Daniel 10:18

And He strengthened me.

Our Lord’s humanity a source of comfort

We are not able, as yet, to bear the full revelation of divine things. We ought to be thankful that our God has revealed no more. It appears that, when weighed down under a sense of the divine presence, the readiest method of consolation is found in the touch of a certain sublime, mysterious, human hand. Surely this glorious being was that uncreated messenger of the covenant who, though not born into our nature in Daniel’s day, yet took upon Himself the similitude of man for a time, as He had done before when on special occasions He appeared to others of the saints before His actual incarnation. The Son of God is also the Son of Man. He is as truly man as if He were not God, and as truly God as if He had never assumed the nature of man. Show how the touch of the hand of Jesus, the man, strengthens us.

I. IT CHEERS US WHEN WE LABOUR UNDER A SENSE OF LONELINESS. Some feel alone because they are the only ones of their house who serve the Lord. Well, there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. The child of God as he grows in grace becomes more lonely. But there are no heights of attainment which Jesus has not surpassed. It falls to the lot of some Christians to stand alone in their contention for the faith. In all our work He is our companion.

II. IT IS SWEET TO FEEL THE TOUCH OF THE HUMANITY OF CHRIST WHEN WE ARE HUMBLED IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD. A blessed extinction of self makes room for infinite love. There is not one covenant blessing but what, if we understood it, would have a humbling effect upon us. At such times of self-annihilation it is strengthening to the mind to feel the touch of that hand, and to perceive that He who is our God is also very near to us.

III. IN SORROW, HOW BLESSED IT IS TO PEEL THE TOUCH OF THE MAN’S HAND! Pain of body is the portion of many of God’s people. They are seldom long without it. Others endure the affliction of poverty. Some true Christians are naturally of a sombre temperament. There is no abyss of grief into which Jesus has not descended.

IV. THE FACT THAT JESUS IS A MAN, SUCH AS WE ARE, SHOULD GREATLY COMFORT US IN ALL OUR STRUGGLES. It seems hard, this battle of life, this fighting against sin, this contention against inbred corruption. We are apt to think sometimes, “Can we ever win? Is not the battle too difficult?” In such moments look at yonder man who sits upon the throne of God. He is the typical man. “Consider Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself.”

V. WHAT A BLESSED THING IT IS TO LOOK AT THE MANHOOD OF JESUS CHRIST AT TIMES WHEN WE HAVE BEEN DECEIVED BY OUR BRETHREN. Our natural tendency to idolatry leads us to confide in man. Sometimes there have come the discovery that man is only man, and that some men are not saints, though they talk in a saintly manner. At such times it is most cheering to remember that there is one man who will never deceive us. There is one who has not uttered a promise which He will not fulfil, nor won from us a confidence which He will not justify.

VI. THE SAME IS TRUE IN SEASONS OF DOUBT. There is a class of disciples like Thomas, who think much, and are apt to doubt much. They do not love doubts, they hate them, yet their doubts often go very deep, and undermine the most precious doctrines. A sight of my Lord is the sheetanchor which has held me fast in times of scepticism and doubt. I cannot doubt when I see him.

VII. THE TOUCH OF OUR REDEEMER’S HUMAN HAND COMFORTS US IN THE HOUR OF DEATH. One man has broken from the prison of the grave, and therefore all will who are like him.

VIII. THE MANHOOD OF CHRIST OUGHT TO BE A GREAT COMFORT TO YOU WHEN YOU ARE SEEKING TO DO GOOD AMONG YOUR FELLOW-MEN. This is an awful world, this world of human beings. But Jesus took human nature on Him, and thereby did it the highest honour. He thought it worth while to suffer and die for sinners. Let us think none so bad as to be beyond hope of benefit. Jesus Christ stoops low; so let us do. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

The Vision of Daniel

This is a record of the manner in which God reveals Himself to men, and it especially tells us how God strengthens them to hear His Word and do His Will.

1. God’s strengthening comes through what is divine becoming human. It comes into human relations and human measures. Daniel is represented here as overwhelmed by what he had seen and heard. We cannot take in too much at a time even of the highest and noblest things. They require strength of mind, clearness of intellect, to grasp and to carry them. It is so with knowledge. It is true even of our affections. Just so it is with the presence of God. We cannot dwell too long among the coruscations and flashings of the divine glory. Our week faculties reel and collapse beneath the strain. Too much was unveiled to Daniel, he became strenghtless. How was he restored? How did he gather strength again? One having the form of a man comes to him and touches him. That human touch gives him strength once more. The gentle touch of love, how it darts right through to our heart’s core, and makes our blood tingle. The soothing touch of pity is more eloquent than ten thousand words. It is full of comfort, and gives patience and mighty peace. Daniel was no longer alone. He had a companion--a human companion--with him, and found heartfelt and infinite relief. Who was this human form? We do not know. We are not told that it was an angel. We are not told that it was Christ. In one sense it certainly was Christ, for all living manifestations of God are utterances or syllables, so to speak, of that eternal Word of God, of which Christ is the full and perfect embodiment. Better ask, “What does He mean?” than to press the question, “Who is He?” His appearance means this blessed, consoling, universal fact, that God is not far from men, and that He gives us power both to endure what He lays upon us, and to do His commandments, by coming to us, as Himself in a sense human, as full of human love and sympathy. There is something in God which is very near to us and very dear. He is the light by which we understand. He is the pulse that beats in the centre of our life. He is the soul of our best and purest joy. When God shows us this side of His character--what I may call the human side of it--then we grow strong, and our poverty and weakness pass at once, and pass utterly away. That is true every way. It is true in regard to our sins; and m regards to our temptations. The knowledge that Christ has overcome is there before us. That alone helps me That perfect man is here, the head and crown of humanity, and He will breathe peace and faith, hope and courage, harmony and victory, into you and into me. (J.F. Stevenson, LL.D.)