The Man
Daniel was praying, confessing his sin (v20) and that of the nation. Suddenly he was touched by an angel, Gabriel. It was about the time of the evening oblation. Here was a strange thing. There was no temple in Jerusalem and no sacrifices were being offered. Babylon had leveled the temple almost 70 years prior. Yet Daniel marks time by the time of the sacrifices that had marked the ritual of the nation while the temple was standing.
The angel Gabriel addressed Daniel thus: “Thou art greatly beloved” (v23).1 Was it Gabriel again who used this description in the next chapter (vv11,19)? Daniel was a man known in the courts of heaven and feared in the gates of hell. Here was a man in touch with the Throne and who was loved, rather greatly beloved, by God. God found great pleasure in a man who prayed as Daniel prayed, who confessed as Daniel confessed, and who interceded with the fervor with which Daniel interceded.
God, by virtue of His nature, loves all His own. Yet those who bring Him pleasure by a life of devotion are singled out for His favor and blessing.
The Messenger
Gabriel is one of the few angels whose names are known to us. He was given a number of tasks to complete that were linked with the nation of Israel. He was sent to Daniel in chapter 8 to enable him to “understand the vision” (8:16). In that vision, Daniel was told of events at “the time of the end.” So overwhelming was the vision that Daniel fainted and was sick for “certain days.” It appears, however, that he did not fully grasp the meaning of the vision (v27). This is similar to the conclusion of the vision of chapter 7, where Daniel says his “cogitations much troubled me … but I kept the matter in my heart” (v28).
Gabriel had visited the city of Babylon in its splendor and magnificence. Here in chapter 9 he was sent to Persia and to the palace precincts to speak with Daniel. In Luke 1, he was sent to earth again and visited the temple. There, his message was to Zechariah and concerned the answer to his prayer and the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist.
One final earth-bound ministry was to be part of his experience. That was a visit to a poor peasant’s home in Nazareth. His message then was to a lowly teenage girl, but his message was nothing minor or insignificant. Likely, no message of greater importance had ever been vouchsafed to an angel. He came with the message of the incarnation.
Two visits to Babylon and Persia in their splendor, one visit to the magnificent temple in Jerusalem, and then, what a contrast – a visit to a peasant’s home in Nazareth! What must Gabriel have thought when he compared the glory of heaven, and then the glory of an earthly palace and temple, with the lowliness of the home to which the incarnate God would come! Do angels ever stop in wonder and awe at God’s ways? To compare the palace in Babylon to a hut in Nazareth would be awe-inspiring. And then to contrast that same lowly dwelling with heaven’s abode would leave one speechless. But Gabriel had come to give Daniel here in Persia “skill and understanding” (9:22).
The Message
There is a curious insertion in verse 23. It is that as a result of what Gabriel was about to disclose, Daniel would have understanding in the “vision.” Now there had been no vision here in chapter 9, none since the two in chapters 7 and 8, neither of which Daniel was able to understand fully. Now, as a result of what is about to be disclosed, Daniel will be able to piece together the meaning of the visions. If this is the correct interpretation of this verse, then it highlights an interesting truth. Daniel had to wait almost 15 years to get the one clue that would help to understand the visions of the two previous chapters. Fifteen years is a long time to wait. Yet here in chapter 9 he gets an answer before he has opportunity to finish his prayer (v20). You may remember that the servant of Genesis 24 had not finished his prayer before the answer appeared on the horizon (Gen 24:15) in the form of Rebekah. God can answer before we are finished praying, or He may wait 15 years to answer some prayers. He operates according to His own timetable and calendar, and not ours. Yet He is never late and never early, but always on time!
There is one final caveat before we move into the interpretation of the prophecy of 70 “weeks.” Daniel was praying about the 70-year captivity and its conclusion, the return of the nation to the land, the rebuilding of the city, and the sanctuary. But God had bigger plans in mind, a bigger prophetic agenda to reveal. God will answer with something far greater, more expansive, more meaningful for the nation, and more eternal. Here, then, is an illustration of God doing “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph 3:20). Little wonder that we can join with the apostle as he worshiped such a God: “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end” (v21).
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV.
