By Jeffery M. Leonard, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biblical & Religious Studies, Samford University
CONFESS WHOLEHEARTEDLY
Daniel 9:3–10, 17–19
The final six chapters of Daniel consist largely of a series of apocalyptic visions concerning the empires of Alexander the Great and the four generals who followed him.
Tucked in the midst of these visions is this particularly moving chapter in which Daniel wrestles with the long years of exile his nation continues to endure.
Judah’s prophets had repeatedly warned the people that continued disobedience would result in their exile from the land. Sadly, no repentance was to be found in Judah.
In 2 Kings 23, we see King Josiah leading a reform of the nation’s worship, but the reform did not survive the untimely death of its author.
Soon after Josiah’s death, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar seized control of the land, began exiling its leading citizens and finally destroyed Solomon’s famous temple.
Daniel and his companions were, of course, part of this defeated and exiled population. And though Daniel lived to see the fall of Babylon at the hands of the Persians, the full restoration remained incomplete.
Jeremiah had declared that the exile would last for 70 years. From Jeremiah’s perspective, this announcement was meant to disabuse the people of any hope that the exile would last only a couple of years.
From Daniel’s perspective, however, the problem was that 70 years had come and gone, and the nation remained largely in ruins.
Confession of sin is needed to maintain a right relationship with God. (3–6)
Faced with this dilemma, Daniel’s immediate response is to approach the Lord in prayer.
We know from the famous story of Daniel and the lion’s den that prayer was a daily routine for Daniel.
Three times a day, he would open a window toward Jerusalem, bow down on his knees and offer up prayers of thanksgiving to God.
The prayer in Daniel 9, however, is of a different sort than these regular prayers. Here, Daniel is said to have “turned [his] attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.”
What is particularly interesting is Daniel’s use of plural pronouns as he prays his prayer of confession. Daniel was clearly a righteous man, but he still identified with the sins of his people as a whole.
Confession draws our focus to God who is righteous, compassionate and forgiving. (7–10)
As Daniel’s prayer continues, he appeals to God to have mercy on his people. He draws God’s attention to the pitiable state of the nation, twice describing the people as covered with shame.
Daniel by no means denies that this shame is well deserved given the people’s sinfulness; he only asks his merciful and forgiving God to relieve the people despite their rebellion.
Seek the forgiveness of God and trust Him to respond with favor. (17–19)
Daniel also asks God to respond for the sake of God’s own reputation. When Daniel begs God to see the city and people who bear His name, he is invoking an important Old Testament theme.
“Name” in the Bible often refers to more than one’s title; it has to do with one’s reputation. It is God’s city and God’s people who are covered with shame, and so it is God’s own reputation that is apt to be tarnished in the eyes of the nations.
And so, both for the people’s sake and for God’s own glory, he asks once again that God have mercy on the nation.
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