Year in the Bible Week 37

Daniel in the Lions’ Den by Peter Paul Rubens (c. 1614=1616), on display at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Contrary to the representation in Rubens’ masterwork, Daniel was likely more than 80 years old when he was thrown in with the lions. We can imagine a man of great poise and power, who was given great authority in the kingdom, but who had no physical way to protect himself from harm. When Darius saw what God did for Daniel, he proclaimed that every corner of his realm should respect and honor the God of Israel. Just like in the upcoming story of Esther, and in the New Testement. God has uses an earthly rulers to carry out his sovereign plan. .

For those who are interested in apocryphal writings, there is a fun, alternate lions den story in the extra bits of Daniel (Daniel 13 & 14) from the apocrypha. It’s a very different account, but the moral remains the same; if God is with you you simply cannot be destroyed. We hear more and more of this kind of protection and provision toward the end of the exile, and it’s really refreshing to get some blessing from God after two generations of discipline.

As we come to the chronological end of the Old Testament, there is a lot of hope to be had, but a lot to be concerned about as well. The prophets are once again speaking encouragement, so we know that God will provide, but the people still don’t have the transformed hearts we read about in Ezekiel snd Jeremiah. Those are promises from him, but only Jesus could fulfill those promises. The video below shows us some of the triumphs and tragedies we are reading about this week and next.

This coming week we get the story of Esther, which is better than anything Hollywood could write. We will also read about the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls, even though God’s people face great opposition as they build. The truth beats fiction every time.

One final note this week: Ezra, Nehemiah and Ester are the final historical books of the Old Testament. Remember that God’s story in the Old Testament is a cliff hanger, and that helps the historical books lead into the wisdom literature. Ezra, Nehemiah, and Ester provide a launchpad and context for the wisdom books that follow. If you read the bible cover to cover, the next book after Esther is Job!