The Long View
Pentecost 11 Summer Series on Daniel
August 4, 2024
Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN
Daniel 2.24-49
Today we begin our final sermon series of the summer, five weeks on the book of Daniel. This might also be considered an extension of our last sermon series, “The Good Book: Meeting our Ancestors in Faith One Story at a Time.” Daniel could certainly be considered an ancestor of the faith. But before we get into the text, I think that it’s helpful to get an overview of the book. If I had to summarize the book, I think it would be to answer the question, “Where is God?” or “Who is God?” I’m guessing that all of us at one time or another have asked that question, perhaps even now we might be wondering if God is present in our lives.
The story of Daniel takes place in the early 6th century BCE, around 590 BCE, in Babylon. (A reminder that Babylon was what is now modern-day Iraq.) The Babylonians had just defeated the southern Jewis kingdom of Juday, overrun Jerusalem, and destroyed the temple. Perhaps worse, they brought the Judeans into Babylon where they stripped them of their identity and forced them to worship other Gods, principally the Babylonian god Marduk.
However, most scholars believe that the book of Daniel was written much later and back in Judah during another difficult time in their history. It was during the reign of terror imposed upon the Israelites by Syrian ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes, beginning with temple desecration 167 BCE. It’s as if someone wrote a story about a modern issue but set during the Revolutionary War or perhaps more the point, like “Star Wars,” “... a long time ago, far, far away.” The Israelites’ captivity in Babylon was a real event that helped Jews 400 years later deal with a very difficult situation. Finally, the backstory to our text today is that Daniel and his three friends were “princes” in Judah who because of their learned background are made to serve in the king's court where they received further education in the arts.
So they would be counted among the “wise guys” that King Nebuchadnezzar took to task because they could not only explain the dream but also relate the dream with being told
To be charitable, perhaps the king forgot the dream, but he still comes off as unreasonable
Before the king can kill everyone, Daniel asks to see the king, tells the king what the dream was, and tells him what it means, prompting the king to worship Daniel
The king lavishes gifts and a lofty position upon Daniel, who promotes his buddies as well
As you can imagine, the Jews exiled in Babylon wondered where God was and even questioned if God existed. It’s helpful to know that in that world, when one country beat up another country, it meant their God was bigger than the other god. So their defeat and captivity really called into question the Jews’ belief their God was not only the biggest God but also the only God. Thus Nebuchadnezzar stuns court by claiming that YHWH, the God of the Jews, is God of gods, and revealer of mysteries. In other words, God has been proclaimed not only better than Marduk by the king but even present in, with, and through the lives of the exiled Judeans.
Yet, almost lost amid the miraculous nature of Daniel’s performance and the king’s reaction is the interpretation of the dream itself, which Nebuchadnezzar conveniently ignores. The dream signifies that no matter how impressive his accomplishments and his kingdom, there will be four successive, lesser kingdoms that will be ultimately replaced by the forever kingdom of God. For the Israelites, it meant that God was not only in charge, but that their present circumstances, no matter how difficult, were a small part of a much larger story. For us as Christians, we believe that kingdom was inaugurated with the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Last Sunday about 60 of us gathered to “Look Back” at the history of OSLC and in some sense “kingdoms” have come and gone. Some pastorates were “golden,” some less so, and a few “clay mixed with iron.” We acknowledged programs were begun, prospered for a time, and then ended. In it all we strove to take the long view of God’s presence in, with, and through Our Savior’s. In essence, we asked “Where is God?” in the last 55 years. Then we will gather next Sunday to describe Our Savior’s and what kind of lead pastor it will need during the next “kingdom.” So, Where is God? Working in, with, and through history to bring about God’s kingdom in, with, and through Our Savior’s. Thanks be to God. Amen.
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