David Bahn – Reflections

In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict. And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision.

² In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. ³ I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks. ⁴ On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river (that is, the Tigris) ⁵ I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. ⁶ His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. ⁷ And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. ⁸ So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, and I retained no strength. ⁹ Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground.

I recall sharing this story with a group of 8th graders. Describing the appearance of this man of Daniel’s vision, I told them that his appearance would put him at 11 on a 10 point weirdometer. They seemed to like the description. It does seem to evoke a certain image. Indeed this servant of God is at least a bit weird. His message is way beyond weird.

His appearance is not all that is unique; even the sound of his voice is overwhelming. Daniel’s response is appropriate: he falls on his face in deep sleep. Literally. He does a faceplant and seems not to move. When was the last time that you’ve been so overwhelmed by the appearance and voice of a messenger of God that you fell on your face before him?

God doesn’t always show up like this – all guns blazing. More often he shows up in the still small voice (cf. 1 Kings 19:11-13). Most powerfully God has spoken to us by the babe of Bethlehem, the innocent, gentle, humble Jesus of Nazareth. Too seldom we are overwhelmed by the voice of Jesus.

What will bring Daniel to life is a message of grace, hope and insight from the messenger. It is the same with Jesus: when his words hit home he brings grace, hope, and life. When that happens it reveals the truth of the statement: “I’ve never been surprised by God’s judgment—but I’m still stunned by his grace!” (Max Lucado, Stunned by His Grace).

Would that we were more often so stunned.

“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. ²⁵ Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. ²⁶ And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. ²⁷ And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” – Daniel 9:24-27

My favorite kinds of movies and books are those in which the bad guy eventually gets his just deserts. The corrupt and hypocritical warden is found out (Shawshank Redemption). The hero wins the beautiful lady’s heart (choose any romantic comedy). Simple, but not without much intrigue, challenge, plot twists and setbacks along the way.

Life on earth is not often that way. The good guy doesn’t always win. The woman of valor doesn’t always prevail. In real life, moreover, the presence of evil goes seemingly unchecked all too often. Corrupt politicians get re-elected time after time. The drug lords and human traffickers seem to be immune to prosecution. The slick lawyer gets the guilty off scot-free.

While the particulars of this passage from Daniel defies simple interpretation, the bottom-line message is simple and clear: the “desolator” will be brought to an end; the “decreed end will be poured out on the desolator.” Evil will not always hold sway. Satan will not forever have his way. His end is decreed. God has set a time. His days are numbered.

If, like Daniel, you are in even the latter days of such a reign of evil and terror, these words can embolden faithfulness, sustain hope, and bolster love. God’s word was given to us not only for the purpose of our salvation, but to bring us under the rule and reign of God, and as such to enlist us in his mission of saving the world from the evil influence of the desolators all around us.

Jesus refers to the abomination of desolation in Matthew 24:15, which references this passage from Daniel. This refers initially to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, but ultimately to events surrounding his ultimate return in glory. The end will come. For God’s people that is good news. For desolators of all kinds this will be the very bad news of their demise.

Read Daniel 9:20-27

While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for the holy hill of my God,²¹ while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. ²² He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. ²³ At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision. – Daniel 9:20-23

If you read the remainder of Chapter 9 you may have a better grasp of its specific meaning than I do. Having looked at it recently and interpreting “weeks” as sevens (the actual meaning of original Hebrew), and considering these to refer to years, gets a number of different spans of time.

There are those given to discovering or at least exploring the specifics of these dates. I am not one of those persons. That is mostly due to my personal wiring; I just don’t think in that way. It also has to do with my appreciation for the timing of God, and the “upper story” of God’s work in the world. While God works in real time, and we experience life in real time, God’s greater work is best understood in the larger context of the Story of God – from Creation, to Redemption, to the Consummation of all things under Christ.

To that end, verse 23 of this chapter is precious to me. God moves toward us in answering our prayer as soon as we pray. He is not bound by time, though we are. He is not hurried by our impatience or slowed by our complacency. When we pray, God acts.

