Josh King

When the Lowly and Rich Sing in Harmony (James 1:9–11)

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation…
—James 1:9–10a

James’ two commands in this passage “rhyme” with his first command: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” The “rhyme” becomes more apparent to your ears as you acclimate to this “heavenly language,” but for now, this much should be clear, all of these commands are for brothers, all are odd, and all of them concern joy.

The word you have as “boast” in v. 9 is the same word translated “rejoice” in Romans 5:3; a text which proves especially significant in linking all these commands together. “[W]e rejoice [boast] in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice [boast] in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance.” Christian brothers are commanded rejoice in their trials. Those who are lowly are commanded to rejoice in their exaltation and those who are rich are commanded to rejoice in their humiliation. All commands for brothers. All odd commands. All commands to rejoice.

But “rejoice” doesn’t quite capture the fullness of this word. It does have the sense of boasting or glorying. To get some idea of what James calls on us to do here, lets observe Paul doing it in Philippians 3:3–11. What Paul says there doesn’t directly concern poverty and riches, but I believe you will be able to hear again the same “rhyme” in Paul as we have here in James.

“For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory [boast, rejoice] in Christ Jesus and put no confidence [i.e. we don’t boast or glory] in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted [a similar kind of accounting as that presented in James 1:1] as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection [exaltation], and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death [humiliation], that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

Do you see Paul, your brother in the Lord, both boasting in his exaltation and in his humiliation? This is the odd, peculiar kind of boasting James is calling us to here, whether we be rich or poor in this life. What Paul does helps you see the single essence that underlies both of these commands in James. That something singular does indeed underlie both boastings is also evident when Paul speaks of the wisdom that trials have taught him in Philippians 4:11–13.

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

A singular secret underlies meeting both situations with contentment. What is this singular foundation? One’s union with Christ. The poor, in particular, are to glory in their unity with Christ in His exaltation, while the rich, in particular, are to glory in their unity with Christ in His humiliation. If the poor share in Christ’s exultation in heaven, the rich share in Christ’s humiliation on earth.

There is a singular, foundational, fundamental reality behind both of these boastings.

“Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD’” (Jeremiah 9:23–24).

How is it that we come to know Yahweh who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth? Supremely, it is through the cross of Christ. “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14). Here, the poor are being called on to boast in the riches gained by the cross of Christ and the rich are called on to boast in their sharing in the humiliation of the cross of Christ. Fundamentally, both are called on to rejoice in Christ—the Christ who humbled Himself on earth and who is now exalted in heaven.

Magnanimous Munificence (James 1:5–8)

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
—James 1:5

“Ask God.” How does this command sit with your soul? Honestly? How it really sits with your soul is determined by your reaction to the next phrase, “ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach.” Is this how you think of God? Generous, benevolent, giving, big-hearted, bounteous, free-handed, liberal, lavishly kind, munificent. Munificent is a word rarely used because it is rarely displayed—by man. Munificent means characterized by or displaying great generosity, giving more than is usual or necessary. But with God, do you feel all those adjectives are too few and too small? Do you believe His munificence to be constant and unavoidable? Do you sense the truth of Newton’s lyric?

Thou art coming to a King,
large petitions with thee bring,
for his grace and pow’r are such,
none can ever ask too much.

Or, do you believe the serpent’s crafty lie? “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1). Satan’s craft was to plant the thought of God as holding back. Do you think God powerful and wise, but perhaps reserved, cautious, or even miserly, stingy, tight. You may say “No,” but do you ask? Do you think of the Father as rich in grace and overflowing in love, eager to give? How do you think of His commands? Do you think they constrain or liberate? We serve a God who said “Yes” to a forrest and “No” to a tree. “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:16–17). This is our God. A God who liberally says “Yes” to life, and whose every “No” is a no to that which is death or not good for us.

Do not doubt the Father’s liberality and munificence! Jesus teaches us, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:7–11). James will soon go on to tell us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (1:17).

Look around you! Oh how lavishly our Lord gives, not only to believers, but to His enemies. Oh but look to the gospel! He has given you His Son. He has given you the Holy Spirit. Paul asks, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). Look at His giving of Christ and the Spirit and know He does not change.

Ask! Ask knowing of whom you ask—God, God who gives generously to all. God who in Christ is your Father. God who as your Father gives generously and gives without reproach. God gives without making you feel guilty about the asking. He delights in your asking. He delights in the giving. Ask knowing he does not scold, upbraid, insult, or reprimand those who ask. He may rebuke sinful requests. In which case He still gives better than you ask. He may so “No” to good requests in order to give us something better, and yes, it may be a peculiar better. But He will never reproach such a righteous request as this.

