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The "Be" Commentary
Be Resolute (Daniel): Determining to Go God's Direction
This welcome new addition to Wiersbe's well-known, well-loved series explores the fascinating and often misunderstood book of Daniel. Like all other commentaries in his series, this easy-to-understand resource offers solid biblical insight and interpretation that inspires personal growth and development.
• Reliable analysis from a popular, trusted Bible teacher
• Includes personal and group study guide in back
• Helps convert Bible knowledge to obedient living
• Draws readers closer to God through a better understanding of His Word
• Reliable analysis from a popular, trusted Bible teacher
• Includes personal and group study guide in back
• Helps convert Bible knowledge to obedient living
• Draws readers closer to God through a better understanding of His Word
180 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2000
198 people are currently reading
389 people want to read
About the author
Warren W. Wiersbe
659 books410 followersWarren W. Wiersbe, former pastor of the Moody Church and general director of Back to the Bible, has traveled widely as a Bible teacher and conference speaker. Because of his encouragement to those in ministry, Dr. Wiersbe is often referred to as 'the pastor's pastor.' He has ministered in churches and conferences throughout the United States as well as in Canada, Central and South America, and Europe. Dr. Wiersbe has written over 150 books, including the popular BE series of commentaries on every book of the Bible, which has sold more than four million copies. At the 2002 Christian Booksellers Convention, he was awarded the Gold Medallion Lifetime Achievement Award by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Dr. Wiersbe and his wife, Betty, live in Lincoln, Nebraska.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
August 31, 2017
I read this a kind of devotion and this has definitely opened my eyes to the book of Daniel. This commentary serves as a basic overview of the biblical themes of Daniel whilst providing historical context to the prophetic events that happen. This book is very applicable to your own life due to the study questions that are given at the end of each chapter. As you may have noticed I've not given any insight into the actual content of the book, because this definitely something you should study yourself but I will leave a summary point which I think captures the essence of 'Be Resolute'
Biblical excellency may lead to world success, or prestige amongst peers, you may be sought after for your wise counsel BUT biblical excellency is about pleasing the Father above all else. God may decide to bless you with a reputation on a local, national or global scale but even that will pass away. Only what is done for Christ will last.
Biblical excellency may lead to world success, or prestige amongst peers, you may be sought after for your wise counsel BUT biblical excellency is about pleasing the Father above all else. God may decide to bless you with a reputation on a local, national or global scale but even that will pass away. Only what is done for Christ will last.
October 1, 2020
I can always count on Warren Wiersbe for clear, inspiring exposition. The important book of Daniel is more timely now than ever.
November 20, 2025
Wiersbe is one of the most—if not the most—easy-to-read of all the commentators. I found many parts of this book helpful for sermon preparation.
May 6, 2020
Warren Wiersbe’s “Be Series” commentary on Daniel is Be Resolute: Determining to Go God’s Direction.
It’s easy to see why the author chose that title. If you’re not familiar with the book of Daniel except for the lion’s den, Daniel and his three friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) were teenagers when Babylon conquered Israel. Most of the population was exiled to Babylon in three waves. Daniel and other young men were selected for a training period to be assimilated in the Babylonian government. But Daniel and his friends stood firm in their faith while still being gracious and kind to their captors.
God had multiple reasons for Israel’s captivity, the main one being their longstanding stubborn rebellion and disobedience to God. But one of the good things He brought out of it was the testimony of these four young men (and hopefully others as well) of the one true God.
The first few chapters contain some of the most familiar stories in the Bible: Daniel and his friends kindly asking for a diet in keeping with their convictions, and ending up in better health; Daniel’s interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams when no one else could; the three others in the fiery furnace, Nebuchadnezzar’s humbling transformation, the “handwriting on the wall” at Belshazzar’s feast, and Daniel in the lion’s den. In every case, the men gave glory to God and trusted Him for the outcome. The three who faced the furnace for not bowing to the king’s idol said something that rings down through the ages: “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (3:17-18). God doesn’t always answer prayer as we’d like. Loved ones aren’t always cured. Crises aren’t always averted. But God is faithful and has His reasons for what He allows. And God used he testimony of these four young men not only in their own timeline, but in all the years since.
I say young men—though the book opens with them as teens, Daniel is in his 80s by the time he was thrown in the lion’s den. He spent his whole adult life in captivity. But he never complained.
Prayer is another big theme in the book, as Daniel seeks God throughout. His prayer of confession for the nation in chapter 9 is a model for us. In Daniel 10, He is told about spiritual warfare going on behind the scenes. Wiersbe says:
The last few chapters of Daniel are markedly different. Instead of interpreting dreams and vision for other people, Daniel receives a few himself that throw him for a loop. The angel Gabriel is sent to help him understand.
