Advent, Day 13
A BACKDROP OF DARKNESS
After the exile, God’s people lived as captives in enemy lands. But this did not disrupt God’s plans, because God is not afraid of enemies, and He loves foreign lands. God raised up a prophet named Daniel and gave him special favor with the kings of Babylon and then Persia. God gave Daniel visions of mighty empires which would rise and fall in the future. These visions proved that God knew and accounted for every detail of the events to come.
Then Daniel saw something incredible. God showed him a glimpse of one of the most important events in all human history. Daniel described it,
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
– Daniel 7:13–14
After the rise and fall of many empires, God would elevate one like a son of man. This figure would approach the God of unapproachable light. He would be given authority over all nations and languages, and not just that—the peoples would all worship him. How could this be? Wouldn’t it be blasphemous to worship a human?! For monotheistic Jews, the claim must have been unsettling. And yet, God would hand authority, glory, and power to this human figure. The nations would follow him, not under compulsion but willingly, even joyfully. They would worship him. His kingdom would rule forever.
This must be the promised crusher of evil, because ancient prophesies had already detailed an eternal reign for David’s heir, and there cannot be two eternal kings of kings.
The winding story of the Hebrew Scriptures—that is, the Old Testament—reads like a saga in search of a hero. All the human heroes kept falling short, but an echoing refrain about a future deliverer pointed to God’s intervention in the story. God would be the hero. God would provide the true rescue that was missing from the long expectant waiting. This deliverer would bring God’s kingdom and peace to the earth and establish it eternally. He would receive worship fit for God alone, and be called Emmanuel, which means “God with us”. God would be present through him.
The light of God’s presence would shine into the darkness.
But when would this happen? It was still a long way off. Empires still had to rise and fall. The hopes and fears of yet more centuries would pass. But nothing would catch God by surprise. God was at work in every aspect of the story, preparing for the dawn to come.
DAILY SCRIPTURE READING
“As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’
…And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’
-Daniel 7:15-18, 27
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
– Why do you think we so badly want to find and follow heroes?
– In popular culture, superheroes are generally ordinary, relatable people before they discover or receive special powers. What do you think is so attractive about this idea of heroes we can relate to?
– Why is it dangerous to allow our faith to rest on human heroes?
– When our human heroes let us down, where can we take our disappointment?
PRAYER
Lord, we know we need a hero. We feel our need for rescue. Thank you for providing a hero who knows what it’s like to walk in our shoes—someone who knows what it’s like to be human in a broken world. Forgive our quickness to venerate broken humans. Forgive our slowness to worship the True Hero as He deserves!
