Week 44, October 26–November 1: Daniel 4–12; Ezra 1–10

• Sun      Oct 26 Dan. 4–6
• Mon     Oct 27 Dan. 7–9
• Tue      Oct 28 Dan. 9–12
• Wed     Oct 29 Ezra 1–2
• Thu      Oct 30 Ezra 3–5
• Fri        Oct 31 Ezra 6–8
• Sat       Nov 1   Ezra 9–10

Daniel’s story is in many ways similar to Esther’s, and they both echo the story of an earlier character in the Bible too. It is a different foreign nation under the rule of another godless ruler, but Joseph gave us a narrative portrayal of what it looks like for a faithful follower of the Lord to be lifted to one of the highest positions in all the land where they have been taken captive.

The book of Daniel is located in the Writings (Ketubim) section of the Hebrew Bible, not with the prophetic books like in our English Bibles. Although Daniel is rightly considered a prophet, the themes and exilic setting of Daniel make it fit well between Esther and Ezra–Nehemiah too. Daniel opens with an introductory paragraph that sets the events of this story in the time of the reign of Judah’s king, Jehoiakim, shortly before the fall of Jerusalem and the beginning of the period of Judah’s exile in Babylon. Daniel, along with his three friends, were among those taken back to Babylon in this first wave of exiles brought from Judah. This sets the scene for the whole book.

Daniel can be seen as a book of pairs, a book with a set of dual characteristics that are sometimes in tension but also help us to understand the message.

• Simple, yet complex. There are some of the most famous stories that children first learn in Sunday school Bible stories; and the second half of the book contains some of the most complex visions that even baffle and trouble Daniel himself.

• Two languages. The beginning and end of the book are written in Hebrew, like the rest of the OT. But starting in verse 4 of chapter 2, the language shifts to Aramaic, the language of Babylon, and continues in Aramaic through chapter 7. Other than a portion of Ezra (and one verse in Jeremiah) this is the only part of the Bible written in Aramaic.

• Two genres. Part of the book is narrative, and part of the book, which makes up most of chapters 7–12, is in the genre of apocalyptic literature. This kind of literature includes revelation of visions with mysterious and other-worldly imagery about the eschatological future.

• Contrasting engagement with pagan rulers. Daniel honors the kings of Babylon and Persia, and serves in their courts with deference to their authority and with trust in the God who placed them in those positions. Yet, at times he and his friends must directly disobey the edicts of the king. Daniel is a book that shows us what it looks like to honor the emperor but to do so as a recognition of the Lord’s ultimate sovereignty.

In Daniel’s time, he sees kingdoms rise and fall. The mighty empire of Babylon will defeat and destroy Judah, and then the imperial power of Babylon will give way to the Persian empire and its king. Throughout the book there are also visions of numerous kingdoms and rulers, whose power and reign are depicted with striking, apocalyptic imagery. Over all of these, however, it is the declaration of God’s power and his eternal kingdom is the overarching theme of the whole book. He is the one who sets up kings and tears them down, and he is the one who makes known the mysteries of his ways.

Daniel says this to Nebuchadnezzar in verses 20–23 of chapter 2, and variations on this refrain are repeated throughout the whole book:

Daniel answered and said:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,

          to whom belong wisdom and might.

He changes times and seasons;

          he removes kings and sets up kings;

he gives wisdom to the wise

          and knowledge to those who have understanding;

he reveals deep and hidden things;

          he knows what is in the darkness,

          and the light dwells with him.

To you, O God of my fathers,

          I give thanks and praise,

for you have given me wisdom and might,

          and have now made known to me what we asked of you,

          for you have made known to us the king’s matter.” (Daniel 2:20–23)

In our read through, Ezra comes next after Daniel. (In our English Bibles, Ezra follows 1–2 Chronicles.) Ezra begins with the edict of Cyrus (Ezra 1:1–3a), the first part of which is repeated verbatim as the last words of 2 Chronicles, and the last words of the Hebrew Bible in the Tanak order. In this edict, he commissions the people of Judah to go up to Jerusalem and rebuild the house of God there.

Then Ezra and Nehemiah recount the initial attempts of the returned exiles to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. However, it is clear quite early in Ezra that this attempt at restoration is quite feeble. There is a mixed crowd with a mixed response at the ceremony marking the newly laid foundation to this second temple. Some are rejoicing and praising God, while the older men among them, who had seen the first temple, are mourning when they see the sad replica this second temple is compared to the one Solomon built. The sounds of joy and the sounds of sadness are indistinguishable (3:12–13).

This situation leaves us with a sense of longing for a complete restoration. The fulfillment of God’s promises to his people—including the promises to establish an everlasting kingdom for an heir of David—await a future fulfillment that has not yet arrived with the return from exile led by Ezra and Nehemiah. When we read the edict of Cyrus again at the end of 2 Chronicles, we are left wondering who will be the one to go up to Jerusalem and make a full and complete restoration of God’s kingdom.

Only when we turn to the NT and meet Jesus do we see the real fulfillment begin to take place. An anticipatory tension building has built throughout the OT, as we have read along through the historical narrative of 1–2 Samuel and 1–2 Kings, which will be retold again in 1–2 Chronicles, and as we have read the God’s-eye perspective on these events in the prophetic books. With each passing king in the line of kings ruling in Jerusalem, and with the steady decline of both Israel and Judah, we are left longing for God to do something to fulfill his promises to his people. For this to happen, it is clear, God must act graciously on behalf of his people.