Honestly, without the ESV Study Bible notes and this book of Wiersbe’s I would have been pretty lost in these sections. I have read Daniel several times over the years, but I don’t remember what I did when I came to this part. Complicating matters is the fact that there are several schools on interpretation about some of it.
The part that covers the history of the next four dynasties is so accurate that people have attacked Daniel, saying it had to have been written after the fact. As Wiersbe says, “Prophecy is history written beforehand.”
The ESV Study Bible’s notes go into great detail about the various prophecies and schools of interpretation. Most of it refers to the history immediately after Daniel’s time, but there are differences of opinion as to what might be figurative and what might refer to end times. I appreciated this reminder:
There are many difficulties in deciding between these interpretations, which all involve questions of the proper approach to interpreting biblical prophecy. In all of this it is crucial not to miss Daniel’s message for his audience, namely, that God has allotted the amount of time for these events, and therefore his people should trust and endure (p. 1607).
I don’t think these different views are anything to fight or disfellowship over. But they can make for some interesting conversations.
The book ends with Daniel himself not understanding everything he’s been told: “I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, ‘O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?’ He said, ‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.'” Why tell him these things, then? Many reasons. For future readers and students of the Word of God through the ages. But for all of us, what the Bible tells us about future events reminds us He is in control (a major theme in Daniel). Also, as Wiersbe says, “Knowing God’s future plan and obeying God’s present will should go together. ‘And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.’ (1 John 3: 3 NKJV).”
A few other quotes from Wiersbe:
Wiersbe ends his commentary with an extra chapter of summary of the themes in the book and Daniel’s character. He hasn’t done this in any of the other “Be” series that I’ve read. But it was helpful here, after our brains were stretched and heads were spinning over the last few chapters of prophecy, to go back over the book as a whole.
Once again I appreciated Wiersbe’s thoughts and insights.
It’s easy to see why the author chose that title. If you’re not familiar with the book of Daniel except for the lion’s den, Daniel and his three friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) were teenagers when Babylon conquered Israel. Most of the population was exiled to Babylon in three waves. Daniel and other young men were selected for a training period to be assimilated in the Babylonian government. But Daniel and his friends stood firm in their faith while still being gracious and kind to their captors.
God had multiple reasons for Israel’s captivity, the main one being their longstanding stubborn rebellion and disobedience to God. But one of the good things He brought out of it was the testimony of these four young men (and hopefully others as well) of the one true God.
The first few chapters contain some of the most familiar stories in the Bible: Daniel and his friends kindly asking for a diet in keeping with their convictions, and ending up in better health; Daniel’s interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams when no one else could; the three others in the fiery furnace, Nebuchadnezzar’s humbling transformation, the “handwriting on the wall” at Belshazzar’s feast, and Daniel in the lion’s den. In every case, the men gave glory to God and trusted Him for the outcome. The three who faced the furnace for not bowing to the king’s idol said something that rings down through the ages: “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (3:17-18). God doesn’t always answer prayer as we’d like. Loved ones aren’t always cured. Crises aren’t always averted. But God is faithful and has His reasons for what He allows. And God used he testimony of these four young men not only in their own timeline, but in all the years since.
I say young men—though the book opens with them as teens, Daniel is in his 80s by the time he was thrown in the lion’s den. He spent his whole adult life in captivity. But he never complained.
Prayer is another big theme in the book, as Daniel seeks God throughout. His prayer of confession for the nation in chapter 9 is a model for us. In Daniel 10, He is told about spiritual warfare going on behind the scenes. Wiersbe says:
The prophet Daniel realized the great significance of God’s plans for Israel, and once again he fainted and was unable to speak. Here he had been involved in a cosmic spiritual conflict and didn’t even know it, and the Lord was using some of His highest angels to answer his prayers! This certainly lifts prayer out of the level of a humdrum religious exercise and shows it to be one of our strongest and most important spiritual weapons. The neglect of prayer is the reason why many churches and individual believers are so weak and defeated. The late Peter Deyneka, missionary to the Slavic peoples, often reminded us, “Much prayer, much power; no prayer, no power!” Jesus taught His disciples that the demonic forces could not be defeated except by prayer and fasting, the very activities that Daniel had been involved in for three weeks (Matt. 17: 14–21).
The last few chapters of Daniel are markedly different. Instead of interpreting dreams and vision for other people, Daniel receives a few himself that throw him for a loop. The angel Gabriel is sent to help him understand.
Honestly, without the ESV Study Bible notes and this book of Wiersbe’s I would have been pretty lost in these sections. I have read Daniel several times over the years, but I don’t remember what I did when I came to this part. Complicating matters is the fact that there are several schools on interpretation about some of it.
