Preserved in the Faith
The December 17th commemoration of Daniel the Prophet & the Three Young Men is important to Christians for a few reasons. First, the day folds in with themes of the end times that undergird the Advent season. Second, it helps the Church today remember the ways in which God’s people have been persecuted throughout Christendom and how they have held true to the faith.
Daniel was one of the greatest figures in the Old Testament. He lived around the year 550 B.C. in the time of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar and was one of four Israelites selected to receive special education and training in the Chaldean language. These men—Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (also called Baltasar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednago)—were forced into service in hopes that they would serve the king. Yet they stayed firm in their faith, refusing to eat the extravagant Chaldean food (which had been offered up to the king’s idols) and insisting that they only consume vegetables and water. Even so, they survived captivity through the sustenance of God. The Scriptural book of Daniel tells us much about the comings and goings of these men and the persecution they endured.
Daniel was able to interpret dreams, and King Nebuchadnezzar held this gift in high regard. Before long, the king granted the four men high positions within his kingdom. The prophet Daniel surpassed the knowledge of all the Chaldean astrologers and sorcerers of the time. However, the king still pushed his idolatrous religion on them, demanding that all in the kingdom fall down and worship a golden idol of him. They refused, and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were cast into a fiery furnace.
When the king watched their demise, he saw not three men but four! The three young men were accompanied by a man who appeared “like the son of the gods” in the furnace, sheltering them from the flames. When they came out of the flames intact, the king was moved to faith, confessing that Yahweh was the true God.
But the persecution did not end there. When King Darius, who succeeded Nebuchadnezzar, reigned over the land, he forbade the worship of Yahweh in his kingdom. Daniel continued to pray three times a day and was slandered by his enemies. He was thrown into a den of hungry lions, sent to certain death. Yet Scripture tells us that the Lord shut the lions’ mouths and that Daniel was preserved. King Darius was also converted, professing the name of the one true God.
A Brief History
Beside these stories and the way they witness to Christ and the hand of God in our lives, Daniel the prophet is also significant because of his vision of the end times. The Bible tells us that God revealed prophecies to him about Jesus’ second coming, with the Son of Man coming on clouds and with great glory. Daniel also foretold the everlasting kingdom and resurrection of the dead, telling us how the righteous will one day shine like the stars.
Because of this, the Feast of Daniel and the Three Young Men has always been closely connected with Christmas. As one of the Bible’s greatest prophets, Daniel foresaw the coming of the Son of Man and the virgin birth. Likewise, as Daniel and the Three Young Men survived in the face of persecution, we are reminded of God’s promise to us that he will preserve us and protect us from all evil.
The connections between this feast and Christmas have long been noticed within the Church and were especially significant to Eastern Orthodoxy and its sanctoral calendar. Lutherans see it as part of our own liturgical cycle for much the same reasons, and unlike the addition of some other Old Testament saints in more recent renditions of our current Lutheran calendar, the connections between this date and the themes of the Church year showcase the commemoration’s importance to broader Christianity. As you prepare your hearts and homes for the Christmas season and bask in the penitential themes of Advent, look back to Daniel and these men as some of many who pointed to the coming of Christ.
Collect
O Almighty God, who hast knit together Thine elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of Thy Son Jesus Christ, our Lord: grant us grace so to follow Thy blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to the unspeakable joys which Thou hast prepared for those who unfeignedly love Thee; through the same, Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost: ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Lessons
Resources
Issues, Etc. interview with the Rev. Dr. Andrew Steinmann on The Prophet Daniel and the Three Young Men
Issues, Etc. interview with the Rev. Dr. Ken Schurb on Daniel in the Lions’ Den
Propers found in Daily Divine Service Book: A Lutheran Daily Missal, edited by the Rev. Heath Curtis
References:
1. Weedon, William. Celebrating the Saints. Concordia Publishing House. 2016.
Images:
1. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the Furnace, Gustave Doré, French, 1866.
2. Daniel in the Lions’ Den, Peter Paul Ruebens, The Netherlands, ca. 1613-1615.
3. Daniel in the Lions’ Den, James Northcote, England, 1818.
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