But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.” Daniel 12:4(NIV).
Know what this verse talks about? Human nature. God’s angel had been sent to give Daniel unique knowledge to share with the world. But Daniel was to share it at an appropriate time: a time that wouldn’t even occur in his own lifetime. Indeed, Daniel’s prophecies wouldn’t be shared until several centuries after his death (but before the time of Christ). His book has since been corroborated by the events of antiquity as well as sources such as (several of) the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Many will go here and there to increase knowledge. Hey, if it’s on the internet, it must be true, right? We can’t agree on many things these days. It seems as if, the more information we have at our disposal, the less we can agree on even simple matters. Throw social media into the mix and agreement becomes even more unattainable, especially when our media, our government, even our friendships have all been affected or, in some cases, been rendered untrustworthy. Is it any wonder, then, that people don’t trust what they read or see? Accordingly, is it any wonder that people will seek out their own answers?
The trouble comes up when we don’t seek our answers in good places. I just read a book about Charles Manson. It was shocking to read how this evil, diabolical man was able to so quickly, so effectively, draw in lonely, hurting, and confused people and sway them to do his bidding. Charlie made his followers believe he had the answers they sought, and their disaffected ears were more than willing to listen.
We aren’t much different. What about a resurgence of faith in communism, ignoring how it’s responsible for untold death? Or the long-term lethality of drugs? How divorce destroys while forgiveness heals, yet most marriages choose divorce? People of our world want answers but are we looking for them in the right places? Itching ears ache to hear a pleasing sound.
At this Christmas season, wouldn’t it be a Christmas miracle to be able to give the hurting, the uninformed, the dejected, the rejected, something better to hear? What difference could it have made if someone had made a Jesus-connection with the Manson family to draw them away from the lunatic they followed? How could we help our own generations avoid coming pain by shying away from mistakes of the past?
Tell them about the Christ child. Tell them about the Christmas boy who grew into the man who ran to the cross and die for them. Tell it without words, even. Human nature craves it.
For further reading: Isaiah 8:16, Jeremiah 5:1, Revelation 22:10, Daniel 12:5
Lord Jesus, use my words and actions today to reach out with Your message.
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Practical Proverbs 