Deeper ReflectionIn 539 BC, Darius the Mede, who was “likely a subordinate ruler of
Cyrus of Persia”
5 , killed Belshazzar and “was made king over the
kingdom of the Chaldeans [Babylonians]” (v.1; Dan 5:30-31). And at this
particular historical moment, Daniel
turned to “the Scriptures” (v.2).
“The Scriptures” “suggested the existence of an identifiable collection of
authoritative religious writings, though this need not imply a precisely
defined and closed ‘canon’”
6 . And Daniel “understood from the Scriptures…
the word of the LORD to Jeremiah” that Babylon’s fall to the Persians
signaled “the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem”, and the end of
the “seventy years” of exile to Babylon (v.2): “When seventy years have
been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfil My good word to
you” (Jer 29:10).Do we, like Daniel, naturally turn to the Scriptures in our life situations
– good or bad situations? To naturally turn to the Scriptures is a spiritual
habit to be cultivated and developed over time. Consciously asking the
key question, “What does the Scripture say?” (Rom 4:3), is a mark of this
spiritual habit. And we must be familiar with the Scriptures, such that
we are able to
connect Scripture to life situations and life situations to
Scripture. This was exactly what Daniel was doing. Daniel “understood”
the turn of the geopolitical events around him
“from the Scriptures”.
And he “understood” the situation through a specific “word of the LORD
to Jeremiah” (Jer 25:11-12; 29:10). Here is a principle for application of
Scripture: Apply
specific Scriptures to life. This requires us to grasp the
Scriptures sharply.
2 John 6:63
3 Matthew 4:4
4 Romans 4:3
5 Tremper Longman III, Daniel, The NIV Application Commentary (Zondervan, 1999), 221; there have been much discussions among scholars over the identity of Darius the Mede
6 John E. Goldingay, Daniel, Word Biblical Commentary (Word Books, 1989), 240
