Daniel 9:4-17
King James Version (KJV)
4 And I prayed unto the Lord
my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and
dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and
to them that keep his commandments;
5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.
8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
12 And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.
14 Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.
15 And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
16 O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.
17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.
5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.
8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
12 And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.
14 Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.
15 And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
16 O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.
17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD.
______
By Sam E. Stone
“The events of Daniel 9 were triggered by the reading of Scripture,”
explains James E. Smith. “Daniel had access to a collection of prophetic
literature which included the scroll of Jeremiah. He noted in Jeremiah
25:11 that the desolations of Jerusalem were to end after the
termination of the seventy years of Babylonian world rule.”
This is the background for Daniel’s prayer that we study today. It is
surely one of the most heartfelt pleas to God found anywhere in the
Bible. Daniel knew well that the captivity came because of the
disobedience of his people. He admits this freely. They needed to repent
and receive God’s mercy.
When God brought the Israelites back into the promised land from
their Egyptian bondage, he told them that their well-being depended upon
their obedience to his law. If they proved unfaithful, they would be
given into the hands of their enemies (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). That
happened. But God had also assured them that if they would repent and
return to him again, he would restore them (Deuteronomy 30:1-10). It is
this assurance that prompted Daniel to pray for his people.
Confession
Daniel 9:4-6
When Daniel came before the Lord, he was well aware of what God had already done for his people. He had prompted Cyrus to issue a decree in favor of the Jews (Ezra 1). Although the Jews themselves were responsible for the exile, even so God’s mercy had not changed. None could say that God had not kept his covenant of love with those who . . . keep his commandments. The Jews had brought the punishment of captivity on themselves. We have been wicked and have rebelled, Daniel admitted.
Daniel 9:4-6
When Daniel came before the Lord, he was well aware of what God had already done for his people. He had prompted Cyrus to issue a decree in favor of the Jews (Ezra 1). Although the Jews themselves were responsible for the exile, even so God’s mercy had not changed. None could say that God had not kept his covenant of love with those who . . . keep his commandments. The Jews had brought the punishment of captivity on themselves. We have been wicked and have rebelled, Daniel admitted.
God had permitted the godless Babylonians to conquer the Jews as punishment for their turning away(his) servants the prophets to warn the people.
from his commands. He had warned them about this long before
(Deuteronomy 28:1-14; 64-68). Daniel lived centuries after those words
were written, when Israel was suffering for having broken the covenant.
They experienced the curses connected with disobedience. Even though
this happened, God used
Realization
Daniel 9:7-14
Over and over Daniel reminded the people of their wrongdoing—using words like shame, unfaithfulness, rebellion, and sin. Moreover, he is careful to include everyone in his confession of the nation’s sin. It involved Jerusalem, as well as both Judah and Israel. It included all of the groups within the land—we and our kings, our princes, and our ancestors. No one could claim that he or she was innocent.
Daniel 9:7-14
Over and over Daniel reminded the people of their wrongdoing—using words like shame, unfaithfulness, rebellion, and sin. Moreover, he is careful to include everyone in his confession of the nation’s sin. It involved Jerusalem, as well as both Judah and Israel. It included all of the groups within the land—we and our kings, our princes, and our ancestors. No one could claim that he or she was innocent.
Over the years God had sent his prophets faithfully and frequently in
his continuing effort to get the nation to repent and return to him.
Daniel prayed that the captivity not be prolonged, but that God grant
mercy now to the Jews. Paul Butler wrote, “That Daniel was in earnest is
indicated by the fact that he fasted and humbled himself in sackcloth
and ashes—the customary attire for a Jew who wished to subdue the flesh
in order to concentrate on the spiritual.”
It is as if Daniel told God, “You are right and we are wrong!” Just
as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us,
yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from
our sins and giving attention to your truth. Even when God executes judgment on his disobedient children, he is completely in the right. The Lord our God is righteous in everything he does.
The prophets spoke truth when they faithfully delivered their messages
of warning and called for repentance. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and
many others were sent by God, but still the people would not listen.
Appeal
Daniel 9:17
The printed text does not include vv. 15 and 16. There Daniel asked God, “In keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem.” He added, Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. His prayer continues through v. 19, but v. 17 summarizes his final appeal. The nations have profaned the Lord’s name, his city of Jerusalem, his temple, and his people (see Ezekiel 36:21-23). Daniel prayed in effect, “Don’t let them tarnish your name, God! Not for the sake of the people, but for your sake, God, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary.”
Daniel 9:17
The printed text does not include vv. 15 and 16. There Daniel asked God, “In keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem.” He added, Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. His prayer continues through v. 19, but v. 17 summarizes his final appeal. The nations have profaned the Lord’s name, his city of Jerusalem, his temple, and his people (see Ezekiel 36:21-23). Daniel prayed in effect, “Don’t let them tarnish your name, God! Not for the sake of the people, but for your sake, God, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary.”
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