Ask! Ask James tells us, and “it will be given.” Not “it might be given;” but “it will be given.” Thomas Manton comments, “He bringeth an encouragement not only from the nature of God, but the promise of God. It is an encouragement in prayer, when we consider there is not only bounty in God, but bounty engaged by promise. What good will the general report do without a particular invitation? There is a rich King giveth freely; ay! but he giveth at pleasure; no, he hath promised to give to thee.”

Heavenly Arithmetic (James 1:2–4)

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.”
—James 1:2

This is heavenly arithmetic. No earthly computation can can account for meeting all kinds of trials as all joy. Only the resurrection makes sense of this. The resurrection is the “x” variable that allows you to solve this problem. “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19). But we do not hope in this life only. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).

We are to weigh the things of this earth according to the gravity of the new earth. We are to weigh the things of this earth according to the atmospheric pressure of heaven above. “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16–18). Thomas Manton wrote, “A Christian liveth above the world, because he doth not judge according to the world.” Because the Christian’s soul flies to heaven while his body endures earthly flames, he is a rare bird. Manton said, “A Christian is a bird that can sing in winter as well as in spring.”

The slave of Christ can “count is all joy” when he meets “trials of various kinds.” This command to do heavenly arithmetic is one that involves the whole of us. We are exhorted to exercise our will (you count) to use our mind (count) to steer the affections (rejoice).

The use of the mind to do this heavenly computation can be seen in the King James translation of Romans 8:18. “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” We are to reckon—to compute, reason, calculate, tabulate, or account the sufferings of this present time, not as nothing in themselves, but as nothing in comparison with the glory that lies ahead.

Moses knew how to do this kind of math: “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.” (Hebrews 11:24–27).

Paul understood this math: “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Philippians 4:8).

We are to exercise our will to do this kind of math to steer the affections. We are not just to reckon it joy, we are to rejoice! This is no call for an exercise in theoretical mathematics, but applied arithmetic. It is not enough to do the math in our mind. We must apply it to it our heart. We have to show our work. Our counting should show in our countenance. “And they [the apostles] departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name” (Acts 5:41). The saints find that the afflictions of this world sever their ties to earth and endear their hearts for heaven. Thomas Brooks declared, “Afflictions are the saints’ best benefactors to heavenly affections; where afflictions hang heaviest, corruptions hang loosest.”

Strawy or Sweet? (James 1:1)

“In fine, Saint John’s Gospel and his first epistle, Saint Paul’s epistles, especially those to the Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, and Saint Peter’s first epistle,—these are the books which show thee Christ, and teach thee everything that is needful and blessed for thee to know even though thou never see or hear any other book or doctrine. Therefore is Saint James’s epistle a right strawy epistle in comparison with them, for it has no gospel character to it.”
—Martin Luther

Contrary to how some have misconstrued this, Luther did not deny the inspiration and value of James, but he did disparage it as secondary in relation to other books. So zealous was Luther for the truth of the gospel and justification by faith, that he had little use for a book of the Bible that he could not utilize for the great cause of the Reformation. Herein was his strength and herein was his weakness.

But when the good Shepherd puts straw in the manger without the Babe, you can trust him that you need the fiber. And you can trust He who sent the Spirit to give us this book, knowing that the straw is surely not far from the bread and the wine.

In the same way that Proverbs assumes redemption, so too does James. And when you realize this, you can perceive that in a way, Jesus is more present in this letter than he is in any other. Douglas Moo states, “James depends more than any other NT author on the teaching Jesus.” And again, “while Jesus’ person and work might be generally absent, his teaching is not. No NT document is more influenced by the teaching of Jesus than James.” James draws heavily on what would become the synoptic tradition, especially as we see it presented in Matthew.

More narrowly, referring to the Sermon on the Mount, John MacArthur writes, James “may be viewed as a practical commentary on our Lord’s sermon.” If you doubt that Jesus pervades the book of James, read it alongside the Sermon on the Mount a few times and see if the doubt persists.

When you understand this, I believe it radically impacts how you understand James when He refers to the “royal law” (2:8). Yes, James is full of law, but it is as considered the royal law, the law of the Lord Jesus Christ. The royal law then is on par with what Paul speaks of in Galatians 6:2 as “the law of Christ.” The significance of this expression can be seen in that though James can be said to make much of the law, he makes nothing of the ceremonial or civil aspects of the law. James considers the law in light of the one who declared, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17).

