We Have Not Obeyed His Voice Living Words
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- Christianity
We Have Not Obeyed His Voice
Daniel 9:1-27
by William Klock
Last week we looked at the resurrection story in John 20 as it continued into the evening that first Easter Sunday—as Jesus appeared to his disciples while they were hiding, as he breathed new life into them through the Holy Spirit, and as he commissioned them with those words, “Even as the Father sent me, I am sending you.” With those actions, with those words, with that little group of disciples hiding in Jerusalem Jesus began the renewal of Israel. That was the beginning of a new people called to be light in the darkness and sent out to boldly proclaim the good news and the coming of God’s kingdom. At its core it was the same mission that the people of God had had since Abraham: to be light in the darkness, to make the one, true God known to the nations. But now, recentred in Jesus, this people would go out—as I said—as prophets, priests, and kings. As prophets, calling first Judah, then the nations to repentance. As priests, mediating, proclaiming the good news about Jesus who has died, who has risen, and who is now the world’s true Lord—it’s King. And as kings, as we make real Jesus’ kingdom in practical ways in the world, anticipating that day when we will reign with him.
And the New Testament tells us how those disciples went out into the world as prophets, priests, and kings. We read of their faithfulness. We read how they were opposed and persecuted and even killed. And yet we also see the seeds of what would come as little churches popped up all over the Roman Empire—even right under the nose of Caesar himself in Rome. And history shows us how the gospel continued to conquer and transform the world, until even mighty Caesar submitted himself and his empire to Jesus. The gospel did its work. The old gods were defeated and their temples torn down—even turned into churches. The perverted sexual ethics of the Greeks and Romans faded away. The brutal gladiatorial games were outlawed. Slavery became a thing of the past. Women and children came to be valued and abortion and infanticide were done away with. The gospel taught the world about grace and mercy. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but I think most of us really have very little grasp just how much the power of the gospel transformed Western Civilisation for the better and in ways that displayed the life of the Spirit, that honoured Jesus, and that glorified God.
But what happened to all that? Christendom has fallen. The world around us is retreating back into darkness. Anti-gospel philosophies are taking over. Sexual immorality has become rampant in just a few short decades. We’re back to murdering our children before they’re born. The church has fallen out of favour. Christians are mocked. And while the gospel is still active, gone are those days when it captured whole peoples and radically transformed their societies. Instead, it’s become a regular thing to hear of prominent Christians apostatising. Whole churches forsake the gospel. Even our covenant children are turning away in troubling numbers.
Again, what happened? Could it be that we can learn something from Israel’s story of discipline and exile? That’s what got me thinking about preaching through the book of Daniel. The church today in the West seems to be in a sort of exile and Daniel offers us timely wisdom—showing us how to be faithful in an alien land and how to be light in a darkness that does its best to snuff us out. And I think a part of that wisdom that Daniel offers also addresses the question of “Why?” Why did this happen? If anything is clear in Daniel, it is that God is sovereign and that even the raging beasts of empire ultimately serve his purposes. And so as we find ourselves in exile, the story of Israel’s exile helps to answer why—if we have the humility to see it. And, I think, Daniel 9 exhorts us
We Have Not Obeyed His Voice
Daniel 9:1-27
by William Klock
Last week we looked at the resurrection story in John 20 as it continued into the evening that first Easter Sunday—as Jesus appeared to his disciples while they were hiding, as he breathed new life into them through the Holy Spirit, and as he commissioned them with those words, “Even as the Father sent me, I am sending you.” With those actions, with those words, with that little group of disciples hiding in Jerusalem Jesus began the renewal of Israel. That was the beginning of a new people called to be light in the darkness and sent out to boldly proclaim the good news and the coming of God’s kingdom. At its core it was the same mission that the people of God had had since Abraham: to be light in the darkness, to make the one, true God known to the nations. But now, recentred in Jesus, this people would go out—as I said—as prophets, priests, and kings. As prophets, calling first Judah, then the nations to repentance. As priests, mediating, proclaiming the good news about Jesus who has died, who has risen, and who is now the world’s true Lord—it’s King. And as kings, as we make real Jesus’ kingdom in practical ways in the world, anticipating that day when we will reign with him.
And the New Testament tells us how those disciples went out into the world as prophets, priests, and kings. We read of their faithfulness. We read how they were opposed and persecuted and even killed. And yet we also see the seeds of what would come as little churches popped up all over the Roman Empire—even right under the nose of Caesar himself in Rome. And history shows us how the gospel continued to conquer and transform the world, until even mighty Caesar submitted himself and his empire to Jesus. The gospel did its work. The old gods were defeated and their temples torn down—even turned into churches. The perverted sexual ethics of the Greeks and Romans faded away. The brutal gladiatorial games were outlawed. Slavery became a thing of the past. Women and children came to be valued and abortion and infanticide were done away with. The gospel taught the world about grace and mercy. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but I think most of us really have very little grasp just how much the power of the gospel transformed Western Civilisation for the better and in ways that displayed the life of the Spirit, that honoured Jesus, and that glorified God.
But what happened to all that? Christendom has fallen. The world around us is retreating back into darkness. Anti-gospel philosophies are taking over. Sexual immorality has become rampant in just a few short decades. We’re back to murdering our children before they’re born. The church has fallen out of favour. Christians are mocked. And while the gospel is still active, gone are those days when it captured whole peoples and radically transformed their societies. Instead, it’s become a regular thing to hear of prominent Christians apostatising. Whole churches forsake the gospel. Even our covenant children are turning away in troubling numbers.
Again, what happened? Could it be that we can learn something from Israel’s story of discipline and exile? That’s what got me thinking about preaching through the book of Daniel. The church today in the West seems to be in a sort of exile and Daniel offers us timely wisdom—showing us how to be faithful in an alien land and how to be light in a darkness that does its best to snuff us out. And I think a part of that wisdom that Daniel offers also addresses the question of “Why?” Why did this happen? If anything is clear in Daniel, it is that God is sovereign and that even the raging beasts of empire ultimately serve his purposes. And so as we find ourselves in exile, the story of Israel’s exile helps to answer why—if we have the humility to see it. And, I think, Daniel 9 exhorts us