Daniel 10:11
And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.
The heavenly messenger greets Daniel as one greatly beloved, bids him grasp the words spoken and rise upright because he has now been sent to him, and Daniel rises trembling before him. The visit comes in answer to earnest prayer with fasting, confession and humiliation, bringing comfort that his petition was heard in heaven, with Gabriel sent to aid him while satanic agencies work through the Persian king to block the answer. Overwhelmed and strengthless by the glory, Daniel falls prostrate until the angel touches and strengthens him, sets him upright and meets him in human form so he can endure and hear what is to come. He is named greatly beloved for faithfulness, truth and humility lived wholly for God's glory, yet though pure and honored he makes no boast of holiness but confesses his own sins with those of Israel and justifies God. The words by the Hiddekel are light direct from God for the last days now fulfilling, and those who pray and humble themselves as Daniel did may share his standing under angelic protection and be numbered as greatly beloved.
Messenger Sent to Daniel
The heavenly messenger addresses Daniel as one greatly beloved, bids him grasp the words being spoken to him, and commands him to stand upright because he has now been sent to him, and at that word Daniel rises to his feet still trembling. This is a divine message delivered in direct answer to earnest prayer offered with fasting, confession, and humiliation, and the angel's words comfort Daniel with the assurance that his prayer was heard in heaven. His prayer moved a mighty angel to come to his aid, while satanic agencies were at work upon the Persian king to obstruct the answer.
That angel is Gabriel, sent to Daniel's help in response to that prayer. The encounter overwhelms Daniel, leaving him prostrate and helpless with no strength and unable to bear the angel's appearance until he is touched and strengthened and set upright. The angel approaches him in human form so that he can endure the presence and hear the message concerning future events.
God's glory had to be revealed in a form human beings could endure, which is why the angel veiled his glory in human likeness. For the same reason Christ came in humanity, because fallen people could not bear Him appearing in all His glory but could bear and approach divinity through a human form. The speaker to Daniel by the River Hiddekel is the Lord Jesus, the same who appeared to John in exile on Patmos.
Greatly Beloved Yet Humble
The title greatly beloved, given by the unfallen universe and by heaven itself, belongs to Daniel as an elevated saint, a man of lofty principle and untarnished honor. He kept a spotless record in the courts of Babylon while surrounded by corrupting influences that would have ruined him had he yielded to temptation. Plotters on every side watched eagerly hoping to find unfaithfulness in the noble statesman, yet no stain could be detected.
He is called greatly beloved because he was faithful and true, living wholly for God's glory. That same standing is linked to his humility, faithfulness, and truthfulness. He felt his need of praying and confessing his sins and found pardon, and his faithfulness is held up as the reason for the name and as a model of prayer in which the Holy Spirit works on one's behalf, with assurance that those who persevere in Christ's likeness may be named among God's children as greatly beloved.
Though greatly beloved, honored, and pure, he did not boast of holiness nor claim to be pure, holy, or sinless. Faced with the angel he fell prostrate rather than boasting of his faithfulness, overwhelmed with no strength and unable to bear the angel's appearance until set upright, showing humble awareness of weakness and humility before heavenly purity. He humbly identified himself with sinful Israel when pleading for mercy, confessing his own sins and his people's sins without excuse and affirming that God's dealings were just, for being beloved by God does not remove the need to confess sin.
His standing trembling in fear and humiliation is working out his own salvation with fear and trembling. True sanctification is marked by humility before God rather than by self-righteous claims of sinlessness, so honor and purity did not lead him to boast but to contrition and pleading for mercy. A clear knowledge of God and Jesus Christ, especially under the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, leads to contrition rather than self-esteem or boasting.
It is the man thus humbled and honored by God who understands what true greatness is. Exalted position counts for nothing with God, while righteousness and truth give honor. God calls men to walk before Him in humility with contrition of heart, confessing sins to receive forgiveness, and Daniel did not refuse that confession but confessed his sins and the sins of his people.
Prophecy and Present Application
The address belongs to the revelations given in chapters 7 through 12, prophecies that were not fully understood even by Daniel himself. The words spoken by the Hiddekel are light received direct from God especially for the last days, for future ages and for the time now living, making known His mind and will especially to Daniel among the captives in Babylon and showing what would transpire in the latter days. That vision is now in process of fulfillment, and all the events foretold in it will soon come to pass.
Daniel humbled his heart before God, and his example calls one who has been reproved to make a change and humble the heart. Reading the prayer he offered shows what it means to humble oneself before God. Those who do as Daniel did — faithful and true, living wholly for God's glory, feeling need of praying and confessing sins and finding pardon — share his standing and come under the protection of the angels of God, guarded by heavenly intelligences. They are not asleep but keenly alive to exposure to the enemy's malignant devices, prepared to stand in their lot and place with safety only in keeping God's commandments, while over every man good and evil angels strive in the conflict between loyal and disloyal angels and the man himself determines which shall win.
The address is a model for prayer that the Holy Spirit will work on one's behalf, connecting faithful daily petitions with strength and wisdom from God. It gives assurance that those who persevere in Christ's likeness may be named among God's children as greatly beloved. Daniel is a model to follow in character by striving to be like him in kindness, patience, and love toward those who help form right characters. When a worker for God is treated with injustice and set back while others are pushed to the front to hinder the work he should do, an angel takes him by the hand to strengthen and encourage him.