The Preparation of the Prophet
The occasion of the vision
The final vision given to Daniel came in the third year of the reign of Cyrus which was 536 b.c. Exiles had returned from Babylon and had begun rebuilding the temple. (Perhaps Daniel had not returned with the exiles because of his age.)
Daniel 10:2 "In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks."
three full weeks... This is a long time for a man to be in fasting, prayer, and constant emotional strain.
Understanding the significance of the vision, Daniel fasted for three weeks (lit., “three sevens of days”; cf. See Dan. 9:25). During this time of mourning he abstained from choice foods and apparently waited on God in prayer (cf. Dan. 10:12) concerning his people’s destiny.
Mourning was accompanied by wearing sackcloth and throwing ashes upon your head. These weeks were not speaking of a long period of time, like the weeks in the previous chapter.
These weeks were made up of seven, twenty four hour days. Even at that, this is a long time to mourn.
The entirety of chapter 10 is concerned with Daniel’s preparation to receive the vision. The emphasis of the chapter is the strengthening of Daniel and the satanic opposition that he and God’s angels encountered.
Understanding the significance of the vision, Daniel fasted for three weeks (lit., “three sevens of days”; cf. See Dan. 9:25).
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