The bulk of chapter 9 is Daniel's prayer of confession and intercession for his people because he knows the time of exile is drawing to a close. In this he is a model for us as we pray for our own people. At the end of the chapter, Gabriel gives him a vision which stretches from his own time to the end of days.

In the wilderness, Moses brought water from the rock on two occasions. The second time, he did not exactly do as he was told which resulted in his being denied entry into the promised land.

Jeremiah gave a very dire prophecy about Jehoiakim and had it written down on a scroll. When the king's ministers heard it, they had it read before the king. As each page was read, the king cut it from the scroll and threw it into the fire. This attempt to 'destroy the prophecy' did not work.

Conceptually, there are several ways to divide up the Ten Commandments. Three, three, three and one mirrors the days of creation and the ten plagues of Egypt. Looking at the Commandments in that way gives a different insight.

The entire message of the Bible is summed up in the advice to "choose life." Further, the path to life is simple even though it is not easy. It boils down to, 'Love God and do not engage in spiritual adultery with any other gods." and "Do your best to live and organize your society according to the principles laid out in the Torah."

In parsha Chukat we get the law of the Red Heifer to deal with the defilement of death. This is one of countless examples of the grace of God. He did not leave us to face our mortality with no hope. Instead He assures us that this part of our lives has importance and that there is much more to come when we are gathered to our people.

Daniel's vision of the ram and the goat are prophetic symbols of the Persian and Greek empires. Daniel did not understand the vision until it was explained to him by Gabriel. For us the prophecy of 2,300 evenings and mornings are of particular interest.

Biblically, Israel periodically fell away from God and lapsed into evil. God uses exile to correct those flaws that lead to such bad behavior.

In another bit of 'performance prophecy' Jeremiah is instructed to purchase a field in Anathoth because he is the redeemer. Since Judah and Jerusalem are about to be destroyed, Jeremiah himself will not possess the field. The act then is a statement by God that He will restore Israel and Judah and that the original property rights will also be restored. In this continuation of His description of the New Covenant, God assures Jeremiah that He will neither forget His people nor the land he promised to them.

God has always cared about what we eat. He gave us the dietary laws out of love.