Has God Been Quarantined? - Reflections on Daniel 10
“Never Alone”
Or
“From Battle to
Victory”
Or
“Has God Been
Quarantined? Have We?”
Sabbath School Bible Study
March 14, 2020
Larry R Evans
Introduction to Daniel 10
When confronted
with a crisis, it is easy to feel like we are facing it alone or that solutions
are beyond our reach. It seems as though some think God is quarantined and not
available.
I am reminded
of the message found in the official theme song for Adventist Possibility
Ministries entitled, “Not Alone.” When
it is sung by the Watoto Children’s Choir which is made up of orphaned children
from Uganda it is especially meaningful. Here are the lyrics of the first
stanza:
Through all
of my tears
You see my
fears
I'm not alone
When I need a
friend
You take my
hand
I'm not
alone
If the trials
come
And my
worries seem too much to bear
Lord, You
lift me up
And hold me
close
I'm not
alone
You're
my friend
Like no
other
You
have become the air I breathe
Jesus
more than any other thing
You are
life and hope to me
Leading up to
Daniel 10, we have been reminded of this key biblical principle which can simply
be summarized as “We are not alone!”
·
Exiled
and imprisoned does not mean we are alone. God is with us. God gave “knowledge
and understanding” to Daniel and his companions. They were not alone. (Daniel
1)
·
Nations
and their leaders may appear to have the last word, but they do not. God’s word
and kingdom will never be destroyed. We are not left alone. (Daniel 2)
·
When
faced with threats and anger of others (fiery furnaces), come what may, we
do not face consequences alone. (Daniel 3)
·
Pride and arrogance (Nebuchadnezzar’s
insanity) may boast but God is not intimidated and never leaves us alone.
(Daniel 4)
·
God
speaks through us in the darkest times (Belshazzar’s feast) reassuring us
that we are not alone. (Daniel 5)
·
Prayer
may not remove hardships (Lions), but God will never leave us to face our
trials alone to face them. (Daniel 6)
These first
six chapters lay an important foundation for the visions of the end times
portrayed in the last six chapters of Daniel.
Two Key Themes in Daniel 10
Daniel 10
introduces the final vision of the book (chapters 10-12). It is clear that the
problems of this world NEVER have the power of quarantining God though some
seem to think so. Two themes emerge in
Daniel 10:
1. There Is an Invisible War and
2. We Have a Victorious Prince Fighting
for Us
Each theme
underscores the point that, as bad as it may get, we are not in this battle by
ourselves. We are not alone. We are on the winning side and God is actively fighting
for us.
I.
An
Invisible War
Finally, my brethren, be strong
in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God,
that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not
wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of
wickedness in the heavenly places. Eph. 6:10-12
Setting
for Daniel 10
In the third
year of Cyrus, king of Persia about 50,000 Jews returned to their homeland. (Ezra
2). About the time they set out to
rebuild the temple, opposition arose.
The Samaritans offered to help but their help was refused because of
their compromised religious practices. When
the returned exiled Jews refused their participation in the rebuilding project
they became angry and revengeful. The refusal initiated their attempts to
undermine the integrity of the Jews and their plans to rebuild the temple! The
opposition was serious, and it seemed their attempts to block the rebuilding
was having a definite effect. The temple
was important because it symbolized God’s presence among His people.
This Man
Called Daniel
E.M. Bounds
in his book, Power Through Prayer, wrote,
“The Church is looking for better
methods; God is looking for better men. . . . The Holy Ghost does not flow
through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He
does not anoint plans, but men—men of prayer.” (p.8).
Such a man
was Daniel.
Daniel was
about 90 years old when he had the experience recorded in Daniel 10. At the time he was living in Babylon, which
was about 1,000 miles away from where the temple was to be rebuilt, yet he was
deeply concerned for his people. His
intercessory prayer for them is found in Dan. 9:4-19—the focus of last week’s
study. In that prayer he identified
himself with his people as a people who had sinned against God. Daniel was more
specific than that. He said they had not
even sought God’s favor by search for truth.
Daniel recognized that their only hope, was found in God’s mercy.
