Daniel 9:1-3: 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; 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. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
Medo-Persia now rules the world. Daniel believes that the time is near for the Jews to be given their liberty to return to Jerusalem. Though he is himself a prophet of God, he humbly studies the prophecies of Jeremiah to learn what the Lord has said (Jeremiah 25:11, 12; 29:1, 10). "The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets" (1 Corinthians 14:32). No prophet can be too proud to study the Bible!
The time for the final deliverance of God's people from this world of sin is just before us! Where are the Daniels of our day who are earnestly searching the Scriptures with fasting and humiliation, seeking God for light and guidance? Those who follow Daniel's example will be taught of God through His Word, and by His Spirit. You are called to be among them.
Daniel 9:4, 5: And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; we have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments.
We too are living in a time when it seems that the church of Christ is thwarted and baffled on every side, as the Jews were troubled during their captivity in Babylon. It will not help for us to begin to accuse one another, "to smite" our fellow servants (Matthew 24:48-50) in fault-finding. Better let us do as Daniel did: though he was a man with whom even his enemies could find no fault, he took the sins of Israel upon himself, as it were, and confessed them as his sins. "We" have sinned, he says. "We" have done iniquity; "we" have rebelled.
We are told: "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). By taking his people's sins upon himself, Daniel was experiencing a repentance for the sins of others, as though they were his sins (he had not joined in their apostasy!). This is the kind of repentance that Jesus experienced in our behalf. When He came to John the Baptist requesting baptism, John refused Him, for he knew that Jesus was sinless. But Jesus had to explain to him that He has come as "the Lamb of God" taking upon Himself the sins of the entire human race. He is to "be made sin for us, who knew no sin" (2 Corinthians 5:21). John was not permitted to baptize anyone except "for repentance." This repentance that Jesus experienced in our behalf was a corporate repentance—repenting for the sins of others, putting Himself in our place. As soon as we begin confessing "our" sin as Daniel did, realizing that the sin of others would be our sin but for the grace of Christ, revival and refreshing of the Holy Spirit will sweep through God's people. In verse 23 of this chapter we note that "at the beginning" of his supplication, the angel was sent to help him. Likewise, at the beginning of a heartbroken prayer of humble confession on our part, help will be sent to us.
Daniel 9:6-10: 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 has 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.
The Lord is not pleased with a confession of sin which is not to the point. Merely for one to say "I have sinned" is not enough. The sinner must be specific, "confess that he hath sinned in that thing" (Leviticus 5:5). Then he can understand fully the nature of his sin or rebellion, and can repent truly.
Daniel understands the deep-dyed sin of rebellion that has ruined his people. Particularly he confesses how they have refused to listen to the prophets who warned them in the name of the Lord.
The "spirit of prophecy" is the "testimony of Jesus" (Revelation 19:10). To refuse, or to neglect, to listen to the prophets is to despise the word of Jesus. The ruin that befell ancient Israel in Daniel's day is a pillar of fire still burning in the sky. It is an everlasting warning to every one of us, urging us today to heed and obey the messages of God's true prophets. "Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper" (2 Chronicles 20:20).
Daniel 9:11-14: 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 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.
How often, when calamity or failure overtakes us, we are led to doubt God's love and watchcare, or His faithfulness. Those who are always ready to blame other people for their troubles will usually try to blame God also!
When someone has passed from death unto life (1 John 3:14) he begins to look into his own heart and understand his own sin, rather than blame someone else. It is those who are blind spiritually who cannot see their own weakness and sin. The blind invariably fall into the ditch (Matthew 15:14). What a blessed gift to us is the Holy Spirit, whose first kind of work is to open our eyes to our own faults and sins, so that we can be healed (John 16:8).
