Last time we started Daniel 9 and noted the chapter can be divided into three parts,
- The Historical Context, vs 1-2.
- Daniels Prayer, vs 3-19.
1. The Acknowledgment of National Sin and Guilt, vs 3-10.
2. The Punishment for Sin and Guilt, vs 11-14.
3. The Plea for Mercy, vs 15-19.
- God’s response, vs 20-27.
- The Arrival of Gabriel, vs 20-23.
- Gabirel’s prophetic correction, vs 24-27.
Last week we covered the Historical Context and the first two parts of Daniel’s prayer. Today we will start with Daniel’s Plea for Mercy.
The Plea for Mercy, vs 15-19.
Vs 15, Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong.
Daniel begins this section by reminding God it was He who had brought out his people once before from a foreign land (Egypt). Daniel addresses God as Adonai Eloheinu, or Lord our God, the name of God who whom the Israelites called upon to lead them out of slavery in Egypt.
The phrase, a mighty hand, refers to the miracles God performed in the Exodus (see Ex 7:8-12:36). Through the performance of these miracles God made a name for himself that endures to this day.
Once again Daniel acknowledges the nation’s sin; we have sinned, we have done wrong. The word for sin again here is chata, which means to miss the mark. The word for wrong is rasha, which again means to act wickedly.
Vs 16, Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.
In verse 16, Daniel appeals to God’s righteousness to forgive Israel’s sins. God’s righteousness requires a punishment for sin, yet Daniel appeals to God’s righteousness for forgiveness, and he gives a reason why in the next part of the verse. Note he asks God to turn away His anger and wrath from Jerusalem and your holy Hill. The word anger is the idea of disagreement which leads to hostility. Wrath is the outworking of that hostility and disagreement.
Daniel notes God’s wrath had been poured out on, Jerusalem, your city, and your holy hill (the temple mount). This righteous act had all been caused by the iniquities of our ancestors. Daniel lays the responsibility for Jerusalem’s destruction on his own people. It was not the Babylonians’ fault, it was ours. As a result, Daniel then states we bear the shame of our sin (we are an object of scorn). Note what Daniel is doing. He is reminding God that He (God) is identified with sinful, rebellious Israel, who is now in captivity. Would it not be a good thing to forgive and restore your people, so your name won’t be tarnished by our sin? This is Daniel’s appeal.
Vs 17, Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary.
Daniel now pleads for grace. He asks God to hear his prayers and then to look with favor on the temple mount (the symbol of God’s presence with his people). The phrase to look with favor is also translated make your face shine upon it. It is a request for blessing and prosperity.
Vs 18, Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.
Verse 18 repeats the plea in verse 17, only with more passion. Daniel again asks God to hear his plea, and to see that it is God’s city, Jerusalem, which lies destroyed and desolate. Daniel is appealing to the goodness of God’s heart. Daniel knows if God’s approval depended upon the Jewish people, it would never happen, therefore Daniel appeals to God’s mercy. Mercy is forgiving when it is in your power to deliver deserved punishment.
Vs 19, Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.
Daniel concludes his prayer with three requests all in the vocative tense. Lord Listen, Lord forgive, Lord hear and act. All are pleas emphasizing the urgency of Daniel’s request. To paraphrase Daniel is saying , “Lord, do not delay! Please do not start counting the years of captivity from the last deportation and prolong our captivity. Your city (Jerusalem) lies desolate, and your people are in captivity. We both bear your name. So please act! Restore us and your kingdom now!!!
God’s Response, vs 20-27.
The Arrival of Gabriel, vs 20-23.
Vs 20-21, While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill 21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.
In verses 20 and 21 we see Daniel still in fervent prayer regarding the temple (his holy hill) when Gabriel is sent to meet him. Daniel recognized Gabriel as he had met him before in chapter 8:16-27. Note Gabriel came as a man. Angels occasionally take the form of human beings (see Heb 13:2) and in this case Gabriel does just that. He also came swiftly. God was intent on answering Daniel quickly. Some translations have Gabriel touching Daniel. In other words, the idea is Gabriel came swiftly to Daniel and interrupted his prayer time. This interruption occurred at the time of the evening sacrifice. Although there was no temple sacrifice occurring, Daniel still observed the time when there would be one.
Vs 22, He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.
In verse 22 we see the purpose of Gabriel’s visit. He is to give instruction, insight and understanding. Instruction is the idea of not knowing something then learning it. Insight is to have a new perspective on something. It is to challenge existing assumptions and suppositions and then see a new way to look at it. Understanding means having a right general overview, knowledge, and view of a situation or group of facts.
Vs 23, As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision.
In verse 23 we see God’s motivation for sending Gabriel. God sees that Daniel is mis-interpreting the prophecies of Jeremiah., Isaiah, and Leviticus, so swiftly sends Gabriel during Daniel’s prayer to set him straight. God loves Daniel. He is highly esteemed (what a summary of his life! And oh, that we should be called good and faithful servants!). Gabriel now prepares Daniel for what he is going to tell him, consider the word and understand the vision.
To summarize this section, while Daniel is praying, Gabriel is swiftly sent to meet Daniel and give him further insight into the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom predicted by the scriptures. God sends Gabirel because Daniel is highly esteemed, and God wants him to have the right understanding of what is to happen. Gabriel comes at the time of the evening sacrifice (between 3-4 in the afternoon. He then engages Daniel in a time of instruction, to give him wisdom and understanding.