With all
earnestness Daniel poured out his heart to God—not for one day, not for one
week, but for three weeks. He could have
asked himself, “Where is God now! Had God been quarantined because of their
infectious sin!” Maybe God had quarantined Daniel and his people from His
presence.
In Daniel 10
a curtain is drawn back. We begin to see what some have called an invisible war
taking place that began the very moment Daniel began praying. An angel touches
Daniel and he begins to understand what seemed to have caused a delay in the
answers to his prayers. Note the sequence of events:
1. Daniel 10:12 – He stands and
hears the words of comfort.
2. Daniel 10:16,17 – Daniel speaks
and pours out his heart with fear and emotion.
3. Daniel 10:19 – Daniel recognizes
his inadequacy but is strengthened.
The Real Battle Daniel Could Not See—A
Cosmic War Behind the Unfolding Human History
·
In
the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, Daniel was given a revelation of what
is described as “a great war.” (v.1).
[Two years after the decree for the temple to be rebuilt.]
·
On
the 24th day of the first month an angel spoke to him – likely during
the Passover time although it is unknown if Passover was observed during
captivity.
·
Though
Daniel did not know, there was an immediate response to his prayer. There was no delay. See Dan. 10:12-14.
·
The
battle described: The prince of Persia
vs Michael, the prince who represents God’s people!
· The “great war’ described in Dan. 10
is a war between Satan, the prince of darkness (representing the
interests of the earthly enemies of God’s people) and Christ, the great
prince who represents the people of God.
·
As
the battle is grows and intensifies, “Michael, the great prince who protects
your people, will arise. There
will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of
nations . . . but at that time your people . . . will be delivered.” (Dan.
12:1)
The spiritual
war may be invisible but the effects are visible.
II.
The
Victorious Prince: Michael
“Do not fear, Daniel, for from
the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself
before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your
words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days;
and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I
had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. (Dan 10:10-12)
Question: Why do you believe God allowed the battle to
go on for 21 days? Why didn’t Michael
see the battle and come earlier?
SDA
Commentary: “In order
to refute Satan’s claim that God is a tyrant, the heavenly Father has seen fit
to withhold His hand and allow the adversary an opportunity to demonstrate his
methods and see t win men to his cause. . . . Thus, the events of history are
the product both of supernatural agencies and of human free choice.” (p.859,
860)
Michael: The name literally means, “who is
like God.” The identity of Michael is not definitely stated but when compared
with different scriptures it becomes clear that Michael is Christ. (Jude 9, 1
Thess 4:16, Jn 5:28).
What is
significant about “Michael” in Daniel 10 is the carryover of the
characteristics of Michael in other biblical passages. He is seen as a might warrior.
·
“the
Lord mighty in battle” (Ps 24:8)
·
“the
warrior” (Ex 15:3)
·
“a
victorious warrior” (Psalm 68)
The
significance? God fights the enemies of
His people, such as the Egyptians, the Canaanites, the Assyrians, and the
Babylonians. At times He even fights His
own people when they break His covenant with them. Michael is clearly active. He is not silent. He is not quarantined.
Weapons
for the Invisible War
When David
fought Goliath, it wasn’t his sling and a stone that brought him victory! It was a matter of whose side he was on.
Then David said to the Philistine,
“You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to
you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you
have defied. (1 Samuel 17:45)
And despite
the obvious weapons of war, David told how victory would be won:
Then all this assembly shall know
that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s,
and He will give you into our hands.” (1 Samuel 17:47)
The Great Battle and Our Faith
Response
And war broke out in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels
fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any
longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil
and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his
angels were cast out with him. (Rev. 12:7)
. . . the accuser of our brethren,
who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame
him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they
did not love their lives to the death. (Rev.
12:10,11)
Concluding
Challenge
In calling God our Father, we
recognize all His children as our brethren. We are all a part of the
great web of humanity, all members of one family. In our petitions we are to
include our neighbors as well as ourselves. No one prays aright who seeks a
blessing for himself alone.—( Sons and Daughters of God, 267.)
There are many from whom hope
has departed. Bring back the sunshine to them. Many have lost their
courage. Speak to them words of cheer. Pray for them. (Prophets and
Kings, 719)
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