Daniel (Greek) 13:1-6: a reflection

1A man lived in Babylon, and his name was Joakim. 2He took a wife, whose name was Susanna, the daughter of Helkias, a very fair woman, and one who feared the Lord. 3Her parents were also righteous, and taught their daughter according to the law of Moses. 4Now Joakim was a great rich man, and had a beautiful garden next to his house. The Jews used to come to him, because he was more honorable than all others. 5The same year, two of the elders of the people were appointed to be judges, such as the Lord spoke of, that wickedness came from Babylon from elders who were judges, who were supposed to govern the people. 6These were often at Joakim’s house. All that had any lawsuits came to them.

The story of Susanna opens with quiet, easy-to-skip background: she was a beautiful woman who feared the Lord, and her parents were righteous and had taught their daughter according to the law of Moses. Before any drama, before the trial that would make her famous, we are simply told how she was formed: raised by godly parents, taught the law, grounded in the fear of the Lord from childhood.

Notice that this formation is mentioned before the crisis, and it matters, because when the crisis came, when two elders in authority cornered and falsely accused her, it was this deep grounding that held her. Faced with a terrible choice, she chose to fear God rather than give in, and she endured a false accusation with integrity. The character that carried her through the trial was not manufactured in the moment; it had been quietly built over years, by parents who taught her God's ways.

There is something here about the value of formation, both receiving it and giving it. The steady, unglamorous work of being grounded in God's word, or grounding children in it, does not look dramatic at the time. But it is exactly what holds when a trial comes that no one saw coming. If you are being formed in the faith, do not despise the ordinary grounding; it is preparing you for tests ahead. And if you are shaping others, children, younger believers, know that the patient teaching of God's ways bears fruit under pressure. Susanna's godly formation was there before she needed it. Build it now, before the test.

Lord, before Susanna's trial came, she had been grounded in your word by godly parents, and that formation held her. Help me value the steady, unglamorous work of being rooted in your ways, and of grounding others in them, knowing it prepares us for tests we do not see coming. Form me now, before I need it.