Dani el prayer

Dani el 's Prayer for Jerusalem - 9

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;" (Dan 9:1 )

In the first year of Darius = 538 B.C., 67 years after Daniel had been taken from Palestine. This is the same Darius as in chap. 6.

"In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem." (Dan 9:2 )

by books. Daniel understood, from his knowledge of Jer. 25:11-12, that it was about time for the desolations of Jerusalem to be finished. Vs. 25:11 The Babylonian captivity lasted 70 years (605-536 B.C.) evidently because this was the number of seventh-year rests for the land the Jews failed to observe. (I.e., over a period of 490 years they failed to keep the law and let the land lie fallow every seventh year. See notes on Lev. 25:2-7 and 2 Chron. 36:14-21.)

"And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:" (Dan 9:3 )

In this remarkable prayer of confession (see Ezra 9 and Neh. 9 for similar prayers), Daniel associated himself with the sins of his people 32 times. He approaches God on the basis of His loyal love (see note on Hos. 2:19) in His covenant with Israel (v. 4), confesses their sins (vv. 5-10), acknowledges their deserved judgment (vv. 11-14), and supplicates God for His mercy (vv. 15-19).

ADORATION

"And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, (vs 5-19)

Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;"

CONFESSION IN HUMILITY, REVERANCE AND LIST THE SINS

"We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:"

"Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land."

"O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee."

"O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee."

"To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;"

"Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets."

"Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him."

"And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem."

"As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth."

"Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice."

"And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly."

"O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us."

"Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake."

"O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies."

"O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name."

THE SEVENTY WEEKS

"And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;"

"Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation." (Dan 9:21)

about the time of the evening oblation. About 3 P.M. (cf. Ex. 29:39).

"And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding." (Dan 9:22 KJV)

"At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision." (Dan 9:23 )

"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city,

to finish the transgression, and

to make an end of sins, and

to make reconciliation for iniquity, and

to bring in everlasting righteousness, and

to seal up the vision and prophecy, and

to anoint the most Holy." (Dan 9:24 )

Seventy weeks. Lit., 70 sevens. Obviously years are meant, for Daniel had been thinking of the years of the captivity (9:2). 490 days is 16 months, and 490 weeks is 9 1/2 years, both too short to accommodate the events of the prophecy. Furthermore, weeks of days are so specified in 10:2-3, where the Hebrew adds "days." This period of 490 years concerns thy people (the Jews) and thy holy city (Jerusalem). to finish the transgression. To end the apostasy of the Jews. to make an end of sins. May mean either to atone for sin or to seal up sin in the sense of judging it finally. to make reconciliation for iniquity. Refers to the death of Christ on the cross, which is the basis for Israel's future forgiveness (Zech. 12:10; Rom. 11:26-27). to bring in everlasting righteousness. In the millennial kingdom of Messiah (Jer. 23:5-6). to seal up the vision and prophecy. To set God's seal of fulfillment on all the prophecies concerning the Jewish people and Jerusalem. to anoint the most Holy. The anointing of the Holy of Holies in the millennial Temple.

"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times." (Dan 9:25 KJV)

The 70 sevens begin with the commandment to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem, the commandment of Artaxerxes Longimanus given in 445 B.C. (Neh. 2:5). Earlier, Cyrus had authorized the rebuilding of the Temple (in 538; 2 Chron. 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4). the street . . . and the wall. The public square and moat were rebuilt by the time the first seven weeks (49 years) were completed.

And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince (by the Romans in AD70) that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof [shall be] with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. (Dan 9:26 Messianic Authorised Version)

Certain important events were to happen after the 62 weeks (plus the seven weeks, or a total of 69 weeks): the crucifixion of Messiah and the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 by the Romans who are the people of the prince that shall come. Because these events were to occur after the 69 weeks had run their course and before the seventieth week began, there must be a space of time between the conclusion of the sixty-ninth week and the beginning of the seventieth.

"And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." (Dan 9:27)

The prince of verse 26, the Antichrist previously introduced in 7:8, 24-26, who will make a pact with many (of the Jewish people) at the beginning of the tribulation period. But in the midst of the week (i.e., 3 [1] years later) Antichrist will break his covenant and desecrate the Temple by demanding worship of himself in it. See notes on Matt. 24:15 and 2 Thess. 2:4. At Christ's second coming, Antichrist and his false prophet will be cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 19:20).

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