Daniel Chapter 10
10:1 “In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia”: The third year of Cyrus would have been 536 B.C. By this time Jewish exiles had already returned from Babylon and had begun rebuilding the temple. Israel’s captivity had ended, Jerusalem was being reoccupied, and the nation seemed to be at peace (Ezra 1:1:1-4; 3:1,8) 10:2 “And the message was true and one of great conflict”: Daniel goes on to tell us that he “had understanding of the vision”. In this he is not claiming that he understood it all, for subsequent passages make it clear he did not (10:12-14). He did, however, understand that there was war and hardships involved in it because it drove him to his knees. The vision given Daniel at this time shattered any hope the prophet might have had that Israel would enjoy her new freedom and peace for long. 10:2-3 For people in the east a part of daily life was the anointing oneself with oil, only those who were sick or in mourning or facing a crisis did not anoint themselves. This helps explain James 5:14 where the elders anointed the sick with oil and then prayed for them. It was an expression of faith, that the person was about to get well and take his or her place among the rest of society. This is true also in Mark 6:13 where a miracle is about to be performed so that there can be no suggestion that the oil being used had miraculous qualities. When I see Daniel praying so fervently I wonder if we are equally concerned about the fate of God’s people, the church today? Daniel clearly identified with what God’s people were experiencing, and fervently prayed to God for their sake. Compare with Luke 22:31-32; 2 Corinthians 11:28-29. 10:4 After three weeks, Daniel was visited by a messenger as the prophet was standing by the Tigris River. For some reason, possibly age or government responsibilities, Daniel did not return to Jerusalem. The first month in the Jewish calendar was the month of Nisan, and the Passover feast had taken place on the 14th day of this month. 10:5-6 The following is a description of the heavenly messenger that appeared to Daniel. He appeared in the form of a man, dressed in linen (symbolizing purity?), girded with a pure gold belt. The term “Uphaz” (YOU faz) is an unknown place from which gold was brought. The term “beryl”(BERH ul) refers to a rare silver-white metal similar to aluminum. Beryl ranged in color from bluish green to yellow, white, pink, and deep green. The voice of this man thundered like
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