10:10-11 Evidently the "man"who touched Daniel and who proceeded to speak to him was the same one the prophet saw in the vision (vv. 5-6). The angel described Daniel as a man of high esteem (cf. 9:23; 10:19). We know that Daniel enjoyed a good reputation among his contemporaries, but this title probably reflects God's estimate of him. The Hebrew words (is hemudot) literally mean "man of preciousness."Daniel was precious to God not only because he was one of God's chosen people but also because God had been precious to him.
". . . Daniel's privileged status as one especially precious to God resulted from his complete absorption in the will and glory of the Lord to whom he had yielded his heart."390
It was only appropriate for Daniel to stand to receive a message from this impressive messenger from God.
10:12 Still it was an unnerving experience for Daniel to stand in the presence of such a glorious person. The angel realized how Daniel felt and encouraged him not to fear. The angel informed the prophet that God had heard his first prayer for understanding and that what follows came in answer to that petition (cf. 9:23). Humbling himself before God involved assuming the role of a learner before God.
"This verse constitutes a great encouragement to those whose prayers are not answered immediately. The cause of the delay may be something totally unknown to us; yet although the answer may be delayed, the prayer is always heard immediately."391
10:13 However someone had delayed the arrival of that information. He was the "prince of Persia,"evidently a fallen angel who, under Satan's domain, had a special responsibility for Persia (cf. v. 20; Eph. 2:2). Clearly "prince"here refers to an angel since Michael was also a "prince"(vv. 13, 21).392"The prince of Persia"must have been an evil angel since he opposed God's purpose. Angelic hostility in the unseen world had resulted in the 21-day delay of this good angel's arrival with God's message (cf. v. 2).
"The powers of evil apparently have the capacity to bring about hindrances and delays, even of the delivery of the answers to believers whose requests God is minded to answer. . . .
"While God can, of course, override the united resistance of all the forces of hell if he chooses to do so, he accords to demons certain limited powers of obstruction and rebellion somewhat like those he allows humans. In both cases the exercise of free will in opposition to the Lord of heaven is permitted by him when he sees fit. But as Job 1:12 and 2:6 indicate, the malignity of Satan is never allowed to go beyond the due limit set by God, who will not allow the believer to be tested beyond his limit (1 Cor 10:13)."393
It is unlikely that the prince of Persia could have resisted the Son of God this way if He was the person addressing Daniel. Moreover God's messenger had received help from Michael, one of the chief princes (angels), so it is unlikely that he was God Himself. Some angels have more authority and power than others do (Eph. 1:21).
"Although the entire subject of the unseen struggle between the holy angels and the fallen angels is not clearly revealed in the Scriptures, from the rare glimpses which are afforded, as in this instance, it is plain that behind the political and social conditions of the world there is angelic influence--good on the part of the holy angels, evil on the part of the angels under satanic control. This is the struggle to which Paul referred in Ephesians 6:10-18."394
"Bad angels, called demons in the New Testament, are, without a doubt, referred to here. In the course of time, these demonic powers gained a very strong influence over certain nations and the government of these nations. They became the controlling power. They used whatever resources they could muster to hamper God's work and to thwart His purposes."395
Evidently the good angel who spoke to Daniel had had some duty in Persia that involved the kings or rulers of that land. However having received a commission from God to visit Daniel he was not able to break away to deliver it because of the influence of the bad angel who exercised strong influence over Persia. Michael visited the good angel and helped him get away from this wicked angel's authority so he could visit Daniel.
Keil projected this idea even further. His view is speculation.
"The plural [kings of Persia] denotes, that by the subjugation of the demon of the Persian kingdom, his influence not merely over Cyrus, but over all the following kings of Persia, was brought to an end, so that the whole of the Persian kings became accessible to the influence of the spirit proceeding from God and in advancing the welfare of Israel."396
There has been much interest in spiritual warfare in recent years among professing Christians.397Certainly spiritual warfare is a biblical revelation, and we need to be aware of it and live accordingly. However much that is being taught about spiritual warfare, and particularly about "territorial demons,"goes beyond the teaching of Scripture. (The idea that there are "territorial demons"rests primarily on Daniel 10:13.) For example, there is no biblical instruction or precedent that would justify praying against and claiming victory over certain demons by name as some are doing and advocating today. Clearly Daniel did not know about this heavenly conflict between these angels. Michael's success was not due to Daniel's praying for or against certain angels or demons.
"Daniel, while supporting the idea of territorial identification of certain angels especially in chap. 10, does not support any sort of human involvement in angelic warfare."398
There may be hindrances to our praying about which we know nothing as we wonder why an answer to our prayer does not come. Nevertheless we should keep on praying (Luke 18:1-8). This incident reminds us of the importance of persisting in prayer. If Daniel had stopped praying on the twentieth day, he might not have received the great revelation of chapter 11 on the twenty-first day.
10:14 The good angel had come to explain to Daniel what would happen to the Jews in the latter days yet future. Daniel had already received some revelation about what lay ahead for the Jews (8:23-26; 9:24-27). It was evidently this revelation that puzzled him and led to his requesting clarification in prayer (v. 2). What follows in 11:2-12:4 is more information on this subject. As in 8:23-26 and 9:24-27, 11:2-12:4 contains information about Israel's fate relative to Antiochus Epiphanes in the near future and information about Israel's fate relative to Antichrist in the distant future.
