“And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished. I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, ‘O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?’ He said, ‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.'” Dan. 12:7-10
Devotional Thought For The Day
We go through life with a great deal of consternation. Most of the things that we experience have a degree of difficulty and do not immediately or completely conform to what we might expect. Obviously Job experienced this is in a very personal way, although the issues that he endured were much smaller and had less to do with the course of cosmic history, in regard to the future. Daniel’s disconsonant experiences were far greater and had to do with great historic occurrences that affected all of human life and history and brought about great changes. What was revealed to him in regard to the future also involved the great cosmic acts of God in providing redemption and salvation for human kind and events at the end of the present age. All of the people who were contemporaries of Jesus, and especially His disciples, experienced great events, changes, and difficult happenings. The confusion and struggle of the disciples to grasp the meaning of Jesus’ coming, what He would accomplish, and the nature of His kingdom on earth is well documented in the Gospels and to a certain degree in the book of Acts. The apostles also cautioned God’s people that there would be many things that we would have to accept and live through on the basis of faith rather than understanding.
Daniel acknowledged that he didn’t understand. He was promised that “none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand,” and many children of God who are attentive to His Word have been struggling to “understand” from the time of Daniel to today. We don’t know just how much understanding was granted to Daniel, or rather how specifically he was able to envision what had been revealed to him. But it is certain that he grasped the distinction between those who ended up “purified, white, and refined” and those whose lives can only be characterized as “acting wickedly.” To this day this is the critical difference that the wise understand and the wicked do not – that the blood of Jesus Christ God’s Son cleanses us from all sin, that living in His gracious mercy, forgiveness, and love recreates and renews a right spirit within us, and that our life in this world does “refine” us. The rest we also come to understand – at least the broad strokes and the greater reality, even though some of the details remain beyond a complete and certain understanding, as they did to Daniel and the apostles, and even John [Rev. 22:8,9]. But the main message remains the same and is quite clear: “And he said to me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.'” [Rev. 22:10,11]
It should not surprise us then, that even as children of God living by faith at a time in history more than 1900 years past the time when it was written that “the time is near” we continue to endure many experiences that are puzzling and beyond our complete understanding. Like Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samuel, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Peter, Paul, and John, we experience trials, troubles, tribulations, difficulties, and consternation. We too, just like they were, are called to live by faith, clearly grasping and understanding the crucial and essential matters, that we are to humbly and in genuine repentance take our robes and wash them in the blood of the Lamb so that overjoyed to live in His forgiveness and love, and in spite of our sins of weakness, we remain committed to doing right and being holy, and we are being refined in all of our experiences in life so that we live in His presence at all times and serve Him constantly. [Rev. 7:14,15] And regardless of what happens between now and the end, whether in our lifetime, whether directly in our personal experience or only what we hear of and have to ponder, we have the same instruction and certain assurance as that given to Daniel: “But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.” [Dan. 12:13]
In this interim, to keep us strong in faith and to increase our understanding and to refine us, God has given us life and fellowship within the church – to receive these blessings through His Word, His Sacrament, and in the mutual consolation and encouragement of the brethren. Every one of us has questions. We all have concerns. We are all pained and suffer from all that is wrong in the world, and wrong also in our lives. But . . . we carry on in faith, repenting of our sin and being cleansed in Christ’s blood, and strengthened in our commitment and orientation to godliness, righteousness, and holiness. We continue in our path through life as children of God, elected, called, justified, and glorified, on the Way that leads to full glory and bliss in God’s heavenly kingdom. Do we understand everything? Not hardly! But knowing Him Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, we have the greatest understanding available, and the peace which surpasses understanding! God grant you great joy and peace as He shepherds you to your home.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for what You have revealed to us about our sin and Your full and complete forgiveness and salvation. Thank You for what You have revealed to us about the future, and more importantly, what it is that we should be aiming our lives at. Keep us from consternation and frustration; remind us that we have sufficient instruction to keep us busy as Your servants in this world. Give us joy in what You have promised is coming, so that we have eager expectation for our rest and our allotted place. Amen.