In the Midst of the Hopeless
Daniel 9:20-27
We suddenly find out that we or a loved one has a terminal diagnosis. A parent that we hold dear, who has lived a long and blessed life leaves behind this mortal coil. We discover unfaithful actions of one whom we thought loved us. A child breaks our heart through wrong choices, making us question our parenting. Addiction grabs ahold and we cannot let it go. Life often presents us with hopeless situations. It is into these types of situations that apocalyptic passages in Scripture can speak to us most. After all, they are written in the midst of exile or persecution or times of moral corruption or as the religious community faces possible extermination.
The brief passage that follows Daniel’s prayer of confession speaks hope into the hopeless situation faced by Israel. It can also speak hope into the hopeless situations of our lives. After approaching Yahweh, the person upon whom we all should focus in prayer; after taking a posture in which Daniel turns his body and mind towards Yahweh; and after discovering that the purpose of prayer is to develop deeper relationship with God, Daniel receives a visit from Gabriel who brings a revelation from God. The messenger angel has come to share with him further understanding concerning the 70 days that Daniel meditated upon from the writings of his fellow prophet, Jeremiah. Scripture inspired Daniel to pray. The prayer led Daniel to some unexpected answers. It is interesting how earnest prayer can often lead to unexpected answers.
Daniel’s unexpected answers come as Gabriel reinterprets the 70 days. This reinterpretation applies the 70 days to more than just Daniel’s generation. Days of trial and eventual restoration apply to future generations as well. Gabriel informs Daniel that the 70 days represent seventy sevens. It is likely that this number represents 70 weeks of years (70 series of 7 days where each week equals a year – in other words 490 years). This idea of a week representing a year could have come from Greek culture. The concept may have also come from Leviticus where God speaks of punishing Israel sevenfold for their sins, indicating a period of seventy times seven years.[1] Ultimately, what the number represents does not matter. Gabriel’s message declares that exile, desolation, and other forms of hopelessness occur in the midst of life as God’s plan unfolds. Upon its completion, God’s plan will bring these things to an end. Numerology within apocalyptic literature is used to puzzle through troubling times, fostering faith and courage.[2] The numbers reinforce that God is in control even in the midst of the questions, doubt, and pain.
At the conclusion of these seventy sevens, transgression will be finished, sin will end, atonement for wickedness will occur, everlasting righteousness will come, vision and prophecy will be sealed, and the Most Holy Place will be anointed. As the promised end arrives, God cancels the evil which humanity perpetuates. As the promised end arrives, God brings restoration, healing, and blessing for the people. In short, God brings shalom, as originally intended for all creation.
For Daniel and the exilic community, the angelic message declares hope that exile will cease and they will return to The Promised Land. Future receivers of this promise can know that God exists in the midst of any suffering. Those who read this word during the reprehensible acts of Antiochus IV Epiphanes would have known that God promises deliverance for the faithful. Those who read this during the incursion of the Roman Empire into Israel would have known that God has a plan for his covenant people. Yet, none of them would know the fullness of God’s cancelation and restoration. God does offer reprieve during hopeless situations, but the fullness of this promise did not come true for the exilic community or for other groups who have experienced hopelessness through the ages.
The ultimate victory revealed in the message from Gabriel only comes true through the advent of the Messiah. The acts of Jesus on behalf of all people provide for the end of wickedness and the blessing of everlasting righteousness. When Christ died upon the cross he took upon himself the wrath of God so that we might experience forgiveness for sins. In His willing sacrifice, Christ finishes our transgression against God. At the cross, Christ also provides the path toward righteousness. Jesus’ actions upon the cross do provide final victory, but the fullness of that victory will not be realized until Jesus returns, establishing the kingdom of God forever. In this victory, all that seeks to bring desolation upon the earth and upon God’s people will come to an end!
In the meantime, we often find ourselves in the midst of hopeless situations. We face the moral depravity of our society and of individuals we hold dear. We struggle beneath our own addictions and destructive choices. We deal with the sickness and death of those we hold dear. We stare our own mortality in the face. We know that God’s victory is not complete and we long for that victory. Yet, we can rest in the fact that Christ has come, fulfilling the promise of God’s putting an end to sin, atoning for our wickedness, and bringing righteousness into our lives and world. In knowing that God has fulfilled that promise, we can also know that he will bring an end to all that is broken and destructive in our world. At the end of God’s proscribed time, the faithful will know victory. In this we hope even in the midst of the hopeless.
Prayer: Victorious God, we thank you for the redemption you provide through your son, Jesus Christ. In Him, you fulfill the promises you made through your prophets. While all those promises have not become reality, we wait in hope, knowing that you keep your word. Help us discover that hope anew in each seemingly hopeless situation. Help us to trust you more fully each day as we await your final victory. In Christ’s precious name we pray, Amen!
[1] D.
S. Russell, Daniel. (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1981), 183.
[2]
Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary: Daniel. (Grand
Rapids: Zondervan, 1999), 127-128.
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