God’s Reward (Daniel 12)

We have seen in previous readings that the angel who speaks in this chapter has already mention two kinds of comfort for Daniel. One was the fact that the names of God’s people are recorded in his book and the second was the fact that one day the resurrection will occur. A third source of comfort that the angel mentions is the divine reward connected to witnessing.

We can think about the reward first. It is described by illustrations drawn from the heavenly bodies. Those who live in such a way will shine like the noonday sun (the brightest time of day) and the stars. What do these illustrations tell us about our reward?

It is easy to see here a reference to the statement of Jesus in Matthew 13:43: ‘Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.’ When Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration his glorified body shone like the sun. While some people think his shining was connected to his deity, I think it is more likely that it was a foretaste of what his body would be like once he was glorified.

The amazing aspect of the resurrection day for his people is that Jesus will transform their lowly bodies to make them like his glorious body (Phil. 3:21). John tells his readers what will happen on that marvellous day: ‘Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is’ (1 John 3:2). So we will have us our reward a glory that is visible to others.

Yet why will they receive such a great reward? The answer is because they lived wisely, according to God’s requirements and urged others to do the same. This is not a reward of merit, but it is the consequence of Christlike behaviour. They lived their lives in the way their Master lived, speaking about the need of believing the gospel and acknowledging the Lordship of Jesus. One of the encouragements in this life is to see God using our witness, and we will be astounded at the greatness of the reward that he will provide. As Matthew Henry put it, ‘The more good any do in this world, especially to the souls of men, the greater will be their glory and reward in the other world.’

This raises the question, Are we wise? Wisdom is seen in those who call others to righteous living. Such a lifestyle is not merely an external conformity to a fixed standard. In addition, it flows out of an inner change that is so radical it affects every area of life. There is no point telling someone to live according to God’s Word unless we also tell them about the gospel offer of forgiveness.

Note also the encouragement that is given to Daniel to aim for many converts. Those who turn many to righteousness will shine like the stars. I suppose the emphasis is on spending our lives in this task. Of course, the many who will wake to everlasting life will do so because someone turned them towards Jesus and his message.