Back to the future: Darius
In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign, Daniel 9:1
- The first year of Darius was 538 BC.
- He was a Mede. Medes were the dominant half of the Medo-Persian alliance at this time.
- He was made king over the Babylonians, as noted in the events of Chapter 6.
- Ryrie estimates that it's been 67 years since Daniel was taken captive (at about 15 years old), so Daniel is in his 80s.
I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. Daniel 9:2
- Daniel, being a well-read, wise man, had read and believed all that Jeremiah had prophesied.
- Jeremiah told them that Jerusalem's desolation would be 70 years. They were coming to the end of that, according to Daniel's calculations.
Daniel prays:
- I gave my attention to the Lord. [how often does He have our undivided attention?]
- ...seek Him by
- prayer
- supplication
- fasting
- sackcloth and ashes
- [This is whole body, full contact, 100% communion with God. Reaching out for a life raft kind of focused commitment to seeking the Lord.]
- "And I pray the Lord, my God" [It's always good to remember that He is our God. We belong to Him and He is ours.]
- And the Daniel "reminds" God of Who He is, so that God knows that we know.
- And the Daniel confesses and includes himself with his people's sin. He lists the specifics sins of Israel, including that they didn't listen to His prophets.
“Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. Daniel 9:7
Excellent summary of events so far.
Daniel recognizes that all of Israel and Judah sit in shame wherever they are.
And then he praises God for His compassion and forgiveness, even though his people rebelled against the lord and don't deserve it. Especially because of how much God invested in teaching and coaching the nation. [We should all be praying for our nation as Daniel does for his, rooted solely in God's mercy and compassion.]
Daniel's prayer continues in verse 11. Daniel reiterates Israel's sin and God's promise back to Moses that sin brings death. Israel is now facing the worst calamity of any people, because God can be trusted in His Word. It's all made even worse because the people won't ask for forgiveness, ask for help, or seek to turn from their iniquity. It's doubling insulting that they just sit around and wait for God to fix it without even trying to reach out to Him.
Therefore the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice. Daniel 9: 14
Here's a phrase to meditate on: "...the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us...".
We know Jesus paid for our sins, and hopefully that includes spiritual calamity on judgement day. But Israel learns that God has been keeping back the calamity they earned until He decided He was done storing their well-earned calamity. the good news is, He does hold back calamity we deserve, waiting for us to repent and turn towards Him. And it's good news because when we see baddies getting rewarded for bad, or even horrific, behavior we can imagine the calamity being stored up for them. However, we have to always keep in mind He wants us to be holy. That's the goal. Be holy.
In verse 15, Daniel refers back to Egypt, as God frequently does. And Daniel refers to God's reputation, just as Moses did when God wanted to wipe out the people. Daniel confesses again, being one man turning towards God on his people's behalf. We can be the one pray-er. The chapter shows this. One person praying on behalf of another who is not doing the right thing can be enough for God.
In verse 16 Daniel asks for an end to the anger, wrath, and destruction of Jerusalem. I think this is an interesting lesson. Daniel asks God about abating the calamity in Jerusalem now that Jeremiah's 70 years are up. I'm sure Daniel has prayed for Jerusalem countless times, but the prayer that makes it into the Bible corresponds to what God has already said though His prophet Jeremiah. Daniel trusts God's word and Daniel believes His prophets. He always has. It's what saved his life in Chapters 1 and 6. And now, he knows it's in God's timing.
God answers the prayers that correspond with His Word. 100% of the time! Abide in His word and prayers will be answered.
Next Daniel goes even beyond forgiveness and the ending of the calamity, but asks that God would shine His face on the broken temple. Beyond mercy and forgiveness and now to grace and favor. Brave, but well within God's character. And a prayer for the Temple, because it would bring glory to God. Daniel asks, not because the people deserve it, but because of God's great compassion.
O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.” Daniel 9:19
Prophesy
Now 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 in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. Daniel 9:20–21
- God answers this prayer, which was based in God's word and character, immediately.
- Gabriel is back, he previous interpreted Daniel's visions and dreams.
- Daniel was worn out from the praying, fasting, and effortful seeking of the Lord. Being a prophet isn't easy and prayers aren't answered lightly.
At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision. Daniel 9:23
From the minute Daniel started to pray, help was on the way. Daniel was highly esteemed, so that's good to keep in mind.
As usual, the prophesy stuff is messy and vague and addresses near fulfillment, and in this case a middle partial fulfillment, and then a end times fulfillment:
“Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.
25 So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.
26 Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. Daniel 9:24–26
- 70 weeks would be just over a year. If we take this to mean weeks, literally, that may be when we start to see the thaw in the captivity, and things beginning to heal to bring his people back to Jerusalem.
- Ryrie states that theologians think weeks mean years, because the literal translation is seventy sevens, 490 years; which gets us prophetically close to the time of Jesus. Real atonement can only come from the work of Jesus.
- MacArthur says it more clearly, this is 70 7s of weeks. that's where the 490 years come from. Apparently we see weeks and day translated in very specific ways.
- There is a ton of prophesy in this little section where the years add up accurately and have meaning for the Tribulation and end times. I'll have to dig in more in the future to unpack all of that. I trust that it happened and will happen this way.
And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.” Daniel 9:27
So, it sounds like this is the info about the anti-Christ and how he will interact with the Jews in the end of the Tribulation. I think I've read that the anti-Christ first makes peace with Jews and then turns on them and they have to run and hide.
I don't have a relevant way to wrap it up except to reiterate the theme I see in the book of Daniel: God is sovereign over everything. He is good for His word. What He said in the past, He will do. What He promises in the future, He will do. And we can pray to Him in times of trouble, but we should always remember to include our own sin and refer to his character and Word.
Amen.