So whenever the commands of James pierce with conviction and lie heavy on your conscience, do not forget the gospel that he assumes of his reader. Paul makes plain what James assumes in Romans 8:1–4.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

Luther is reputed to have said, “Oh, how sweet are the commandments of God to us when we receive them not as they are in the book, but as they are in the wounds of Christ.” Oh that Luther had eyes to clearly see all the commands of James as coming to us in the wounds of Christ! This is not an epistle of straw. It is a sweet epistle.

“Our pleasure and our duty, Though opposite before,
Since we have seen his beauty, Are join’d to part no more :
It is our highest pleasure, No less than duty’s call,
To love him beyond measure, And serve him with our all.”
—John Newton

Simplifying Seventy Sevens as Scriptural Symbolism

The interpretations of Daniel 9 are a bit like the horns of this book. You find that there are not only multiple horns, but that the horns have horns. There are not just a myriad of interpretive options, the options have options. When we look to the seventy sevens, that is where the interpretations seem to multiply seventy times seven.

As we look at these seventy sevens (and that is the better translation), we must note that we are looking at them. This is a “vision” (v. 23) and it is a vision of the seventy sevens. They are the focal point of this vision. Though this vision is less dreamy than the others, a vision it is. The key feature of apocalyptic literature is its rich imagery and pervasive symbolism. The previous visions have centered on beasts, beasts that are kingdoms with horns that are kings. This vision centers on seventy sevens. At the least then, one then should be cautious about insisting that we must read them literally. Because from a literary standpoint, this is not the genre you are meant to interpret literally.

When Peter spoke of forgiving his brother seven times, and Jesus rebuked him saying seventy times seven, to do any math would be to miss the meaning (Matthew 18:21–22). Yes, these seventy sevens do refer to time, but it is symbolic time. When you start to examine all the ways people have tried to crunch the numbers and all the ways the numbers may be crunched, it is dizzying. These seventy sevens do break down into seven sevens, sixty-two sevens, and one seven, but I find Dale Ralph Davis’ assessment thereof to be the most satisfying. The seven sevens are a “relatively restricted time.” The sixty-two sevens are a “relatively extended time.” And the final seven is a “clearly climactic time.”

To understand these seventy sevens, let’s try then to do some meaning rather than some math. First, lets ask why there was a seventy before the seventy sevens? In the covenant curses of Leviticus 26, after God speaks of scattering them, he says, “Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate, while you are in your enemies’ land; then the land shall rest, and enjoy its Sabbaths. As long as it lies desolate it shall have rest, the rest that it did not have on your Sabbaths when you were dwelling in it” (Leviticus 26:34–35). Every six years the law instructed the people that they were to celebrate a Sabbath Year in which the land was to lie fallow. Neither Israel nor Judah were faithful to obey this command. 2 Chronicles reflects on this telling us that Judah was taken captive by Babylon until the establishment of Persia “to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years” (2 Chronicles 36:21). The sabbath year which would occur every seven years is multiplied by ten. After ten sabbath years, then they would return.

Now, how would the Jew hear seventy sevens or 490 years? Listen to these instructions from Leviticus 25.

“You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years. Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan. That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of itself nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines” (Leviticus 25:8–11).

Every seven sevens, that is every 49 years, commencing with the Day of Atonement, the Jews were to celebrate the Year of Jubilee. Not only was the land to have rest, property was to return to its rightful inheritors and slaves were to be set free. So we first have the Sabbath Year multiplied by ten and now we have the Jubilee Year multiple by ten.

Daniel has this longing, and it is to be found not simply in the Sabbath, but with the Jubilee, following not the seventy, but the seventy sevens. Then meaning, as one pastor puts it, is not calendrical, but theological. With the Year of Jubilee then in mind, listen to the sixfold purpose of the seventy sevens.

“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, 

to finish the transgression, 
to put an end to sin, 
and to atone for iniquity, 
to bring in everlasting righteousness, 
to seal both vision and prophet, 
and to anoint a most holy place” (v. 24).

All these purposes are good, but three are negative and three are positive. Negatively, sin is dealt with. Positively, righteousness is established, prophecy is completed, done, fulfilled, sealed, and finally, a most holy place is anointed. Jesus does all this by His cross and resurrection, bringing the age to come breaking into the present. He became sin for us that in Him we might become the righteousness of God in Him. He fulfilled the Scriptures. And His temple, being destroyed, was raised again on the third day, and then, having ascended, He sends His Spirit to anoint the living temple of His mystical body, the church.

