Daniel Chapter Nine: Part One (9:1-19)

If you’ve read all of the chapters so far you know that there are many practical truths found in Daniel. There are also many amazingly detailed prophecies. We are getting ready to study the 70 weeks prophecy, the concept of “fullness of time,” and future kingdoms/nations. However, I don’t believe there is anything more important than what we are going to discuss today – especially as a church. If we don’t understand the truth in these verses we will not grow and succeed as individuals or a body.

Chapter nine opens in the first year of Darius. This is the first vision that Daniel receives after Persia has conquered Babylon. We already talked about some of the controversy regarding who Darius was, so we aren’t going to rehash that. We are going to jump straight into the heart of the chapter.

V. 1-2 – Daniel was incredibly wise. He was gifted, but he still longed for and pursued truth. He didn’t wait for God to give him revelation. He understood that it was his responsibility to search the Scripture. He didn’t think he had arrived because of who he was or what he had seen. He remained faithful and true throughout trials. That is the kind of hunger we need if we are going to grow in Christ. Not compulsion, guilt, or requirement, but a desire to seek God’s heart.

It is easy to wonder why Daniel didn’t understand this prophecy before, so we need to go back to Jeremiah to get a better understanding of what was said and why Daniel hadn’t already grasped this truth. After all, this account takes place at the end of the 70 year captivity.

Jeremiah 25:11-12 – 70 years of captivity was prophesied right before Daniel and his friends were taken captive in the first wave of deportations.

Jeremiah 29:1-10 – 70 years of captivity was confirmed (seemingly after the 2nd wave of captives were takin in 597 B.C. This would have left the deported Jews with approximately 60 years of captivity remaining.

Daniel would have been very young when Jeremiah made the first prophecy. It is possible that Daniel didn’t hear it or was simply too young/not spiritually mature enough to fully grasp what was being said. The second prophecy was sent to the elders in Babylon. It is possible, but not likely, that Daniel (who was living in the palace) might not have heard the prophecy. After all, the second group that was taken into captivity was predominantly tradesmen. They would not have had extensive contact with Daniel. It is also entirely possible that God simply concealed the full meaning at first. Daniel’s lack of full understanding likely forced him to trust God on a moment-by-moment basis instead of counting down the years until a physical freedom could be restored. God was his strength and recourse – not the hope of a return to his homeland.

Regardless, Daniel began to understand for the first time that this punishment/captivity was foretold for a specific period. It was not indefinite. They would shortly be going home. Instead of jumping up and down for joy, he turns to God with repentance.

V. 3 – The phrase he “set his face” or “turned my face” has the idea of giving his full attention to this matter. He resolutely sought – no distractions were allowed. He includes prayer, supplication, fasting, sackcloth, ashes, abject brokenness, and repentance in his confession. No inward or outward expression of repentance was left undone. It is important that we understand Daniel believed God. That may seem like an obvious statement, but we need to grasp this. Daniel fully understood this prophecy. He knew they would soon be going home. So why was this his response? There are several possibilities.

Perhaps he wanted to expedite this process – almost to remind God of what he had prophesied and promised.
He might legitimately (and rightfully) been worried that the people would return to the land – and to false worship.
There was a sense of understanding the seriousness of their sin and that they had violated God’s laws. The nation needed to repent.
The biggest one though (I believe), and this is what we are going to focus on, is that they were unequal to the task they were getting ready to face.

As awesome as it was that they were going to be set free, there was no way they could return home to ruins and start over apart from God’s favor. That is so true with our personal lives and the collective body of the church. So, let’s look at Daniel’s prayer.

V. 4 – My God, this is a reminder/indication of his personal relationship with God. God was not distant. Yet, the first attributes Daniel highlights are his greatness and awesomeness. He could have started with mercy or love, but in this context – he wanted to remind himself (and the people) that God is holy. He is just – and that is why they were in this position to begin with. They disobeyed the Almighty God. They presumed upon his goodness and he judged.

Covenant/steadfast love (or mercy depending on translation) – This claim carries ideas of faithfulness and unchangeableness. Even though God was holy, he would keep his promises. He fulfilled the promise of judgement, and now he will fulfil the promise of restoration. I do want to specifically highlight the conditional nature of this promise – it is for those who love him and keep his commandments. There are two things to consider here. Under the Old Covenant there were many conditional promises. If you do “x,” I will do “y.” Living under the New Covenant there are unconditional promises that are not dependent on our behavior. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross cannot be nullified by our conduct. However, even for believers today, there is a sense in which only those who are walking in obedience can experience the fullness of his fellowship. If we are harboring sin, we will never be able to walk-in the unhindered intimacy of knowing the Father’s heart.

Daniel begins with focusing his mind on God’s character. We need to be purposeful about who we are addressing as we approach God. Hebrews 4 reminds us that we can approach God with boldness, but not with contempt or disdain. He does not cease to be Almighty God just because he is also our Abba Father. He deserves our honor and respect. I wonder how much our prayer life would change if we reoriented our approach to a holy God.

V. 5 – Now that he has the right mindset, he moves to confession. Daniel was a godly man. In Ezekiel 14:20, Daniel is acknowledged as one of the three most righteous men who ever lived. Just to avoid any confusion, Ezekiel 14:20 was written before Daniel 9 – so before Daniel prayed this payer. He had been declared righteous. However, Daniel wasn’t concerned about his ego. He wasn’t trying to justify his actions. He wasn’t throwing his countrymen (or fellow church members) under the bus. Daniel understood that compared to a holy God, they had all sinned and needed to repent. They had not followed his revealed word. This is so crucial for us as individuals and as a body. When God reveals truth, we agree and repent. We don’t justify or excuse. Also, notice that Daniel includes himself in this statement. He had lived a godly life, but he was willing to repent on behalf of a people who had been unremorseful.

V. 6 – Verse five dealt with the fact that they hadn’t followed the Law. This verse acknowledges that they failed to heed God’s many warnings about sin and coming judgment. God sent countless prophets, signs, and visions – yet there was no change. Also notice that he condemns all – from the king to “all” people. The whole nation had gone astray.

V. 7-10 – In the book of Habakkuk, the prophet complained that the nation of Judah was evil and that they weren’t being obedient. God agreed with Habakkuk and promised to raise up the Chaldeans (Babylonians) to judge them. Habakkuk was even more distressed by this prophecy. How could a holy God use a heathen nation to judge? Yet Habakkuk ultimately came to understand that God’s ways/plans were greater than his limited comprehension. Habakkuk 3:2 is an amazing verse, the request to “remember mercy” in the midst of wrath and to “revive your work.” Restoration and redemption will always be His work. God is righteous. His ways are everlasting and beyond our understanding. We don’t deserve it, but please be merciful. We are unequal to the task at hand and we need something that we have not earned. Daniel is also acknowledging that though their punishment has been harsh, it was deserved. This is the moment in prayer where any bitterness and anger we are secretly – or maybe openly harboring against God or other people needs to be released. We cannot progress beyond to the actual request or task at hand if we are weighed down by bitterness and anger at the people who have failed us. We rebelled and we did not listen.

V. 11-14 – The acknowledgment that they knew truth. They had the revealed word (at least as much of it as had been written or passed down orally at that point). God promised Israel double blessings (Isaiah 61:7) and double punishments (Isaiah 40:2). They willfully rebelled and God kept his word by punishing them as he promised. Yet they did not repent. It is easy to judge them, but how often do we do the same? Our world is falling apart, but it takes forever for us to admit we were wrong.

I want us to understand a very important principle from verse 13. Our unwillingness to repent limits the amount of truth we can (or are willing to) receive. There is a two-fold process in play. Turn from sin and understand truth. When we harden our hearts, or we indulge in sin, we cannot experience the uninterrupted fellowship with God. We neglect God’s word because it might convict us of sin. God would not have changed his judgment, but Israel’s experience in captivity and immediately after their freedom could have been very different. Instead of spending their time developing 600+ laws to support the law that God had already given, they could have gotten to know the heart of the God they disobeyed. Instead, they came out of captivity more in bondage than when they entered. They were physically free, and spiritually oppressed.

V. 15 – This is a shift in tone. Daniel is getting to the supplication part of his prayer. However, I think we should note two important issues.

He spends five verses on requests and twelve on repentance. That sort of priority order would drastically change the way many of us approach prayer.
Almost all of Daniel’s requests are couched in terms that place the focus on God’s glory – not just Judah’s deliverance. He starts by reminding God of the way he had received glory when he delivered the Jews from Egypt.

V. 16 – According to thy righteousness – not because we deserve it. We don’t deserve your deliverance, but because we are your chosen (covenant) people. Jerusalem is where your glory dwelt. We are a reproach which reflects badly on you. This isn’t a psychological mind game with God. This is Daniel understanding something vital about prayer and God’s work. True prayer that empowers people to serve and change comes from an understanding that God’s glory is the priority – not our comfort or personal desires.

V. 17 – Because of this, because it is affecting the perception and reputation of your name – because this desolation is not reflective of your glory – because worship of your name has been impeded – for your sake. This is a prayer that we could be praying over every empty pew and every lost heart.

V. 18-19 – Hear – Daniel is asking for God’s undivided attention. Open your eyes – again, this is not saying that God has been oblivious to their circumstances, but rather a request for God’s intervention. We are not Israel, but there are some very important lessons to be learned here.

Repent – immediately. Reprioritize our focus and what receives our attention.
Who we are as individuals and how the church behaves is tied to and reflects upon God’s glory (for good or bad).

The challenge is to find out what brings God glory and pursue that. If there are things that God will bless – then that is what we want to pursue and partner with. What do we know – 100% brings God glory?

Living by the power of another. Christ did all by the power of the Father (John 5:19). We cannot bring God glory/do what he has called us to do in our own strength.
Witnessing/telling others who he is and making disciples (Matthew 5:16, John 17:4)
Bearing fruit (John 15:8)
Living godly lives that are different than the world (1 Peter 2:11-12)
Understanding our new identity. Growing in wisdom, truth, his will, doctrine, etc. (Ephesians 1:3-14)
Giving generously/thankfully (2 Corinthians 9:10-13)
Loving, discerning truth, holiness, approving excellent things, etc. (Philippians 1:9-11)

I’m sure you can think of many more things that give God glory, but these should get you started. I would challenge us (including myself) to focus our prayers around his glory. If our prayers cannot fit into the context of his glory, we may be praying for the wrong things (or at minimum our prayers may be focused on the wrong things). I’m not saying we can’t pray for someone’s physical healing, a stressful test, or anxiety. Those things can fit into the glory of God, but pausing to consider our focus/where we spend the majority of our time will hopefully help us reorient our priorities and understand that God’s interests go far beyond what we often emphasize.

Psalm 115 opens with the statement, “Not to us, but to thy name be the glory.” God says over and over again that he will not give his glory to another. He is a jealous God. We need to get out of the way, take our egos out of the equation, and focus on his glory. Our plans will not prosper if they are only our plans. His revealed truth and will shall be accomplished. So repent, align our hearts with his, and acknowledge that it was never about us to begin with.