Bel and the Dragon 33-42

Daniel in the Lion's Den... Again.
33 Now the prophet Habakkuk was in Judea;¹ he had made a stew and had broken bread into a bowl, and was going into the field to take it to the reapers. 34 But the angel of the Lord said to Habakkuk, "Take the food that you have to Babylon, to Daniel, in the lions' den." 35 Habakkuk said, "Sir, I have never seen Babylon, and I know nothing about the den." 36 Then the angel of the Lord took him by the crown of his head and carried him by his hair;² with the speed of the wind he set him down in Babylon, right over the den. 37 Then Habakkuk shouted, "Daniel, Daniel! Take the food that God has sent you." 38 Daniel said, "You have remembered me, O God, and have not forsaken those who love you." 39 So Daniel got up and ate. And the angel of God immediately returned Habakkuk to his own place. 40 On the seventh day the king came to mourn for Daniel. When he came to the den he looked in, and there sat Daniel! 41 The king shouted with a loud voice, "You are great, O Lord, the God of Daniel, and there is no other besides you!" 42 Then he pulled Daniel out, and threw into the den those who had attempted his destruction, and they were instantly eaten before his eyes. (NRSV)
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¹ 1:33 In some manuscripts Habakkuk is also mentioned in the title of the book: "Bel and the Dragon, from the prophecy of Habakkuk son of Joshua of the tribe of Levi." However, Habakkuk lived at about the time of the Battle of Carchemish (605 BC, cf. Habakkuk 1:5-6), when Daniel was a very young man, not, as this story implies, when Daniel was old (530 BC). Incidentally, Bel and Dragon was probably composed around 100 BC.
² 1:36 Cp. Ezekiel 8:3, a vision that took place September 17, 592 BC.

The story concludes with a wild retelling of Daniel in the Lion's Den with an echo of Ezekiel 8:3. In Ezekiel, the prophet is whisked off by his hair to the north gate of Jerusalem. But in Ezekiel this is a vision. We take it literally because it's God's word—it was a vision that happened exactly as the prophet describes. But here in this story (not part of God's word) a similar event happens outside a vision. The story concludes as we would expect: The prophet is saved and the wicked are punished.

Time to answer some questions. First, the word "dragon" that occurs in this book is sometimes translated "huge snake" or "serpent." But the Greek word is simply drakon (δρακων), translated "dragon" throughout Revelation 12 and 13 in the Bible. It's also the word used in the Greek of the Old Testament (the Septuagint) in Job 7:12 (NIV "monster of the deep"). I don't know what the author had in mind here by "dragon." Probably, "dragon" means "dragon."

Second, I don't really know of any good commentary that points out the problems with the apocrypha. Commentaries on the apocrypha fall into two camps: either they are by Roman Catholics who take them as Scripture, or by critics who don't take the Bible any more seriously than they do the Apocrypha. Perhaps devotions like those offered this week might serve, as far as they have gone.

The main themes we have seen in "Bel and the Dragon" have been the courage of the faithful, the folly of idolatry, and trusting that God will provide for us, even and perhaps especially when we stand up for our faith. That's why the "Habakkuk flying with the soup" section is here: to show us that God will provide, and that God is capable of providing for us no matter what. Of course, we didn't really need to have a story made up to show that—but remember that this story was written by someone who didn't know Jesus' name; who never heard of the Feeding of the Five Thousand or the Calming of the Storm. If he or she could trust God to provide, how much more we should trust God to provide.

We know those true stories and we know our Savior. He gave everything for us, even his life. He has given us faith, heaven, forgiveness -- and the resurrection from the dead. And more than that, he has defeated the most serious dragon in existence, the old enemy himself.

He did it for me, and he did it for you. And I can't help saying it: he did it for my sister Belle (not Bel) too.