©Kris Gerbrandt
Chapter 10:1-11 (ESV) - In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict. And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision.
In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks. On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river (that is, the Tigris) I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, and I retained no strength. Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground.
And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling.
Question to consider: Who was the man clothed in linen in today’s passage?
Daniel had been led into exile in 606 BC when he was about fifteen years old. The year of this vision would have been about seventy years later (536 BC). Even though Cyrus became king of Persia in 559 BC, Daniel’s mention of him was in relation to the Medo-Persian conquest of Babylon in 539 BC. Remember that Darius, the eventual successor to Cyrus, was prince of Babylon, but Cyrus would have been king over the Medo-Persian empire.
Since the seventy years had ended, we were at the time in which Zerubbabel led some of the nobles back to Jerusalem to begin the rebuilding of the temple. Daniel did not give the reason for his mourning. Maybe it was the realization that even though the exile was ending, he would not be returning to Jerusalem (after all, he was going on 85). Given the calendar reference was a numbered month (the first month), I assume he was referring to Nisan— the time beginning with the Passover.
The LORD gave to Moses the instructions for the Passover and The Feast of Unleavened Bread in Exodus 12. On the tenth day of the month, they were to choose an unblemished, year-old male lamb and take it into their home until the fourteenth day. They were to gather with their congregation (synagogue), and each household slaughtered their lambs and marked their doorposts. The lamb was then consumed in a feast. Following this feast, for the next seven days they were not to consume any bread that was leavened. Rather than participate in the Passover, Daniel essentially ate unleavened bread and drank water for the entire three weeks. This makes me think that the mourning period was the continued intercession over Israel’s sin as he had done before his visitation by Gabriel (according to Leviticus 26).
Three days after this mourning period, he received a visit from a heavenly being while standing on the bank of the Tigris river. This was more than just a vision, for it struck terror in those around him and caused them to flee even though they couldn’t see the object of their fear.
The text doesn’t say who this was in the vision, but the apostle John described Christ in a similar fashion in his apocalyptic vision, and he had the same reaction. “Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.’” (Revelation 1:12-18)
The apostle Paul had a similar encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus, but rather than receiving the hand of comfort, Paul was made to answer for his persecution of Christ and His church.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for waging the war against sin despite the fact that we continue to rebel against You. Please continue to draw us closer to You so that we may grow in our desire to be conformed to the image of Christ. Amen.