Mon, 24 October, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.

Daniel 9:16-19

¹⁶ “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. ¹⁷ Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. ¹⁸ O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. ¹⁹ O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

Daniel is a very difficult book. There are visions and prophecies that are extremely hard to understand, and so people interpret them in wildly different ways. Adding to the confusion is the fact that it isn’t clear if many of these prophecies refer to events that occurred in our past or if they are yet to come, and so many people speculate on the future fulfillment of them. Our passage today is one such prophecy, as Daniel tells us how Gabriel revealed to him the prophecy of the seventy weeks. I will not deal with that portion of the chapter today, but instead concentrate on Daniel’s prayer that preceded the revelation.

The chapter starts with Daniel studying the scriptures. As he is reading the writings of Jeremiah, Daniel realizes the exile will last seventy years. Since that time is almost up (Daniel being very old now), Daniel pleads for God’s mercy upon His people so that they might be returned from the exile. Daniel pleads with God that He would do what He promised to do.

What do we learn from this?

Search the scriptures for the promises God has made. Claim those promises by praying them back to God as requests. As we request the things God has promised, we know He will give us what we ask.

For example, we know that God promises that His word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Therefore we can study the scriptures and pray that God would use that to guide our conduct into ways that are more pleasing to Him. We can expect God to keep His promise and use the scriptures to bring growth in sanctification.

But notice Daniel’s attitude in claiming God’s promise. Daniel realizes that God sent Israel into exile because of their sins. Therefore, Daniel confesses the sins of Israel and pleads for God’s mercy. Daniel is not presumptuous. He doesn’t just assume that since God declared the exile would last seventy years, the exiles would head back to their homeland with barely a tip of the hat to God to thank Him for the return. Daniel realizes the nation must deal with their sin, and so he confesses it and pleads for God’s mercy.

We must never presume upon God’s mercy. He has given us great promises of how He will save those who come to Him in faith, but we must not presume upon His mercy. We come to Him humbly confessing our sins, and pleading for mercy. We know that He will answer our cry of faith, and forgive our sins when we approach Him in this way, but we must never presume upon His mercy.

Where is Christ in this passage?

Daniel pleads with God, let your anger and your wrath turn away. God’s anger at their sins must be propitiated, or there can be no mercy upon His people.

Daniel’s plea for mercy and forgiveness is based upon the work of Jesus Christ. We see glimpses of Jesus in the seventy week prophecy as the anointed one (Messiah in Hebrew, Christ in Greek) comes and iniquity is atoned for. Looking back from after the completion of the New Testament, we know that the only way God can have mercy upon us is by the Person and work of Jesus Christ. God can have mercy upon us by His grace as through faith in Jesus Christ He saves us. He grants us His unmerited favor as we are in Jesus Christ. His anger is propitiated for those who come to Him trusting in the Substitute He has provided. It is only through Jesus Christ that God can have mercy upon us.