I am sure you are familiar with the idea that there are lines between the lines (LBTL) as we read a document, and that there is an  embedded theme (ET) in the words we find strung together. Eso and exo are Greek prefixes indicating inner and outer respectively. Exactly how we discover, discern, and dissect the lines between the lines, and whither we take the inner elements are up to us. It is essential to remember that (a) importing our idea into the text is strictly a tool of the devil, so (b) be sure that the lines-between-the-lines and the inner and outer elements are accurately measured in order to ascertain how they may fit into the interests of the context. Remember that the LBTL and the ET may not resolve into perfectly corresponding parts, as is the case when old wine is allowed to sit in old bottles. These are the contours of the handling of meaning in narratives within a narrative.

Exports from the names of Daniel and his companions

There are lots of people, leading figures, including pastors and elected representatives, who are pretending to have the tools to teach when they have not learned.  A good dose of reality should begin with realizing that we are not Yeshua of Nazareth.  Our mothers can teach us to read the Bible and pray, and yet diligence in the pursuit of truth and growth producing exploration of the Scriptures is strictly controlled by the Spirit of God.  For example, realizing that names have meaning, we can construct a scene or drama, if the names include clay and form/make we can see a potter’s shop, and if the names are judge and help we can construct a courtroom drama.

From names to drama

Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. Dan 1:6b

דָּנִיֵּ֣אל חֲנַנְיָ֔ה מִֽישָׁאֵ֖ל וַעֲזַרְיָֽה׃ …

These names appear in a list of equals. Each name is deity-bound, two ELs, two YAHs (-iah). The diversity of the names give us, in order, (i) a judge (dan), (ii) favour (chanan), (iii) evidence (mish), (iv) help (ezer). A judge must stand alone on account of his authority. A judge has no equal, and all who interact with him are gloing to be bound to him by specific functions. In the judge’s purview are the prosecutor, a defendant, the defence attorney. They interact with him in prescribed ways.

Favour, evidence/precedent, and help

In the courtroom then let us imagine that favour rests on the defendant and its effects cannot but be part of the record. The defendant’s attorney and even the accuser may have things to say in the defendant’s favour. The judge may even have formed a gracious approach based on the common knowledge possessed by each court officer and the defendant.

These three are not strictly trinitarian. Help can safely be paired with the Holy Spirit in the role of Defence attorney. Favour or grace can be grounded in the person of Christ, the saviour whose signature work is giving gifts to humanity. The  One-Who-Is-Like-EL appears as evidence, providing the exhibit typically labelled “A” and, in most cases, designed by the accuser/prosecution to seal or summarize the case.

The defendant’s attorney has the primary duty to provide help to the defendant. The judge also has the obligation to secure the defendant’s rights and protections. We are in a good place if we anticipate that One-who-is-like-GOD serves in the court as the inimitable guiltless human Mishael represents the once-for-all unblemished atoning sacrifice of Christ.

Far from nutrition-free snacks