Week 5: Prophet Daniel

The Book of Daniel is one of the most unusual books in the Old Testament.

Divided into two sections written in two different languages, it is unclear who the original author is. Some scholars speculate that the book was written closer to the 2nd century BC, four centuries removed from the Babylonian Exile. Because of this, there is doubt whether Daniel was an actual figure or a folk character exploring themes and lessons learned in Babylon. The Book of Daniel was most likely written during the Maccabean period when Hellenistic Ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes threatened to destroy traditional Jewish worship in Jerusalem. Much of the prophecies in Daniel line up with events in the career of Antiochus, leading Biblical scholars to believe the purpose of Daniel was as a moral tale on how to serve God and resist evil during political confusion. The Book of Daniel opens with the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar, besieging the city of Jerusalem. Among the riches he takes with him, he also enslaves the royal family and nobility. Daniel and his friends are captured and forced to work in the Babylonian palace among the Jewish princes taken.

The Calling of Daniel: Circumstance as Calling

Today’s Readings

Daniel 1:1-6

Daniel 1:7-21

When we look at Daniel's life, he didn't have a roadmap to becoming a prophet. Raised in the lap of Israel's elite, he was probably groomed for some high-level Temple responsibilities. Some of these responsibilities included carrying on worship traditions. However, fate took a sharp turn when Babylon, under King Nebuchadnezzar's command, laid siege to the city, leaving devastation in its wake. Babylon barged in like a swarm of locusts, ransacking everything in sight. They didn't spare the Temple or the Palace, stripping them bare. Daniel 1:2 says they stripped the Temple of its treasures. From the Palace grounds, they took the nation's future; among these promising young princes was Daniel.

During our first week of this Lenten series, we discussed what a prophet was by exploring the life of Samuel. Trained initially as a priest, Samuel found himself thrust into prophetic roles as circumstances demanded. It wasn't his own opinions that confronted these things but by God's instruction. Daniel's story echoes this. We don't get a calling narrative for Daniel that includes mystical visions and fantastical beasts. Daniel's call to be a prophet comes from his environment and Faith in God. The belief that God was still in control despite the circumstances led Daniel to reject the King's food.

In the modern context, comprehending Daniel's dietary choices for religious reasons may pose challenges. Back then, it wasn't just about taste preferences but about identity and devotion. In an era marked by tribalism, cultural identity intertwined closely with religious observances. Every aspect of life, from attire to cuisine, bore religious significance. Eating certain foods wasn't just about nutrition; it was about allegiance. Hebrew dietary laws prohibited the consumption of food offered to foreign gods. Daniel's food protest was a bold statement—a cultural earthquake—against bowing to the Empire's demands. By resisting the King's food, Daniel is resisting Empire's ability to dictate where he places his trust.

Before the Exile, Daniel and his companions worshipped in the splendor of the Temple, surrounded by communal support and familiarity. But now, it's all gone.

The Temple and its treasures are long gone.

Their people are enslaved.

Their status and routine have been completely changed. For a lot of us, that would cause us to question everything.

"But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine…" (Daniel 1:6a).

Instead of crumbling, Daniel adapts. He doesn't ask, "What would I have done?" but "What can I do?" Daniel's vision of God was big enough to accompany him into Exile.

Let's talk about deconstruction—it's a buzzword in today's faith circles. It's about shedding old, harmful beliefs and making space for growth. It's a natural part of everyone's faith journey because it signifies growth. Growth can sometimes look like outgrowing the model you held for understanding complex things. The Temple being ravaged of its treasures is a good symbol for this. We can think of Jerusalem's Temple as your "temple," which is the side of the head behind the eye between the forehead and the ear. It's where the four skull bones fuse, where the jaw latches. When we experience the deconstruction of a belief, it can feel like what Nebuchadnezzar did to the Temple. He ravaged the beauty people saw (eyes/sight), desecrated what people held sacred (forehead/mind), stole priceless instruments and tools (ears/hearing), and broke up their worship assembly by enslaving them (jawbone/speech). When our beliefs crumble, it feels like an attack.

However, in those moments, we can look at the example of Daniel. Food in the Bible often symbolizes our intake. That's why the practice of taking Communion is so powerful. It represents our intake of Christ that he is with and within us. Daniel focused on his intake. He was selective about what he allowed in his Temple, even if there appeared to be no options other than what Babylon offered. Faith is not a sprint; it's a marathon. When the Bible describes Faith as a race, it's because we must pace ourselves.

God is larger than our frameworks, so have grace with yourself when you need a new one. Cut yourself some slack! As Father Richard Rohr said, "All great spirituality teaches about letting go of what you don't need and who you are not. Then, when you can get little enough and naked enough and poor enough, you'll find that the little place where you really are is ironically more than enough and is all that you need. At that place, you will have nothing to prove to anybody and nothing to protect."

Moon, E., Golden, J., & McCoy, K. (2020, November 1). Faith Adjacent - Nebuchadnezzar . Spotify.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "The Book of Daniel". Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Feb. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Book-of-Daniel-Old-Testament. Accessed 16 March 2024.

Rohr, R. (2011). Falling Upwards. Jossey-Bass.