NOTES for Dan 10:10-21
In the biblical books one can find many accounts of angels accompanying people during a difficult and dangerous journey or coming to their help. Mentions of angels leading whole peoples or countries are much rarer. One of these mentions is found in today's passage: the messenger of God who appeared to Daniel tells him about a confrontation with the one he calls the "governor of Persia" (vv. 12-13; in the Synodal translation, "the prince of the kingdom of Persia"). The matter, as can be seen, concerns not people but precisely angels, of whom one, named Michael, is described as "one of the chief rulers" (v. 13; in the Synodal translation, "one of the chief princes"). There is nothing surprising here: in the Yahwist, Jewish, and early Christian traditions, angels are spiritual beings who play a ministering role, carrying out concrete assignments given them by God, assignments that of course may concern both individual people and whole nations.
Usually, however, in the Bible these messengers of God accompany both individual people and whole nations not constantly, but temporarily, most often when a person or a people finds itself in a situation where its fate is being decided. In this case we have precisely such a historical turning point before us: in the confrontation of angels the fate of the Persian Empire is being decided, along with the outcome of its conflict with the Greek world, whose expression and embodiment will be Alexander the Great (vv. 20-21). But what does this confrontation consist of? It hardly resembles those wars of gods or spirits with myths of which the pagan world is full. Rather, one might expect a dispute on the merits, in which each side has its own arguments in favor of those for whom it is responsible before God. And the One who makes the decision, as can be seen, makes it after hearing all the opinions and all the arguments of the parties taking part in the discussion. Of course, God has no need of anyone's advice. But one may think that He nevertheless takes counsel with those who become participants in the fulfillment of His plans. After all, having created human beings and angels free, He truly gives them freedom. That includes the right to one's own opinion, which each may express to Him before hearing His determination.