The tsunami traveled at a speed of about two hundred miles per hour across the Pacific Ocean. That massive wave would kill sixty one people in Hawaii, one hundred and thirty eight in Japan, and thirty two in the Philippines. That wave was born from a Chilean earthquake that occurred on May 22, 1960 and may just be the largest earthquake to ever be recorded.
The word “vexed” is an old Latin word meaning “to quake/rumble” and although Latin isn’t the language that the Old Testament was written in, the Old English word was used by some scholars when translating Ecclesiastes 1.18.
“For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”
At first glance, it may seem like Solomon is discouraging one from pursuing knowledge— but the message is a lot deeper.
The kind of knowledge the world has to offer isn’t going to bring you the kind of fulfillment that the wisdom God provides. The world’s understanding lacks the answers to major questions which are essential to our spiritual health like: Where did we come from? What’s the purpose of life? What happens when we die? Is this all there is? Earthly wisdom provides one with answers with holes and answers that are depressing— or no answers at all.
However, God’s wisdom can bring much vexation as well.
With God’s wisdom you come to understand that the majority of people on earth aren’t pursuing Him. You discover that most people live their lives in a way that grieve Him but that understanding will also bring you closer to Him. When the Lord is upset, troubled, angered, frustrated, or vexed, then his faithful servants are going to feel similar.
With much of God’s wisdom, comes much vexation. With much of the world’s wisdom, there’s much vexation. The question we should ask, is why do we want our souls to be troubled? You can be fulfilled and troubled at the same time because with God, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.
Daniel prophesied of the Persian and Greek eras of Israelite history. The angel interpreted that for us, so there’s no mystery there. That mean man of the Diadochi, Antiochus Epiphanes, is described with his persecution lasting 2300 days. It was concluded by the Rededication of the Temple by Judas Maccabee, and that day became the Jewish Festival of Lights (John 10:22).
Daniel 11-12
The number of days in this query are set in a prophetic history that covers the entire second temple era of Judaism.
It relates the Persian kings to the conquest of Alexander the Great, to the break-up of that empire into the Diadochi, to the rise of Antiochus Epiphanes and the Maccabees, to the Roman conquest of the East, to Herod the Great, and to the final Destruction of Judea by the Roman generals and the Zealots.
Some of the final verses in this vast prophecy are referred to by Jesus in the address on Mount Olive (Dan. 12:1,11; Matt.24:15,21).
The interpretation of these number of days must fit into this first century time period (the end of the Second Temple Era).
Abomination of Desolation
According to the synoptic section in Luke, the Abomination of Desolation (that which makes desolate) was the Roman Legions (Luke 21:20). The number of days that those armies marched up and down the land of Judea was 1290! Recall that Jesus warned His disciples to flee Judea, not just Jerusalem.
This devastation was widespread with villages being torched in Galilee, Perea, Samaria, and Judea proper, with supply lines cut off from Jerusalem. When the soldiers finally besieged Jerusalem their fate was sealed— literally! All of this time period (with dates) is recorded by an eyewitness Jewish general by the name Flavius Josephus who had been captured.
The 1335th Day
The city of Jerusalem had its three defensive walls breached. The inhabitants were slaughtered. The Temple was burned and torn down just like Jesus said. Everything was trampled down except for a Herodian palace in the Upper City where the last Jews barricaded themselves and refused to surrender. It’s estimated that they had plenty of water and food supplies to last for an unknown period of time. The walls were so thick the Roman General, Titus, decided to wait it out.
But amazingly, the remaining Zealots opened the gates on the 1335th day of this war!
Note the remarks of Josephus’s history concerning Titus’s surprise:
“Now when Titus came into this (upper city), he admired not only some other places of strength in it, but particularly those strong towers which the tyrants in their bad conduct had relinquished; for when he saw their altitude, and the largeness of their several stones, and the exactness of their joints, and also how great was their breadth, and how extensive their length, he expressed himself…’We have certainly had God for our assistant in this war, and it was no other than God who ejected the Jews out of these fortifications; for what could the hands of man or any machine do towards overthrowing these towers?’” (Wars, VI,9:1)
If the tyrants had stayed in the fortress, the Roman Legions would have stayed around the territory and continued to massacre the Jewish people. The soldiers had seen the despicable display of gross inhumanity the Zealots committed on each other and innocent people, and they had no mercy for them. But as Jesus said, with the mysterious surrender— the killing would stop:
“And except those days be shortened, there would no flesh be saved, but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”
(Matthew 24:21-22)
Conclusion
These days, 1290 and 1335, are seen fulfilled by recorded history. There is no need for guessing or speculation. They fit the time period required by the chapters 11-12 which end with the topic of the Ending of the Jewish Era. It is this same topic that Jesus dealt with in the first half of the Olive lesson, which Jesus said was to occur within that generation (30-70 A.D).
No, these days do not refer to any Great Tribulation at the End of the World. These prophesied days were fulfilled to the day— in the first century! They’re important because they mark the end of the Old Testament economy, and the rise of the fantastic Kingdom of God.
