Day 27

This was a fantastic read. I felt like it prophetic book I’d been waiting for. Again, Isaiah and Jeremiah were just fine, Ezekiel was a wild fever dream of a ride…but with Daniel, it was a delight to turn each page — including the three extra chapters in the apocrypha: The Prayer of Azariah & the Song of the Three Jews, Susanna, and Bel & the Dragon.

Daniel is a character we get to know quite well through his actions. How does he respond when he’s in the lion’s den? When he’s advocating for justice for Susanna? When he’s thwarting the Babylonian gods in Bel & the Dragon? You don’t get a great deal of biographical information, that doesn’t seem to be necessary in these books, but you do learn about his way of acting and interacting.

Reading Daniel with a “here and now” lens had me reflecting on some deep issues. The main book itself has instances of Daniel prophesying the demise of corrupt kings…one who redeems himself in the end. Every chapter was like another episode of the Daniel the Prophet show. Susanna felt like a “Me Too” story — and it pains me this chapter isn’t canon. Compared with the more misogynist experiences in the Bible, this book offers a way through that. As in: Maybe Ezekiel needs to be interpreted differently, because look at how Susanna changes the narrative. It feels like an all too common theme and I saw this with the book of Judith, too. Patriarchy really sinks in its teeth. Let’s enshrine the grossly sexual fever dreams of Ezekiel, but not the redemptive story of Susanna or the grit of Judith. Anyway. And then we have Bel & the Dragon, two stories about religious corruption.

The Prayer of Azariah is such a pastoral text. Here were three people sentenced to die for staying true to their beliefs, and they sang and prayed as the flames rose around them. Of course they survive, but the prayer itself glorifies something bigger than their predicament. So much of how we describe and talk about “faith” today loses that sense of something bigger. It becomes reactive, demanding, and consumerist. This prayer reminded me that I am beholden to a tradition and calling larger than myself.

I think I can safely say Daniel (and the three extra chapters) are now on my list of favorites. A good prophetic book has applications to our time, and I felt that. The others did, too, in their own way, but Daniel had me nodding along and relating immediately. It helped that the characters involved were embodied, if that makes sense.

One Word for Daniel: Episodic
One Word for Azariah: Steadfast
One Word for Susanna: Rectitude
One Word for Bel & the Dragon: Hilarious

Parts of the Text That Stayed With Me

1. Dan 1-2, Calling in Babylon. The call of Daniel happens pretty much every couple chapters, but here we have him surpassing the magicians of the kingdom of Babylon by humbling King Nebuchadnezzer. He would do this several times to the point of redeeming Nebuchadnezzer, which is an interesting arch for this king.
2. Dan 3, In the Furnace. Hananiah, MIshael, and Azariah are condemned to burn for their refusal to worship the King. So great is the King’s anger, he ensures the furnace is so hot that it consumed the guards throwing them in the furnace. Instead they sing and pray and are not burned.
3. Dan 5, Found Wanting. If you’ve ever heard the phrase: “You’ve been weighed, you’ve been measured, you’ve been found wanting,” it comes from this chapter.
4. Dan 6, Surviving the Lions. Daniel and his entourage can’t get a break. With each new king they are tested and here we have the classic story of Daniel in the lion’s den. He has a second brush with the lions in Bel & the Dragon.
5. Dan 7 & 9 Apocalypse Now. Daniel is an apocalyptic book and there are roughly 4 apocalypses. The two most interesting ones are in chapters 7 and 9.
6. Dan 12, An Afterlife? I’ve noticed that the Hebrew Bible isn’t too concerned with an afterlife…until now. Here’s a clear mention of resurrection. Interesting and I wonder how this relates to the development of Judaism at the time. We also see the archangel Michael join the party.
7. Song of Thr 1, In the Flames. I already mentioned this, but I love how the three men pray in the fire. They accept their fate and won’t betray their beliefs.
8. Song of Thr 28-65, Because It’s Not About Them. The prayer involves a long list of divine blessings from the natural world to almost anything. Their punishment wasn’t really about them. It was about the integrity of the Israelites in exile.
9. Sus 41, Unfair Judgement. After a plot from two would-be rapists to seduce Susanna fails, they black mail her and ultimately get her sentenced to death for a crime she didn’t commit. Some things never change.
10. Sus 47-62, Justice for Susanna. But she stays true to her values. The accusers are separated and investigated separately, only to be found lying. They’re put to death for their heinous crime and Susanna is redeemed. No divine intervention…just human goodness winning the day.
11. Bel 14, Fake Gods. After debating whether or not Bel is a living God, Daniel puts ashes on the floor of the temple in the presence of the king. The priests had a secret passage into the temple so they could consume the offerings to Bel and make it look like Bel was eating them.
12. Bel 22, Caught! And the next day, the offerings are gone! And there are footprints in the ashes matching those of the priests and their families. They’re all put to death for lying and Daniel destroys the idol of Bel.
13. Bel 36, Midnight Flight of Habakkuk. The prophet Habakkuk is carried by some angels to meet up with Daniel, who is in yet another cage with lions. You see, Daniel murdered another false idol. A giant dragon or serpent the Babylonians worshipped. Habakkuk brings him stew and Daniel survives the lions.

This post is part of a lager series where I read the entirety of Hebrew & Christian scriptures in 45 days. Take a look a the original post for more info, as well as links to other reflections on this journey.