Like a Star Wars Timeline: How to Teach Daniel to Your Kids
You’ve got to understand Middle Earth a bit before you can get into the adventure of the Hobbits. Likewise, parents, you need to understand a few things about how God interacts with His people and the historical setting a bit to explain the beauty of what God is doing in the book of Daniel (and all other prophetic books) to your kids.
God is Like a King to His People
Clans, tribes, wars, treaties! Who doesn’t love these things? In ancient times a conquering king was described as a suzerain, and the conquered king then became a vassal. A suzerain often had multiple vassals (kings he had conquered). The suzerain would establish a covenant with his vassal that included
· A preamble: “The Suzerain is so Great!”
· A historical prologue: “I am the king who….”
· Stipulations: commands, and sanctions (blessings, for obedience and curses, for disobedience)
· Divine witnesses to the covenant and documentary clause.
Often these covenants were written on stone.
With this understanding we can see that God communicated with His people in a manner in which they understood. God is like a suzerain (but far greater) and the people of God are like his vassal. He has made a covenant with them. They are His people, and He is their God.
Prophets are the Messengers of the King
What does a good king do if he hears of a subject who is disobeying his rules? He sends a messenger to warn them of what will happen if they continue. Then he admonishes them to stop what they are doing and turn back to the king. This is the role of the prophets in the Old Testament. They are divine messengers chosen by the suzerain (God) to communicate blessings of covenant obedience and the punishment of covenant breaking to the vassal kingdoms (Israel & Judah).
God speaks through His Divine Chosen Messengers.
2 Chronicles 36:15-16 says, “The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers (prophets), because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.”
The covenant punishment for worshipping other gods and following man rather than God is exile. The reason Daniel is in Babylon is because God’s people refused to listen to God’s messengers. Now even in exile God is going to communicate to His people through Daniel’s life actions, and through visions given to Daniel.
Like a Star Wars Timeline
Episode 4 of Star Wars was the first one to premiere, followed by episodes 5 and 6. Then came episodes 1, 2, and 3. After that came episodes 7, 8, and 9. When someone says I like the original Star Wars they are not talking about episode 1, they are speaking about episodes 4-6.
In the same way the timeline of Biblical books does not match the order in which we find them in the Bible. Daniel is dated around 605-535 BC. This means that he probably saw the destruction of Assyria and the conquest of Babylon. He most definitely lived through the fall of Babylon to the times of Persia and the Medes. It is important for the reader to understand that Daniel is writing to a persecuted community who has been completely overtaken by other nations as a result of not keeping covenant with God. Unlike many of the other prophets writing prior to exile, Daniel is written from exile in Babylon.
Hard to Over-Exaggerate
Once God’s people were exiled they would’ve thought of themselves as good as dead. Other nations now rule them. Their temple, where God’s presence resided, has been destroyed by pagan nations. Their families have been dispersed. Their daughters are marrying into other nations. Their children are being educated under a completely different worldview. The scene is not just bad for God’s people, it is hopeless. You have to understand exile to understand Daniel.
The Perfect Setting
But not all of God’s people ignored His messengers. There has always been a remnant who trusted in Him and yet have found themselves suffering the consequences of the people. During the exile (God’s just punishment) of God’s people the Lord gives us the story of Daniel. Daniel is written to give hope to God’s people who find themselves in exile!
What we find in Daniel is that exile is a perfect setting for God’s people to witness the sovereignty of the true God who transcends all other kings and powers; to witness the faithfulness of God to His chosen messenger, and to witness the hope God gives His people of a future victory where God reigns over all.
Death to Life
Parents, as you read/teach Daniel to your kids there are many gospel parallels to draw out. God is our King (suzerain) and we are His people (vassals). He has commanded us to love Him and love others (Old Covenant). We have broken God’s covenant (sinned) and the consequence of that is exile (death).
It is hard to over-exaggerate how hopeless we really are in our sin. Those who are in exile cannot save themselves, their salvation must come from outside themselves. Ultimately, the people of God find their salvation later in the story where Christ, who is the King, the Prophet, and the Lamb will come as a man representative of God’s people to obey the covenant perfectly. He will give his people all of the blessings promised for covenant obedience, and He will take upon Himself, finally, all of the curses deserved for God’s covenant breaking people. He will establish a new covenant of grace to be received by faith in this Great King, and Prophet, Jesus. Further, Jesus will give us an even better example than Daniel of what it means to live faithfully as God’s new people in Christ in exile.
Persevere, Joey Turner, Pastor of Student Ministry