Below are some preliminary questions to assist in the study of this passage. For a comprehensive study of the passage, download the Study Guide (PDF download).
Note: For more information relevant to this passage of Daniel nine, see the accompanying Appendix (PDF download) that deals with the following topic: The “Seventy Weeks” of Daniel 9:24-27.
1. What motivated Daniel to pray? See Daniel 9:2 (printed below)
…in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of Jehovah that came to Jeremiah the prophet, the number of years appointed to complete the desolation of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. (Daniel 9:2)
Daniel’s prayer is motivated by God’s promise and God’s purpose. In verse two Daniel is referring to such passages as Jeremiah 25:11-12 and Jeremiah 29:10-12,14b. Daniel discerns that the time for the fulfillment of the Lord’s promises has come and thus he engages in earnest prayer for their fulfillment. Note: the certainty of God’s promises and purposes must become the motivation for action, (in this present case the motivation for active prayer,) not an excuse for complacency.
2. What does verse 3 (printed below), and also verse 21 (printed below), tell us about the earnestness of Daniel’s prayer?
So I set my face toward the Lord God, to seek him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. (Daniel 9:3)
…while I was still speaking in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the previous vision, being very weary, touched me at about the time of the evening sacrifice. (Daniel 9:21)
Daniel set his face towards the Lord and determined to seek and gain his objective by prayer and supplication (verse 3). Note that verse 3 also makes reference to fasting: the denial of one’s bodily needs for a designated period of time in order to devote one’s self in concentrated service to God. Based on verse 21, we might even reverently say that Daniel “wore the Lord out” with the spiritual intensity of his prayer and supplication. Note: verse 21 is sometimes translated, “Gabriel…came to me in my extreme weariness;” but the pronoun “my” is not present in the Hebrew text; a more accurate translation would be, “Gabriel, being very weary,” came near to Daniel. The angel Gabriel is here used to represent the Lord Himself; the point is not that the Lord actually becomes physically weary and exhausted, but rather what is occurring here is the very thing commanded by the Lord in Isaiah 62:6-7, “I have posted watchmen upon your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who are Jehovah’s palace recorders, give yourselves no rest, (7) and give him no rest, until he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of all the earth.”
3. What confession does Daniel make to the Lord (see verses 5-7 printed below) and what appeal does he make to the Lord (see verse 18 printed below?)
…we have sinned, we have gone astray, we have done wicked things, and we have rebelled; we have turned away from your commandments and your ordinances. (6) Neither have we listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and to all the people of the land. (7) O Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but for us there is shame on our faces to this very day—to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, both those who are near as well as those who are far away, scattered through all the countries where you have driven them because of their trespass that they have committed against you. (Daniel 9:5-7)
O my God, incline your ear, and hear; open your eyes and look upon our desolations—the city that bears your name! We do not present our petitions to you on the basis of our righteousness, but on the basis of your great mercies. (Daniel 9:18)
Daniel is perfectly honest with God about the condition of Israel, and about his own condition before God. He confesses their sinfulness and his own sinfulness (verses 5-6). Daniel acknowledges the righteousness of God (verses 7a, 14) and he appeals to the Lord for His mercy (verse 18). From the Lord’s response to Daniel’s prayer, we learn that the man who offers such a prayer is greatly loved by God and his prayer is effective (verse 23).
4. In his prayer, what does Daniel ask of the Lord? See Daniel 9:16-18 (printed below)
O Lord, in keeping with all your righteousness, let your anger and your wrath be turned away from your city, Jerusalem, your holy mountain; because our sins, and the iniquities of our fathers, have caused Jerusalem and your people to become an object of scorn to all those around us. (17) Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayers of your servant, listen to his petitions; for the Lord’s sake, cause your face to shine upon your sanctuary that now lies desolate. (18) O my God, incline your ear, and hear; open your eyes and look upon our desolations—the city that bears your name! We do not present our petitions to you on the basis of our righteousness, but on the basis of your great mercies. (Daniel 9:16-18)
What does Daniel ask the Lord to do in his prayer? “O Lord, in keeping with all your righteousness, let your anger and your wrath be turned away from your city, Jerusalem, your holy mountain; because our sins, and the iniquities of our fathers, have caused Jerusalem and your people to become an object of scorn to all those around us.” (verse 16) “Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayers of your servant, listen to his petitions; for the Lord’s sake, cause your face to shine upon your sanctuary that now lies desolate.” (verse 17) “O my God, incline your ear, and hear; open your eyes and look upon our desolations—the city that bears your name!” (verse 18a) It is striking how Daniel’s prayer focuses on the kingdom of God; Daniel is praying for the preservation, the restoration, and the building up of that kingdom.
5. According to Daniel, why should the Lord act? Note Daniel 9:17-19 (printed below)
Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayers of your servant, listen to his petitions; for the Lord’s sake, cause your face to shine upon your sanctuary that now lies desolate. (18) O my God, incline your ear, and hear; open your eyes and look upon our desolations—the city that bears your name! We do not present our petitions to you on the basis of our righteousness, but on the basis of your great mercies. (19) O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your name. (Daniel 9:17-19)
According to Daniel, why should the Lord act? What reason or motivation does Daniel hold up to “induce” the Lord to act? “Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayers of your servant, listen to his petitions; for the Lord’s sake, cause your face to shine upon your sanctuary that now lies desolate.” (verse 17) “O my God, incline your ear, and hear; open your eyes and look upon our desolations—the city that bears your name!” (verse 18a) “O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your name.” (verse 19) It is striking how Daniel’s prayer focuses on the honor and glory of God. Daniel beseeches the Lord to act for the sake of His name, His city, and His divine honor.
