Warfare: strife, confusion, variance, at odds, state of hostility. What is it good for? On the one hand, war produces defeat for the victims, cruelty, indignancy, atrocity, humiliation, disgrace, and destruction; on the other hand, war also produces victory for the victor, purging, peace, reconciliation, restoration, and comfort. War is not a process entertained half-heartedly, passively, as if there was “just a war;” rather, warfare is accomplished wholly, for justice is fully engaged—war is about justice. A dogfight is not the battle.
War is aggression against God on both the spiritual and human levels; in other words, a lifting of the hand in the physical realm is a sure sign that a battle in the spiritual realm has already been lost. Wickedness is the unapologetic enemy of righteousness. “But,” one may inquire, “if warfare is evil, wouldn’t the defender of righteousness also be evil, and subsequently be no longer righteous?” Hardly. Cooperation with the enemy is treason. The defender demonstrates aggressive goodness as it advances against its one-sided evil aggressor who lusts and cannot have; through its hatred, murders. There is no submission or humility in the sight of the Lord, but a hostile parade of the high-handed sin of pride. Since the objective is victory, the offensive is on the side of righteousness.
God is not indifferent to our state, but the enemy is. “Of course the war is entertaining. The immediate fear and suffering of the humans is a legitimate and pleasing refreshment for our myriads of toiling workers. But what permanent good does it do us unless we make use of it for bringing souls to Our Father Below? When I see the temporal suffering of humans who finally escape us, I feel as if I had been allowed to taste the first course of a rich banquet and then denied the rest. It is worse than not to have tasted it at all.”
[1]Daniel was very familiar with war, as a prisoner of war who was raised by his captors and in the tension of a court that saw many rulers, the last being a foreign invader. Daniel 1:21 tell us that Daniel continued serving God as a Babylonian official until the first year of Cyrus the king. Daniel 10 opens in the third year of Cyrus the Persian and he is troubled to the point he is in mourning, cannot eat nor does he use ointments. The text is silent as to how Daniel is serving the court (he may very well be a private citizen at this point) and his trouble may at first glance seem to be connected to possible uncertainty as he is no longer in the courts. More study may suggest further that by this time, the rebuilding of Jerusalem per the decree of Cyrus is well underway—people have returned to the land and the opposition felt there may also be felt by those who remained (
Ezra 4:4-5).
Daniel’s trouble assuredly comes from the message of warfare he receives from a visionary visitor, whose message extends to the end of the book into Chapter 12. Focusing our view to Chapter 10 we discover some spiritual truths deserving our attention.
First, Daniel 10 continues in the reality of the existence of a spiritual realm. Today’s entertainment-driven mind has become fascinated with what happens “behind the scenes.” We see what’s happening up front, but more questions are answered when we get to see how things are accomplished; whether it’s the little man behind the curtain or the technologies that make our walking shoes. The beginning of Daniel’s account has already helped us understand that there exists much more than the physical realm. The fact that Daniel and his friends were taken captive was part of a transcendent plan that will extend to the culmination of time and space. Furthermore, Daniel and his friends became known as captives with a loyal obedience to a greater sovereign that reflected an attitude beyond mere animosity as captives.
Second, the physical realm and its inhabitants are juxtaposed with the spiritual realm and its inhabitants. The spiritual realm was constantly manifested in the physical. Knowledge that surpassed human indicated a spiritual source. The eyes of the pagans gave witness to events that otherwise could not be explained: preservation in the furnace and lion’s den; the madness and restoration of a boastful king; handwriting on the wall; sudden reversal in national policy.
Third, the spiritual realm is inhabited by spiritual beings. Again, the Babylonians, either individually or collectively, were witnesses of non-physical beings through dreams, visions, or actual sight. Though Gabriel has already been on the scene (
Daniel 8:16 and
9:21) Daniels’ vision here identifies two spiritual beings: one who many believe to be Christ in a pre-incarnate form (almost identical to the description of
Revelation 1:13-14); and, an angel named Michael.
Finally, the battle concerns the glory of God, ultimately. What does the enemy hope to gain in his warfare? What interest does our spiritual enemy have in any of God’s creation? The enemy is not after land, or space for that matter. Nor is he after souls, so to speak. “The chief end of humans is to glorify God and the chief end of Satan is to prevent God from being glorified.”
[2] When God’s people pray, they are engaged in the glory of God. Daniel had been praying and the enemy was at work to against the fruition of that prayer.
Two intriguing statements made in this conversation between “the man” and Daniel. First, “the man” tells Daniel that He was delayed in bringing an answer to Daniel’s prayer. Let us not miss this: God answered Daniel’s prayer. It was answered whether Daniel knew the answer or not. Second, “the man” tells Daniel “
I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth.” (10:21). God has already determined what will happen, and though a battle rages concerning the fulfillment of that word, we will see God still have His way. “The decree of God is a thing written, it is a scripture which remains and cannot be altered. What I have written I have written. As there are scriptures for the revealed will of God, the letters-patent, which are published to the world, so there are scriptures for the secret will of God, the close rolls, which are sealed among his treasures, the book of his decrees. Both are scriptures of truth; nothing shall be added to nor taken from either of them. The secret things belong not to us, only now and then some few paragraphs have been copied out from the book of God’s counsels, and delivered to the prophets for the use of the church, as here to Daniel; but they are the things revealed, even the words of this law, which belong to us and to our children; and we are concerned to study what is written in these scriptures of truth, for they are things which belong to our everlasting peace.”
[3]Ephesians 6:10-18 shows how God cares for our state, providing from His own armory all that we need which is found in Him to be strong, stand, wrestle and be watchful against the enemy, with all prayer and supplication for all the saints. Weak before the messenger, Daniel is strengthened, made to stand—all this for the results of his prayers. Praying for God’s glory is praying for the humiliation of God’s enemies and they will not go down without a fight. The saint is the battleground because the saint is the bride of Christ.
Considering the view of this one saint in the record of this passage (prayer, the spiritual realm and warfare), we catch a glimpse behind the scenes of what is happening behind all those godly men and women who are eager to see the glory of God manifested in so many ways throughout the world. We even catch a glimpse at the influences behind the nations, the governments of the world. Our prayer life should be deepened, for without prayer, we are without a prayer—not simply as a nation but as the people of God. We have seen Daniel as a man of intense devotion, constantly seeking the exaltation of God in all things. This should also challenge us to seek the Excellencies of our Lord Jesus Christ as His ministry carries forth to the same end. Have we not prayed for deliverance from the oppressive and unjust all around us, who seek to sweep us away in captivity? Do we not desire to be rescued from the fire or the lion’s mouth? Don’t we desire the wicked to see the handwriting on the wall and for God to reign in justice?
Perhaps part of keeping hungry after God is to mind the view that the physical realm is not all there is. We may need reminders that what we know and experience is part of a larger whole—we must learn to understand and interrelate with the spiritual realm. Furthermore, we must develop the discipline of discernment that pursues the glories of Christ and stands firm against the enemies of The Kingdom.
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[1] Lewis, C.S. “
The Screwtape Letters.” New York: MacMillan, 1982.
[2] Wagner, C. Peter. “Territorial Spirits.” Wrestling with Dark Angels: Toward A Deeper Understanding of the Supernatural Forces in Spiritual Warfare. Ventura: Regal, 1990.
[3] Henry, Matthew.
Commentary on Daniel 10.
