Theological Bites
Before we delve into what (theologically) the book of Daniel is about from a Biblicist point of view (refer to my Lecture 8 on ‘What is Theology’) I would like to point out two cases of abuse to Biblical books in the attempt to interpret them.
Case One: Missing the Thesis
Normally the theology of every Bible Book is always stated in its first 5 verses. The first verses often have the thesis of what the book is about and if we read carefully, prayerfully and attentively to the Spirit of God we will see it. Let me give you an example; the first book of the Bible has its first verse saying; “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth”, we are immediately told that before we make any assumptions, the book we are about to read is a book of origins and beginnings. First, the universe has its origin in the creative power and intentions of God, secondly, every key good or evil began somewhere and that is why the book of Genesis (Beginnings) is in the library known as the Bible.
It would be absurd for someone to see the end in the book which is about beginnings and origins, therefore. Here is another example; Revelation 1:1-2 says: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place; he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.” How it is possible that this book over centuries, Bible teachers and students have majorly seen the Pope, America etc. and not the Jesus the book is baffling. The book is about two things according to its thesis:
- the revelation of Jesus Christ (Αποκάλυψις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ) and
- to bear witness of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ (ὃς ἐμαρτύρησεν τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ)
Not the beast, 666 or persecution of the so-called saints etc. as many of us have been made to believe whenever we are introduced to the book.
Case Two: Turning Teaching Aids into the Lesson
In many ways as a Bible teacher, I have realized that usually the audience gets excited and actually concerns itself with the example at the expense of the lesson. Have you heard the congregation at the Church’s doorstep after the service rehearsing the funny story the preacher used in his sermon? That is how I know as a preacher that I have not passed on the lesson but the audience has fallen in love with the teaching aid and missed the teaching.
Many readers of the books of Daniel and Revelation focus on the features in the dreams of the book of Daniel and the features of the beasts in both Daniel and Revelation and go ahead to speculate what these could relate to both in the past and present. While this is all right, it is not what the book theologically (Bible study) is communicating. These dreams and unlikely beasts are but teaching aids that operate as the vans that transport the lesson to the students of the book. It is absurd for us to turn these into the lesson and find Christians doing the mathematics of the unknown return of Jesus Christ (Mathew 24:36) based on these teaching Aids (Luke 21:28).
DANIEL 1:1-2
Here is what the verses say and I want us to prayerfully look at it: “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.” Clearly, there are three powers at play in these verses.
These powers are; 1-the King of Judah, 2-the King of Babylon and 3-God, the king of Judah (assumed God’s side) becomes the captive of the King of Babylon because God himself gives him (King of Judah) into the hands of the King Babylon. So, for the king of Judah to struggle and fight Babylon meant that he was fighting against the Babylonians and Yahweh himself (Jeremiah chapters 27-28, 29:1-23, 32:26-44, chapter 33, 34:21, 44:30).
It Was and Is God
The loss of Judah was due to God and the victory of Babylon was due to the same God. Therefore, it is not to say that it did not matter what both kingdoms did but rather it is that whatever they (each) did, was God’s business. The defeat and exile of Judah were due to two crimes. The first was for the Jews to believe and emphasize that their election by God to be universal agents of his name among other nations made them exclusive people of God. Secondly, the Jews did not only disobey God but to rebel against their God in thought and action with the assumption that they could be a thing through their religio-political alliances with heathen nations they were supposed to preach to.
The book of Daniel has one message present in its thesis statement, and that is, it is not Babylon or any other power at play but GOD and GOD alone. The prophets before the exile and during the exile emphasize this truth about Yahweh being responsible for their captivity in their message this way. Babylon and its Kings is the new kid on the block and his new title given to him by the Yahweh (known to be the exclusive god of the Jews/circumcised) is, ‘My Servant’ (Jeremiah 27:6, 43:10), ‘My Shepherd’ (Isaiah 44:28) and ‘My Anointed one’ (Isaiah 45:1).
So as you read the book of Daniel, and you are face to face with the dream and dreamer, with the beast and what it does, it is your responsibility to track the movement, actions and intentions of God and God alone. Daniel is about God’s causative and participatory intentions in the events that shape our world in both the past and present. Next, we will see, how this happens in the book of Daniel what that stands for in the Then, in the Now and in the Time to Come.
God bless you, I invoke TRUTH, WISDOM, and FAITH (2Tim 2:7)
Priest M.I.T WHITE (+256-775 822833 for further inquiries)
iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship (John 4:24)
QUESTIONING TO BELIEVE, BELIEVING TO QUESTION
iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship (John 4:24) 