Monday, March 9
Read Daniel 10:4-9. What happens to Daniel here?
As Daniel describes his experience, we can hardly imagine the overwhelming splendor of what he sees. That human appearance (Daniel 10:5, 6) harks back to the “Son of man” depicted in the vision of the heavenly judgment (Daniel 7:13). His linen clothing is reminiscent of priestly garments (Leviticus 16:4), an aspect that likens this personage to the “Prince of the host” depicted in connection with the heavenly sanctuary (Daniel 8). Gold is also associated with the priestly regalia as a sign of royal dignity. Last, the likening of this figure to lightning, fire, bronze, and a powerful voice portrays him as a supernatural being. This is someone invested with priestly, royal, and military attributes. This figure also displays interesting similarities to the heavenly being who appears to Joshua shortly before the battle against Jericho (Joshua 5:13, 14). In the vision, Joshua sees the “Commander of the army of the LORD”. Interestingly, the Hebrew word translated as “commander” (sar) here is the same word translated as “prince” in reference to Michael in Daniel 10:21. But a closer parallel occurs between Daniel and John, who received a vision of the risen Lord on the Sabbath day.
What similarities do we find between Daniel‘s vision of the Son of God in Daniel 10 and those in Joshua 5:13-15 and Revelation 1:12-18?
According to Daniel, those who are with him are frightened off, and Daniel himself falls weak and frail to the ground. The manifestation of God’s presence simply overwhelms him. Yet whatever his immediate fears, Daniel’s vision shows that God is in control of history. Indeed, as the vision unfolds, we will see that God provides Daniel with an outline of human history from the times of the prophet until the establishment of God’s kingdom (Daniel 11 and 12).
If, as we have seen over and over in Daniel, the Lord can keep human history under control, what can He do for our individual lives?
