Daniel Chapter Ten
10:1-3............
"In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision. In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled."
In the third year of Cyrus:
By this time, the first wave of exiles had returned under the leadership of Ezra.
By now, Daniel would be about 90 years old.
The message was true, but the appointed time was long:
Daniel 10 sets the stage for the spectacular prophecy (message) of Daniel 11, which described a time of great persecution and testing for the people of Israel.
Dr. John Walvoord on the appointed time was long:
“The implication is that the period in view is a long and strenuous one involving great conflict and trouble for the people of God.”
Mourning three full weeks:
Some think that Daniel was in mourning because so few Jews had returned with Ezra from exile.
Others believe it was because Ezra faced severe opposition in rebuilding the temple. Either or both could be the case.
Daniel did not go back with Ezra’s group of exiles because he was about 90 years old at this time. Daniel could serve the exiles better from his high position in government than he could with them in Jerusalem. Travel in that day at that age was not anything like it is today.
Spurgeon said =
“I think too that Daniel’s sorrow was occasioned partly by the repetition of those words to him: ‘The vision is true, but the time appointed is long.’
I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth:
It would be wrong to call what Daniel did fasting. The Biblical idea of fasting is to abstain from food altogether, drinking only water. Daniel definitely practiced a form of self-denial, but it was not fasting.
10:1-3............
"In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision. In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled."
In the third year of Cyrus:
By this time, the first wave of exiles had returned under the leadership of Ezra.
By now, Daniel would be about 90 years old.
The message was true, but the appointed time was long:
Daniel 10 sets the stage for the spectacular prophecy (message) of Daniel 11, which described a time of great persecution and testing for the people of Israel.
Dr. John Walvoord on the appointed time was long:
“The implication is that the period in view is a long and strenuous one involving great conflict and trouble for the people of God.”
Mourning three full weeks:
Some think that Daniel was in mourning because so few Jews had returned with Ezra from exile.
Others believe it was because Ezra faced severe opposition in rebuilding the temple. Either or both could be the case.
Daniel did not go back with Ezra’s group of exiles because he was about 90 years old at this time. Daniel could serve the exiles better from his high position in government than he could with them in Jerusalem. Travel in that day at that age was not anything like it is today.
Spurgeon said =
“I think too that Daniel’s sorrow was occasioned partly by the repetition of those words to him: ‘The vision is true, but the time appointed is long.’
I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth:
It would be wrong to call what Daniel did fasting. The Biblical idea of fasting is to abstain from food altogether, drinking only water. Daniel definitely practiced a form of self-denial, but it was not fasting.