Dreaming Hope
Daniel 7:1-14 (RCL 7:9-10, 13-14)
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- Read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge in this month’s issue of the Nurturing Faith Journal
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Key Verse: Daniel 7:14 –
“To him was given dominion and glory and kingship,
that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away,
and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.”
The Bible contains a number of stories that may strike modern readers as just plain weird, and today’s text is one of them. Why would the committee behind the Revised Common Lectionary choose Daniel’s beastly vision of successively sorry kings for the final Sunday in the church year?
Perhaps it can serve as a fitting reminder that human governments are always susceptible to hijacking by kings, presidents, or prime ministers whose power is matched only by their corruption and megalomania. The failure of human leaders – especially the arrogant “horn” described by Daniel – is an appropriate lead-in to the new church year and the season of Advent, which celebrates the coming of Jesus as the kind of king humankind truly needs.
As strange as this text may seem, it is a helpful reminder that political powers come and go, but the world is ultimately in the hands of God. [DD]
One book, two parts
The book of Daniel, appears among the prophets in Protestant Bibles, and its presumptive setting is in Babylon during and after the period of the exile in the sixth century BCE. It is most likely, however, that the book was one of the last of the Old Testament books to be composed. [DD] [DD]
The first six chapters of Daniel are narrative stories about how Daniel and his friends heroically remained true to God despite both temptation and danger. In chapters 7-12, Daniel’s friends no longer appear, and earthly kings are no longer portrayed as ignorant people who repent and praise God once they see the error of their ways, but as evil monsters.
These chapters belong to a particular form of writing that we know as “apocalyptic,” which arose in times of severe persecution when the present situation seemed beyond repair and the only hope lay in a new age to come. [DD]
Four beasts, one terror (vv. 1-8, 15-28)
Chapter 7 begins with a third-person report that Daniel “had a dream and visions of his head as he lay in bed,” and wrote them down. From here on, the text is presented as Daniel’s first-person speech.
The visions overlap with the earlier stories. The first reportedly takes place during the reign of Belshazzar, the protagonist of chapter 5, where he appears as a wicked and wasteful king who finally “sees the handwriting on the wall” and is found lacking. [DD]
Daniel’s night vision began with an image of “the four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea” (v. 2), a traditional symbol of chaos, untamed and opposed to God’s divine order. Out of the sea came “four great beasts,” each different from the other (v. 3). It soon becomes obvious that the four beasts, like the four parts of Nebuchadnezzar’s visionary image in chapter two, represent four successive kingdoms.
The first beast had the appearance of a lion that appeared with eagle’s wings. It soon lost its wings, however, stood upright, and was given the mind of a human (v. 4). The lion was regarded as “the king of beasts” and the eagle as lord of the air, so this appears to symbolize the Babylonian empire as the greatest, like the “head of gold” in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision (2:37-38). [DD]
The second beast had the appearance of a bear raised up as if to attack, and it was instructed to “Arise, devour many bodies!” (v. 5). The NRSV says the bear had “three tusks” among its teeth, but a more likely translation is “three ribs,” as if the bear had been feasting already before being instructed to devour more.
This beast represents the Medes, who the author(s) of Daniel incorrectly thought preceded the Persians in conquering Babylon. The Median empire conquered several other kingdoms, including Assyria, just north of Babylon. The Medes, however, were conquered by the Persians before Cyrus led his army to defeat Nabonidus’s forces at Opis and Sippar, then marched into Babylon unhindered.
The third beast was like a leopard, with “four wings of a bird on its back and four heads, and dominion was given to it” (v. 6).
Here we have the Persian empire. Some think the four heads represent the four Persian kings remembered by the Hebrews, while others propose we are to think of the four points of the compass, since “dominion was given to it,” and the Persian empire was covered most of the known world.
The fourth beast, unlike the first three, did not resemble any known animal. It was “terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong,” with “great iron teeth” that enabled it to devour enemies, break them into pieces, and trample them. Moreover, the beast was adorned with ten horns (v. 7).
In the ancient Near East, horns were symbols of power. As Daniel considered the meaning of the horns, he saw three of them “plucked up by the roots” and replaced by a smaller horn – but one that had both eyes and a mouth that spoke with great arrogance (v. 8).
