The book of Daniel (beyond the part in the Lions' den) has so many parallels to the present day. But then, so too, the rest of the Bible's 1st and 2nd testaments are also part of the Living Word; open to each generation's meanings and musings.
(1) He is a stranger in a strange land, a foreigner living with others of Judea now among the Babylonians. He probably fits into the customs of clothing, common language of the city, and other routines and rules, but all the while he holds fast to the covenant with the LORD. The same could be said for God seekers today who are living among the consumer society's siren call and the currents that dominate the airwaves and many interpersonal conversations.
(2) The experience of living away from one's original land and society magnifies certain things, making them stand out when before perhaps such realities were invisible or taken for granted. So, too, the love of God the Creator was perhaps taken for granted, but while in Babylon this love become ever more cherished than before. Likewise for people living in 2018, the predominance of God-free habits and way of seeing perhaps helps to heighten the value of seeking after God for those who listen for the Maker's voice and for the Creator's presence.
(3) In times of difficulty and seemingly impossible conditions Daniel continued to pray and ask for God's help. This, too, offers instruction for people today.
(4) The powerful king, Nebuchadnezzar, and later his successor, Belshazzar, were quick to praise the might of YHWH but slow to embrace the complete and exclusive meaning. Instead they bowed to the superficial parts, not the full reality. Today there are many who cling to the outward elements of organized Abrahamic religion (Islam, Judaism, Christianity) without digging deeper to touch the roots.
Probably there are many other lessons from this book for readers and the "hands and feet of God" out in the world today. but these are a few that come out of the weekly Bible study of these pages today.
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