Here is a good spot to digress and mention a few things about prayer. Daniel prays and God answers. What a prayer life Daniel has! How can I emulate him? For me praying is the most difficult of all the Christian disciplines. Why is it so hard? Talking to God would not seem to be that difficult: but try it for more than a few sentences and you will soon see how things bog down. Your mind begins to flit, your body gets fidgety, and in a flash, you are completely off subject. There are several reasons as to why it is such a challenge:
- Sin and sinfulness: prior to the fall, Adam and Eve walked with God. After the fall they hid themselves. This tendency has not left us. Communicating with God requires sin to be dealt with and we are not always willing to admit our depravity.
- Our cultural ADD effect. ADD stands for attention deficit disorder which means you cannot concentrate on anything for more than a few seconds. In our image shifting world this is a common malady.
- Spiritual opposition: We underestimate the amount of spiritual opposition directed towards us when we pray. If you commit yourself to kneel-down and pray at a particular time, watch how many obstacles will suddenly be thrown in your way.
- Prayer is challenging work: Lastly, like any discipline, prayer requires hard work and practice to become effectual; not that God does not hear our prayers—but effectual prayer is a deep conversation with God, and like all conversations, it usually goes better if you have something worthwhile to say.
Here then are some tools that may help you deepen and strengthen your discussions with God. They are not a recipe or some evangelical version of the rosary: rather they are meant to assist you structure your time and improve your dialog. I am sure there are suggestions I will miss, but these are the tools that have been most helpful to me.
- Use prayers that already exist. The Bible is full of prayers, and most of them are far better articulated than you or I could ever create. Do not hesitate to use them for your own meditation. The Lord’s Prayer is short, simple, and powerful. It is also the prayer our Lord gave us when his disciples asked how to pray. I use it frequently. David was arguably the best prayer warrior of all time. Every psalm is an expression of his heart to God. Read one and make it yours. I love Paul’s prayers because they are focused, brief, and directed towards others. Most of them you can say in a minute or less. Luther said prayer should be Theo-centric. He meant they should be anchored in God’s character. When you use prayers already in the Bible you are well on your way towards this goal.
- Employ sequence and rotation: By sequence I mean a logical progression of thought along an ACTs acronym: A for adoration: I simply try to note an attribute of God and praise Him for it: C for confession. I try to quiet myself and let the Holy Spirit search my heart and reveal those things that need confession: T for thanksgiving. This can be a multitude of things; His gifts; provision: family; etc. and lastly S for supplication—asking specific things of God. I started the weekly rotation to give myself focus and structure so I would cover important subjects at least once per week and not feel guilty if I missed something. Monday is immediate family and marriage day; Tuesday, extended family day; Wednesday, the church –both local and extended; Thursday, the nation, and leaders; Friday, missionaries we support. Saturday and Sunday, I do not have a formalized theme; and I admit the prayer agenda for these two days can be random, but usually something comes to mind worth praying about. I do not want to leave you with the idea that prayer is legalistic. It is not. So, do not think you can just march through a check list and somehow you are more righteous for it.
- Utilize a consistent time for prayer: incorporating anything into your daily routine is hard at first. Linking it to some existing routine is the best place to start. Start small to give yourself a sense of accomplishment.
- Pray with someone: I find praying with someone is often easier than praying alone. Hearing another express their thoughts helps me to be more concise, on topic, and focused.
Prayer is to interact with God, and with any conversation we sometimes have different moods as we enter a discussion. Sometimes we are bouncy and happy and sometimes we are sad and melancholy. Scripture is well aware of these things and invites us to commune with God with all our emotional states. However, just as there are underlying rules of communication with others (respect, attention, listening, etc.) so there are some rules of engagement when we talk with God:
Rule 1: Come with Humbleness and Repentance: Scripture explains this principle in Lk 18:10-14. Jesus mentions two men: a Pharisee and a tax collector. They both went to the temple to pray. One extolled his righteousness, the other wanted to hide because of his sinfulness. One man’s prayer was rooted in who he was –the other in who God is. When you are young the tendency is to approach God a bit on the self-righteous side of the ledger –because you have not had enough life experience to see how truly rotten you are. As I get older, I more fully share the tax collector’s sentiments. If you carefully examine David’s psalms, there is a change in tone after his sin with Bathsheba. He is more dependent on God’s mercy and grace. I am not advocating a similar experience –only to note that when you are aware of your sinfulness, you are more conscious of God’s gift of grace. More than most, Daniel, a very righteous man, could have come to God because of his own righteous life—but he never does. Daniel, the most righteous of men, sees himself as rebellious as his countrymen. So, come with a humble repentant heart.
Rule 2: Come with Honesty. There are two aspects here to consider: first your thoughts and second your feelings. Both can be hard to articulate. This is especially true of men who, in general, have a harder time expressing what they are thinking or feeling than women do. Earlier in my life it could take days before I could figure out what I really felt about something. We can take heart from Elijah’s experience in 1 Kings 19:4, and verse 10. Elijah pours out his frustration, anger, and self-righteousness. You cannot deceive God. He knows your every thought. So, let God know what you are thinking and feeling –and if you do not know these things, ask Him to help clarify them.
Rule 3: Come with Faith. Hebrews 11:1 explains that faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. So, when talking about coming to God in faith, God first wants us to come to him with the assumption and assurance that He is listening. Secondly, come with the assumption and expectation that He will answer. James 1:6 states “when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like the wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”
Rule 4: Come with Expectation: What do you expect from God when you pray? Do you believe He will hear you and answer you? Scripture is full of examples of God responding to the prayers of His servants and I want to highlight three of them. All three illustrate the principle that God likes to show up and show off.
Gen 24:12
2 Chron 20:6
2 Kings 19:14
I leave you with this thought: John MacArthur, a contemporary theologian and pastor said, “Prayer is the nerve that moves the muscles of omnipotence.” There is no greater skill to be honed or discipline to be practiced.
