Finding the “Hope that motivates faithfulness” coming from God and not from us is where we find ourselves today in Daniel 10. One of our challenges is that we have to hold in tension, what Daniel sees as a vision, with what Daniel sees unpacked in Daniel 11 & 12 we’ll cover that next week. I wonder what sticks out most as you see Daniel 10 what comes to the fore? Part of that has to do with Daniel’s character, and how he was known. What have we seen of who Daniel is so far? He is known for: his integrity; he is known as an exile from Jerusalem who has time and time again proved that his body might be captive but his identity is found in God; he is known for his life of faith; and finally he is known as a man of prayer. What would you do if all of sudden today you had a messenger from God turn up and speak with you. What would they say you were most known for? In what way do you think you would stand out, as another thing Daniel 10-12 keeps pointing us back to Daniel 8. This is when Daniel has a vision of the Ram & the goat and the goat over powers the Ram. What we keep on being reminded of is the war waged is as much a spiritual one as it one seen in the conquest of nations by great armies. In Daniel there is something much larger going on; just as we don’t have to be told how much temptation we face as we seek to live each day as a disciple of Jesus. How we struggle to live a practical life of faith is shown by the question of how willing I am to forgive others? Another question is where I find my refuge in times of trouble? Or where I take courage form in the face of evil? At the end of the day will for us Jesus be enough. As we read in Daniel 10:1
In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar). Its message was true and it concerned a great war. The understanding of the message came to him in a vision.
We are in the third year of Cyrus King of Persia. Cyrus had already decreed to restore the temple and allow any Israelites return to Jerusalem we read about that in the book of Ezra. Daniel goes out of his way to tell us what he writes down is true. That’s always the trouble with hearing something that’s so far out of what we imagine possible in life, so far outside our comfort zone for how life should go. What Daniel sees is a great war. A series of conflicts between rival nations, each nation striving for world supremacy, failing to achieve lasting dominance. We also see the veil pulled back on an unseen war – a spiritual one. The link here is even though the captives of Israel may return to Jerusalem the end of exile. This is not yet the end of trouble and tribulation.
There is more trouble to come. Just as we frequently face the temptation to become all too easily satisfied with our walk in God. We can become to easily tempted to stop seeing the brokenness of our world, no longer be moved by seeing the needs of others around us. Our struggle is how much we want life to be regular, predictable, comfortable, or even controllable[1] Daniel comes across again overwhelmed by what is before him. He is prepared to see the brokenness of himself. We understand that, like how many of us how been so worried by something we couldn’t eat. Daniel mourns and fasts for 3 weeks, praying asking God for clarity. Eating only plain foods and drinking only water.
Verse 2-6
2 At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. 3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over. 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, 5 I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.
Again Daniel sees what others aren’t able to. The description here is of a man dressed in linen, a gold belt, a body glimmering like topaz, a face like lightning, eyes like torches, arms and legs like bronze and a voice that sounds like a multitude. This image causes him terror. I hope you are also thinking this image is familiar to us. This is like the Son of Man, the Ancient of Days much like the vision of the resurrected Christ John sees in Revelation 1. Daniel describes the same view the prophet Ezekiel has of God (Ezekiel 1). Only Daniel sees the vision, those who were with him are overcome by a sense of dread. They just don’t know why they feel that way. We step now into how Daniel is seen. We know he was a man of prayer. It saw him get thrown into a lion’s den, and now we are reminded . Verses 12-14
12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”
Daniel is trembling. We are reminded our prayers are heard that God is not only listening he is active and on the move, he is always working all situations for his glory, even when that doesn’t make much sense to us. Here the veil is pulled back and God shows us how heavenly powers fight evil spiritual powers that are associated with the state Greece & Persia are singled out as more than empires that wield human evil. It is true that as horrible as the evil empires can bring to bear is that we see the spiritual horrors that stand behind their power. The question is: Do you think God is unable to overcome hindrances without the help of his created angels, is that what Daniel 10 is about? Where Daniel points us is that as the cosmic, unseen battle is played out it is in parallel to the earthly struggles of God’s people. The course of human history is shaped by God. So in the midst of the chaos of war see how God’s passion towards Daniel is to provide him with comfort, verse 16
Then I was surprised by something like a human hand that touched my lips.
& verse 18-19
“Then this humanlike figure touched me again and gave me strength. He said, ‘Don’t be afraid, friend. Peace. Everything is going to be all right. Take courage. Be strong.’
Filled with terror, trembling on his hands and knees, his face towards the ground and speechless. God’s messenger lifts him up, touches his lips, and restores Daniel to a sense of peace, standing in the face of holiness confronts us with all that isn’t right, holy, or wholesome in us. Behind what we see God reminds Daniel is also a spiritual war, unseen. Have a look again verse 13-14 (The Message)
But I was waylaid by the angel-prince of the kingdom of Persia and was delayed for a good three weeks. But then Michael, one of the chief angel-princes, intervened to help me. I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia. And now I’m here to help you understand what will eventually happen to your people. The vision has to do with what’s ahead.’
We step into the behind the scenes view of spiritual warfare
Of something that looks like supernatural powers that stand behind the nations. The Apostle Paul puts it in Ephesians 6:12
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Spiritual warfare is real. Just as we know that Satan likes nothing better than to cause division or confusion amongst the disciples of Jesus. As those who stand the other side of the cross remember that Christ and his death has beaten all evil and spiritual forces once and for all. At the cross a cosmic battle was conducted and on which the forces of evil were disarmed, publically exposed and led in triumphal procession. The only protection we can find in this life is in Jesus alone. It is why we’re reminded to keep on speaking the good news about Jesus to one another as much as to share that same good news with those who have never heard or who don’t have a relationship with Jesus themselves[2] Here is a provocative glimpse of the future, not a fully filled out, every details explained event. We are driven to comfort and encouragement in spite of present suffering. We are driven to God, to trust in his plans. Daniel pulls back the veil for us of things to come. It is hard to reflect on the difficulties we face as followers of Jesus. The reminder again of the path of suffering. The uncertainty of life and unwanted consequences for some of the decisions we make. We are tricky people. There is the sense in which we are brought here for how a cosmic war stands behind human conflict
how judgment is certain; and even though as God’s people we may be down trodden in the present. What we look to is what is yet to come. The question we are asked is how is Jesus enough?
Let’s pray…
David Hassan @ Tamworth Community Presbyterian Church 26-11-17
[1] Idea taken from: Tripp, Paul David. Broken Down House Wapwallopen, Pennsylvania: Shepherd Press, 2009. P197-198
[2] idea taken from Reid, Andrew Kingdoms in Conflict: Reading Daniel today. Sydney, Australia. AIO, 1993, p.209-210