When We Mourn
Daniel 10:1-3
At this point in his life, Daniel has dealt with much. He has been carted off to a foreign country and forced to serve a kingdom that does not honor God. He has seen friends tortured. He has dealt with the malicious actions of others because of his obedience to God. He has spent the night with lions. He has also had a number of dreams and visions that had disturbing, yet promise-leaden content. Yes, in all this, God has raised him to a position of prominence in a foreign land. Yet, the one thing he longs for has not come true. He remains in exile. At this point, in the third year of the reign of King Cyrus, many Hebrews have returned to Israel under the leadership of Ezra and his companions. Yet, Daniel still lives in Babylon, serving a foreign government.
Perhaps that is why he tells us at the start of chapter 10 that he mourns for three weeks. He seems overwhelmed, longing for answers from God. Why is he still unable to return home? In the midst of this mourning, Daniel chooses to abstain from the consuming of meat and wine. Abstaining from consuming certain foods was often a way of focusing one’s self in order to gain special hearing from the Lord.[1] He also uses no lotions. This is a particular way of showing grief in the Ancient Near East. Lotion was important for helping one look healthy in a dry and arid climate. When one did not use lotions, many would assume that the individual was experiencing a time of grief. In one’s grief, personal comfort and cleanliness was seen as inappropriate.[2] In addition to these actions, we know that Daniel also prayed. In 10:12, the angel tells Daniel that his words have been heard. This indicates that Daniel called out to God in prayer as he abstained and grieved.
In response to his life situation, Daniel chooses to take advantage of two means that God blesses his followers with. Abstaining from certain foods and praying, along with other means, are gifted to God’s people so that they might know God better and seek after God’s presence in their lives. In other apocalyptic books, such as 2 Esdras and 2 Baruch, servants of God often use these gifts from God to prepare themselves for God’s revelations. After prayer and abstention, God or a messenger from God often delivers a revelation, offering truth.[3] This is exactly what happens for Daniel.
Like Daniel, we all come to moments in life when we just do not understand what God is doing, moments when we mourn. Daniel remains in Babylon while many of his fellow Hebrews have returned home. We might look around us and notice that others seem to benefit from God’s blessings while we remain in the questions, while we remain in the doubts, while we continue to grieve, and while we feel left out of God’s promises. So we mourn. At these times, we need to look to Daniel’s example, seeking out God through the means which He provides.
It is likely in these moments that God is preparing us for some work on His behalf. God left Daniel in exile where he continued to live and serve in Babylon so that God might reveal truth to him through the angelic messenger. God then inspires Daniel to share God’s message through writing down what he sees and hears. In this time of exile, God enables Daniel to bless generations of people through the words of wisdom in these final chapters of the book that bears his name.
Know that God has a design for the situation you find yourself in. He uses our doubts, questions, frustrations, and times of exile to do mighty works within us. Then through God’s work in our lives, God enables us to bless others.
But, like Daniel, we need to seek God in the midst of our mourning. We need to take advantage of the means God provides. We need to abstain from things that distract us from seeking our God. Sometimes we need to abstain from normal patterns and foods so that when we long for those things we are reminded to seek God. We also need to pray. We need to sigh out our griefs to God so that God might enrich us in gracious compassion.
God provides many other means by which we can seek Him in the midst of our mourning. Reading, meditating upon, and studying Scripture delivers wisdom regarding God’s work throughout history. In Scripture we can discover the many people who sought God in the midst of doubt, heartache, brokenness, and exile. Gathering with God’s community to worship allows us to receive encouragement from others who know God. This also encourages us to remember and celebrate God’s works amongst the faithful community. Serving our neighbors and giving generously will remind us that God does indeed use us and those things God provides even when we feel useless. These means, among others, will assist us in seeking God and understanding the mighty work that God desires to do through us.
As we seek God, He might not send immediate solutions to our aches. Daniel sought God for three weeks before the angel appeared. This period of seeking and grieving could have been much longer. In the midst of our waiting we must use the means God provides to faithfully pursue God. After all, God faithfully pursues us. In the midst of our waiting God will faithfully equip us for the mighty work of serving Him.
Prayer: Ever Present God, you uphold your people at all times. Lord, in those moments when you seem distant, in those moments when we struggle with doubt, in those moments when life overwhelms, and in those moments when we mourn, remind us to seek after you. We thank you that you never leave us alone, but that you have provided gifts of grace so that we might pursue you and know you better even in the midst of our darkest moments. Thank you God! In the grace of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen!
[1]
Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary: Daniel. (Grand
Rapids: Zondervan, 1999), 247.
[2]
Ibid.
[3] D.
S. Russell, Daniel. (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1981), 194.
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