Daniel Seeks Answers From God For His Mercy And Forgiveness

Tonight we are going backwards in time again in our study. After Daniel was given the visions from God, he was filled with great hope for his people and nation. This hope involved one of the most phenomenal experiences of Daniel's life, and it took place during the reign of Darius, the new Persian ruler of Babylon. So, this prayer goes back to the time when Medo-Persia conquers Babylon.

Daniel 9:1-3. Daniel was studying the scriptures in the first year of Darius's reign and he was actually reading Jeremiah 25:1 - 14, which explains why the Jews had been exiled to Babylon. Suddenly, Daniel's attention focused upon Jeremiah 25:11 -13, which says the following:

Jeremiah 25:11-13 – “This entire land will become a desolate wasteland. Israel and her neighboring lands will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

12 “Then, after the seventy years of captivity are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and his people for their sins,” says the Lord. “I will make the country of the Babylonians a wasteland forever. 13 I will bring upon them all the terrors I have promised in this book—all the penalties announced by Jeremiah against the nations.”

These verses are very specific in their prediction: the Jews were to be held in captivity by Babylon for 70 years. After the 70 years, Babylon was to fall as a nation. But the question was, when did the 70-year exile begin?

There are three facts in Scripture that point strongly to the year 605 BC as the beginning of the exile.

-first, Jeremiah gave his prediction of the 70 year captivity in 605 BC.

-second, the first Babylonian invasion of Judah and the first exile of the Jews took place in 605 BC.

-third, Daniel himself, as a young boy of 15-16 years old, was included in this first exile by Babylon.

In God's sovereign power to work all things out for good, he arranged these events so Daniel would understand Jeremiah's prophecy and know that the Jews were soon to be set free from their captivity. The Lord would use Daniel's understanding of the scripture to encourage His people who had been held captive for so long. Their day of liberation was right over the horizon.

Daniel was stirred to seek the face of the Lord. God had promised mercy, forgiveness, and restoration of the nation of Israel. So, Daniel goes to the Lord in prayer.

Daniel 9:4. Daniel begins seeking God for mercy and forgiveness. He expressed adoration for the Lord, that He is great and awesome and that He keeps His covenant of love and mercy.

Daniel 9:5-6. Then Daniel confessed his sins and the sins of his people. He confessed their wickedness and rebellion, their rejection of God's word, and their failure to listen to the prophets: those who faithfully proclaimed God's message.

Daniel 9:7-8. Daniel expresses their unfaithfulness. He confesses their terrible shame and evil when contrasted with God's righteousness, a terrible evil that covered them with shame and led to their exile. Their sin – of being stubborn, obstinate, hard-hearted - that stood against God and brought shame upon them was also confessed by Daniel.

Daniel 9:9-10. Daniel then acknowledges Israel's ingratitude, the fact that they had rejected God's mercy, rebelled against God, disobeyed God, and broken God's laws and commandments. Daniel further acknowledged that, despite his peoples ingratitude, the Lord was merciful and forgiving. He would have mercy and forgive their sins if the people would turn to Him and repent of their sins.

Daniel 9:11-14. Daniel continues his confession for the people of Israel. He acknowledged and honored God's justice. God's holy word had forewarned them of His coming judgment. So, the people were now suffering the curses of judgment because of their sins against the Lord. The sufferings of the nation in captivity were due to their sins. When they rejected God's mercy and continued to sin, God fulfilled His word by bringing disaster on them. His hand of judgment fell upon them because they had not repented by turning from their sins and obeying the truth, and the fact that the Lord is righteous and must execute judgment upon all who disobey him. The penalty for violating God's commandments must be paid. Daniel acknowledged that fact by honoring God's judgment and the execution of His judgment upon the nation of Israel.

Daniel 9:15. Daniel asked the Lord for mercy, forgiveness, and restoration. God had poured out these three wonderful promises on the Jews previously when they were held captive by Egypt. He delivered them out of their bondage. Now Daniel pleads for the Lord to once again free his people, liberating them from their bondage in Babylon. So, Daniel makes five strong requests, and these pleas are the major thrust of his prayer.