]. Thomas Aquinas, in discussing the guardianship of angels, references Daniel's prayers, noting that the angel Gabriel brought Daniel's prayers to God, and that angelic opposition could arise from demonic influence leading people into sin [10]. This highlights a theological understanding that Daniel's prayers were not merely human utterances but were part of a larger spiritual dynamic involving divine and angelic interaction.
Daniel's life, therefore, serves as an example of how deep faith informs both daily decisions and moments of crisis. His resolve to maintain his religious identity in a foreign land, his reliance on God for wisdom and understanding, and his unwavering commitment to prayer, even under threat of death, illustrate a consistent pattern of seeking God's will and trusting in His sovereignty. His prayers were characterized by humility, confession, and an appeal to God's character and promises, demonstrating a model of intercession for God's people [7, 8, 12].
Sources
- Daniel “Then these men assembled together, and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God. -- Daniel 6:11”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Daniel — judgment of God; God my judge”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Daniel — (judgment of God). + The second son of David, by Abigail the Carmelitess. (1 Chronicles 3:1) In (2 Samuel 3:3) he is called Chileab. (B.C. about 1051.) + The fourth of 'the greater prophets." Nothing is known of his parentage or family. He appears, however, to have been of royal or noble descent, (Daniel 1:3) and to have possessed considerable personal endowments. (Daniel 1:4) He was taken to Babylon in "the third year of Jehoiakim" (B.C. 604), and trained for the king's service. He was divinely supported in his resolve to abstain from the "king's meat" for f”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Daniel — God is my judge, or judge of God. (1.) David's second son, "born unto him in Hebron, of Abigail the Carmelitess" (1 Chr. 3:1). He is called also Chileab (2 Sam. 3:3). (2.) One of the four great prophets, although he is not once spoken of in the Old Testament as a prophet. His life and prophecies are recorded in the Book of Daniel. He was descended from one of the noble families of Judah (Dan. 1:3), and was probably born in Jerusalem about B.C. 623, during the reign of Josiah. At the first deportation of the Jews by Nebuchadnezzar (the kingdom of Israel had c”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Daniel, The Book Of — stands at the head of a series of writings in which the deepest thoughts of the Jewish people found expression after their close of the prophetic era. Daniel is composed partly in the vernacular Aramaic (Chaldee) and partly in the sacred Hebrew. The introduction, Dan. 1-2:4 a, is written in Hebrew. On the occasion of the "Syriac" (i.e. Aramaic) answer of the Chaldeans, the language changes to Aramaic, and this is retained till the close of the seventh chapter (2:4 b-7). The personal introduction of Daniel as the writer of the text, 8:1, is marked”
- Project Gutenberg “Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, CHAPTER 11, section 6: themselves with kings envy them; and when those that were grieved at the great favor Daniel was in with Darius sought for an occasion against him, he afforded them no occasion at all, for he was above all the temptations of money, and despised bribery, and esteemed it a very base thing to take any thing by way of reward, even when it might be justly given him; he afforded those that envied him not the least handle for an accusation. So when they could find nothing for which they might calumniate him to the king, nothing that was”
- Daniel (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Daniel 9:4: We have here Daniel's prayer to God as his God, and the confession which he joined with that prayer: I prayed, and made my confession. Note, In every prayer we must make confession, not only of the sins we have been guilty of (which we commonly call confession), but of our faith in God and dependence upon him, our sorrow for sin and our resolutions against it. It must be our confession, must be the language of our own convictions and that which we ourselves do heartily subscribe to. Let us go over the several parts of this prayer, which we have reason to think that”
- Daniel (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Daniel 9:4: my confession--according to God's promises in Lev 26:39-42, that if Israel in exile for sin should repent and confess, God would remember for them His covenant with Abraham (compare Deu 30:1-5; Jer 29:12-14; Jam 4:10). God's promise was absolute, but prayer also was ordained as about to precede its fulfilment, this too being the work of God in His people, as much as the external restoration which was to follow. So it shall be at Israel's final restoration (Psa 102:13-17). Daniel takes his countrymen's place of confession of sin, identifying himself with”
- Daniel (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Daniel 1:13: 1:13-14 make your decision: Daniel’s exemplary wisdom, prudence, and courtesy are seen in his respectful stance toward his attendant, who responded favorably.”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part (Prima Pars), Of the Guardianship of the Good Angels, Art. 8: Article: Whether there can be strife or discord among the angels? I answer that, The raising of this question is occasioned by this passage of Daniel. Jerome explains it by saying that the prince of the kingdom of the Persians is the angel who opposed the setting free of the people of Israel, for whom Daniel was praying, his prayers being offered to God by Gabriel. And this resistance of his may have been caused by some prince of the demons having led the Jewish captives in Persia into sin; whic”
- Daniel (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Daniel 9:20: We have here the answer that was immediately sent to Daniel's prayer, and it is a very memorable one, as it contains the most illustrious prediction of Christ and gospel-grace that is extant in all the Old Testament. If John Baptist was the morning-star, this was the day-break to the Sun of righteousness, the day-spring from on high. Here is, I. The time when this answer was given. 1. It was while Daniel was at prayer. This he observed and laid a strong emphasis upon: While I was speaking (Dan 9:20), yea, while I was speaking in prayer (Dan 9:21), before he rose f”
- Daniel (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Daniel 9:15: 9:15-19 Daniel cried out for God to rescue his people and end the Exile, relying on God’s mercy and God’s desire to honor his own name. Daniel’s prayer is among the great intercessory prayers of God’s Old Testament people (see also Exod 32:11-14; Ezra 9:1-15; Neh 9:1-37). 9:15 God could bring lasting honor to his name by rescuing his people from exile in Babylonia, just as he did when he rescued them from Egypt (cp. Ezek 36:19-24).”
- Daniel (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Daniel 1:8: Daniel . . . would not defile himself with . . . king's meat--Daniel is specified as being the leader in the "purpose" (the word implies a decided resolution) to abstain from defilement, thus manifesting a character already formed for prophetical functions. The other three youths, no doubt, shared in his purpose. It was the custom to throw a small part of the viands and wine upon the earth, as an initiatory offering to the gods, so as to consecrate to them the whole entertainment (compare Deu 32:38). To have partaken of such a feast would have been to s”
- Daniel (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Daniel 2:17: 2:17-23 With faith and wisdom, Daniel prayed for God’s intervention (cp. Phil 4:6). When God answered his prayer, Daniel praised God for giving him wisdom and knowledge (Dan 2:20-21). The God of heaven produced the dream and its meaning, demonstrating his supremacy over all other gods, including the gods of Babylon.”