Meeting with God (Dan. 10)

This sermon was preached on 11/3/2012

Time has moved on a couple of years from the time recorded in Daniel 9 when he prayed about the return of his people to Jerusalem and received an answer from God. In the situation in chapter 10 Daniel is with some friends near the River Tigris for a form of spiritual retreat. They have been fasting for three weeks and at the end of it Daniel experiences a divine visit (10:5-9), followed by angelic information about the current and future situation of his people (10:10-20).

1. The benefits of spiritual retreats

The first item to note is that Daniel is participating in a form of spiritual retreat which has lasted for three weeks. This surely is a reminder to us that such a practice is very beneficial for our souls. The reasons for such an occasion will vary, and we will consider why Daniel was involved in one shortly. No doubt, the most common form of spiritual retreat is conferences and they can be very helpful for our souls in that we receive spiritual refreshment. Our souls need times of recuperation as well as our bodies.

There are several arguments that Daniel could have used for not being there. He was a prominent politician, so he could have said that he was too busy (of course, if he did not have time to look after his soul, then he would have been too busy). I have the suspicion that the biggest barrier to a healthy spiritual life is not too much pleasure; instead I suspect that it is too much work. But Daniel the busy politician went on this retreat.

Daniel could have also said that he already had healthy spiritual disciplines as far as his personal life was concerned. After all, he prayed regularly every day and studied the Bible. He lived a good life, obeying God’s commandments, and had done so from his childhood. He did not need to be reminded about being remiss in his devotion. Yet disciplined Daniel went on a spiritual retreat.

A third reason that Daniel could have given was that he was too old. He was now in his eighties. But using his age would have only been an excuse because he was still capable of doing other things. A man who could run an empire could also travel thirty-five miles to meet with some friends who were concerned about the things of God. Age is not a reason for not doing so as long as one is spiritually able.

In the past in our part of the world, communion seasons once fulfilled this role. But I suspect they no longer do so for many of us because usually we are too busy. That is not a criticism, merely a recognition that circumstances have changed. Yet we still need to ensure that our souls are refreshed. This year we all will have holidays. Have we included the needs of our souls as we plan what we will do? We need to refresh our spiritual batteries, and one way to do so is by attending a conference for a few days in which we can listen to God’s Word being expounded and meet other Christians and discover what God is doing elsewhere.

2. Why the time of fasting?

It seems clear that the reason why Daniel and his friends have gone to this location is because they are experiencing trouble. The retreat was not a happy one because Daniel tells us that he was in mourning (v. 2) and fasting (v. 3). Why was this sadness the case? A clue to possible reasons is given in the dates that are mentioned.

It is now the third year of the reign of Cyrus (10:1). In his first year, one of the decrees that he gave was for the children of Israel to go back to their own land. Some of them did so under the leadership of a man called Zerubbabel and we can read about what happened to them in the early chapters of the Book of Ezra. They had commenced the rebuilding of the temple with great enthusiasm, yet the opposition of the people already living there discouraged the new arrivals from continuing, and another fifteen years would pass before the rebuilding was taken seriously again. It is very probable that news of this failure would have made its way back to Babylon, and to Daniel and his friends, and they planned to meet to pray about it.

Daniel is even more specific about the time when they met. They had been in this location for three weeks, from the third day of the month to the twenty-fourth. It was the first month of the Jewish year and during that month, in former days, the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread would have taken place. While it may only be a coincidence, it is also possible that Daniel and his friends chose this period deliberately. In the past, their forefathers would have gathered in Jerusalem for the great Passover festival. Did Daniel and the others with him meet together and pray that the Lord, who had rescued his people from the bondage of slavery in Egypt, would show his great power and restore them again? Their current state was certainly a reason for mourning.

There is a challenge here for us too. We look around and see a declining church existing in a society that is rapidly departing from the standards of God. As I look around, I do not see any mourning or much sign of special calling upon God for his intervention in order to recover his cause. We are caught in the downstream drift, and we are not doing what Daniel and his friends did on this occasion. They put everything else aside and spent time focussing on the God who alone could deliver them. Where was their God? Daniel, at least, was about to find out.

3. The appearance of the Lord (vv. 5-9) 

There have been disagreements about who this heavenly visitor is, with some suggesting that he is only an angel. I would suggest that the response of Daniel and his friends indicates that this Visitor is more than a creature. They all trembled with dread, even although Daniel was the only one of them that saw anything. Yet his friends sensed that they were now in a place from which they had to flee. They were no longer in a comfortable place and flight was their option. Their response is similar to that of the children of Israel when they asked that the Lord would not come too close to them.

What was it about the vision that had this effect? Daniel can tell us because he received special revelation from God about who he is. There is a parallel between the description of the Visitor and the description of Jesus in Revelation 1. God is depicted as existing in splendour (body like beryl and face like lightning), with penetrating knowledge (burning eyes), great strength (arms and legs of bronze) and powerful speech (voice like that of a large crowd). Further, his holiness is stressed (wearing fine linen).

The response of Daniel here is similar to the later response of John to the vision of Jesus in Revelation 1. Both Daniel and John crumpled, overcome by the awesomeness of the presence of the Divine. God is so great that the best and most devout of humans feel themselves to be so insignificant and weak. They cannot cope with the majesty of God because it is far beyond any earthly ruler, as Daniel himself knew.

