I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. Later this month it will be my wife’s and my 16th anniversary. To celebrate this event I have decided to wish my wife Happy Anniversary for 16 days.
Thank you for being my wife.
Today, I am reading and commenting on Daniel 11-12.
The vision described in this passage does a pretty good job of describing the history of the Middle East from the time of Xerxes through the arrival of the Roman Empire in the region. The described history is from the perspective of the Jewish people. I certainly understand why some people believe that this passage was written in the time of the Maccabees, but I will accept the claim of the book that it was written shortly after the fall of Babylon. I know many people who gain great satisfaction from trying to puzzle out the meaning of the cryptic phrases in passages such as this one, but some time ago I realized that I do not have enough information to figure out what the writer meant by them.
That being said, the beginning of chapter 12 has some words that I have no trouble understanding. There will come a time of great distress and only those whose name is written in the Book (but everyone of those) will be delivered. Those who have died will be raised, some to everlasting glory, but many to everlasting shame. If we want to be among those who rise to glory, we must seek to impart wisdom to others and/or lead them to righteousness. Of course, in order to impart wisdom we must first possess wisdom. Let us humbly seek God’s wisdom and impart it to those we know as He directs us. If we truly follow this course we will lead others to righteousness. As I write this it occurs to me that the key here is leading others. You do not lead others by telling them what to do. You lead others by going in the direction they should travel while saying to them “Follow me.” Or as Paul wrote, “Follow me as I follow Christ.”