Daniel is looking to the end of the seventy, but it is not until the end of the seventy sevens, the ultimate Jubilee, that all that he longs for will come. Through Isaiah, Yahweh spoke of the hoped for Son of David who will bring this to fulfillment.

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations” (Isaiah 61:1–4)

When does this happen? Jesus read this very text in the Synagogue at Nazareth, ending with the words, “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,” and then He preached this short sermon, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).

Courage Must Be Pursued Indirectly (Daniel 6)

When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.
—Daniel 6:10

In typical Chestertonian style, G.K. Chesterton writes, “Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die. ‘He that will lose his life, the same shall save it,’ is not a piece of mysticism for saints and heroes. It is a piece of everyday advice for sailors or mountaineers. This paradox is the whole principle of courage… A man cut off by the sea may save his life if he will risk it on the precipice.”

Courage is a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die. To understand this more clearly, think of two ancient Christians called on to make the profession “Caesar is Lord.” One buckles and is freed. The other, professing “Christ is Lord,” dies a martyr. One may still exist, but which one truly lived?

Courage is a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die. It was for desire to live that Hugh Latimer, the English Reformer, cried out to his friend Nicholas Ridley as they were to be burned at the stake, “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust never shall be put out.” J.C. Ryle writes of Latimer, “He feared God, and nothing else did he fear. ‘Latimer, Latimer,’ he exclaimed at the beginning of one of his sermons, ‘thou art going to speak before the high and mighty King Henry VIII, who is able, if he think fit, to take thy life away. Be careful what thou sayest. But Latimer, Latimer, remember also thou art about to speak before the King of kings, and Lord of lords. Take heed that thou dost not displease him.’”

What produces such Christian courage? What underlies it? You won’t get the answer by looking at the courage itself. Courage is a secondary thing. C.S. Lewis reminds us, “You can’t get second things by putting them first; you can get second things only by putting first things first.” Many men want to be courageous, but when the fire comes they find their hearts cold. This is because they merely wanted to be courageous, but find they have nothing to be courageous about.

Saints, be inspired by Daniel, but not obsessed with him. An obsession with a Daniel is likely a prideful desire to be like Daniel, meaning, to be seen to be like a Daniel. Such aspirations for courage melt like wax in the flame. No, be obsessed with Daniel’s God, the one who took on flesh, acted with perfect righteousness, was crucified for sinners, was buried and placed behind a sealed stone, and rose with victory. If you want to grow in courage, grow in faith. If you want to grow in faith, look to Christ. If you want to see Christ, look to the Word. “[F]aith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Look to the one who rules kings and kingdoms so that the Stone might be seen superior to the statue knowing that nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus your Lord.

"for he is the living God, 
     enduring forever; 
his kingdom shall never be destroyed, 
     and his dominion shall be to the end. 
He delivers and rescues; 
     he works signs and wonders 
     in heaven and on earth, 
he who has saved Daniel 
     from the power of the lions.”

—Daniel 6:26–27

Daniel’s Rhythm and History’s Beat (Daniel 6)

“He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.”
—Daniel 5:21–23

Early in his commentary on Daniel, Sinclair Ferguson offers this insight, “From one point of view (and one of which the teacher or preacher needs to be aware in the study of Daniel) there is a certain monotony about the underlying structure and theme of the succeeding chapters of this book. The scenario changes, but the plot remains the same.” Kings live and die. Kingdoms rise and fall. There is change; this is constant. But God Most High, He lives forever, His Kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and His dominion endures from generation to generation (4:3).

This is the major theme, the bass drum of the rhythm of Daniel. And the same minor themes, the toms, snares, and cymbals, keep steadily recurring as well. But this “monotony” is now amplified as the movement of Daniel 2–7 begins to turn back in on itself, making its way back through the themes it has developed. The chiasm of Daniel 2–7 has reached its center and now works its way back out again.

These chapters, all written in Aramaic, have a definite chiastic structure. A chiasm is a structuring device that has an ABCBA pattern. On the outside of this chiasm, we have Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about four kingdoms (ch. 2) and Daniel’s vision of four kingdoms (ch. 7). Further in, we have two stories of faithful Jews, first that of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in chapter 3, then that of Daniel and the lion’s den in chapter 6. Then at the center, we have two stories about kings being humbled, first Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 4 then Belshazzar in chapter 5.

