Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, May 8, 2022

Daniel’s Prayer and the Vision of the Seventy Weeks.

Today, Pastor Michael is picking back up with his study on Daniel.  In our past lesson, Daniel had predicted the rise of Alexander the Great.  When Alexander strolled into Jerusalem, the priests and rabbis brought out Daniel Chapter 8 and showed Alexander that their God predicted his coming and he was so impressed he didn’t destroy the city or the temple.

In Chapter 9, today, Daniel is an older man now around 80 or even older.  He is reflecting about all that he has lived and how he saw the Babylonians take over, move him to Babylon and spend his career as a royal advisor to the King of Babylon.  Then he retired and the Meads and Persian empires arose and on the last day of the kingdom of Babylon and the king called Daniel out of retirement for a prediction and Daniel predicted the fall of Babylon.  

Which.  Happened!

Now Daniel saw a regime change and Daniel started seeking understanding by reading the scriptures, notably Jeremiah. He found in Jeremiah 25: 11-12, that it seemed like it’s time for God to bring His people home.

(CSB Baker Illustrated Bible Study Notes) Daniel 9:1-4. Daniel longs for the era of restoration, for the establishment of the kingdom of God and of the messianic kingdom. To this end he fasts and prays for the restoration of his people to the land (9:3).

9:4–19. Daniel’s prayer consists of confession and petition. In the confession he identifies with the history of his people, with their sin and punishment. The prayer of confession consists of a repetition of four themes: Israel’s rebellious attitude to the law and the prophets, God’s righteousness in judgment, the fulfillment of the curses, and the hope of renewal of divine mercy and grace.

Daniel begins with an affirmation of God’s mercy, inherent in Israel’s confession of who God is (9:4). In contrast Israel has sinned against their covenant God (9:5). They have rejected the prophets (9:6). Therefore the Lord is righteous in his judgment. Yet the disgrace of Israel is apparent wherever they have been scattered (9:7). Their lot has changed by their own doing, but the Lord is still the same (9:9–10). Israel has received the curses of the covenant (9:11; cf. Lv 26:33; Dt 28:63–67). The Lord has been faithful in judgment, even in bringing about the desolation of Jerusalem (9:12). Again Daniel affirms the righteousness of God (9:14).

Daniel throws himself on the mercy of God as he prays for the restoration of Jerusalem, the temple, and God’s presence among his people (9:17–19).

We look around our nation today and wonder when unbelievers will get serious with God.  God looks around and wonders when believers will get serious with Him!

Daniel didn’t say they deserved His help. He stated because of “His mercy”, showing the righteousness of God.  God sends Gabriel, the angel, to Daniel in a vision.  Gabriel tells Daniel that it will take 70 weeks (here weeks not being weeks today, but years then) to finalize judgment on sin, atone for sin and transgression and bring in everlasting righteousness, fulfill the prophetic word and anoint the most holy.

One of the lessons here is that the Bible can be trusted.  It predicted to the year how things would transpire right in Daniel, chapter 9!

Verses can be found today in Daniel 9: 1-27 and Jeremiah 25: 11-12. 

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.