Today’s passage from Daniel 7 is a small part of the prophet’s much longer description of a disturbing dream. In vv. 1-8, Daniel describes four powerful and violent beasts which have emerged from the nations of the earth. The last beast in the vision is particularly nasty being described as an archenemy of God’s people, targeting them for persecution, and trampling them underfoot boastfully. The dream is particularly troubling to Daniel since it appears to be a symbolic representation of what he, and the rest of the exiles, have just experienced. Daniel and his friends are a narrative example of what the people of God have had to endure all throughout history. History, and the Bible in particular, bear witness to the fact that God’s people often experience persecution, hardship, and are targeted by evil kings and kingdoms. You and I (Western Christians) are living in a time and place of relative peace for a small group of God’s people that is unparalleled. For the vast majority of history, the people of God have been brutalized by the wicked forces of the world. For this reason, we struggle to resonate with the cry of the exile who longs for the violence and oppression to come to an end. Still, we must lean in and strive to empathize with Daniel as he cries out to God saying, “How long will the wicked have power on the earth? God, when will You make good on Your promises to deliver Your people? When will You make sense of the senseless violence?” Daniel
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTE1OTA3Ng==