Daniel 12
Over the next few months, our morning gatherings will be working through the book of Hebrews, and our evening gatherings through the book of Daniel.
Readings for this week June 19 - 23
Click here for a pdf of this week’s readings
Day 1 – God is With Us
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – Daniel 12:1
The constant message of the book of Daniel, amidst all the oppression experienced, all the danger walked through, and all the terrifying dreams and visions offered, is that Daniel and his friends, and the Israelites, and us as later readers of the book – all of us – are not alone. God is with us. Though there are times when we might wonder if he really is with us; though we may sometimes very strongly experience his absence; and though there may be times when we struggle to find him in our pain and suffering, he is with us. Daniel and his friends went through an awful lot, much of which they didn’t understand (look ahead to verse 8; perhaps not much has changed!), much of which made them wonder where God was and how he might be moving in what was happening. But God was with them, helping them achieve things they didn’t know they could do.
In ways we cannot see and perhaps cannot even comprehend, God does not abandon us. He does not leave us to cope on our own. However much there may be times when it seems otherwise, when it feels otherwise, we are never left alone. God is working for the redemption and restoration of creation at all times, and the importance of each of us in this – as both recipients of his love and care and as co-workers in the world’s renewal – means that we are always on his mind and he is always watching over us, whatever our experience may be. He was with Daniel all through his captivity; he is with us too.
Questions to Consider
Has an experience of God’s absence ever ended up drawing you more into his presence, into a deeper experience of him? How?
Prayer
Lord God, thank you for always being with me, even in those times when it seems you are absent. I praise you that nothing can separate us from your love, no matter our circumstances or feelings. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
Day 2 – To the End
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – Daniel 12:2-4
As briefly mentioned when we began going through the book of Daniel, significant parts of the book are popular with sections of the Christian subculture keenly interested in predicting and plotting an immanent “end-times” destruction of the earth, with the unrighteous consigned to the flames and the rescued righteous jetting off to heaven with Jesus. Today’s passage, though light on the details of this supposed future history, is one such favourite. But the entire theme of the book of Daniel is that God is sovereign and is with us in the midst of our struggles. He is in control and is working out his purpose for creation and has given us all important parts to play in its fulfilment – a purpose that involves the renewal and restoration of all creation and all people of the world.
We have seen that God is always with us and will continue to be. We know that he is love and that this love is for all. Whatever befalls us – individually and collectively – God is still in control and still offering this love to everyone. And he has chosen us to be vessels of this love. His call for us to join in his work does not have an expiration date this side of each of us being called home to our final rest. Standing up to injustice, offering compassion and care to the poor, bringing those on the margins to the centre, living lives that show the rest of creation what God-willed human flourishing and fullness can look like – these are our tasks to the end.
Questions to Consider
How do we live faithfully in the midst of “doomsday panic and fear” in a way that speaks of God’s true purposes for his creation? What does this look like for you today?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, show us how to live faithful lives of hope and promise. Give us the courage to embrace the world you love and work tirelessly and lovingly for its renewal and restoration. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
Day 3 – In Search of the Answer
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – Daniel 12:5-7
Is it Jesus, or is it not? That is the question. Commentators are divided on the issue of the identification of the figure clothed in linen “above the waters of the river” – some say Jesus, others say a figure that presages Jesus, still others an angelic figure that mirrors the other figure Daniel sees in this vision. Whichever interpretation we wish to take – and there are some intriguing water-based parallels with the gospels here if it is Jesus standing above the waters (walking on water, calming the storm) – the implication is clear either way: in the midst of all the chaos and confusion and violence and war, God is still in control and has not forgotten those at the mercy of events and the whims of those in positions of power. Such a time of chaos and disorder will be limited – God has spoken.
We want to know. We want the answer, particularly when it concerns the uncertainties inherent in the future and the havoc created when people and systems and even nature break down and strike out. We want certainty and safety amid the pandemonium. God promises that such rebellion and defiance of him and his purposes will not last, and that while it does – while evil thrashes in its death throes and the remaining shreds of its defeated power play out – he is with us. It won’t be easy – it has not been and is not for so very many in this world – but there is hope that God will confront the beasts and powers defeated on the hill of Calvary and end their tyranny and oppression once and for all.
Questions to Consider
What do you want an answer to in your life at the moment? Why? How would an answer change how you live?
Prayer
Gracious God, grow my ability to trust you especially when my own fears and desires are threatening to rule me rather than your will. Give me the strength to offer more of myself and my uncertainties to you. Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
Day 4 – Trust God
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – Daniel 12:8-12
Even here at the end, Daniel is still struggling to understand. At times, he knew what was happening and with God’s help could untangle even the strangest dreams and weather the most dire circumstances. But here he learns again that ultimately he must rely on God and trust that God knows more than he does, and can see the bigger picture of which we only sometimes see part. Whether Daniel can discern much or little, God encourages him to continue on, to carry on his faithful service whatever the circumstances. God has been with him his whole life; regardless of how much Daniel can see and understand, God will continue to be with him for however much remains.
So trust God. For the remainder of your days, however many they may be, and whatever may happen, cleave close to him. Listen to him. Follow him. There will still be calamity and wickedness – people will still insist on going their own way and try to bend others to their own desires – but for those willing to trust God and follow his path, purification and refinement await. He will continue to remake us so that we can make a difference to others. We are to continue on to the end – whether the end is our own or the end of the age – and are to do so living each day in the fullness of what God is calling us to, and in the knowledge that he is with us, guiding, prompting and leading us still as we follow Micah’s injunction to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with him.
Questions to Consider
How have you been learning to trust God more – and with more? How have things changed for you?
Prayer
Almighty God, help me trust you more. Help me walk further into your promises and give more of myself – including me hopes and fears and dreams into your care. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
Day 5 – “Go Your Way Till the End”
Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading – Daniel 12:13
Here we end our trip through (most of) the book of Daniel and it is fitting that the final words of the book are the words of God himself, the real hero of the book, the one who sustained Daniel and his friends, the one who protected them, spoke to them, revealed the meaning of dreams and visions to Daniel, and who judged those who sought to arrogate all authority and power to themselves. After all the decades of captivity that Daniel has endured, these closing verses offer words of encouragement and approval, reinforcing the fact that God has seen all that has happened, all that has been done, all that has been endured and that he will remember it all and honour it all at the end. He is always there; there is always hope.
“Go your way till the end.” We are to carry on until the end - the ambiguity of the end of the road or the end of life is intentional here. But while we live and move and have our being, the journey continues on and we do not travel alone. “You will rest.” God promises rest at the end of it, at the end of all things. We will not struggle and labour forever. “You will rise for your reward.” And more than this, he will bestow on us the promised inheritance as children of God. God holds all in his hands and what he holds he will not drop or discard. The memory of God contains all memories, even those we have forgotten, and he will bring all things and all people into his eternal kingdom where love and wholeness reign.
Questions to Consider
How will the book of Daniel help you “go your way till the end”? What has God been saying to you as you have been reading and meditating on it?
Prayer
Loving Lord, thank you for your word and for the wisdom in it. Thank you for the work of your Spirit in revealing more of you in what I read in your word. Continue to change me Lord, more like you each day. Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)