Don't Judge A Book . . .

The name of a biblical book is not a great indicator of its subject matter. For instance, Daniel is not about Daniel any more than Mark is about Mark. If there is a protagonist in Daniel, it is Nebuchadnezzar, who is the sole dynamic character. Daniel represents God in this story, as any good prophet does.

So what is the main message of Daniel? Is it an admonition to stay pure in the midst of a pagan society? Is it showing the blessings of integrity and faithfulness? Is it about how God can save you from the “lions” in your life? Nope, nope, and nope. You have to remember, the intended audience here would be post-exile Jews. They were back in Judah, reading about this young man named “God-is-my-judge.” This is what I believe to be the striking theme of this book: even when Judah is in exile, Yahweh is absolutely sovereign over all nations and rulers, including Babylon. Yahweh has not been defeated by Dagon, Baal or Molech, nor can any so called “god” stand before him.