The King and the Furnace

Overview

Theophanies are episodes in the Old Testament when God appears visibly and/or audibly. These appearances of God are very powerful and dramatic. They teach us about Jesus who is the ultimate theophany — since Jesus is actually God who has come in the flesh.

Today’s passage in Daniel takes place in the sixth century BC, 600 years before Christ. Babylon was the preeminent power in the world and it had conquered Israel. The professional classes were exiled to Babylon and pressured to assimilate to the Babylonian way of life. One of the Jewish exiles, Daniel, and his friends are put to the test when forced to adopt Babylonian values. Today we’re going to learn about 1) the pressure of pluralism, 2) the precision of truth, and 3) the promises of suffering.