Daniel 9 – 12

Daniel’s prayer for the Hebrew people is very similar to the prayer of Nehemiah when he called out to God to be merciful to the people. Like Nehemiah, Daniel instinctively knew that restoration and mercy required first and foremost a humble acknowledgment of sin and a repentant spirit. Only then, knowing the nature of Elohim Shaddai, did Nehemiah and Daniel have any expectation of forgiveness.

Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 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, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 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. 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. To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 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. 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. He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, 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. 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.

Daniel 9:3-13

Daniel praises the love and mercy of God toward those who loving obey Him. He praises His trustworthiness and righteousness in all of His dealings with people. Truth was delivered from God only to be ignored. Daniel knew full well that the shame upon the people was a direct result of their unfaithfulness, not God’s. The people needed to turn away from sin and turn back to God, in so doing come to accept the divinely-given insight into His truth.

Yahweh always makes a way back into His presence for repentant people. Just as in disobedience the Hebrews went into 70 years of captivity (accounting for 490 years without) so the land would have its Sabbaths, in repentance they would return to the land to await Messiah.

But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. But the land shall be abandoned by them and enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them, and they shall make amends for their iniquity, because they spurned my rules and their soul abhorred my statutes.

Leviticus 26:40-43

Now another 490 year age is foretold by Daniel. Prophetically speaking in “weeks” (where one day equals a year) Daniel transmits God’s promise to leave the people without a word until the Word came in the flesh.

He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision. “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.

Daniel 9:22-27

Daniel, God says, you have asked for mercy and mercy you shall receive when the time is full. The sins of the people will be full, and Messiah will come to make full atonement. The Word of God will be fully delivered and there will be no more need for visions and prophets when Messiah delivers the fullness of truth. Counting from the decree of Cyrus to rebuild the temple and Jerusalem, Daniel was told precisely when Messiah was coming, and when the end of temple sacrifice and offerings of Law would come.

In all of this, God would answer the prayer of Daniel remove shame, because our sins are washed away.

Consider His nature.  Consider His ways.  Strive to love Him more!