Daniel 10:1-21

Daniel has another vision about the final days involving the nation of Israel.  This is simply a preparatory chapter for this, the final revelation to Daniel.  We simply have a description of Daniel’s state when He began to receive the vision as well as the background of what was going on in the spiritual realm in order for Daniel to have this vision.  God is clearly at work in the nation as well as in Daniel’s life.  There is a relationship with God and a reverence for the Lord that is often missing in our worship today.  Daniel clearly lives with the fear of the Lord in his heart and mind.  This type of fear is seldom seen in our worship today.

A TROUBLED SOUL: Daniel spends three weeks in mourning before the Lord.  He is not fasting completely, but it is clear that he is eating and drinking only the essentials and pouring out his heart to the Lord.  He seems to understand that there is more vital information the Lord wants to reveal to him, so he begins to prepare himself to hear from the Lord.  The disciplines of fasting and praying seem to be lost in the lives of many believers today.  We take the Word of God for granted so often and show so little reverence for the privilege of having access to the Word of God in our lives. 

A TERRIFYING SIGHT: Daniel alone sees what seems to be a terrifying sight.  Even though the men who are with him sense the presence of something awesome and flee, they do not see the vision.  Daniel describes a Man who seems to be a manifestation of the Lord Jesus Christ.  His immediate response is to fall on his face in worship and he trembles in the glory of what he has seen.  The reverence and fear of the Lord is an aspect that seems to be missing from much of our worship today.  There is a familiarity with the things of God that does not demonstrate the awe that we should have of God.  When we truly know the Lord our immediate response should be one of reverent worship.


A TESTIFYING SPEECH: Daniel feels without strength from his experience of seeing the Lord and now and angel comes to strengthen him and speak to him.  All of this is in preparation for that which God is about to reveal to Daniel in the chapters ahead.  The angel lets Daniel know that he is greatly loved by the Lord and that God has sent this angel out as soon as Daniel began his three weeks of prayer but the was spiritual warfare taking place so the angel was delayed until the angel Michael came to assist.  And now the angel must return to do battle with another fallen angel.  This is an aspect of reality about which we very ignorant.  The spiritual warfare taking place in today’s universe is something beyond our realm of comprehension.  We do know that it is real and we participate in it through our prayers is a special way.  Daniel’s fear of the Lord is an explanation as to why he was so greatly loved by God and given such clear vision as to what the Lord was doing in the world.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 1:3-7

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not   to teach any different doctrine,   nor   to devote themselves to myths and endless   genealogies, which promote   speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.    The aim of our charge is love   that issues from a pure heart and   a good conscience and   a sincere faith.    Certain persons, by   swerving from these, have wandered away into   vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law,   without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.   There will always be false teachers that come into the church attempting to distract people from the truth and destroy people’s faith.  When this happens, it is the job of spiritually mature leaders to confront these false teachers and correct their teachings.  However, it is important that this correction be accomplished with the right motives and methods. 
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more