Daniel Prays for His People

MEMORY VERSE: “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 9:19

DANIEL 9:34, 17-19

DANIEL’S prayer on behalf of his people is one of the most eloquent in the Bible. He understood from Jeremiah’s prophecy that his people were to be held captives in Babylon for seventy years. (ch. 9:2) But he had been given a vision “of the evening and the morning” and then told to shut up the vision: “for it shall be for many days” (ch. 8.26) Then “Daniel fainted, and was sick many days.”—ch. 8:27

It is reasonable to conclude that Daniel supposed that the reference to “many days” may have indicated that the captivity was to be extended beyond the seventy years. Being acquainted with Jeremiah’s prophecy he would doubtless know of the lesson which God taught him through the potter; namely, that if a nation or kingdom did not measure up to requirements the Lord reserved the right to change his promised arrangements concerning that nation or kingdom.—Jer. 18:1-10

In any case, in the climax of his prayer (see memory verse) Daniel pleaded with the Lord not to “defer” the fulfillment of his promise to release his people from captivity and to rebuild Jerusalem. Daniel realized that he had no basis for making this request so far as the righteousness of the people was concerned. In the beginning of his prayer he had said to God, “We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments.—ch. 9:5

Daniel’s plea was based upon his understanding of the Lord’s mercy—“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.”—vss. 9,10

In his prayer Daniel notes the fact that the great evil of the captivity had come upon the Israelites as a confirmation of the Lord’s foretold judgments against them in the event they continued to disobey him. The Lord had brought this evil upon them, not because he was unrighteous, but because he was righteous. It was justice on the Lord’s part, not injustice.

Acknowledging this, Daniel then continues, “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.”—vs. 16

Again, in verse 18, Daniel emphasizes that he is not basing his petition upon any right that the Israelites might have to be heard on account of their righteousness. He says, “We do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.”—vs. 18

The word “mercy” is a very important one in connection with God’s dealing with Israel, and, in fact, with all his people. As we noted in a previous lesson, had it not been for God’s mercy the people of Israel would have been “consumed” by God’s judgments instead of being taken captive to Babylon. And now Daniel was praying for an extension of that mercy by not continuing the captivity beyond the foretold seventy years.—Lam. 3:22-26

In the outworking of his plan for the deliverance of all mankind from sin and death, God has implemented his mercy and his compassion by the provision of the redeeming blood of Christ. The Scriptures assure us that the redeeming work of Christ is a propitiation, or satisfaction, not only for our sins, but also for the sins of the whole world.—I John 2:2

QUESTIONS

What was the main purpose of Daniel’s prayer, recorded in chapter 9?

Upon what did he base his petition to God to “defer not” the restoration of the Israelites, and of Jerusalem?

Upon what basis will God ultimately extend mercy to the entire condemned human race?

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