The main message contained in Daniel’s advice is that God has a universal interest and concern for the oppressed, even in a foreign land. Daniel, with his understanding of God, strongly urged the king to reflect on his critical position before God and to seriously consider the warning message God was sending (Wallace, 1998, p. 81). In Dan 4, the main message is about the sovereignty of God. God’s sovereignty has universal implications. God cares for the oppressed even in foreign lands, whether they are believers or not. Knowing this, Daniel urged the king to treat the message from God seriously. In doing this, Daniel preached justice to one who was responsible for social justice in the heathen kingdom (v. 27). God requirement of justice from a heathen king illustrates two aspects of God’s universal rule. First, every person is required to honor a vertical relationship between God and humanity by recognizing God as Creator and Savior and by obeying His law. Second, every person must also honor horizontal relationships between human beings by treating people with kindness and love, as brothers and sisters. These perspectives suggest that missio Dei also includes the welfare of the marginalized: “The message of salvation implies also a message of judgment upon every form of alienation, oppression, and discrimination” (Gilliland, 1989, p. 21). Therefore, this requirement of social justice that is a part of the cultural mandate should also be a part of the practice of the crosscultural missionary. The proclamation of the Word of God should be balanced by the inclusion of God’s concern for justice. The missionary task includes calling on local leaders to care for the oppressed, the poor, and the miserable, whether they believe in God or not. The book of Daniel illustrates that the missionary mandate and missio Dei apply to all areas of life. Traditionally, the centrality of the cross of Jesus has been stressed as payment for the penalty of sin to satisfy the requirement of the justice of God for eternal life (Carroll R., 2000, p. 529). However, the book of Daniel shows that the justice of God encompasses more than the spiritual dimension and extends into the concrete realities of the human social context. Daniel’s example suggests that God cares about the present context of justice in today’s mission fields. It also suggests that sharing God’s care for the people who are in the context of injustice in a society, is a part of a contextualized message.
146
Sungik Kim