It is of the deepest importance to see that the basis of Daniel’s supplication is the fact, again and again emphasized in his confession, that it is God Himself who had broken up the people (Dan. 9:7,12,147O 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. (Daniel 9:7)
12And 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. (Daniel 9:12)
14Therefore 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. (Daniel 9:14)). Until this fact is faced and owned, without any reserve, there can be no recovery. Once it is faced, we have good ground on which to turn to God and plead for recovering mercy. God is One who can not only break up, but He also can heal. He can scatter and He can gather together.
Refusing to acknowledge that it is God that has broken us up and seeing only the folly that men have wrought, we shut out all hope of recovery for those who desire to be faithful to God. With men before us, we are thinking of those who can break up but have no power to recover, whereas God can break up and God can recover.
Seeing only men as causing divisions has led many sincere people to the false conclusion that, if men cause divisions, men also have the power to remedy them. Hence the efforts that are made to bring the people of God together again are foredoomed to failure and worse than failure, for they only add to the confusion already existing among the people of God.
To bring together is beyond the wisdom of man; it is God’s work. We can destroy, we can scatter, and we can break hearts, but “the Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds” (Psa. 147:23).
J. N. Darby