Stroll through Scripture for Sunday August 18, 2024

Based on Daniel 6:6-27

We move from King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to King Darius of Persia.  The kings in charge change, but the situation for Daniel does not.  Israel is still occupied and controlled by a foreign power.  That ruler has ego issues and sees themself as divine and worthy of worship.  The VIPs of Israel are still in exile serving the court of the king.  Court intrigue and back-stabbing continues – with Daniel as the main target.  There are orders being put out by the king that sound extreme, along with severe punishments.  Not much has really changed.  It sounds like so much of human history.  

In this Sunday’s reading, we will hear about Daniel being turned in by other advisors to the king.  His crime?  It’s the same crime as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – not worshipping the king’s gods and staying faithful to the God of Israel.  In many ways the story in Chapter 3, which we heard last Sunday (the fiery furnace) and this story are linked together.  The book of Daniel does this – retelling similar stories later in the book.  There is speculation as to why – that while people in charge change, the culture does not.  Others argue that the retelling is to emphasize that while cruelty seems relentless, God nevertheless overcomes it and those who act cruelly.  

Daniel, like his three friends, does not force others to worship as he does – it is the king who is insisting on worship a certain way.  Daniel, like his friends, does not have much of a speaking part in the story at all – actually having no voice until the next day when King Darius goes to check on him.  The point being that it is not Daniel who is able to save himself.  Just as he is at the mercy of King Darius, he is actually more at the mercy of God.  

The theology of the book of Daniel is quite fascinating.  It highlights the difference in ideas around prophecy.  The theology of prophecy in Daniel is that everything is set in stone and nothing can be changed.  It is a predictive prophecy.  Judgement has been decided, similar to the judgement of King Darius who cannot alter the decisions that are made.  Other Old Testament Scripture offers a different type of prophecy.  Rather than setting things in stone, these prophets offer warnings telling people that if they continue in the path they are on, there will be serious and unpleasant consequences – giving people the opportunity to change course.  

The book of Daniel is ultimately a judgement against foreign empires and rules oppressing Israel.  The die has been cast.  It is only a matter of time.  And the author of the book writes in such a way so as to embarrass these rulers and show how little power they actually possess.  In this story we see Darius, a powerful king, whose hands are tied by the law, who frets all night about Daniel, and is powerless to do anything.  So much for all the power of being a king.  

Questions for Reflection:

• As I mentioned earlier, there are generally two types of prophecy in Scripture – predictive and warning.  Daniel is definitely more predictive in nature, while other prophets are more warning oriented.  What are the benefits and challenges of each?  
• The book of Daniel shows kings as powerless while putting on a show of being powerful.  Humanity has an addiction to the idea of control.  When you read the stories in the book of Daniel, how does this impact your sense of control?