DANIEL 9, in sequence

Chapter 5 reports an event that occurred in +-539 B C. That is the chapter in Daniel which relates the story of the handwriting on the wall, and the demise that very night of King Belshazzar and the passing of Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian ‘kingdom’ to the Medes and the Persians with Darius identified as the immediate successor.

So – Chapter 9, which is identified as being in the first year of Darius’ reign was likely sometime later that same year – but certainly no later than 538 B C.

Daniel was reading the historical prophecies and noted that the desolation of Israel that had come in +-605 B C was to be for 70 years. That time was drawing near, and would arrive within a few short years. His response to that awareness was to seek the Lord in fervent prayer, fasting and donning sackcloth and sprinkling ashes over himself, coming before God in total subservience and humility. It was a prayer for his nation and people, and he included himself in the ‘we’ of their sin when he confessed his nation’s sin before God. These are some excerpts from the prayer he prayed:

“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.

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, 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.”

Clearly the prayer Daniel prayed was for Jerusalem and Israel, but we, too, as a nation and often even as His people, have disobeyed. In this time of great need in our own state and country, we do not present our pleas to God because we deserve his intervention – but because of His great mercy. Lord, have mercy….

Daniel's response to prophecy that applied to his day was to pray. God's answer to Daniel was to send the angel Gabriel with a message: "You are dearly loved." And because Daniel was dearly loved, God gave him clarity for the timing of what was to happen to Jerusalem. God invited Daniel into a very close, intimate relationship of having insider information!

What God disclosed to Daniel was more prophecy, revealing what would occur in the future. Israel would have a total of 70 weeks (which are not literal weeks but segments of time). Within that time the temple would be rebuilt; an anointed one would come, then be cut off; the city and the temple would be destroyed again by the people of the 'prince who is to come'. That prince will, in the final 'week' make a strong covenant that he keeps for half of the 'week', at which point he will renege on his covenant and put an end to sacrifice and offering. And Daniel 9 ends with the following statement: "And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator."

Daniel prayed when he saw the time approaching when the prophesy about Jerusalem was to be fulfilled. We are living in a time when the length of days prophesied for us are at our threshold. Like Daniel, it is time to pray! Not because we deserve His mercy - but because we need it so desperately!