God’s Love

What do we learn about Daniel? (9:1-2) 

• Daniel read the scriptures – in this case Jeremiah
  • Understood God would visit Israel after 70 years
    • Correlated to Darius (Mede) taking over the Chaldean kingdom

 

What was Daniel’s response? Why? (9:3-10, 2 Chronicles 7:12, 14)

• 2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
  • This was God’s response to Solomon’s prayer 2 Chronicles 7:12
• Seek the Lord
• Pray and petition
  • “ … Yahweh my God …”
    • Personal
  • With fasting, sackcloth and ashes
    • Not a show but being genuinely humble
    • Jonah 3:5-9 
• Confess

Was the captivity justified? (9:11-15, 2 Chronicles 6:38-39, 7:19-20)

• As written in the law of Moses
  • Deuteronomy 29:19-20,28 and it happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, “I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart,” to destroy the moist with the dry. 20 Yahweh will not pardon him … Yahweh rooted them out of their land in anger, in wrath, and in great indignation, and thrust them into another land
• Reminded again during king Solomon’s time
  • 2 Chronicles 7:19-20 19 But if you turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; 20 then I will pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have made holy for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

What does Daniel depend on for redemption? (9:16-20, Psalms 89:14, 103:10-12, 145:13)

• Daniel depends on who God is
  • Righteous
  • Merciful
  • Forgiving
  • Faithful
• And not his own righteousness
• God will do what He promised to those who are called by His name
  • A reference to the promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14 

Conclusion:

• … for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines … Hebrews 12:6
• … humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways … 
• … we do not present our petitions before you for our righteousness, but for your great mercies’ sake … Daniel 9:18

Passage Daniel 9:1-21  – World English Bible (WEB)

9 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the offspring of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans, 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years about which Yahweh’s word[a] came to Jeremiah the prophet, for the accomplishing of the desolations of Jerusalem, even seventy years. 3 I set my face to the Lord God, to seek by prayer and petitions, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

4 I prayed to Yahweh my God, and made confession, and said,

“Oh, Lord, the great and dreadful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned, and have dealt perversely, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even turning aside from your precepts and from your ordinances. 6 We haven’t 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 “Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but to us confusion of face, as it is today; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, who are near, and who are far off, through all the countries where you have driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against you. 8 Lord, to us belongs confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness; for we have rebelled against him. 10 We haven’t obeyed Yahweh our God’s voice, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11 Yes, all Israel have transgressed your law, turning aside, that they should not obey your voice.

“Therefore the curse and the oath written in the law of Moses the servant of God has been poured out on us; for we have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us, and against our judges who judged us, by bringing on us a great evil; for under the whole sky, such has not been done as has been done to Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil has come on us. Yet we have not entreated the favor of Yahweh our God, that we should turn from our iniquities and have discernment in your truth. 14 Therefore Yahweh has watched over the evil, and brought it on us; for Yahweh our God is righteous in all his works which he does, and we have not obeyed his voice.

15 “Now, Lord our God, who has brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have gotten yourself renown, as it is today; we have sinned. We have done wickedly. 16 Lord, according to all your righteousness, please let your anger and your wrath be turned away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a reproach to all who are around us.

17 “Now therefore, our God, listen to the prayer of your servant, and to his petitions, and cause your face to shine on your sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. 18 My God, turn your ear, and hear. Open your eyes, and see our desolations, and the city which is called by your name; for we do not present our petitions before you for our righteousness, but for your great mercies’ sake. 19 Lord, hear. Lord, forgive. Lord, listen and do. Don’t defer, for your own sake, my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

20 While I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before Yahweh my God for the holy mountain of my God; 21 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, touched me about the time of the evening offering.

Footnotes

1.  “Yahweh” is God’s proper Name, sometimes rendered “LORD” (all caps) in other translations.

Notes / Cross references

Jeremiah 29:10 For Yahweh says, “After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.