The ten horns represent an assortment of Greek rulers, though their specific identity is not entirely clear. The Greeks came to power under Alexander the Great, who won his pivotal battle at Ipsus in 333 BCE, and conquered Palestine the following year.
Alexander died soon after, and control over Greek territories in the Middle East was divided between four generals, who fought each other until two gained priority: Ptolemy controlled Egypt and Palestine, while Seleucus controlled Mesopotamia. By the early second century BCE, the Seleucids under Antiochus III (the Great) had taken control of Palestine.
The most notorious Seleucid ruler, the little horn with the arrogant mouth (v. 8), was Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a ruthless king who gained control in 175 and tried to solidify his rule by imposing the worship of Zeus on all his subjects, including the Hebrews. In 167, he famously profaned the Jerusalem temple by reportedly sacrificing a pig to Zeus and forcing Jewish leaders to eat and it or face mutilation and death. [DD] [DD]
The horn’s arrogant speech represents his decrees that Judaism be outlawed. Though reportedly prophesied hundreds of years previously, these chapters reflect the brutal and horrific reign of Antiochus IV as a means of encouraging suffering Hebrews to remain faithful.
We note that all of the world-controlling beasts, and especially the last one, are portrayed as evil, arising from chaos, and opposed to God’s order. Thus, this chapter’s original readers were encouraged to see themselves as participants in a great cosmic struggle as old as creation itself. This reframing of their situation might give comfort or encouragement to people who could take some pride in believing that their struggles and suffering was part of a much larger picture.
Judgment and dominion (vv. 9-14)
Having set the stage with a vision of evil progressively taking over the world, the author shifts in vv. 9-10 to a heavenly throne room where “one like an ancient of days” sits on a fiery-wheeled chariot not unlike what Ezekiel saw (Ezekiel 1, 10). The imagery portrays God as pure and holy (white hair and clothing) and powerful (surrounded by fire and served by thousands upon thousands).
God is also seen as judge: books are opened and the beasts are hauled into court. The first three beasts lose their power, but the fourth, more evil than the others, is destroyed by fire (vv. 11-12). [DD]
Daniel then sees another figure, “one like a son of man,” who comes on the clouds and is given eternal dominion over the earth (vv. 13-14). Christian believers, familiar with Jesus’ references to himself in Daniel’s “son of man” language, assume that the reference was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus.
In its original context, the figure “coming on the clouds” might have brought to mind the archangel Michael, thought to be the patron angel of Israel: in chapter 12, Daniel is told “At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise” (12:1).
Those who participate in this new dominion are called “holy ones of the most High” (vv. 18, 22, 27). This title generally refers to angels, but in apocalyptic thought, earthly actors play out the struggles of their cosmic counterparts. Thus, while the Jews suffered under the beastly rule of Antiochus, they could imagine a future kingdom in which they would rule with the angels.
Weird, huh? Why might this text have any significance for modern folk who are neither Hebrews nor living under serious persecution?
The text is a reminder that history is not all about progress. The story of humanity is rife with heartless leaders, large and small, who mislead many and establish systems in which justice gives way to greed and kindness to corruption. A similar setting gave rise to the similarly apocalyptic Revelation of John.
There may be times in our own lives when it appears that evil will prevail, that the darkness has won. Stories such as the visions of Daniel – or of John – are symbolic ways of claiming the powerful hope that no matter how bad things appear, God is ultimately in control.
Those who follow Jesus believe that he has been given ultimate dominion, and that while we may suffer on this earth, God has a good future in store.
Adult Teaching Resources
Download the PDF of teaching resources for this lesson.
This PDF contains the Teaching Guide, Digging Deeper, and Hardest Question pages.
Read Scripture online: Daniel 7:1-14
Youth Teaching Resources
Parent Prep
How often do you think about your student’s future? How often do you think they think about their future? Students, and parents, can become so consumed by what will happen in the future that they forget to focus on what is happening today. Days turn into weeks, and weeks turn into months, and soon you look back and think what happened. Cherish the days that you have with your students before they become memories.
Additional Links/Resources
Read Scripture online: Daniel 7:1-14
Download the PDF for youth teaching resources using the button below. This PDF contains the Teaching Guide for this lesson:
Video
Encourage youth to check out this video ahead of the lesson.
“The Thing About the Future” from Next
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