Prayers of the Captives

GOLDEN TEXT: “If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” —II Chronicles 7:14

DANIEL 9:4-10, 17-19

THE chronological setting of today’s lesson is near the close of Israel’s seventy years captivity in Babylon. Daniel knew of Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning the length of this period of punishment upon his people. (Jer. 25:11) However, Daniel had been given a vision—recorded in chapter 8—which greatly disturbed him. He said, “I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days.” (ch. 8:27) Daniel did not understand the vision, and it seems possible that he understood from this that the captivity of his people would, on account of their failure to obey the Lord, be extended.

Since Daniel was acquainted with the prophecy of Jeremiah, he would know of the lesson set forth in chapter 18, verses 1 to 10. Here the Lord explains that even though he promised to do good to his people, if they proved unworthy of his blessings he reserved the right not to fulfill those promises. So perhaps Daniel wondered, in view of Israel’s unworthiness, if his people really would be permitted to return to their homeland at the close of the foretold seventy years. No wonder he “fainted” and was “sick certain days.”

To Daniel this was a time for earnest prayer. He said, “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 rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments.”—vss. 4,5

Here Daniel emphasizes that God does keep his covenant to them that love him, and keep his commandments. If Israel had thus been faithful there would be no question about the ending of the captivity, but this was not the case. As Daniel said, “We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled” Daniel knew that upon the basis of the record the people of Israel had no right to expect blessings from the Lord.

All Israel was taken into consideration in Daniel’s prayer. The ten-tribe kingdom had been destroyed, and many of the people scattered, many of them being taken to Assyria some time previous to the fall of the two-tribe kingdom of Judah at the beginning of the seventy years of captivity. However, many of those belonging to the ten tribes accompanied the two tribes into Babylon. These are referred to as “all Israel, that are near.” There were others of the ten tribes who were “far off,” scattered among various countries. But none of them, whether of Judah, or of the ten tribes, whether far or near, were worthy of being restored to their own land.—vss. 6,7

Daniel continued, “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.”—vss. 8,9

Daniel’s plea was that the Lord would exercise mercy and forgiveness. Actually, God’s great plan of redemption and salvation from death is motivated by his love, his willingness to forgive and to show mercy. In his great love, his wisdom provided a means through Christ by which he could be just and also the justifier of all those who go to him in the spirit of true humility and repentance.—Rom. 3:26

So far as the releasing of his people from captivity was concerned, God could exercise his forgiveness and mercy without the necessity of the redemption price, and it was Daniel’s earnest petition that he do so. The Bible reveals that God did forgive, as our Golden Text states, and that the captivity ended at the time foretold by Jeremiah.

Daniel based his plea also on another important consideration. He said, “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.”—vss. 17,18

Daniel loved his people, and he also loved the Lord. The chief consideration of his life was that his God, the God of Israel, the great Jehovah and Creator, should be glorified. He knew that the restoration of Jerusalem would be to the glory of God, so he made this an important consideration in his prayer.

QUESTIONS

What is the chronological setting of today’s lesson?

What was the prophetic length of Israel’s captivity in Babylon?

Explain the background of Daniel’s plea for divine mercy.

Upon what other important consideration did Daniel base his petition?

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