Choice Children, Part 1

Choice Children, Part 1
Bright like the stars
August 2019; revised September 2023
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Daniel 12:10a
Daniel 12:10a reads, “Many will be purged, purified and refined” referring to the Lord’s people during the end times. When I think of the word purge, I think of getting rid of things I don’t need. But, the Hebrew word for purge in this passage is bârar. Bârar means to clarify, brighten, examine, polish, prove, and make choice. Bârar also suggests the attention given to a favorite.

The Lord purges us; He makes us choice, like a choice rose that has been pruned to bloom to perfection, or a choice herb that has been planted in the perfect soil to produce the best flavor. We are His Choice Children, chosen for His glory and delight, chosen for our freedom, pruned attentively, and nurtured in His love. We are often clarified, brightened, and proven through adversity.

When God chose us, we had done absolutely nothing to deserve His love; in fact, the Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 5 that we were not only helpless and dead in our sin, but we were enemies of God.

But then, He drew us and revealed Himself to us, enabling us to receive Him. He reconciled us to Himself through the sacrifice of His Son, Yeshua (Jesus). Because Yeshua paid our debt, the Father lavishes His love on us. All we have to do is open our hands to receive Him. When we realize the lavishness of His  love, we are transformed and live in gratitude for our adoption as His Choice Children.

Daniel 12:3
The words of Daniel 12:3 flow beautifully with the definition of purge in Daniel 12:10:

“Those who have insight will shine brightly like the expanse of heaven and those who lead the many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.”

• The Hebrew word for insight is sakal and means a deep consideration of future steps or a waiting on God to direct your steps to ensure a good outcome. While in a wilderness of purging, we rest and wait for Him rather than strive harder.
  
  
• The Hebrew word for shine brightly is zahar and means to gleam, teach, warn, enlighten, admonish.

In the light of these Hebrew-word meanings above in Daniel 12:3, we may paraphrase the verse like this:  

“Those who abide in God consider their steps deeply. They receive discernment, direction and wisdom that causes them to shine so brightly that their lives enlighten, warn, admonish, and teach those around them sometimes without speaking a word. Their lives gleam with God’s purifying message, and many are drawn to Him through their brightness.”

Abide in Him, dear friends, and shine like the stars!

To read Choice Children, Part 2, click here.
The image of the starry sky is part of the Feasts of Tabernacles Art Card in The Feasts of Israel Fulfilled Collection at Flower Girl Greetings.

Shale Fragments™ - devotionals by Beth Ann Phifer is a division of Flower Girl Greetings, LLC. ©2020, All Rights Reserved.