Have you ever been around children who repeatedly ask, “Is is time?” when they are looking forward to a promised event? For adults, we might be more polite, but I admit to being just as impatient!
Since leaving off in Daniel 5 from the previous mini-series of articles, when Belshazzar (the “sort of king”) was killed and Darius the Mede took over, Daniel chapter 6 describes the well-known account of Daniel and the lion’s den.
However, in chapter 7, we get to a new part of the book, where Daniel has a dream and sees visions, but these are dated back to the first year of Belshazzar. Then, in chapter 8, there’s another vision of Daniel’s, in the third year of Belshazzar’s reign. (Remember that Belshazzar’s father, King Nabonidus, was away from Babylon for a number of years.)
So, the book of Daniel is almost two accounts, generally linked together by the guy who the book was named after. The first part includes historical accounts of events, while the second part contains prophecies. The timing of these two parts of the book overlap by a few years, and so we get a background of Daniel’s history and character first, then we back up a little to learn more about messages that were given to him.
(For what it’s worth, I do not intend to try and interpret all of the prophecies from the book of Daniel in the next few articles, but others have certainly tried to do so.)
Now that we have this context, let’s begin in Daniel 9.
In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom— in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.
Daniel 9:1-2 NIV
So, this chapter is apparently set in the year after the events of chapter 5, when Darius took over.
Daniel has access to the teachings of Jeremiah (another prophet of God), and so Daniel compares Jeremiah’s prophecies from God with a calendar. For examples of what Daniel may have had in mind, I encourage you to read Jeremiah 25:8-14 and Jeremiah 29:10-14. Note the promises that are related to “seventy years”.
As explained in chapter 5 (in the account of the original “writing on the wall”), the Babylonian king was overthrown, just as Jeremiah’s message from God had promised. So, as the 70 years of exile seem to be up, these prophecies from Jeremiah are being fulfilled. (There are other interpretations of what the 70 years were [per Mangano, p.271], but the exile of the Jewish people, which Daniel was a part of, seems to fit pretty well.)
So, in verse 3 of chapter 9, here, Daniel turns to God. Now, some people might have taken the promises of God, and arrogantly insisted that He fulfill them right away, in the way that the people wanted. Of course, God honors His promises, but we do not have the right to dictate to Him exactly what that will look like. Often, God has a plan that doesn’t look the same as what we thought it would be, but He is always true to His word.
That sort of pride isn’t in Daniel’s prayer here, though. Instead, this is pretty intense prayer, including fasting, sackcloth, and ashes as Daniel asks God for mercy.
In verses 4-6, note that Daniel acknowledges God’s character. He credits God with being great and awesome (which God is), and he reiterates God’s faithfulness and love to those who honor Him.
However, Daniel also acknowledges that God’s people did not honor Him. They did their own thing, rather than what God told them to do. And, even though God provided prophets to warn the people (“all the people of the land”), their message wasn’t listened to.
At this time, Daniel is probably an old man, and has hopefully matured beyond the behavior of children who expect to get what they want, when they want it. However, Daniel has a real request for God, and he is seeking the fulfilment of a promise that he trusts God to make good upon. Daniel doesn’t start with a demand, though, but with an admission of how Daniel and his people probably don’t deserve good things after the way that they acted, and an appeal to God’s character (which is good).
I encourage you to read all of Daniel 9 to study more about Daniel’s prayer, and join us next time for further discussion.
In the meantime, let’s consider how elements of Daniel’s prayer are still applicable to our prayers, today. We might not be 70 years into an exile from our homeland, but for those who have turned to God and studied His promises for them, I think that many of us are ready to see those promises’ fulfilled, too.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for June 30, 2024
References:
- The Lookout, June 30, 2024, © 2024 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Esther & Daniel, by Mark Mangano. © 2001 College Press Publishing Co.
- The Bible and Archaeology, by J.A. Thompson, © 1962, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., p.166-171.
- The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms…, by Sir Isaac Newton, London, 1728.
- Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John, by Sir Isaac Newton, London, 1733.
Those Who Sin Differently 