I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. 8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. 9 Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.
Daniel was a veteran, not a rookie, both in hearing the Lord speak and in speaking the Lord’s Word. But his reaction here shows the frailty of sinful humanity when in the presence of the holiness and greatness of God.
We don’t know who Daniel’s companions were on this occasion, but they did not see what Daniel did. Perhaps the Lord kept them from recognizing him. If these were heathen people, perhaps officials of the Persian court, God may have considered them unfit to see the heavenly vision Daniel saw. We can be sure of this, however: Daniel’s companions knew he had seen something from out of this world, and they were terrified. They may have noticed the change in his appearance or his strange behavior. At any rate, they fled and hid themselves, leaving Daniel alone to concentrate on the vision.
He describes in detail what effect the sight of the heavenly visitor had on him. One is reminded of Isaiah’s experience when in a vision he saw the Lord of glory. Isaiah was overwhelmed by a sense of his sinful unworthiness and cried out, “Woe to me! . . . I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, . . . and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty!” (Isaiah 6:5) Daniel had an even more shattering experience. His normally pleasant appearance was changed. The color drained from his cheeks; he turned pale as a ghost. The Hebrew text indicates his facial features were actually distorted and disfigured. Adding to Daniel’s discomfort was that he felt his strength being drained from him; he was helpless. In this state of fear and emotional shock, when he heard the Lord’s voice speaking to him, he fell to the ground in a faint.
10 A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.
God does not take particular delight in scaring the daylights out of people, least of all his beloved children. Daniel’s heavenly visitor was indescribably majestic, but along with this majesty he demonstrated two other qualities. He showed his love by stooping to help Daniel as he lay unconscious on the ground along the Tigris River. After gently touching him and restoring him to consciousness and helping him to a kneeling position, the Angel spoke to Daniel. He lovingly called him “you who are highly esteemed.” He reminded Daniel that he was precious to God and that the purpose of the vision was not to frighten him but to acquaint him with some information God wanted him to know and record for future generations. The loving touch here reminds us of how Jesus “came and touched” the terrified disciples who witnessed his glorious transfiguration (Matthew 17:6,7).
Daniel, veteran statesman and adviser of kings, must have presented a sorry sight as he crouched on hands and knees, still trembling, unable to stand.
In addition to showing love for this frightened man, the heavenly visitor showed his supernatural power. “Daniel . . . stand up.” This divine word carried with it the power to enable Daniel to overcome his weakness. It is interesting to note that the process of strengthening the man of God consisted of several steps, each bringing Daniel a bit nearer to the point of being fully capable of receiving the vision. Daniel rose to his feet, still unsteady.