The complation of Book of Danial 21
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Susanna cried out to the Lord and her heard her cry
“Just as she was being led ott to execution,”
(13:45). She and perhaps other people knew that she was innocent hut any hope
of saving her was almost nonexistent. But God intervened in the fourth watch of
the night as He usually does. He waits. A problem solved in the first or the
second watch may be thought to have been solved spontaneously but only God can
save in the fourth watch of the night. It is also in the fourth watch that we
may appreciate God’s intervention fully.
A young man can have more faith than an old man and God does not see age as a
limiting factor in dealing with His servants. Daniel was probably only twelve
years of age when God saved Susanna through him, David the king and the
prophet, St. Abanoub, St. Massael
the ilernian and other saints were still very young
when they fought God’s war and won.
As Pope Shenouda once wrote, every prayer is accepted
for if a prayer is not answered, its acceptance is in the fact that it was not
answered. God sometimes waits to test our patience. lie may also wait because
the time is not right for the person to receive what they asked for or because
what they asked for is not what is best for them.
“And he shouted with a loud voice, “ I want no part in
shedding this woman’s blood!” All the people turned to him and asked, “What is
this you are saying?” (46, 47)
The people loved Susanna so that they were ready to hear any evidence, which
might prove her innocence.
‘Taking his stand among them he said, “Are yon such fools, 0 Israelites, as to
condemn a daughter of Israel without examination and without learning the
facts? Return to court for these men have given false evidence against her.” So all the people harried hack. And the rest of the elders
said to him, “Come, sit among us and inform us, for God has given you standing
of an elder!’ Daniel said to them, “Separate them far from each other, and I
will examine them.” (48-5 1).
Young Daniel was not afraid to speak up against the judges for the sake of
justice. In a similar fashion, Saint John the Baptist condenmned King Iterod’s actions
despite the latter’s position of authority and power.
God gave Daniel a spirit of fairness and justice and the idea to separate the
two judges to show Susanna’s innocence.
“When they were separated from each other, he summoned one of them and said to
him, “You old relic of wicked days, your sins have now come home, which you
have committed inn the past, pronouncing unjust judgenments, condemning the innocent and acquitting the guilty
though