The part that covers the history of the next four dynasties is so accurate that people have attacked Daniel, saying it had to have been written after the fact. As Wiersbe says, “Prophecy is history written beforehand.”
The ESV Study Bible’s notes go into great detail about the various prophecies and schools of interpretation. Most of it refers to the history immediately after Daniel’s time, but there are differences of opinion as to what might be figurative and what might refer to end times. I appreciated this reminder:
There are many difficulties in deciding between these interpretations, which all involve questions of the proper approach to interpreting biblical prophecy. In all of this it is crucial not to miss Daniel’s message for his audience, namely, that God has allotted the amount of time for these events, and therefore his people should trust and endure (p. 1607).
I don’t think these different views are anything to fight or disfellowship over. But they can make for some interesting conversations.
The book ends with Daniel himself not understanding everything he’s been told: “I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, ‘O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?’ He said, ‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.'” Why tell him these things, then? Many reasons. For future readers and students of the Word of God through the ages. But for all of us, what the Bible tells us about future events reminds us He is in control (a major theme in Daniel). Also, as Wiersbe says, “Knowing God’s future plan and obeying God’s present will should go together. ‘And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.’ (1 John 3: 3 NKJV).”
A few other quotes from Wiersbe:
A heart that loves the Lord, trusts the Lord, and therefore obeys the Lord has no difficulty making the right choices and trusting God to take care of the consequences. It has well been said that faith is not believing in spite of evidence—that’s superstition—but obeying in spite of consequences.
Faith means obeying God regardless of the feelings within us, the circumstances around us, or the consequences before us.
Daniel was respectful to the king but he was not afraid to tell him the truth. Even if we don’t respect the officer and the way he or she lives, we must respect the office, for “the powers that be are ordained of God” (Rom. 13: 1).
All of these people and events may not be interesting to you, but the prophecies Daniel recorded tally with the record of history, thus proving that God’s Word can be trusted.
May the Lord help us to leave something behind in the journey of life so that those who come after us will be encouraged and helped!
Wiersbe ends his commentary with an extra chapter of summary of the themes in the book and Daniel’s character. He hasn’t done this in any of the other “Be” series that I’ve read. But it was helpful here, after our brains were stretched and heads were spinning over the last few chapters of prophecy, to go back over the book as a whole.
Once again I appreciated Wiersbe’s thoughts and insights.
May 28, 2016
It's really good to get a general idea of the book of Daniel.
A very helpful resource to understand Daniel's historical background and the babylonian culture.
I didn't see very deep details in this commentary, though. The last chapters in the book of Daniel are a bit difficult to grasp and I felt this book didn't take the time to dive in a bit more for better understanding.
However, I did learn a lot and this book definitely encouraged me to keep digging into Daniel's visions. I'm going for it!
A very helpful resource to understand Daniel's historical background and the babylonian culture.
I didn't see very deep details in this commentary, though. The last chapters in the book of Daniel are a bit difficult to grasp and I felt this book didn't take the time to dive in a bit more for better understanding.
However, I did learn a lot and this book definitely encouraged me to keep digging into Daniel's visions. I'm going for it!
March 14, 2012
An easier-read. Overall, a good start to a study on the book of Daniel.
July 17, 2023
I find Wiersma's books a great resource for all Bible book studies. He gives a deeper understanding without going too deep to cause confusion. Daniel gives us a beautiful example of the difference prayer makes in our walk with God. "Faith is obeying in spite of the consequences."
September 9, 2012
Took the idea of "Dare to be a Daniel" beyond flannel graphs, Veggie Tales & lion's dens. Daniel understood that God is sovereign. When I realize this, it makes choices easier & worries less. In some ways, I feel like Daniel - his early years @ least. I pray that the choices I make now (submission, humility, study) will grow me to spiritual maturity. Daniel's faith sustained him through a long life of service in exile. Only by God's grace might I do the same. (which fills me with a joyful terror.)
I recommend reading this along with the Daniel Bible study by Wiersbe & doing the study with a group.
I recommend reading this along with the Daniel Bible study by Wiersbe & doing the study with a group.
January 1, 2016
I don't know why I was moved to read Daniel, but in doing so supported by this volume, I discovered events that I knew about (e.g. The lions' den) and much that I didn't (the extensive prophetic words). I'm no bible scholar or historian. Having finished the book in the bible and Wiersbe's commentary I am certainly better informed and found the reading easier than I had anticipated. I still have a long way to go though especially concerning end time prophecy.
October 4, 2011
End of chapter questions are actually very thought provoking and have already produced a wide range of responses in our group after the first chapter. Looking forward to going through the rest.
Update - end if chapter questions are somewhat repetitive and speculative - but overall a worthwhile study
Update - end if chapter questions are somewhat repetitive and speculative - but overall a worthwhile study
May 19, 2013
If you work for somebody else, which 99% of us do, you and your workplace would benefit greatly from understanding Daniel's story of being faithful in the midst tremendous pressure. His tremendous pressures were life and death, the worst for us may be getting fired... big deal.