(Hebrews 8:13, Luke 13:35, 16:16; the years 30-70 A.D. were transitioning times)
The wanderers had to continue to address their sin problem. The Lord gives an elaborate ceremony involving a red heifer, slaughtered for impurity and uncleanness. It seems strange and maybe complicated to us, but it was a continual reminder to the people of their need to do what God said to be spiritually clean. These instructions definitely highlight that.
THE PROCEDURE WAS EXACT (1-6). What? An unblemished red heifer with no defect and having had no yoke on it. Who? Eleazar the priest. Where? Outside the camp. How? Take its blood and sprinkle toward the front of the tent seven times; Its hide, flesh, and blood, with its refuse burned; The priest takes cedar, hyssop, and scarlet and cast into its midst. God leaves nothing to chance or imagination. He spells out what He wants. THE PURIFICATION PROCESS WAS EXTREME (7-17). The priest must wash his clothes and bathe, being unclean until evening. The one burning the animal had to do the same, being unclean. The gatherer of the ashes is the same as the one burning. Precise provisions for purification are made for one who touches a corse (11-13), whatever is uncovered in a room with corpse (14-15), and anyone touching a dead body in an open field (16-17). The clean must act on behalf of the unclean (18-19). THE PENALTY WAS EXPLICIT (20-22). The unclean who did not purify himself was cut off from the assembly for defiling the sanctuary (20). What the unclean touched became unclean until dealt with (21-22). God wanted them focused on the cost of contamination. What is God telling Israel? Uncleanness and defilement matters. There was God’s scientific foreknowledge, preventing the spread of disease involved in death. But there was also a spiritual picture being drawn of the distinction He draws between clean and unclean, pure and impure. That is helpful to us even today.
We had seen these tendencies in Israel when they were in bondage (Ex. 5:15), but also when they were facing the Red Sea with Egypt pursuing them (Ex. 14:10) as well as a couple of days past the parted Red Sea which God enabled them to successfully cross (Ex. 15:25). We are often amazed at how short Israel’s memory is, but too often we are like that. We worry in our crises despite clear evidence that God has been with us through previous trials. Perhaps we think, “That was then, but this is now.” Maybe that’s what the people here thought.
They are at a place they would call Kibroth-hattaavah (34-35), so named “because there they buried the people who had the craving.” But, let us back up and remind ourselves what the craving was and why it was wrong to have it. Facing this challenge on earth was Moses, who had the burden of this people on his shoulders (11). Seeing this challenge with sore disappointment, God deals righteously with the Israelites’ incessant complaining.
The complaining (1-3). For the first time in Numbers, we see the hard, unbelieving hearts leading the people to rebel and grumble. They focused on their misfortune, and the God who was caring for them responds by punishing those at the outskirts of the camp (1). Rather than leading them to repent, it intensified their dissatisfaction.
The craving (4-9). Scripture describes the instigators as “rabble” (4; cf. Ex. 12:38) and describes their craving as “strong” (4). This spirit of discontent was strong and it spread. The people whined at what they did not have (4). They actually long to be back in Egypt, where they had variety of foods that they fondly recall (5). They were sick and tired of having the same menu every day (manna), and they wanted something more and different.
The crying (10). In their self-pity, the people turned to tears. The weeping swept through the camp, making God angry and Moses displeased. Consider the height of their ingratitude!
The cross to carry (11-15). Moses assesses his situation as leader over this massive group of grumblers, overwhelmed at the sheer number of them united in dissatisfaction (21). He wonders why this burden has fallen on him alone, to manage all their vocal venom and to respond to their outrageous raging! He questions why he has this job and where he is to find the meat to meet their needs. He’d rather die than carry the burden of this people alone. What a powerful object lesson than leadership can be lonely. They often bear the brunt of people’s spiritual struggles, which can be very unpleasant to deal with. Seeing so many at their worst, Moses is discouraged and distraught.
The consecration (16-29). The compassion of God for His chosen leader is shown by His patient solution. There is a contrast between Moses’ complaint and the whining of the people. Moses’ is a spiritual trial, while the people are succumbing to their fleshly temptation. God responds by assuring that He will supply the meat the people so strongly desire, but He also supplies Moses with a viable solution to his excessive burden. He tells Moses to “Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you” (16). Then, he told Moses to “consecrate” the people, to prepare themselves for the gift of meat God would give. He also provided 70 men to help Moses bear the burden of the people, and God placed His Spirit on them to aid Moses’ work (24-26), including Eldad and Medad who remained in the camp. While Joshua saw this as a threat, it was a welcomed sight to Moses (29).
The consummation (30-35). So, God gives the people quail in extreme abundance (31), driven in from the sea by a wind He produces. The people gathered massive quantities of it, then started eating it. We read, “While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very severe plague” (33). God gives them an object lesson, showing them the cost of being driven by their flesh rather than their faith in Him.
This is the first of many object lessons, showing us God’s disdain for the chronic complainer. In light of His generous blessings, how does He feel when we overlook those to serve our cravings for “more” and “different”? This chapter reminds us that such craving and complaining is a heart problem and a faith problem. May we learn from them (1 Cor. 10:5-6)!
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