More Ellipses

(See the previous post for the first installment on ellipses)

This morning we saw Theater for the Thirsty perform their play "My Name is Daniel." It is, of course, a retelling of pretty much the entire book of Daniel from the Bible.

The story starts when Israel is lead away into captivity in Babylon...
Yes, there are those ellipses again. Daniel is part of that group lead into captivity. He is aware of the prophecy of Jeremiah which says that Israel be captured, Jerusalem will fall and they will be in captivity. For 70 years.

Daniel stays the course in a foreign land where many gods are worship through the reign of at least three rulers. He and his friends were pressured to give into the religious regulations of the land, but held firm to their beliefs. He would most likely never see his people released or his homeland again. That is life between the ellipses.

And through it all--through oppression, pressure, hopelessness--Daniel remains unwavering in his faith. Yes, Daniel was raised to important positions in Babylon (again and again after being forgotten by each subsequent ruler), but he still faced many hardships (remember that lions den ordeal?). I admire him for his steadfast faith. I hope I have the same.