Israel's calamities did not lead Daniel to doubt God's faithfulness, but strengthened his faith in God. He observed how the Lord "watched upon the evil and brought it upon us" (verse 14). If God is so faithful to bring upon His people the curses He has promised them in return for their unfaithfulness (read Deuteronomy 28:15-68 to see the prophecy to which Daniel referred), He will be no less faithful to bring upon them the blessings He has promised for their faithfulness! "There are more blessings in God's curses than in man's benedictions."
Daniel 9:15-19: 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 righteousness, 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.
Daniel pleads a reason that at present moves only a few of God's people to pray. Not for their own personal or selfish benefit, but that the Lord's name may be honored and glorified before the world, Daniel pleads that the Lord may have mercy upon Jerusalem. Moses used the same argument in pleading for Israel (Numbers 14:11-19). As we near the end, this paradigm shift in motivation will more and more impress God's people.
Daniel evidently thinks that the vision concerning the sanctuary (chapter 8:14) refers to the restoration of the old sanctuary service at Jerusalem at the end of 2300 literal days. Now the angel comes to instruct him clearly that the vision is for the latter days, not for his days long ago.
Notice Daniel's concern for the Lord's "sanctuary that is desolate." The only part of the "vision" of chapter 8 that the angel had not explained was that part about the 2300 days when the sanctuary should be cleansed. Can the Lord refuse to answer such an earnest, humble prayer as this? Of course not! Help is on the way. Daniel's questions will soon be answered. And don't forget, the Lord loves you as much as He loved Daniel. He hears your prayers, too. The angel is as ready to explain it to you.
Daniel 9:20-23: And while 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, while 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. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou are greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.
Can we now have a doubt, that the Lord hears prayer? Does He notice the wants of His humble child? No sooner does Daniel's prayer begin to ascend to heaven, than the command is issued to the mighty angel to "fly swiftly" to his help! There is no loitering in the "offices" of Heaven. "The first faint whisper of want by the child of God is instantly lodged upon the throne." Swifter than an e-mail, the answer comes "as the appearance of a flash of lightning" (Ezekiel 1:14). Trembling child, have faith in God!
What made Daniel to be "greatly beloved"? Does God have some favorite people whom He loves more than others? No, for Christ gave His blood for all of us equally. He did something for the entire human race. He has redeemed us all. If He died to save the world, He has given the gift of salvation to the world—but it's a gift that has to be received by faith. By His sacrifice on His cross, the Son of God has given the gift of justification to "every man," but you can do like Esau did who "had" the "birthright" but" despised" it and "sold" it (Genesis 25:33, 34; Hebrews 12:16, 17). Paul makes clear that what Christ did for humanity was more than make them a mere "offer." Five times in one short passage he declares that Christ gave us a "free gift" of justification (Romans 5:14-18).
Daniel believed this "Good News" and chose to respond. For him Christ's legal justification became the experience of justification by faith. This is what made him obedient. What the angel says to Daniel, he says to you also. Besides, saying, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son," say, "God so loved me. ..."
What "matter," what "vision," is the angel to explain to Daniel? It is a vision that Daniel has already received, for the angel commands him, "Understand the matter, and consider the vision." Other than the vision of chapter 8, which the angel was never able to finish explaining to Daniel, because he fainted (Daniel 8:27). All had been satisfactorily explained at that time, except the strange word about the "two thousand three hundred days," and the sanctuary being cleansed. The angel now begins where he left off in chapter 8, verse 26.
Daniel 9:24: 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.
The word "determined" means in biblical Hebrew to be "cut off." "Seventy weeks" are therefore cut off of the 2300 days, and are given to the Jews as their last opportunity, as a nation, for repentance.
Each week contains seven days; and 70 times 7 equals 490. Each day is a symbol of a year in Bible prophecy (see Ezekiel 4:6; Numbers 14:34); thus, we have 490 years "cut off of the 2300 years as a special opportunity for Daniel's people. (The Hebrew clearly says "weeks," and most scholars see literal years here, thus confirming the year-day application.)
During these 490 years, some wonderful things are to take place: