Homilist Daniel 10:12 Then said he to me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that you did set your heart to understand… I. Its action on SELF. It is concentration of soul. "Set thy heart" is setting the whole soul to the work. 1. Concentration to spiritual study. "Set thy heart to understand." To understand what ? Thyself, thy capabilities, thy moral obligations, thy spiritual condition. 2. Concentration to correction. "To chasten thyself." Quench corrupt lusts, conquer wrong prejudices, expel pernicious errors, etc. 3. Concentrated to devotion. "Before thy God," doing the whole as under the eye of God. Truthful, earnest, solemn. II. Its action on GOD. God observes all this soul work. He is interested in it and He is represented as being influenced by it. God here says to Daniel, "Thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words." The idea is, because thou hast been disciplining thy soul, I am come to answer thy prayers. True soul discipline is essential to successful prayer. "If thou prepare thine heart and stretch out thine hands towards him; if iniquity be in thine hand, put it away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles, for there shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be steadfast, and shalt not fear. Because thou shalt forget thy misery and remember it as waters that pass away; and thine age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning." (Homilist.) Parallel Verses KJV: Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. |
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