A Nebuchadnezzar’s Vision of Four Kingdoms (Chapter 2)

	B The Fiery Furnace (Chapter 3)

		C Nebuchadnezzar Humbled (Chapter 4)

		C' Belshazzar Humbled (Chapter 5)

	B' The Lion’s Den (Chapter 6)

A' Daniel’s Vision of Four Kingdoms (Chapter 7)

Remember also that the book of Daniel clearly falls into two halves. The first half, chapters 1–6, is comprised of six narratives. The latter half is made up four apocalyptic visions. The Aramaic section, as it draws in chapter 7, demonstrates that the message of Daniel is singular. The narratives help you interpret the visions. And here is the singular and united message of Daniel. Daniel is given to us “to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men” (Daniel 4:17).

This is the rhythm of Daniel. It is the rhythm of history. It is steady, but it is not painfully “monotonous.” It is the beat that holds history together and keeps all things marching along to His eternal purpose. The Most High rules the kingdom of men for His purposes. And this is His purpose: that the Stone might be seen to be superior to the Statue.

“The Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.”

“And being found in human form, [the Christ] humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:8–11).

The Statue and the Stone (Daniel 2:31–49)

“You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.”
—Daniel 2:31–35

Sometimes Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is referred to as his “dream of the great image.” Some Bibles might even have something like that as the heading for this chapter. But that is only half the dream, and it is the lesser half. There is not only a statue; there is a Stone. This is “Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the statue and the Stone.” And if the statue is great, mighty, of exceeding brightness, and frightening in appearance, how much more awesome is this Stone?

The Stone is cut out, but not by human hand. It is a Divine Stone. There is something about the image, not only in its shape, but in its origin, that is of man. Not so with this Stone.

The Stone strikes the image on the feet of iron and clay. The divine clashes with the human. This doesn’t simply topple the image; it disintegrates it. When the Colossus of Rhodes fell, it was still so impressive that many continued to journey to see it until the seventh century when Arabian forces raided and broke it up for scrap. But when this great image is struck by the stone, all is broken into pieces so that is becomes like chaff and is carried off by the wind with not a trace left to be found. The Jew, reading of this vision, no doubt could not but think of the wicked being described in just this way in the first psalm. “The wicked… are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous” (Psalm 1:4–5).

Not only does the Stone destroy; it dominates (v. 35b). The stone destroys the image and becomes a mountain that fills the earth. Though this dream is one of a statue and the Stone, if we are going to pick one of them to designate this dream, it should be the Stone. What is this great image in comparison to the great mountain? The image may explain part of Nebuchadnezzar’s fright, but the Stone is the superior cause.

What a Language You Can’t See Says (Daniel 2:1–30)

In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.” Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.”
—Daniel 2:1–4

The most obvious thing about our text is 99.99% invisible to us in our English translations. The only hint of it subtly comes in the midst of verse 4 when we are told that the wise men spoke to the King in Aramaic. The next words in the text are Aramaic. Not only are their words in Aramaic, but all the following words in Daniel are in Aramaic until 7:28.

Aramaic is a cousin to Hebrew. It too is a “Semitic language.” These days we are once more hearing of antisemitism, referring to hatred of the Jews. “Semetic” in the context of languages has a broader reach, but shares the same root and reference point. Semetic languages are those spoken by the descendants of Shem, the son of Noah (Genesis 10:21). Among the offspring of Shem are Aram and Eber. From Aram we eventually get Aramaic. And from Eber we eventually get Hebrew. That these languages share much in common should be no surprise, for Abraham was called by God out of Ur of the Chaldeans (Genesis 15:7). Deuteronomy 26:5 refers to Joseph as being “a wandering Aramean.” Still, these languages are distinct. These are not brothers with different accents or dialects. They are cousins; something like Spanish and Portuguese.

Why is this portion of Daniel in Aramaic? As you carefully read on, an answer emerges alongside a pattern. There is a chiastic pattern to chapters 2–7. A chiasm is a greater than (>) or an ABCBA pattern. The text curves back in on itself. On the outside of this chiasm, with chapters 2 and 7, we have first Nebuchadnezzar’s dream concerning four kingdoms and then Daniel’s vision concerning four kingdoms. In chapters 3 and 6 there is a story of faithfulness despite the threat of death, first that of the three Hebrew children and the fiery furnace and then that of Daniel and the lion’s den. Finally, in the middle, chapters 4 and 5, we have stories of two kings who are humbled, first Nebuchadnezzar then Belshazzar.

