The Book of Daniel - part 10
Daniel 9:1-19 : The Prayer of Daniel
Before we move further into the prophetic sections of Daniel, the first part of chapter 9 presents us with a beautiful prayer that I would like us to study today. Perhaps it is coincidence, or perhaps it is the providence of God that we land on this passage as we are looking forward to heading back into the sanctuary. Our very temporary exile from the four walls of this church is coming to an end, and this prayer of Daniel concerns the very real, much longer exile the Jewish people endured for 70 years. The correlation brings up an interesting thought—how many of us could withstand 70 years exile from our homes and churches?
But, what is more important for Daniel’s prayer is not just the context, but the content. As Daniel prays, we can study his prayer and realize the power of this prayer is in the repentant attitude of Daniel. It is certainly a proper prayer, because Daniel is rewarded once again with another vision concerning what is to come. The vision will come next week, but for today, let’s look at an exemplar prayer.
9:1-3 : The context of the Prayer
In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.
We find Daniel praying during the first year of Darius, the Median king over Babylonia. Remember Daniel watched Babylon fall to the Persians after being told by God their time was coming to an end. As he reads Jeremiah, he is probably double checking his math.
The verse he found would be Jeremiah 25:11 - “This whole land shall become ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”
“How long has it been? Can we return now?”
He finds that it would be 70 years. And at this, he turns his face to God to pray for mercy. But, this mercy is not just an idle plea. He is fasting and has taken on sackcloth and ashes—the appropriate vestments for repentance.
Daniel has added physical acts to his inward heart of repentance.
9:4-10 : Adoration and Confession
4 I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. 8 To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
The first statement in the prayer is adoration for who God is and what He has done. Consider the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6, “Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name”. Whenever we go to God, the first thing we should do is praise Him—not because our Lord needs His ego rubbed, but because it reminds us who we are praying to.
Beginning prayer with adoration of God humbles our hearts and reminds us who we pray to.
Then, Daniel begins a series of confessions before God. The contrasting statements of Israel’s sin and God’s faithfulness, serves two purposes.
Daniel has two reasons for using contrast:
1) to highlight the extent of Israel’s sin.
2) to highlight the covenant between God and Israel, which Daniel will later appeal to when he appeals for mercy.
God has done no wrong to Israel, they are the ones who have sinned. Israel was to be God’s people, representing the Lord for all nations, but they have failed miserably. Daniel’s prayer will culminate in a petition for mercy, but it will not be on the grounds of anything Daniel or Israel has done. In fact, Daniel is going to continue explaining Israel has continued in sin despite God’s judgment. Daniel’s petition is going to be based on God’s grace, not Israel’s merit.
As we highlight the contrasts, we are given a glimpse at the nature of God and the status of sinful man.
Our great and awesome God “keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him,” but Israel has turned from God, rebelling from the Law.
God spoke through prophets, but Israel did not listen—from the princes to the paupers.
The Lord is righteous, but Israel is shameful.
Mercy and forgiveness belong to God, but Israel has only earned shame.
To what will Daniel appeal in speaking with God? What possible reason should the Lord have for fulfilling the covenant and restoring Israel after 70 years?
The only hope Daniel, Israel, and God’s people have today rests in the unwavering love our Heavenly Father has for His people.
9:11-15 : The Lord’s discipline is just
11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us,[a] by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
Israel’s relationship with God is based on the covenant set between the Lord and Moses. The Lord first made a covenant with Abraham that Abraham’s family would multiply greatly and be a blessing to all nations. Then, many centuries later, the Lord appointed Moses to lead Abraham’s family-nation out of slavery in Egypt. They were to be a nation set apart as God’s people and represent the One True God in the world of pagan false deities. The covenant with Moses can be summed up in the words of Moses in Deut. 30:19 and following:
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to Him, for He is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”
As long as Israel would obey the Law given, choosing life and holding fast to the Lord who brought them out of Egypt, they would dwell in the land. But, as Daniel has so eloquently put it, Israel turned away from God and lost the land promised to their ancestors.
The Exile was just, because Israel failed to keep their end of the covenant.
But notice in verse 15, Daniel confesses that even in their punishment, Israel has not repented. Israel is about to return to Jerusalem. The first year of Darius is the same year that Ezra is able to lead many back to the Holy Land. The punishment is drawing to an end, and yet, Israel has continued in their disobedience.
Daniel intercedes on behalf of his people, because he recognizes their failure to turn from their sin.
9:16-19 : An appeal for grace
16 “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,[b] make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”
Daniel comes to his appeal, but he knows he, nor Israel, has any ground for this appeal. Daniel appeals to God based on who God is, and what God has done in the past.
Israel’s lowly estate is because of their sin. There is no other hope for her except in God’s grace.
Look closely at verse 18.
Daniel has already established Israel has no grounds for righteousness. But again he states, “For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.”
God’s grace is the only thing that will restore Israel.
Praying Today
As we close today, do not let this lesson go unlearned:
If we want restoration, the only appeal we have before God is His righteousness, His mercy, and His grace.
Just as Israel has before, we have sinned against our Lord. The Bible is very clear that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but surely we don’t have to look long in our hearts and lives to see the sin that destroys us?
Many of us want God to restore our homes, our churches, our towns, but how many of us are willing to humble ourselves, confess our sins, and appeal to God based on His grace and mercy and not on some perceived righteousness on our part?
If we seek God’s goodness, but fail to recognize our sinfulness, we have no reason to expect God’s grace.
Salvation comes to those who confess and repent of their sin. Forgiveness and restoration is freely available to all who call on the Name of the Lord, but we must ask, and in asking, we must humble ourselves. “The Lord humbles the proud, but draws close to the humble.”
Many bumper stickers and social media posts declare the words of 2 Chronicles 7:14, but all the talk, all the posts, all the stickers, and all the ‘amens’ are worth nothing if God’s people do not go to their prayer closets as our Lord told us, fall on our knees and pray! And in that prayer, confess! Confess the sins of our people. Confess the sins of our families. Confess the sins of our own hearts.
Restoration and Revival are at the doorstep. But they will not come in until God’s people confess their sin:
The sin of neglect to discipline and teach
The sin of failing to hold each other accountable
The sin of pursuing worldly things over the heavenly
The sin of lying to ourselves that we have no sin
Today, seek the Lord by praying the words of Psalm 139:23-24:
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!