Daniel 9:24

The Seventy Weeks

“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.

Matthew 18:22

And Jesus said unto him, “I say not unto thee, until seven times, but until seventy times seven.

A refrain is a group of lyrics that are repeated in a song. Sometimes it is also referred to as a chorus. In the bible forgiveness and love are repeated 694 times but no musical refrain warms my heart nearly as much as the opening refrain.

Jesus by His proclamation of forgiveness being repeated (refrain) seventy times seven is literally saying, “I am He who Daniel prophesied would come to put an end to sin.” That is my quote, not one from another source.

I have researched theological sources on the meaning of The Seventy Weeks and those scholars twist themselves in knots trying to explain the meaning in terms of calendar events that match up to specific lines of scripture surrounding Daniel’s prophecy. All I have to do is look to my heart to hear that sweet refrain that calms my soul.

The world seeks to argue and debunk whereas faith provides insights that no argument can erase. Sure sin still exists but it is no longer a barrier in having a relationship with God. The atoning sacrifice of the Lamb of God put an end to sin as the obstacle in law.

We can look up all the passages concerning love and forgiveness and overwhelm ourselves with all that is said, or we can see that the cumulative effect is the life in Christ obtained by faith in that atoning work.

Yes, sing His praises but do it from a heart of love and not some notes on a musical score.

• 2 Timothy 2:14
  A Worker Approved by God
  Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.
• James 1:22
  But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

When you meet people for the first, beyond just a name, what do you ask of them or even better what do they ask you?

What do you do? Common enough which implies that this person is employed. I am retired, so I do not have a paying occupation, but that does not mean I am not occupied. My answer to that question isn’t as simple as I am retired.

Tell me about yourself. Now that opens up the door to anything a person is willing to share with a stranger. This is the opening moment of a relationship, to discover similar interests, things to converse about, agreements and differences.

We choose what we share based on our personality. Not all of us are open. Some of the things we have been through are not exactly opening lines. We wait until the relationship gets deeper before we “spill our guts”, if ever.

I’ve chosen these opening verses to begin with because they are meaningful to me as they relate to my being human. I am often misunderstood in my expressions and it sounds like I am quarreling over words. The second verse is to remind myself that being a Christian is much more than simply reading the bible and going to church.

There is what I did and what I do and those two things are vastly different. I lived the better part of my life being human but I live the best part of my life as a child of God. I won’t deny what I was nor shall I brag about it. I do not deny who I am now and I will not brag about it.

The difference between the two is the difference between shame and humility. I did what I did while being human, I own it. As a child of God I strive to please my Father in Heaven by obedience of faith. Strive is the proper word as it indicates life is a day by day experience, struggle, and opportunity. It is my form of doing, not merely hearing.

How are you doing? That is another common probing question.