“Daniel in the Lion’s Den” is one of the first Bible stories every child knows. His book contains more biographical material than any other prophet except Jonah: we know his social class, his country of origin, his career, his titles. He was an aristocrat, an administrator, a seer, and an exile. His story is much like Joseph’s, although his perilous pit occured near the end of life rather than the beginning.
His prophesies are very different from the rest of the Majors and Minors–they actually foretell the future! Even if somewhat cryptically. Daniel’s visions are called “apocryphal” because they foretell cataclysmic events in an undetermined future time–maybe even the end of time. Without getting caught up in the meaning of mixed-metal statues and multi-mouthed beasts, we can appreciate that Daniel’s life occurs near one of those hinges of history: the last, or almost the last, prophetic voice to speak before a long stretch of silence. And then the prophesies begin to come true . . .
For this week’s reading challenge, with scripture references, discussion questions, and activities, click below:
Bible Reading Challenge 33: The Prophets – Daniel
(This is a continuation of a series of posts about the “whole story” of the Bible. I plan to run one every week, on Tuesdays, with a printable PDF. The printable includes a brief 2-3 paragraph introduction, Bible passages to read, a key verse, 5-7 thought/discussion questions, and 2-3 activities for the kids. Here’s the Overview of the entire Bible series.)
Previous: Week 32: the Prophets – Ezekiel
Few prophets–few men or women, period–lived through as much dramatic and consequential history as Jeremiah, but he’d rather have skipped it all. Most of us would–he was a living, breathing example of “shoot the messenger.” His ministry spanned King Josiah’s reformation (he wrote an elegy for the funeral) to King Zedekiah’s rebellion that ended it all for the southern kingdom.
