Sunday, August 5, 2018 am
A PRAYER OF DANIEL
Daniel 9:1-19
We are told in Daniel 9:1 that this occurred in the first year of Darius
the Mede. For background on
this, Judah had been in Babylonian captivity for 70 years because
(606-536 BC). This was the
appointed time by God for their captivity (2 Chronicles 36:21, Jeremiah
25:11-12, etc.). Babylon had
recently fallen to Darius the Mede and the Persians.
As Daniel contemplates the timing of these events, he offers a
prayer to the LORD on behalf of himself and Israel.
A much needed prayer by a
righteous man on behalf of a needy people – James 517 –
the effective, fervent prayer of a
righteous man accomplishes much.
This is a prayer of repentance and intercession (pleading on
behalf of others) to God.
Let us in this lesson consider this prayer.
a.
Vs. 3 –
“I set my face toward the Lord
God” – Daniel approached God with a reverent attitude.
In fact, the verse notes that his supplications were associated
with fasting, sackcloth and ashes (symbols of mourning).
We must approach God with godliness (a reverent attitude) –
Hebrews 12:28 – we serve Him with reverence and godly fear.
b.
Vs. 4 –
“O Lord, great and awesome God”
– Daniel begins with highest praise.
Jesus in teaching us how to prayer began by saying, “Our Father in
heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”
(Matthew 6:9)
We ought to approach God with a reverent attitude for who He is.
This is an illustration of that acknowledgment.
When we begin our prayers with high praise – it REMINDS US of who
we are approaching, and everything involved in realizing that (He knows
all things including your heart, He is all powerful).
c.
Vs. 4 -
Who keeps His covenant and mercy
with those who love Him and keep His commandments
i.
Daniel declares God’s
accomplishments – he knows he is approaching God who CAN do what is
needed
ii.
Further, Daniel is aware
of God’s promises and it is time.
God has shown Himself faithful and that is a pretext to this
prayer.
iii.
He also observes that
approaching God is dependent upon our willingness to turn to Him – 1
John 5:14-15, 3:22 – whatever we ask we receive because we keep His
commandments and do those things pleasing in His sight.
1 Peter 3:12 – His ears are open to the prayers of the righteous.
d.
Other qualities used to
describe God - Righteousness (vs. 7), Mercy & forgiveness (vs. 9)
In our prayers, a good exercise is to consider and acknowledge the
various qualities God has manifested toward us.
It is a reminder of His goodness and WHY we can hope in Him.
It also HUMBLES us as we approach Him – 1 Peter 5:5-6 – humble
yourselves under His mighty hand and let Him exalt you.
a.
The majority of this
prayer is confession of sins – the sins of Judah that they have been
reminded of for 70 years of captivity. Daniel, in spite of his godliness
includes himself as he addresses and SUPPLICATES on behalf of the whole
nation.
- As you read these verses you
will notice sins of commission (they did what they should not – e.g.
rebellion), omission – they had failed to keep God’s word, & ignorance
(they had not listened to the prophets).
- You will also see in this a genuineness and a realization of our need
for God. This is the “Poor
in spirit” of Matthew 5:3, or the tax collector in Matthew 18:13-14.
b.
Vs. 5 “We have sinned
and committed iniquity”. “We have rebelled and done wickedly, by
departing from Your precepts and judgments”
Daniel’s attitude of taking responsibility – it is NOT God’s fault that
we sin! Often times we are
put in difficult circumstances and some tend to blame God.
It’s not His fault!
James 1:13 – God does not tempt us to do evil.
1 Corinthians 10:13 – no temptation faces us that we cannot escape.
BUT this doesn’t mean things will always be easy!
Sometimes challenges and difficulties make us better – James
1:2-4.
WHAT makes us wicked before God? The words Daniel uses in this
verse help us grasp where we really stand before Him –
sin (violate God’s laws, it is missing the mark),
iniquity (to do wrong,
the word also indicates a twisting or bending – as in a crooked road –
they had NOT followed the straight path),
wickedly (a strong
word for morally corrupt behavior, to do evil and criminal wrong) &
rebelled (to
deliberately reject God or revolt against Him).
c.
Vs. 5-6 –
Departed from Your precepts
and judgments.
Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets –
ALL the above
descriptions were a result of rejecting God’s teachings.
The whole reason Judah was in Babylon (and northern Israel was
long gone) was because of the rejection of God’s word.
CLEARLY, any sin is a result of departing from God’s commandments.
But here, it seems to be the outright rejection of His word –
something we see all too often today –
2 Timothy 4:2-4 – Paul warned of those with itching ears being TURNED
ASIED to fables
2 Peter 3:16 – they twist the scriptures to their own destruction
1 Timothy 4:1 – Paul warned of those who depart from the faith.
Matthew 7:21-23 – CLEARLY, it is not enough to simply profess, we must
DO!
