Exile is where Daniel starts and where his story is located. Wright’s teaching will illustrate how the narratives in Daniel are more than simple stories-they are anchors to encourage persecuted people with models of fidelity. Wright means by the statement, ‘ If you want to be Daniel 7 people, you’ve got to live for a while in Daniel 9.’ While Daniel’s apocalyptic visions at the end of the book are not parsed in detail, you can expect to discover what Prof. You will learn ways in which Jesus made Daniel thematic in his own reference to himself as the Son of Man. This course will also focus your understanding of Daniel 7 in its context and will unlock keys to its importance in the New Testament. You will see that God is not disinterested or unaware, but that he is involved and concerned to give his people wisdom through prayer and through his power which will be exalted to new heights. You will explore key themes in Daniel, which includes the One God who is sovereign over the kingdoms of the world. Wright examines what happens when those who are loyal to the kingdom of God find themselves working for-and with-those who are loyal to the kingdoms of the world. In our course on the Book of Daniel, Prof. Through the ages the church has been able to grab hold of this story and reach for the encouragement to keep the faith-a faith that reflects belief in God’s faithfulness and goodness and responds, but if not… Working with the Kingdoms of the World Yet in the story of Daniel we see that despite all that had been lost, YHWH never lost sight of his people. Not only that, but they lost their traditions, customs, foods, festivals, and worshipful practices-their whole way life was gone. My friend Angela reminded me recently that they, along with Daniel, also endured their names being taken from them as part of the attempt to corrupt their identities. Each has been taken from their homes and families and been transported physically to a strange land with a brutal dictator. It might be easy to overlook the story of these individual young men who have survived a traumatic experience. With Christian hindsight we understand that the Babylonian exile was a result of Israel’s idolatry. What they seem to be saying is that even if He, YHWH, does not rescue them from danger or even death, they will not give up faith in the One God who is always faithful to his promises. This keeping of faith emerges from three words: ‘but if not’. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up. If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. Their response is an example of the lived experience of embodied faith: In Daniel 3, we read of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were brought before King Nebuchadnezzar and threatened with being burned alive, unless they proclaimed publicly their devotion to a false god of a foreign kingdom. In addition, the Book of Hebrews provides a list of others, who, with both flaws and frailties, modeled the keeping of faith.ĭaniel and his friends come to mind as the narrator of Hebrews describes those ‘who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword’ (Hebrews 11:33b-34). In 1 Corinthians 4:16, Paul appeals to his audience to ‘be imitators of me’. If I think about people in the Bible I might want to ‘be like’, the Apostle Paul comes to mind. And, I press on, with God’s help, of course (although he is still helping me to work on the ‘unfazed’ bit). We even made it successfully through the intersection before the light turned red again.Įven now, when I am frustrated or ready to give up, I catch myself pressing my lips similarly as I think of my Granny’s determination to keep going. Granny assured me she would figure it out, which she managed after several attempts. She pursed her lips, as she often did, and then relaxed as an unfazed expression formed on her face.
As she grinded the gears between reverse and first, the cars behind us honked and I looked over at her quite worried. I remember the time she was driving my aunt’s German model stick-shift car, which stalled at a traffic light on a hill. How does our family and culture shape and inform these figures? Who were your role models growing up? Who are they now?Īs a child, my Granny was at the top of my list because she always seemed so calm under pressure and had the ability to assuage all my fears. It is an interesting question to consider who inspires us or whom we aim to imitate. I have been thinking a lot about role models lately.
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