Remember that Daniel falls into two halves: the first half is made up of six narratives, the latter half relates four apocalyptic visions given to Daniel. Chapter 7 is a bridge, linking the narratives to the visions and showing the unity of the message of Daniel. Yahweh, the God of Israel, is sovereign over all nations. Also, it should now be noted, Aramaic was the lingua franca of this era, the common language, the trade language, the international language.

From the Ishtar Gate built by Nebuchadnezzar around 575 BC.

So as you see these pagan kings recognizing something of Yahweh’s supremacy and as you see them make public decrees like, “…he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end” (6:26), it is fitting that this be recorded in the very language that would reach the empire. Yahweh is telling the nations that He is Lord of the nations.

But this message is framed by Hebrew. Further insight and understanding of this proclamation of the international Lordship of Yahweh is held out to His covenant people. Daniel is a message to the people of God that contains within it a message to all the nations. The message to the nations, is understood most deeply by the people of God to whom Yahweh reveals Himself in covenant. What is that message? It is essentially the same message that gives the people of God hope and the nations cause to tremble in Psalm 2.

Why do the nations rage 
     and the peoples plot in vain? 
The kings of the earth set themselves, 
     and the rulers take counsel together, 
     against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, 
“Let us burst their bonds apart 
     and cast away their cords from us.” 

He who sits in the heavens laughs; 
     the Lord holds them in derision. 
Then he will speak to them in his wrath, 
     and terrify them in his fury, saying, 
“As for me, I have set my King 
     on Zion, my holy hill.” 

I will tell of the decree: 
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; 
     today I have begotten you. 
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, 
     and the ends of the earth your possession. 
You shall break them with a rod of iron 
     and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” 

Now therefore, O kings, be wise; 
     be warned, O rulers of the earth. 
Serve the LORD with fear, 
     and rejoice with trembling. 
Kiss the Son, 
     lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, 
     for his wrath is quickly kindled. 
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Transmission by Tradition (Proverbs 4:1–9)

"When I was a son with my father, 
     tender, the only one in the sight of my mother,
he taught me and said to me,
'Let your heart hold fast my words;
     keep my commandments, and live.
Get wisdom; get insight; 
     do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.'"

—Proverbs 4:3–5

We see here the relationship of tradition to wisdom. Tradition may have a negative connotation, as when Jesus rebuked the Pharisees in Matthew 15 for breaking the commands of God for the sake of their tradition. But the problem is not with tradition itself. Tradition by itself is simply a method.

Wisdom we see gives reasons. Wisdom has roots. Tradition for the sake of tradition is rootless. It is not wisdom. Tradition for the sake of tradition can be nothing more than fools foolishly listening to fools. Even so, tradition is the vehicle for the transmission of wisdom. The enduring creeds, confessions, and catechisms of the church have value for this reason. They are accrued wisdom, rooted in the Scriptures, handed down through tradition.

Jarosav Pelikan said “Tradition is the living faith of the dead, traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. And, I suppose I should add, it is traditionalism that gives tradition such a bad name.” Paul admonished the Thessalonians saying, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter” (2 Thessalonians 2:15). What we have in Proverbs 4:3–9, is the same kind of generational transmission that Paul speaks of in 2 Timothy 2:2. “[W]hat you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”

Wisdom is to be wed to tradition because wisdom is better inherited than earned. It is wise to readily receive an inheritance of wisdom. It is foolish to spurn it. Many adolescents are eager to receive the wealth of their parents, while rejecting the wisdom that led to that wealth. This is the folly of the prodigal son. By spurning the wisdom he did not want, he also lost the wealth that he did want. He eventually gained wisdom through experience, but it was a costly lesson. Buy wisdom cheap. Purchase it through another’s experience. One theologian writes,

“Tradition can be described as vicarious experience. An old proverb states that ‘experience is the wisdom of fools.’ This may appear to be counter-intuitive, but the point is simple. Fools learn from experience that fire burns your fingers; wise people learn this by heeding what they are taught—and by observing fools! The biggest fools do not learn even from their experience. As the saying goes, there is not much to learn from the second kick of the mule. There is no need to reinvent the wheel in every generation”

Wisdom is to be sought, not found.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12).

“Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it’” (Jeremiah 6:16).

Before you walk in the way that seems right to you, ask the gray head for the ancient paths. Wisdom is to be sought. And such wisdom transmitted through tradition.

Parents, know the value of giving and receiving inherited wisdom. Learn the value of good tradition. Implore your children as former fools who have graciously been shown wisdom. Implore them to seek Christ, the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:25) and to walk in the fear of Yahweh.