WHEN we reject God’s word – let that be part of our confession.
It reminds us of the seriousness of our sins.
d.
Vs. 7-8 -
O Lord, righteousness belongs to
You, but to us shame of face, because we have sinned against You
– there needs to be an understanding that sin is directed against
God. No matter what the sin,
we have rebelled against Him
– Think of David in Psalm 51:4 – against You, and You only have I
sinned.
I am convinced that in our
prayers this is the disposition we need to begin with when we are facing
our sins! It is the “poor in
spirit” of Matthew 5:3
e.
Vs. 9 –
He is merciful and forgiving, even
though we have rebelled against Him.
In dealing with our sins, we must realize we don’t deserve it.
We can be forgiven only because of His mercy and grace –
Ephesians 2:4-6, Romans 5:8-9, etc.
NOTE the boldness and faith with which this prayer is offered –
not just this verse, but the entire prayer.
When we go to God in prayer, we have to believe that He can and
will forgive us. Hebrews 4:12-16 speaks of Jesus our High Priest having
accomplished God’s purpose – we can now come boldly before His throne.
Hebrews 10:22 speaks of drawing near with a true heart in full
assurance.
f.
Vs. 10-11 –
We have not obeyed,…we
have transgressed…therefore
the curse and the oath is poured out…because we have sinned.
- Facing the wrath of God will be “on us”.
We cannot blame God.
– Furthermore, we see here the accepting of responsibility for our sins.
How often do we blame God for our troubles?
1 Peter 4:15 – do not suffer as an evildoer.
UNTIL you accept that you are a sinner and “own your own sins” you will
not truly repent.
g.
Vs. 12-13 –
He has confirmed His words
– God means what He says.
The punishment they had received went directly back to His laws for
them.
When we pay the price for sin, we HAVE BEEN warned! Romans 1:20 – we
will be without excuse. John
15:22, Jesus noted that His coming and teachings rendered those who
rejected Him and God as being without excuse for their sin.
God’s vengeance will be against those who have not obeyed the gospel – 2
Thessalonians 1:8; OR have turned back to the world – 2 Peter 2:20-22,
Galatians 5:4, etc.
h.
Vs. 13 –
we have not made our prayer before
Him
Genuine prayer is God’s spiritual preservative – James 5:16.
We need to pray continually.
– when we sin, we need to pray – Acts 8:22
- when we are tempted – we need to pray (2 Peter 2:9, 1 Corinthians
10:13),
- BEFORE we are tempted – we need to pray (Matthew 6:13, 26:41)
i.
Vs. 14 –
Therefore the LORD has kept the
disaster in mind
– in justice, He does what He says.
- Let us NOT forget in all of this, whom He loves He chastens – Hebrews
12:5ff
j.
Vs. 15 – again,
“we have sinned, and we have done wickedly!”
- notice the repetition.
NOT vain, but a demonstration of how remorseful one is.
IN Daniel’s prayer, we see a FULL recognition, in DETAIL, of their
transgressions before God.
a.
Following statements of
repentance, there is a desire for restoration and that is his request.
b.
Vs. 16 –
According to all Your
righteousness…let Your anger and fury be turned away from (us).
c.
Vs. 17 –
Now therefore, hear the prayer of
Your servant and his supplications.
Again, I can see the faith of Daniel.
d.
Vs. 17 -
And for the Lord’s sake cause Your
face to shine on Your sanctuary – a prayer for help in restoring
the damage done by their sins.
Recall that the temple was where and how Israel met with God to
have their sins forgiven.
That needed to be restored.
Daniel’s prayer is that access to God be restored for him and his
brethren.
Today, when we are out of fellowship with God – we need to have that
restored – 1 John 1:9. Also
consider James 5:16 – we confess and pray for one another for “healing”.
e.
Vs. 18 –
we do not ask this because we
deserve it, but because of Your great mercies.
I love this conclusion – we don’t deserve it!
But we need it and thus we ask!
We ask, because He has made it available to us!
Will we accept it.
f.
Vs. 19 –
Daniel’s summary – O Lord
– hear, forgive, listen and act.
In summary, “We need You”
g.
Do not delay for Your
sake and for your people
– if you have sin in your life and you are out of fellowship with God,
don’t delay. Delay is always
dangerous.
As
we examine this prayer, may we learn how to approach our Lord when we
sin. There is a place
for the short and general prayer.
But there is also a place for the private and more specific
prayer. This is an example
of the latter. Do you
pray as you ought to?
Daniel 9:22ff we find the Lord heard Daniel’s prayer and answered him.
How about us? Does He
hear our prayers because of how we are and how they are offered?