In the Know: Daniel 9:20-23
God wants us to be a part of His plan to bring redemption to the world and to be as informed about it as possible. God is a God of revelation. As we read His Word, we see Him gradually reveal Himself in layers to His people. He wants us to know Him and to know what He’s up to in His creation.
As Daniel prays, Gabriel comes to Daniel. Gabriel says that he comes to grant Daniel understanding. Gabriel also tells Daniel that he is deeply loved.
As a moment of confession, I know when I read the verse about Daniel being deeply loved I must keep some feelings in check. First, there is jealousy. I want to hear Gabriel tell me I am deeply loved. This isn’t meant against Daniel in any way. I don’t resent Daniel for hearing this message from God, I simply think it would be cool to hear it myself. Second, there is doubt. Part of me wonders if the reason I haven’t heard Gabriel tell me I am loved by God is because I’m not loved as much. Logically I know that this feeling is unfounded. God loved the world enough to send His own Son to die on the cross. You can’t get more loved than that. God loved me and you and the whole world so much He died so we could be in relationship with Him.
We need to be careful when we hear Bible stories of miraculous events. Jealousy and self-doubt and a host of other emotions can be tools the Enemy uses to separate us from God. God did not give us His Word and His promise to make us feel inferior to others, He gives us these things to show us how important we are to Him. He did everything as a statement of His love for us.
Why does God send Gabriel to Daniel? God wants Daniel to understand. God knows His people are at a very pivotal point in their history and they are about to experience their return from exile. That doesn’t mean they are going to be free. They will still be subject to the Persians, and then the Greeks, and then the Romans. They still have some rough days to come as a people – even after the Roman Empire falls and history continues into the modern age. God wants Daniel to understand what the people need to know for the next part of their development.
God doesn’t want us to live in a state of confusion. He doesn’t want us to live in a place of darkness or being uninformed. He does want us to be patient and to wait on Him, but we don’t need to be ignorant about it. God wants us to be a part of His plan to bring redemption to the world and to be as informed about it as possible.