There are two great reasons for God’s action toward us and in response to our prayers. First of all, as Gabriel tells Daniel, “you are greatly loved.” What a wonderful truth for us to embrace! We are greatly loved by the Great God who is above all, and yet to deigns to hear our prayers. This is the kind of truth to steady our hearts and to secure our hopes. When we pray, God hears and moves – because he love us.

He does so, also, because he has promised to do so. It is the nature of God not only to love us, but to let us know that we can approach him in prayer. It is the love of God which moves him to make promises and the righteousness, holiness, and character of God that moves him to keep his promises.

Promises are cheap to those who have not intention of keeping them. But when we hear God’s promises, and when we call upon him in prayer, those promises are precious. And when we pray, God answers. Come Lord Jesus!

“O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. ¹⁷ Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. ¹⁸ O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. ¹⁹ O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.” – Daniel 9:16-19

Keith and Krystyn Getty’s beautiful hymn, In Christ Alone, expresses important spiritual truth in a compelling lyric and tune. But the grace and truth the hymn conveys has not been without conflict and challenge. One particular phrase has been a source of controversy: ‘Til on that cross as Jesus died, The wrath of God was satisfied…

There have been those who would wish to change those words to say, ‘Til on that cross as Jesus died, The love of God was glorified…We don’t like wrath. We would wish not to speak of it. We would rather speak of God’s love, kindness, and grace. We would prefer to ignore God’s judgment against sin, and our need to appease God’s wrath.

We best pray when we do so from an attitude of humility and acknowledgement that we have no standing before God on our own basis. We are like a debtor who owes a debt he can never repay, and for which our banker is requiring immediate payment. We’re broke. We cannot offer anything. Humility is all we have. In fact, in human terms we have been completely humiliated, for we must beg for mercy, and the one to whom we are begging seems to love to see us grovel.

That, however, is not how God is. We are deeply in debt to him; beyond that which we could ever pay for all eternity. But he is no harsh loan officer. He is not set against us. He is merciful, kind and good – even though he is also just, holy and righteous.

We do, nevertheless have a strong position before God: we are called by his name. To put us to shame would sully his glory. We are his. We belong to him. He cares all about us. People know that.

We have two reasons by which we can be confident in our prayers: God is merciful, loving, gracious, good, and kind. And we are called by his name. When we pray in the name of Jesus, we invoke both God’s grace and the name he puts on those who believe in him. That is a powerful name. Our prayers in his name reach the highest realm of God’s kingdom. Jesus’ name bolsters his grace, and gives us hope.

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— ² in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

³ Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. ⁴ I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁵ we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. – Daniel 9:1-5

Jesus’ disciples ask him about a man born blind, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:1-2). Based on that and a general desire not to have to deal with the consequences of our sins we easily dismiss the idea that troubles we face are a result of our sin. In fact some people go a long way to dismiss such an idea. “God doesn’t punish people like that,” they say.

That is decidedly not the response of Daniel in response to the situation Israel faced while they were exiled and Jerusalem lay desolated. Daniel sought God’s mercy and confessed his sin to God. His prayer is recorded in this chapter. It is extensive and lengthy in repentant ethos and short on excuses and self-justification.

Daniel begins by acknowledging the goodness, grace, mercy, glory, faithfulness and greatness of God. His whole prayer is predicated on these attributes of the One to whom he is praying. Daniel also identifies the One to whom he prays as the Lord his God. He also acknowledges his and his people’s sins.

There are times when our sins lead directly to severe consequences. Rob a bank at gunpoint and get shot by the police: a direct result of your sin. Drink yourself senseless, wreck your car and suffer severe injuries: a direct result of your sin. Clear and direct consequences such as these are easy to identify.

There are more subtle consequences we experience today. Neglect your spouse and children and suffer being estranged from your family. Ignore God’s word and neglect public worship and lose perspective on life, hope, and God himself.

What shall we do when we discover the reality of our sin? Stay strong on God’s glory and eschew excuses. Get real. Get honest. Confess your sin. Seek God’s mercy. Rely on his faithfulness. Pray for forgiveness.

Read Daniel 8

And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up. ¹⁹ He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end… ²⁶ The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.”

