Today’s Scripture Reading (April 16,
2014): Daniel 10
Laurence
Olivier once described life as consisting of “strife and torment,
disappointment and love and sacrifice, golden sunsets and black storms.” Daniel
probably would have agreed with the esteemed actor’s words. His life seemed to
include all of the elements. Daniel did not live a life of advantages. Life had
started off with his forced removal from his home. And now, it ends with the
knowledge that he will most likely never see home again.
We are not
really told why Daniel was in mourning. But we do have a few educated guesses.
The first would be that this time of mourning was an extension of his reaction
to the things that God had shown him hiding in the distant future. But this is
not our only candidate. Another reason for Daniel’s depression could have been
that while the return to Judah had started, the children of the exiles, those
who had been born and lived their entire lives in Babylon, were not making the
most of their opportunity to return home. The reason for this was quite clear.
Life in Babylon was a known commodity, it was established, and it was
comfortable. For those that chose to return to Judah, life would be none of these
things. Going home would mean putting up with hardships as the returning exiles
began to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and surrounding area. But for Daniel,
the hardships really didn’t matter – it was home.
But another
reason for the mourning might have been that Daniel himself had been left off
of the list of those returning home. By this time, Daniel would have been in
his mid-eighties, and those in charge of the return probably wanted Daniel to
stay in Babylon interceding with government on the behalf of the returning
exiles. And deep down, Daniel knew that they were right. The best place for
Daniel to be in service for his home was in Babylon. As much he wanted to go
home, he couldn’t.
This is the
way life sometimes work. There is a myth that when we are in the service of God
somehow life is easy and we receive everything that our heart desires. But
Daniel is proof that this is not always true. Sometimes we have to sacrifice
what it is that we want for what is best as we move forward in God’s strength.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Mark 14
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