Daniel Unlocked #53

Daniel Unlocked #53. Prayer and Understanding.

This would be a good time for you to read Daniel 9 and notice that Daniel in vs’3-19 is praying over his sin and the sin of His people and how they have broken the covenant that God made with Abraham and then the whole nation after the Exodus. V4 uses my favourite word in the Old Testament “Chesed” (steadfast love -NRSV, faithfulness – NASB, unfailing love – NLT.) This word tells of God’s unfailing commitment to His covenant promise. It is the equivalent (but more descriptive) to the New Testament word ‘grace.’

DANIEL was a man in a very high position in life, elevated by providence to great eminence in the dominion of Babylon. He might, therefore, naturally have forgotten his own people. But it was not so. Though he had been made a president of the empire, he felt himself still one with the seed of Israel. In all the afflictions of his people he was afflicted, and his duty and his privilege was to share with them all the bitterness of their lot.

The most powerful thing about this prayer was the recognition of the problem, “we have trespassed against Your Law”.

Sin is the only problem between us and God. Daniel knew this, even though he was a faithful Israelite who had stood by faith against all the leaders of this powerful empire that held Israel captive! He also recognized that the terror of this empire and the destruction of Jerusalem was upon the Jews because of their sin and disobedience to God, and this was their punishment. That is what Daniel was reading from the prophet Jeremiah 25:11 “This entire land will become a desolate wasteland. Israel and her neighbouring lands will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.” (NLT)

But Daniel always seemed to have the correct fear of the Lord! He lived his life to the One and Only True God. In the face of human leaders that yielded power over many lands, Daniel knew that God is the only One to serve. He was blessed for it too! In the Babylonian empire and after the Medes and Persians took over Babylon. Daniel was always moved up to high positions in those governments. In the face of captivity, Daniel served God and was rewarded by those nations because of the effects of his faith! Even though he prospered during this time of captivity, he never forgot his God, and he never forgot Israel, God’s covenant people!
If God’s people were suffering and if God’s Holy City was suffering, no matter how well-off Daniel was, he never lost sight of his kinsmen and their responsibility to God!

Regardless of the power of these empires, Daniel knew who was over all and why this was happening! It is all because of sin! Daniel did not remove himself from the sin of Israel, he knew that he was just as guilty, even though when he was taken in captivity, he was probably a teenager. In chapter 9, Daniel is around 80 years old.

“We have sinned” is the declaration of Daniel and he declares to the Lord that our faces only deserve shame. God had shown nothing but mercy and forgiveness, even in their rebellion. They had continually refused to obey God’s voice and walk in His Law. This is the problem with Israel as it is with all people. “Sin is the transgression of the law” the New Testament declares 1John 3:4 (NKJV). The NLT puts it this way “Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God.”