DANIEL 12
8 I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” 9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 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. 11 And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. 13 But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.” – Daniel 21:8-13
DANIEL 12 WHEN WE DON’T UNDERSTAND
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
There are things that the Lord leaves a mystery to us
When we don’t understand, let us not rely on ourselves
Instead, let us be satisfied with the revelation he gives
We don’t see the whole picture of his salvation plan
Let us trust him and look to the promises to all his people
When we don’t know, we can stay patient and hopeful.
In verses 8-9, Daniel acknowledged his inability to comprehend the words he heard from the holy one who spoke to him. When he asked what those words meant, the reply was very clear that he needs to let it go. The words are locked in until the end of time. Humans have a strong tendency to want to understand everything they hear or see or things that happen to them. We have limited knowledge unlike God’s infinite wisdom. He is All-knowing and Sovereign. He can give us as much or as little revelation as he pleases. He knows our limits and our sinfulness which predisposes us to mess things up in his plan. That has been proven in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve messed up the plan of God to walk with him in a place where there is no lack.
There are two numbers stated here in verses 11-12, numbers 1290 and 1335. According to Coffman’s commentary, “Probably the best view of it is to understand it as a symbol of the same period, namely, the whole Christian dispensation, as that of the “time, and times, and a half a time,” the one thousand two hundred and three score days.” He further says in his commentary “It is simply a mystery to us as to why these variable time-periods are used here; and our conviction remains that in some general sense, at least, they appear to have reference to the whole Christian dispensation, exactly as does “the time, and times, and a half a time.”
In verse 13, Young’s beautiful comment is, “Daniel himself is assured of his salvation, and that he shall stand in his lot at the end of the days.” Are we able to say the same for ourselves? Are we able to stop questioning about things that God hasn’t allowed for us to understand?
REFLECTION
- What must a Christian do when there are things he or she can’t understand? Why?