July 11, 2013
Excellent look at the life and times of Daniel; does a nice job of looking at his role in the life of his people of the time as well as the prophecies
To come; gives us an excellent understanding of how to become and what it means to become a man like Daniel
To come; gives us an excellent understanding of how to become and what it means to become a man like Daniel
January 6, 2016
A good study of Daniel and he manages to bring out the main ideas and prophecys in a clear and easy to understand way. I was not so sure about his connections with antichrist in the end of the book otherwise i liked it and got alot from reading it togehter with the Bible.
Read
February 3, 2016Read each chapter together with the Scriptures. An easy to read Inspirational and challenging commentary.
May 14, 2016
Great introduction to the book and man. So important to think about how we determine to obey and follow God for the long haul.
March 26, 2023
Easy to follow Bible study. Very interesting and thorough.
June 11, 2018
I've read many of Wiersbe's "Be" books when studying a particular book of the Bible or even a particular topic. Though he and I differ widely on a small number of points, for the most part he seems to me a very solid Bible teacher and expositor. Currently, I'm studying--you guessed it--the book of Daniel, and Wiersbe's book Be Resolute has proved very helpful.
July 15, 2020
I just finished studying Daniel in my Charles Stanley Principles of Life Bible and using this commentary as a study guide. I've read Daniel numerous times and used other commentaries also. I found this one to be excellent. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to understand the Bible and go a bit deeper into their study.
April 23, 2021
Be Resolute
What wonderful insight into the life of Daniel. He was resolute to live his life faithful to God no matter what the consequences. Each of us needs to learn to be more like Daniel and stand firm in our faith. Remember that faith comes from hearing and hearing from God‘s Word.
What wonderful insight into the life of Daniel. He was resolute to live his life faithful to God no matter what the consequences. Each of us needs to learn to be more like Daniel and stand firm in our faith. Remember that faith comes from hearing and hearing from God‘s Word.
April 28, 2022
Daniel is the book full of prophecies about nations. Many already fulfilled, and the author of this commentary listed down one by one by which means the prophecies fulfilled. But there are also Yet to coming prophecies and here we need to be ready because it's a sure things for what we already saw in other prophecies of the book.
December 14, 2024
WOW!
This may have just become one of my favorite studies by Wiersbe. I wasn't a huge fan of Daniel, and I'm sorry because I was wrong. This book is amazing!
Wiersbe is so wonderfully gifted at explaining the text and making it practical and making it meaningful. Daniel was an amazing man of God, and now I want to be just like him.
Wiersbe may be the best commentator to have ever lived.
This may have just become one of my favorite studies by Wiersbe. I wasn't a huge fan of Daniel, and I'm sorry because I was wrong. This book is amazing!
Wiersbe is so wonderfully gifted at explaining the text and making it practical and making it meaningful. Daniel was an amazing man of God, and now I want to be just like him.
Wiersbe may be the best commentator to have ever lived.
September 11, 2019
Resklutions
Resolutions need not be made nor reserved solely for the New Year celebrants, and Warren Wiersbe does outstandingly in urging all to be Resolute in serving for the Christ, Jesus.
Resolutions need not be made nor reserved solely for the New Year celebrants, and Warren Wiersbe does outstandingly in urging all to be Resolute in serving for the Christ, Jesus.
May 28, 2020
Great Book on Daniel
Great commentary, does not get lost in the weeds, he stays on point. I love the title Be Resolute and how we see that throughout the book. The last chapter summing it all up is great as well.
Great commentary, does not get lost in the weeds, he stays on point. I love the title Be Resolute and how we see that throughout the book. The last chapter summing it all up is great as well.
January 8, 2022
God has a plan and a purpose. Daniel, thru faith and obedience was able to play his role in God’s plan. We are so distracted and obedient to this world that we can fail in being who God created us to be.
May 22, 2022
I spent about 6 months studying Daniel and have gleaned so much. I always love the truth Dr. Wiersbe brings out in his commentaries. They are readable but very helpful in understanding difficult passages. Highly recommend every book in this series.
October 2, 2019
Wiersbe is such a good teacher and makes difficult passages easier to own and understand. I love his series!
September 10, 2020
This is a hard book to write commentary on. It wasn’t as readable as many of Wiersbe’s but the last chapter summarized Daniel’s life and was very good.
November 29, 2020
Good commentary.
“Dare to be a Daniel,
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known.”
-Philip P. Bliss
“Dare to be a Daniel,
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known.”
-Philip P. Bliss
December 11, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read the book of Daniel with this book. A good learning experience.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews