Daniel 9:1-19
From Commontary
Back to Daniel
Contents |
Daniel's Intercessory Prayer
Summary
"For the LORD our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him."
GOSPEL: Prayer confronts us with both the transcendent holiness and greatness of God, and our sinfulness. It is only because of God's love revealed in the Gospel that we can approach the throne of grace with confidence in prayer! (Hebrews 4:15-16).
COMMUNITY: Maturity in being a Christian will cause us to pray (intercede) for others in our community, despite their sins against God and perhaps us.
MISSION: Our prayers are not meant to be merely for ourselves and our needs, but outward-facing and Kingdom-directed.
Text
Daniel 9:1-3
We are back to the time of Darius' reign, specifically the first year. It's significant for this passage to know that Daniel is praying during a time of upheaval, and in the time when the Babylonians have just been dethroned, as prophesied in chapters 2 and 5. This is a partial fulfillment of Jeremiah's words to the exiles in Jeremiah 25:11-12 and Jeremiah 29:10. Daniel refers to Jeremiah's writings as "Scripture," (which they have become in only a generation), and it is his reading of the Scriptures that prompts him to pray. In Jeremiah, God promised that the Jews would be exiled for 70 years, and that the Bayblonians would be overthrown. Since the latter has happened, Daniel prays that the restoration would happen.
Many people ask, "If God is sovereign, why pray?" It's important to note that Daniel prays BECAUSE of God's sovereignty, on the basis of it. He sees God's sovereign power manifested in partially fulfilled prophecy, and on that basis pleads for more.
From chapter 6, we know Daniel is regularly praying, and in the direction of Jerusalem, so this was his usual custom. But the regime change causes him to pray with greater urgency. He pleads with "prayer and petition," (as in Philippians 4:6-7), with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. These are signs of mourning and deep repentance.
Daniel 9:4-10
If this were a declaration, verse 4 would be the preamble. As a prayer, it's the invocation. Daniel models how we should address God. He is "great and awesome." Daniel prays to a great God, and this helps him to pray big prayers. Prayer captures the paradox that we can communicate directly to a God who is so far from us in power and holiness, yet so near because of his love. We pray to a big God, become conscious that we are big sinners, and so pray on the basis of his big grace.
In his book, "Knowledge of the Holy," A.W. Tozer famously said, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." Daniel's confession of the greatness of God leads him into a deep and detailed confession of sin. His thoughts about God have profoundly shaped him.
Has Daniel done any of the sins he confesses, however? Not that we have seen, at least in this book. What is Daniel doing then? Isn't it artificial to confess things he hasn't personally committed?
No, for two reasons. First, even if Daniel hasn't sinned in the grossly rebellious ways of Judah, he can surely see seeds of the same sins in his heart. He knows that, before God, he is far from innocent.
Second, Daniel is praying in the particular form of intercession. Intercession is when someone(s) stand in the gap and pray on the behalf of others. They do so by identifying themselves with those they are praying for. It flows from deep care and concern for them. Daniel foreshadows how Jesus teaches his disciples to pray. Not just for "daily bread" (personal needs), but for "Your Kingdom come" (God's will).
We should note what this tells us about Daniel's character. He is, humanly speaking, "set." He enjoys power and influence. He has just survived a regime change when his previous king was killed. He could ignore the plight of those less fortunate than him. He could focus on his needs, and pray "God, I've seen that new Lions' Den that Darius has set up, please don't let me end up there." Instead, he's praying for the restoration of Jerusalem! In the midst of his power, influence, and perhaps comfort, Daniel does not forget what is most important. As we will see, his prayers have great effect. We would be right to see that the restoration of Jerusalem under Nehemiah and Ezra would not have happened if great and powerful men like Daniel and Nehemiah had forgotten God amidst their personal privilege. "From the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Luke 12:48.
Daniel's willingness to intercede for his people shows his great maturity. It is basic to following God that we confess, admit, and acknowledge our own sins, and we have a hard enough time with that. Even greater is to acknowledge those of your people as your own! Daniel takes the shame of others on himself. This is why Jesus is the even greater Daniel, willingly taking the shame of all the world's sin on himself, though he himself is perfectly innocent.
Daniel also models how we should confess sin. He confesses all of this to God. This is not self-pity. It is not regret, or a his personal journaling, or psychotherapy. Repentance is naming our sins to God, by talking to him. Daniel is specific in naming the sins of his people, and he seeks to be exhaustive.
We see that Daniel displays a great sense of urgency and sincerity. He is not merely ashamed and regretful. Lots of people were ashamed, but they didn't repent. Regret is seeing how things have impacted us; repentance is seeing how they have offended God, and seeking to turn from our sinful behaviors. We can feel either worldly sorrow or godly sorrow. Worldly sorrow turns in on self and leads ultimately to death; but godly sorrow leads to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:9-11).
Daniel 9:11-19
Daniel begins to make his petitions. He does this through a biblical lens, based on his reading of Deuteronomy and elsewhere. We see that Daniel knew his Bible, and understood it to have direct and immediate relevance for his life and that of his people.
On the basis of the Scriptures, he pleads and prays--even making arguments to God. He does so on the basis of 1) Scriptural precedent, on the basis of God's rescue of the Israelites from Egypt (v.15) and his "righteous acts," (v.16); on the basis of 2) Scriptural promises, (Jeremiah 25:11-12 and Jeremiah 29:4-14; and 3) Scriptural principles, of God's glory "for your sake, O Lord," v.17, and God's mercy v.18. Daniel prays these back to a sovereign God, and prays with great boldness and confidence! As we'll see, his prayer sees immediate results!
