A PERSONAL FEAR
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Like many of the Hebrew prophets, including Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, Daniel was deeply shaken by his encounters with God and the messengers of God that he experienced in vision. In response, he was given two “Do not be afraid” commands (see Daniel 10:12 and 10:19), each with a different significance. The first “Do not be afraid” addressed his immediate physical fear of the grand and awesome vision he was experiencing and into which he was about to be led deeper. Even though his companions did not see what Daniel was seeing, they ran away, sensing that something big was happening. They left Daniel alone—fainting, trembling, and unable to speak. In an experience similar to that of Isaiah, a hand touched Daniel’s mouth, and his speech was restored. He immediately explained: “I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I feel very weak. How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe” (Daniel 10:16, 17). Daniel’s vision from God made his own weakness very clear to him. He felt human vulnerability in the presence of something so much greater. But the response from God’s messenger was personal. He described how God had been with Daniel “since the first day” that he turned to Him for understanding.
This experience reminded Daniel of how God had been with him over the many years since his exile to Babylon as a young man and his success in faithfully serving God and a succession of rulers as one empire had followed another.
Daniel’s story was remarkable; God had blessed him through many challenges and threats—and God was with him still.
