In common with the other prophecies of Daniel, the ninth chapter takes us on to the future, bringing before us the destiny of Jerusalem. As the prophet, Daniel has seen visions and received revelations of the future; now we are to see him as the intercessor on behalf of God’s people, and, in answer to his prayer and supplication, receiving instruction as to the mind of God.
The Occasion of the Prayer (vss. 1-2)
Sixty-eight years had passed since Daniel had been taken captive at the fall of Jerusalem. He had seen the rise and fall of Babylon, while Persia, the second world empire, had come to the front. In this kingdom Daniel held a high position of authority. But the engrossing affairs of state could not dim his ardent love for God’s people, or his faith in God’s Word concerning them.
Verse 2 — We have seen that Daniel was a man of prayer; now we learn that he was also a student of Scripture. Daniel learns that, not only would Babylon come under judgment, but that the Lord had said to Jeremiah, “that after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place” (Jer. 29:1010For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. (Jeremiah 29:10)).
Daniel’s Confession of the Sin of God’s People (vss. 3-6)
The immediate effect of learning from the Word that God is about to visit His people is to turn Daniel to God. He has communion with God about that which he receives from God. The result is that he sees the true character of the moment, and acts in a way that is suited for the moment.
God is about to stay His chastening hand and grant a little reviving to His people. Daniel, seeing the true significance of the moment, turns to God “by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes,” and he makes confession to the Lord his God. He sees the past marked by failure, the future dark with the prediction of deeper sorrows and greater failure, and no hope of deliverance for the people of God as a whole until the rightful King comes. In the presence of these truths Daniel was deeply affected, his thoughts troubled him, his countenance was changed, and he fainted and was sick certain days (Dan. 7:28; 8:2728Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart. (Daniel 7:28)
27And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it. (Daniel 8:27)).
But Daniel made another discovery. He learned from Scripture, that, in spite of all past failure, God had foretold that there would be a little reviving in the midst of the years. In all this we see a correspondence between our own day and that in which Daniel lived. In the midst of all the failure of the church, the Lord has definitely said there will be a Philadelphian revival of a few who, in the midst of the corruption of Christendom, will be found in great weakness, seeking to keep His Word and not deny His Name.
Daniel, in his prayer and confession, shows the spirit which should mark those who, in his day or in our own, desire to answer to the open door of deliverance that God sets before His people. Looking beyond the failure of individuals, he sees, and owns, the failure of God’s people as a whole. He says, “We have sinned ... our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and... all the people of the land.” So in our day, we have all had our part in the low condition that necessitated the break-up of the church.
Daniel’s Justification of God (vss. 7-15)
Having confessed the sin of “all the people of the land,” Daniel justifies God in having chastened them. He recognizes that these evils must be accepted as from God, acting in His holy discipline, and not simply as brought about by particular acts on the part of individual men. This is clearly seen in the great division that took place in Israel. Instrumentally, it was brought about by the folly of Rehoboam, but, says God, “This thing is done of me” (2 Chron. 11:44Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren: return every man to his house: for this thing is done of me. And they obeyed the words of the Lord, and returned from going against Jeroboam. (2 Chronicles 11:4)). Daniel does not refer to the ruthless violence of Nebuchadnezzar; but, looking beyond these men, he sees the hand of a righteous God in the scattering. On the other hand “mercies and forgivenesses” belong to the Lord our God. Not only is God righteous, but He is merciful and full of forgiveness.
Furthermore, when the evil came, they did not turn to God in prayer (vs. 13). Apparently there was no desire to turn from their iniquities and understand the truth. Surely there is a voice for us in our day. The people of God are scattered and divided because of their sins, and yet how calmly, even complacently, is this state of division often viewed by the people of God!
Daniel’s Supplication to God for Mercy (vss. 16-19)
Having confessed the sin and failure of God’s people and having, moreover, justified God in all His ways, Daniel now prays in the form of supplication. It is significant that in pleading for the city, the mountain, the sanctuary, and the people, he views them not in relation to himself or the nation, but as belonging to God. He does not say our city, or our sanctuary, or our people, but “Thy city.”
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. Until this fact is faced and owned, without any reserve, there can be no recovery.
Seeing only men as causing divisions has led many sincere people to the false conclusion that, if men caused divisions, men 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 among the people of God. To bring together is beyond the wit of man; it is God’s work. We can destroy, we can scatter, 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. 147:2-32The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. 3He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. (Psalm 147:2‑3)).
Here, then, in Daniel’s prayer we have the course that should ever guide God’s people in a day of ruin: first, to get, in turning to God, a fresh and deepened sense of His greatness, holiness and mercy to those who are prepared to keep His word. Secondly, we must confess our failure and sin, and that the root of all scattering lies in a low moral condition. Thirdly, we need to own the righteous government of God in all His dealings in chastening His people. Fourthly, we must fall back on the righteousness of God that can act in mercy towards His failing people, for His name’s sake.
Understanding the Word and Vision (vss. 20-27)
Turning to God in prayer and confession, Daniel receives light and understanding in the mind of God. It is significant that he receives the answer to his prayer at the time of the evening oblation, indicating that his prayer is answered on the ground of the efficacy of the burnt offering which speaks to God of the value of the sacrifice of Christ.
At the beginning of Daniel’s supplication, God had given commandment to Gabriel concerning Daniel. God did not wait for a lengthy prayer to hear all that Daniel would say. God knew the desires of his heart, and at the very commencement God heard and began to act. Gabriel’s commission was to open Daniel’s understanding to receive the communications of God, as he says, “to make thee skillful of understanding” (JND). It was not enough for Daniel to receive revelations; he needed to have his understanding opened to profit by them. At a later date the Lord opened the Scriptures to the disciples and also opened their understanding that they might understand them. We too need the opened understanding, as well as the opened Scriptures, even as the apostle can say to Timothy, as he opens up the truth to him, “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding” (2 Tim. 2:77Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. (2 Timothy 2:7)).
Moreover, having associated himself with the failure of God’s people, and confessed that “We have sinned,” Daniel is now assured that, in spite of all failure, he is “greatly beloved.” What an encouragement for our own souls in these last days!
H. Smith (adapted)