²⁷ And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it. – Daniel 8:19, 26-27

I was greatly helped by a fellow seminary student who taught me how to read. You read right: a fellow seminary student taught me to read; but not the “See Jane run. Run, Jane, run,” kind of reading. He helped me to become more aware of what I was doing as I was reading things far more complex than a grade school reader. I would read portions of a story, then zone out while I was supposedly reading, and then a bit later re-engage with the text. The process he showed me enabled me to get a better handle on my reading skills and become a faster reader with greater comprehension.

You do not need to know everything about God, however, in order to believe in him. Francis Rossow, a  professor at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri is quoted as saying, “We know precious little about God, but the little we know is precious.”

This passage from the book of Daniel fits into the category of knowing precious little, but the little being precious. After all the explanations that Daniel is offered (first hand!) he ends up being sick and appalled. But even though he doesn’t understand what he has been told, he still went about his business. Sometimes we must walk by faith.

Martin Luther is to have said, “When you come to a passage of Scripture that you do not understand, praise God and go on reading.” I am not able to find a source for that quote, but the sentiment rings true to Luther. And it seems to be good advice here.

There is much in this chapter and other chapters of Daniel which are difficult to understand. But the little we do understand lead us well to praise God. Moreover, Daniel’s example of going about his business is instructive for us all. Even though this is a disturbing vision and Daniel fails to comprehend its full meaning, he will carry on. It brings to mind the WWII poster produced in England: Keep Calm and Carry On. We might say, Keep Calm, Praise God, and Carry On.

Read Daniel 7:15-28

“Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast,

²⁸ “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.”

There are those who want to make a hard and fast judgment regarding the Antichrist. Is it the Pope? Is it Mohamed? Is it Hitler? Is it Stalin?

To identify one or another as the Antichrist, however, really misses the point. His rule – though fierce and ruthless – will be for only “a time, times, and half a time.” That equals 3½, not seven. Seven is the number of completeness, or the number for heaven and earth (3 for God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – plus 4 for earth – the four points of the compass). Whoever reigns as that fourth beast (be it the Antichrist, or Rome itself – toward which these verses seem to point) will not reign forever. He will give an account. His kingdom will be taken away.

The period of time after the Early Church was founded was a time of ruthless persecution, torture, intimidation, and mayhem. The kinds of excruciating torture and evil treatment people who followed Jesus endured makes the most disgusting horror film pale in comparison. If you wish to read for yourself, check out this article. I recall specifically learning of the persecutions by Nero, Decius, and Diocletian: all of whom were severe.

Jesus took those persecutions to a new ending by his faithful suffering and death. He hwo left his throne on high, emptied himself and entrusted himself to the One who would forsake him in his weakest hour. But he never lost faith. And by that He redeemed us lost and condemned men and women, children and youth. That noble army of martyrs with whom we join in worship on Sunday are those whose deaths reflect Jesus’ perfect martyrdom. He knew Daniel’s vision. He knew God’s power. He staked his eternal glory on the truth of both. Thanks be to God.

“I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. ¹² As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

¹³ “I saw in the night visions,

and behold, with the clouds of heaven
    there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
    and was presented before him.
¹⁴ And to him was given dominion
    and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
    should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
    which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
    that shall not be destroyed.

 

There have been a few times in my life when I knew the outcome of a conflicted encounter would be in my favor. One occasion had me confronting a defiant person, committed to a course of action that I knew was wrong and harmful to his Christian witness. I walked in the door to his greeting, “I know what you’re here for and I’m not going to change my mind.” At that moment, I knew he was going down…that is, rather, I knew that his bravado would bow to the truth. He truly respected me and God’s word. It was simply a matter of getting the truth into his view. He repented of his wayward plans and we left as friends. It was a great day for the rule and reign of God.

Amidst the vision of all the beasts and symbols – horns and teeth of the night vision – comes a very clear expression of simple truth. The Ancient of Days will receive the Son of Man, who will be given dominion, glory, honor, and a kingdom.

