Daniel 10.3-Daniel Abstained From Choice Food, Meat, Wine and Using Ointment Until the End of the Three Weeks
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday February 6, 2014
Daniel: Daniel 10:3-Daniel Abstained From Choice Food, Meat, Wine and Using Ointment Until the End of the Three Weeks
Lesson # 298
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 10:1.
Daniel 10:1 During Cyrus’s third year, king over Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel who was called by his name Belteshazzar. Specifically this message was truth and concerning a great conflict because he understood this message, yes he possessed understanding concerning this revelation. 2 During those days, I myself, Daniel caused myself to enter the state of mourning for three weeks. (My translation)
Daniel 10:3 I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed. (NASB95)
Daniel 10:3 I never ate expensive choice food or meat. Also, wine never entered into my mouth likewise I never anointed myself with oil until the end of the three weeks. (My translation)
Daniel explains what he means in verse 2 that he was mourning.
He expressed this morning by never eating choice expensive food or meat, which of course was ceremonially clean according to the dietary laws of the Mosaic Law.
He also never drank wine, which was also clean in that it was not dedicated to idols.
Lastly, he says he never anointed himself with oil. All of these actions expressed Daniel’s grief.
As we noted in verse 2, Daniel was mourning for three weeks for two reasons.
First of all, many of the Jewish exiles continued to stay in Babylon even though they were free to return to the land of Israel.
During Cyrus’ first year he issued a decree which permitted the Jewish exiles to leave Babylon and return to their homeland (cf. Ezra 1).
However, Ezra 2:64 says that only 42,360 returned, which is a rather small number.
Secondly, Daniel heard of the enemies of the Jews opposing them (cf. Ezra 4:4-5).
On the anniversary of Israel’s exodus from Egypt, a new exodus had begun during the first year of Cyrus the Persian, namely the Jewish exiles exodus from Babylon to Israel (Ezra 1).
However, it met with great discouragement early on (cf. Ezra 3:12-4:5).
The work of rebuilding the temple came to a complete stop because of Israel’s enemies (cf. Ezra 4:24).
It would take another two decades before the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem would be completed (Zechariah 4:7).
God’s plan was moving according to schedule even though Daniel may not have realized this fact.
So here in Daniel 10:3, Daniel is telling the reader that he expressed this mourning over these two things by going on a fast for three weeks.
He was fasting for three weeks out of concern for his fellow Jewish countrymen and as an expression of seeking God’s will concerning this matter of his people.
Fasting refers to the act of depriving the body of nourishment.
It was done for a variety of reasons.
First of all it was done by nations as a sign of sorrow in the wake of a national tragedy (Judges 20:26; 1 Samuel 31:13; 1 Chronicles 10:12; 2 Samuel 1:12; 3:35); Esther 4:3; Jeremiah 14:1-12; Joel 1:14; 2:12-15).
It was also done by individuals of course who experienced sorrow or suffering (1 Samuel 1:7-8; 20:34; Job 3:24; Psalm 42:3; 102:4; 107:17-18).
Fasting was also a sign of repentance from national or corporate sins and was an act of seeking forgiveness from God as a nation (1 Samuel 7:6; Ezra 9:1-10:17; Nehemiah 9:1; Zechariah 8:16-19).
Daniel and Nehemiah fasted individually over their nation’s corporate sin as a demonstration of humility and repentance (Daniel 9:3-14; Nehemiah 1:4-7).
Many believers in the Old Testament fasted while in intercessory prayer for others (2 Samuel 12:16-23; Nehemiah 1:8-10; Psalm 35:13; Daniel 6:18; 9:15-19) or when offering personal petitions (1 Samuel 1:7-11; Nehemiah 1:11; Psalm 109:21-24; Daniel 9:3; 10:1-3).
Leaders prayed and fasted before battles (Judges 20:26; 1 Samuel 7:6; 2 Chronicles 20:3) and for relief from famine (Jeremiah 14:1-12; Joel 1:14; 2:12-15) or for success in other areas (Ezra 8:21-23; Esther 4:16).
The Lord Jesus Christ encouraged fasting as an aid to one’s personal devotion to God (Matthew 6:16-18).
The first century apostolic church engaged in corporate fasting and prayer meetings (Acts 13:2-3).
Fasting was used as an aid to experiencing God’s presence (Exodus 34:28; 1 Kings 19:8) and as an act of ceremonial public worship (Nehemiah 9:1; Esther 9:31; Isaiah 58:3; Jeremiah 36:6-9; Zechariah 7:3-5; 8:19).
Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther initiated fasts even though the Mosaic Law did not require them.