It is good to get such a sight of God. We don’t need a vision to see it because the Spirit of God can reveal the Lord to us in his Word. It is good for us to focus on passages in the Bible that describe the greatness of God. Doing so gives us hope and also makes us realistic about ourselves. When a person thinks a lot about himself, we can be sure he is not reading such passages in the Bible.

Yet the revelation of God’s greatness, especially one that highlights his knowledge and his power, raises one big question. The question is, and it is one that we ask often, ‘What is almighty God doing about the situation we face?’ The answer to this question is found in the words of the angel who now speaks to Daniel.

4. The message of the angel (vv. 10-21)

It is helpful before we consider what Daniel is told to remind ourselves of what angels do. One verse which summarises their role is Hebrews 1:14: ‘Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?’ So we should look for ways in which this angel helped Daniel and ways in which he and other angels are working on Daniel’s behalf.

First, the angel made Daniel feel at ease. He did this in a number of ways: he touched Daniel, he told Daniel to stand up (instead of worshipping the angel), and he encouraged Daniel with appropriate words.

Second, he reminded Daniel how God regarded him. We saw when looking at the previous chapter that when Gabriel spoke to Daniel he informed him that he was ‘greatly loved’ by God (Dan. 9:23). Now in Daniel 10 we find Daniel again referred to in this marvellous way by an angel (Dan. 10:11, 19). Yet although there is that similarity in the two recorded experiences, there are also some important differences. For example, in Daniel 9, he receives an immediate answer to prayer whereas in Daniel 10 the answer is delayed. Also in Daniel 9, the prophet had the encouragement of biblical promises to guide him whereas in Daniel 10 the account begins with Daniel perplexed and troubled. Yet he is still the same person whom God loves dearly. So to be told that God still loved him would be of great comfort to Daniel.

Third, he informed Daniel that his prayers had been heard. We have just mentioned that in the previous chapter Daniel received God’s answer immediately whereas in chapter ten it looks as if has not been heard. Yet the angel assures Daniel that his prayer was heard at the same moment as he offered it (v. 12).

Fourth, the angel gives to Daniel an insight into unseen spiritual conflicts that occurred because of his prayer. For three weeks, a fallen angel has resisted the attempt of the good angel to come to Daniel with the answer to his request for information about the future of his people (vv. 13-14). The angel informs Daniel that there are orders of angels engaged in a conflict with opposing forces. In the good camp, Michael has a prominent place, and he is called an archangel in the letter of Jude. The fallen angels also seem to be organised in where and how they function.

Fifth, the angel informed Daniel that his personal prayer and its answer was part of an age-long conflict between good and evil in the spiritual world. In verse  20, the angel says that he will continue his fight against the evil spirit that influences Persia, then he will fight against the evil spirit that will influence Greece (remember that the Grecian empire has not yet come into existence); he informs Daniel in chapter 11 what will happen to his people in the 400 hundred years between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New; and then tells Daniel in 12:1-2 that the conflict will continue until the day of the final resurrection.

Four Applications

First, when in trouble or confusion about providence, we should focus on the bigness of God. So often we turn to gifted humans, but they cannot do anything about the situation. The sight of God will overpower us, but it will also enlarge our vision. As Sinclair Ferguson puts it, those who see God ‘lose their taste for all that is trivial’.

Second, when things don’t seem to be going according to plan, remember the reality of spiritual warfare. Christians have superhuman enemies. For example, when we pray for a person to be converted, what happens? Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that the reason why people don’t believe the gospel because ‘the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.’

Another example concerns the decisions of government leaders. This angel informs Daniel that he confirmed and strengthened Darius the Mede when, in the first year of his reign, he resolved to let the Jews return to their own land (11:1). But he also says that evil powers were influencing the decision-making process in the Persian government (10:13). This gives insight into what is going on behind the scenes. Officials make decisions, but who knows all the influences there have been on them?

Third, remember that we are involved in a long conflict. There once was a war in Europe called the Hundred Years War. Whatever else may be said about the winning side, those of them who fought at the beginning were not there at the end. The original fighters had to be replaced by successors and this process kept on right until victory was achieved. In a far greater sense, we have succeeded those who have gone before us in the conflict and, if Jesus does not return, we hand the weapons on to our successors. What is important is that we use the right weapons. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 10:4 that ‘the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.’

Fourth, remember that we have supernatural help in the form of the ongoing ministry of angels. The same ones who helped Daniel are helping all God’s people down the centuries. They don’t get tired of or disinterested in God’s people. Instead they rejoice to help them. And who can tell how much they have done for us and will yet do for us.

It is appropriate for us to recall who the chief Warrior is in this age-long conflict. Usually, Old Testament theophanies (appearances of God in human form) are activities of the Son of God. There is no reason why the one who appeared here to Daniel could not be him. Even before he came into the world, he knew that he would yet come and fight all the hostile powers when he was on the cross. There he defeated them all completely and that victory guarantees that all his people will get safely to the heavenly destination. With him as our Commander, we will fight using spiritual weapons and will yet share the victory parade with the triumphant King of the church, Jesus.