It’s taken only eight weeks to get through Daniel 1. Just wait until we get to chapter 7 (sometime in 2013, if we’re lucky). You ain’t seen nuthin’ yet. Before we turn the page to chapter 2, we’re going to pause and take inventory of what’s happened in chapter 1. It may be obvious to…
A Traveler’s Thanks
It’s Thanksgiving Eve, and after a week of whirlwind travel, I’m thankful to be exactly where I am tonight – in a quiet house in a sleepy suburb. On Friday I flew to San Francisco for three days of non-vacation. I stayed with a good friend, and we ended up in a third-story hotel room…
Ezekiel Bread, Daniel’s Diet, and Other “Biblical” Food Follies
When I first heard about Ezekiel Bread, I was in the middle of translating the book of Ezekiel for a year-long Ph.D. class. So when my roommate asked if I’d heard of Ezekiel Bread, I had…and I hadn’t. I certainly knew about the bread in the book of Ezekiel (chapter 4), but I had no…
My Empty Nest
I emptied my nest early last week and then I spent the rest of the week cleaning it out. If you know me respectably well, you might be thinking, “Um, Wendy, you don’t have a nest.” Traditionally speaking, you’re right. But sometimes God gives people like me (single with no kids) a different kind of…
Wisdom: Finding the Right Way to Do the Right Thing
I have enough failed resolutions in my life to appreciate the difference between making up my mind to do something and then actually getting it done. Daniel makes up his mind in 1:8 not to eat what the king is serving – but actually keeping his resolution without dying in a hunger strike is a…
What’s His Beef?
We have barely met Daniel (v.6) before we learn that his name is changed to the more Babylonian appropriate “Belteshazzar,” which probably meant something like “Bel (oh, great Babylonian god!), protect his life!” (v.7). Having informed us of this fact, the narrator immediately reverts back to the name “Daniel” (v.8). This narrator will have nothing…
All the King’s Not-Quite-Yet Men
Last time I thrilled you with a roll call of King Nebuchadnezzar’s staff. I’m sure you’ve been checking back hourly to see if I’ve written more of this compelling material. At the risk of disappointing you, I thought I’d write next about the guys you actually care about – namely, Daniel & Co., the good…