Looking back these 2500+ years, we are able to see Jesus as the fulfillment of this vision. Jesus has come to the Ancient of Days. He has been given a place of honor at the right hand of God. His reign is forever and ever.

The question for us is not whether Jesus will be given honor; he has been given that honor. The question is not whether all nations will bow down to him; they will. It’s clearly expressed in the New Testament: “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11).

The question we face is when and how we will embrace that truth – and how our friends and neighbors will embrace it as well. Will it be under duress – having to admit how wrong they were, or how oblivious they were to have ignored or resisted his reign? Or will it be the delightful expression of joy and happiness in seeing our Savior face to face? Will it be in humble faith or resentful submission?

It’s gonna happen: kingdoms will come and empires will go, but Jesus reigns forever. We have been given the privilege of seeing it, and knowing it to be reign of grace, mercy, truth, and righteousness.

Read Daniel 7:1-10

 “As I looked,

I attended a funeral at which an acquaintance who happened to be a pastor of a non-liturgical church presided. It struck me that there was very little “weightiness” in that service. It seemed to me (although it may have been quite appropriate and normal to him) that on the occasion of this funeral some ceremony or liturgical element would have been appropriate. Some events call for those moments of importance; the weightiness of the occasion welcomes an acknowledgement that something of significance is happening.

In this passage from Daniel the phrase, “and the books were opened,” surely conveys a most auspicious moment.

We have here a picture of the eternal celestial judgment hall, with the Ancient of Days presiding. There will be none who will forgo their moment of reckoning. There will be no failure to uncover whatever was theretofore hidden. This is a moment of eternal significance. This is the judgment of God.

Some want to think of God only as One who helps us in our time of need. But that does not go far enough. Truly God is gracious, merciful, kind, and compassionate. God is also just, mighty, holy, pure, and righteous. He does not wink at sin. He does not gloss over failure. A brief look at the events of Good Friday will bear this out quickly.

Don’t think too quickly of God’s mercy on that Great Last Day. God’s mercy will indeed come our way, and we can anticipate it with joyful hope. But we must stand before the judgment seat of God and give an account of our ways and words, our thoughts and actions. Thrones will be set. Mirriads of servants will gather. The books will be opened.

What will you say? May I suggest that you say, “My account has been paid by Jesus. It was a horrific price that he paid. But he paid it and declared it finished. I am eternally grateful to him and delight to call him my Lord and my God.” You might simply say, “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner.” And at that auspicious moment the Ancient of Days will look to the Son of Man and for his sake, welcome you into his very presence. That will be the most auspicious moment of all!

Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. ²⁰ As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” ²¹ Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! ²² My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”

²³ Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. ²⁴ And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.

²⁵ Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. ²⁶ I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,

I was never tempted in the slightest to try LSD or other mind-altering drugs. I was simply too afraid of the potential negative consequences! I had heard of genetic damage, and that was at least somewhat of a deterrent. But when I heard of a person who had a “bad trip” on the hallucinogen, and jumped out of a fourth floor window (to his death!), I was sufficiently afraid of the danger.

Too bad that more people are not sufficiently afraid of things like bad drugs, sinful activities, bad decisions, and God himself. It seems, in fact, that people today are counseled away from fearing God. God is not to be feared. He is love, kind, gentle, and merciful. While all those descriptors of God are true, they are not all that God is. He is also holy, just, righteous, and mighty. God is not to be trifled with.

This is what Darius experienced as they encountered Daniel’s rescue from the lion’s den. He decrees that all people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. Then he expresses the reasons for this call to fear: God the living God, never to be destroyed, delivering and rescuing, saving Daniel from the power of the lions.

Fearing God comes from an acknowledgement of his power; this is certainly true. But without God’s mercy, grace, and love, such fear becomes abject and pitiable. The Psalmist says, “There is forgiveness with you, therefore you may be feared” (Psalm 130:4). True fear of God is not only about being destroyed by his holy retribution. It is about failing to be rescued, being devoid of his mercy: eternally lost.

For the moment at least Darius has such fear in his heart. Will that be the case in the future? An even better question: Do you, dear reader, have that true fear in your heart toward God, that allows you also to love and trust in him?