Daniel (Greek) 11:1-6: a reflection

1“As for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him. 2“Now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings will stand up in Persia. The fourth will be far richer than all of them. When he has grown strong through his riches, he will stir up all against the realm of Greece. 3A mighty king will stand up who will rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. 4When he stands up, his kingdom will be broken, and will be divided toward the four winds of the sky, but not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom will be plucked up, even for others besides these. 5“The king of the south will be strong. One of his princes will become stronger than him and have dominion. His dominion will be a great dominion. 6At the end of years they will join themselves together. The daughter of the king of the south will come to the king of the north to make an agreement, but she will not retain the strength of her arm. He will also not stand, nor will his arm; but she will be given up, with those who brought her and he who became her father, and he who strengthened her in those times.

In this passage, Daniel is shown a detailed prophecy of kings and kingdoms yet to come: kings rising in Persia, a great king of Greece whose kingdom would be broken and divided, wars and alliances between north and south. It is a sweeping preview of the rise and fall of empires over centuries. And the striking thing is that God knew and revealed it all in advance; the whole course of history, with its rising and falling kingdoms, was known to God and unfolded according to what he foreknew.

Notice what this detailed prophecy reveals about God: that the whole sweep of history, the rise and fall of kingdoms, is known to him in advance. Kingdoms would rise and be broken, empires would war and divide, all in ways no human could foresee; but God knew it all, and revealed it to Daniel before it happened. History is not chaos, a random tumble of events; it unfolds under the knowing hand of God, who foresees the whole course of it, the rise and fall of the greatest empires.

That God knows the whole sweep of history in advance is a comfort in a world where events seem chaotic and out of control. Kingdoms rise and fall, powers contend, the world seems to lurch from crisis to crisis, beyond anyone's control or understanding. But God knows it all; the whole course of history, which seems chaotic to us, is known to him, and unfolds under his knowing hand. When the events of the world seem chaotic and beyond control, do not despair as though history were a random tumble of events; God knows the whole sweep of it, as he knew and revealed the rise and fall of empires to Daniel. History is not out of control, but under the knowing hand of God, who foresees it all. Rest in the assurance that the God who revealed the course of centuries to Daniel knows the course of history still, and holds it, chaotic as it seems, under his knowing and sovereign hand.

Lord, in this passage Daniel was shown a detailed prophecy of kings and kingdoms yet to come, a sweeping preview of the rise and fall of empires over centuries; and the striking thing is that you knew and revealed it all in advance. Show me what this reveals about you: that the whole sweep of history, the rise and fall of kingdoms, is known to you in advance. Kingdoms would rise and be broken in ways no human could foresee; but you knew it all, and revealed it to Daniel before it happened. History is not chaos, a random tumble of events; it unfolds under your knowing hand. That you know the whole sweep of history in advance is a comfort in a world where events seem chaotic and out of control. Kingdoms rise and fall, powers contend, the world seems to lurch from crisis to crisis, beyond anyone's control. But you know it all; the whole course of history, which seems chaotic to me, is known to you, and unfolds under your knowing hand. When the events of the world seem chaotic and beyond control, keep me from despairing as though history were a random tumble; you know the whole sweep of it, as you knew and revealed it to Daniel. Help me rest in the assurance that you, who revealed the course of centuries to Daniel, know the course of history still, Lord, and hold it, chaotic as it seems, under your knowing and sovereign hand.