Troublesome Topic: DANIEL’S REACTIONS TO THE VISIONS GIVEN TO HIM

Daniel 8:27

Translation

I DANIEL, was exhausted

I felt sick for days, and then I arose and made happen the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision and there was no one who could cause [me] to understand it.

Paraphrase

I, the one who lives by the motto GOD IS MY JUDGE, was so exhausted that I felt sick for several days. Finally I was able to get up and fulfill my responsibilities for the king, but all the while I was still feeling devastated and overwhelmed by the vision. Even though I had been given the interpretation to it, I felt that no one could help me fully understand what it meant for me and my people.

Daniel’s Reaction to the Visions Given to Him

I want you to notice the statements that describe Daniel’s responses to the visions he was given. I chose 8:27 as the one to highlight with a translation and paraphrase because it comes just before chapter 9 with Daniel’s prayer and the vision of the 70 sevens later in that chapter. However, on several occasions Daniel had a similar reaction. My thoughts alarmed me, and my cheerful disposition was changed (7:28). He mourned for three weeks, refusing to touch meat, wine, or lotions (10:2); he said, “No strength remained in me; my vigor was turned to nothing

within me, and I was not able to retain any of my strength” (10:8); He bowed his face to the ground and was speechless (10:15). At one point he said, “Because of the vision, deep pangs of writhing sorrow

have overwhelmed me, and no strength stays with me” … “no strength remains in me and no life’s-breath is left in me” (10:16-17). The angel (or Jesus) who had the appearance of a man, had to give Daniel strength in order for them to continue their conversation (10:18-19).

The next lesson is: Daniel Needed Encouragement

Footnotes

1: “exhausted”

The Hebrew word used here means “done, or finished,” similar to our phrase “done in.”

2

“turned to nothing”: The Hebrew words here are literally “changed to ruin/destruction.”

3

“deep pangs of writhing sorrow”: The root idea behind this word is that of a hinge turning back and forth, which in turn paints a picture of someone writhing back and forth in agonizing pain or overwhelming sorrow.