Daniel – Day 9
In chapter 9 after poring over the books of scripture but particularly the output of the prophet Jeremiah, Daniel began to more fully understand what God was accomplishing within the Jewish community during their exile. The books of scripture provided a reliable guide to life for all who would hear such scriptures as well as a reliable guide to what God was doing among the Jewish people. In order to more fully understand the meaning of the books, Daniel set his face toward the Lord God in order to request by prayer and supplication accompanied by fasting and wearing sackcloth and ashes, greater understanding. “And, I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession and said ‘O Lord, great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of mercy with those who love Him and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments, Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the Land'” (Daniel 9:4-6). Here Daniel, a righteous man, is offering prayer on behalf of all of the people of Israel. Daniel does not separate himself from the sin of the nation but instead confesses the nation’s sin as his sin. Confession is natural when we come into the presence of a Holy God and confession predominates most of chapter 9. Daniel’s prayer and confession recalls Jeremiah’s great lament wherein he states God’s case against Israel, lists Israel’s transgressions, calls Israel to repentance, declares an imminent invasion, expresses sorrow for a doomed nation, affirms that God’s judgment is just, upbraids the people for trusting in lying words, forecasts Judah’s coming captivity, forecasts Judah’s suffering from sword, famine and pestilence as well as the ultimate restoration of Judah (Jeremiah chapters 2-30).
Among other things Jeremiah tells those that are held captive in Babylon to seek the peace of the city where the Lord has brought them as captives and then states: “For thus says the Lord, after seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you and cause you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I have toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord and I will bring you back from your captivity” (Jeremiah 29:10-13). This literally is the promise that Daniel is enacting in prayer and supplication. He is seeking the Lord with all his heart on behalf of a nation that left its first love. So on one level, Daniel is seeking the fulfillment of God’s promise to restore his people to their land and to remove them from captivity. He cries out: “O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness though we have rebelled against Him. We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God to walk in His laws which He set before us” (Daniel 9:8-9). On another level, Daniel receives a vision in response to his prayers that provides insight that reaches toward the end of human history toward the full establishment of the Lord’s kingdom on earth. Thus understood, chapter 9 is about the literal restoration of the Jewish people in their land but it is also about the future salvation of mankind through the redemptive power of the King of kings. Thus Daniel states: “Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me and talked with me and said, ‘O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand'” (Daniel 9:20-22).
Ronald Wallace suggests that the seventy weeks spoken of in verse 24 references a time period of seventy times seven or 490 years. When this time period commenced is the subject of some discussion. What seems clear, however, is the vision, in addition to pointing to the return of the Jews to Israel and the restoration of the temple, also points to the coming of an anointed one, who may or may not be the Messiah that is more clearly spoken of in the next chapter. Daniel’s vision also speaks of the continuing and ultimately fierce conflict between good and evil. We can participate in cosmic struggles through intercession and prayer. At the end of chapter 9, the vision points to an abominable prince, who will test the faith of the faithful. Taken together, one s understanding of these prophetic events including the purposes of God, will require much study and investigation from people who seek the Lord. And such study and investigation ought to start with confession, prayer and a request for insight.
Key Verses:
“O Lord, to us belongs shame of face to our kings, our princes, and our fathers because we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness though we have rebelled against Him.” ~ Daniel 9:8-9
Questions:
- If we refrain from focusing on the prophetic events pointing to the end of the age, for the moment, why was Daniel seeking the Lord?
- In seeking the Lord, what pattern does Daniel provide to us all?
- Have you received promises of the Lord and if so, what does it mean to seek the Lord for the fulfillment of those promises?
- Given the difficulty that Daniel had with this prophetic vision, what lesson does that provide for us in trying to understand Daniel and the Revelation of John?
