Deus Misereatur

  It has been said that John Calvin preached and taught through every book of the Bible except one. He avoided The Apocalypse because of how much heat and conflict it generated. I’ve felt that way for years regarding Daniel. But then I found Wendy Widder’s 608-page commentary on Daniel, and jumped in. Widder, an author, teacher, and scholar, has compiled a detailed study of this ‘Major’ prophet called “Daniel: God’s Kingdom Will Endure” which is part of Zondervan’s Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament: A Discourse Analysis of the Hebrew Bible (ZECOT). Because of her style, attention to language details and intertextual flavors, she has pulled together a valuable, readable tome that is friendly to preachers, Bible teachers, and the person who simply wants to grow.   The format is fairly standard for the ZECOT series. Each chapter gives the main idea of the passage, takes in the literary context, presents a translation and outline, shows the structure, explains the p...

(The picture is "Daniel in the Lions Den," 1872 (oil on canvas) by Briton Riviere (1840-1920)) In my morning devotional reading I have been working through Daniel. A few thoughts struck me that I am sharing with you. To begin, Daniel was written at a time when God’s people, being disciplined for corporate infidelity, were taken captive into exile. That means Daniel not only tells us the stories of 4 Jewish young men and Daniel’s visions, but it was written for guidance for those now captured by non-Jewish forces. Chapters 1-6 are examples of how to live and serve under pagan authorities – who only rule at God’s whim. And chapters 7-12, declare that these national and political powers will not always be in place, because God is working out big things. But now I zero in on chapters 1, 3, and 6. In the first chapter, God gives. He gives Jehoiakim into Nebuchadnezzar’s hand (v.2). He gives captive Daniel favor with his superior (v.9), and he gives the four lads learning, skill ...

The Message of Daniel The Bible Speaks Today series Dale Ralph Davis Inter-Varsity Press IVP Book Centre Norton Street Nottingham NG7 3HR UNITED KINGDOM http://www.ivpbooks.com ISBN: 978-1-84474-801-3; £9.99 / $18.00; 2013. Reviewed by Dr. Michael Philliber for Deus Misereatur (12/24) Digging Daniel (5 stars out of 5) With a glut of printed, recorded and visualized material on prophecy, and all the hub-bub over failed end-times prognostications that has spilled into the media, another volume on a biblical prophetic book might receive a grimacing wince, or groaning incredulity. But Dale Ralph Davis’s new 176 page paperback, “The Message of Daniel” is a unique treatment of this Old Testament prophet that is devotional, homiletical, textual and thoughtful. This is part of “The Bible Speaks Today” series, and replaces the classic piece by Ronald Wallace. Davis takes the position that Daniel was written by whom it claims to be written, during the period...