“Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3)
One of the most wonderful and breathtaking scenes our eyes can bear witness to on this earth, is to see the luminosity of the firmament of stars amid the dark night sky. This astonishingly beautiful image, is unequivocally a marvelous testament of the mighty power of God. Not only do the stars dress the night sky with beauty and elegance, but they also bring life to the night with their brilliant radiance. These magnificent celestial bodies have long served sailors as beacons to guide them on their journeys out at sea. For centuries, the men in this trade have appreciated and enjoyed the light and direction the stars are able to provide them, especially during those late hours when the heavens are swallowed by an obsidian color. Therefore, knowing that “the night is far spent” it is important to comprehend that the significance of this is that “our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11-12). The imagery that the apostle Paul uses of the night represents the iron grip sin has over mankind. Holy Scripture reveals that sin provokes man to live “in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart” (Ephesians 4:17b-18). Observe that the inspired author uses four similar descriptions to illustrate a man addicted to sin; in each one, darkness represents man’s lack of godly knowledge. This spiritual ignorance, no doubt, is a ruinous result of sinful living. It is also wise to understand why the apostle refers to the latter part of the night to describe the increase of sin in the world. If you have ever traveled to another city or state during the night, when driving in the rural areas where there is very few artificial lights on, you will notice that as the night advances the skies become darker. This is how the inspired apostle uses his imagery in teaching about the rising level of sin. He masterfully describes a world blinded by the addictive lust found in sin. However, although the dark heavens can be intimidating during the late hours of the night, observe that it is also when the brilliant gleam from the stars stand out the most and amaze us. The darker the night becomes, the more visible the star’s shine; hence the analogy found in the prophet Daniel’s vision. In Daniel’s vision, God reveals to the prophet the high esteem in which He holds those who are able to convert the wicked man from his sin. God manifests to His prophet that they are resplendent beacons of light are easily spotted in the midst of a dark generation. Their radiance is visible by the wisdom with which they live their daily lives. Undoubtedly, their wisdom can contrast against the folly of sinful living because “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7). The apostle Paul echoes this proverb by urging his readers to “cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12). Time and time again, our Father utilizes light to represent wisdom, holiness, and guidance. Therefore, it is of high importance to understand why our Father compares us to the stars shining brightly in the dark of the night. Once more, let us bring to memory that in the vision of Daniel, “those who turn many to righteousness” are described as the luminescent stars. They are also illustrated by the angel speaking to Daniel as wise. We have already established that they are wise first because they are God fearing people. However, this is not the sole reason they are deemed to be wise. In another proverb, Solomon states that “he who wins souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30b). These actions highlighted by Daniel and Solomon is what the Master has commissioned to His church. Observe that our Savior’s commandment to us all after His resurrection was to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 15:15). It is also true that our Master had already alluded to this in His sermon on the mount. When He spoke this outstanding sermon, our Lord Jesus revealed to His disciples that we are “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). This phrase used by the Savior was a popular phrase used often amongst the Jews. History instructs that during the Lord’s walk upon this earth, that when the Jews spoke of Jerusalem to Gentiles, they referred to the city as “the light of the world.” However, the purpose of this description was to give glory to Jehovah God for being the One who kindled this light. As was customary for our Lord to do, He used this common phrase to His audience and disclosed to them that He was the flame lighting the lamps that would lead to true salvation. It is wise, however, to understand that like the stars, we are only a reflection of the Lord’s natural light. We must recall that He explicitly declared “as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). Therefore, we are able to see why He used this popular saying of the Jews to describe His followers. Science has proven that the light of the moon and stars are a reflection of the sun’s mighty rays. Jesus’ came to this world with the mission “to seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Since we are the stars reflecting His magnificent light to this dark world, we must be diligent in living a life deemed wise by our godly conduct. Let us never forget that Jesus (the flame to our lamps) preached by word and example. The significance of this is best explained by the apostle Peter by stating “if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter” (1st Peter 4:16). There is a high probability that as the apostle Peter wrote these words of consolation, he could hear in his mind the Master’s gentle voice speaking “if anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). With His death, Jesus was able to give light to a world engulfed in darkness. Following Him, is to have the bravery to go against the tide and keep our godliness burning bright, so that the world will have a direction to follow should they ever choose to seek salvation. Living a holy life in an unholy world, is the radiant star that burns brightly in the obsidian sky.