Daniel's Worldview 1v1

Verse one has sent me on a journey to try and enter the world of the author. Lets for the sake of this post assume it was Daniel that penned this book. What were the events, stories and key themes that framed his view of the world? As he writes what prevailing thoughts are shaping the paragraphs he weaves?

As we jump back into Kings and Chronicles the first thing that strikes us is that Jehoiakim is one of the last rulers to feature in this passage of Israel's story. He falls right at the back of the these books. In other words Daniel finds himself at a point in history where the promise of the Kingdom seemed more distant and debatable than ever. There is a trail of division, compromise and capitulation that lies between the promise of David's rule and the poison of Jehoiakim's. Daniel could easily have been a cynic and a coward but despite the hopelessness of Israel's journey what was it that made the way for the telling of the epic story that awaits us in the prophet?

Daniel naturally references the rule of Jehoiakim in his opening verse because as a Jew his whole world was hanging on the promise of a prosperous and peaceful land under the rule of God's King. As a nation the jews understood their destiny in terms of Kingdom. The idea that a piece of the earth was going to find its intended creational purpose and that they would flourish there.

This theme of Kingdom frames the biblical story. Eden representing God's intended purpose for creation, a place where under God's loving rule his people were flourishing in the land entrusted to them. The exile from the garden is the problem the rest of the biblical story seeks a resolution to. The promise Abram receives is the reinstatement of God's intended order and ultimate blessing of the whole earth. Under King Solomon, Israel had brushed the pinnacle of that promise only to falter at the last hurdle. Disappointment follows with the Kingdom dividing, compromise with the nations and King after King paling into insignificance in comparison with what David and Solomon represented.

This narrative creates the context for Daniel. Despite Israel's desperate situation their is something very irrevocable about Israel's commitment and abandon to their sense that they were God's chosen people called to prosper and flourish in the promised land however impending their doom seemed and however impossible the political reality of their situation was. Something has happened in Israel's history that is so deeply ingrained in their psyche that no amount of muscle or violent intimidation is going to undo what has been written into their hearts. They have become a resilient and purposeful people. It isn't that all of Israel always have this character but it seems there is always a core, sometimes called a remnant, that hang on to God and his promises however tough things get.

Israel's culture is preserved through a series of feasts, celebrations, rituals and disciplines that ensure the story of God is remembered. They repeatedly seek opportunities to story tell and celebrate. Despite their familiarity with the notion and reality of exile, these resilient people, never seem to except it as final. There is something within them, however far they have drifted, that always bounces back believing that God will do what he has said.

Exploring the torah, the prophets, the psalms and wisdom literature gives us a window into Daniel's world that enriches our reading of his book.