Part 1 Daniel's Prayer
The fall of Babylon in Daniel 5 took place in 539bc. It should be stated most opinions of time differ by 1-3 years according to different historians and bible commentators. The combination of Cyrus the Persian and Darius the Mede were involved in the defeat of the Babylonians. Cyrus was actually considered within the ranks to be the strongest. Darius as we are informed in Daniel 9 held kingship first over the empire. Darius was also the ruler who placed Daniel in the lions' den in chapter 6.
Dan 9:1-2 KJV
(1) 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;
(2) 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.
As we have pointed out continuously Daniel had a knowledge and a firm belief of scripture. This is how he understood the times he was living in. He provides us another clear cut example of these qualities in verse 2. He was very well aware of the prophecies of Jeremiah concerning the welfare of Israel and more specifically Jerusalem.
Jer 25:11-13 KJV
(11) And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
(12) And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.
(13) And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations.
Jer 29:10-14 KJV
(10) For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
(11) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
(12) Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
(13) And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
(14) And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.
This is a perfect example of how we obtain the understanding of God as He would have us to know Him. He provides us with a written word of history in advance better known as prophecy. He provides us with a spirit of understanding which those of us who are Christians obtain through Jesus the Savior. In the case of the Hebrew people there was what we could call a direct association to God for those that believed in Him and His words. We know and understand also that in the times of both testaments just as many choose not to believe.
Dan 9:3-20 KJV
(3) And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
(4) 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;
(5) We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
(6) 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.
(7) 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 hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.
(8) O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
(9) To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
(10) 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.
(11) 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 that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
(12) 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.
(13) 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.
(14) 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.
(15) 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.
(16) 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.
(17) 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.
(18) 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 righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.
(19) 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.
(20) And whiles 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;
This passage is one of the most known passages of prayer found in the OT. We can take a somewhat detailed look at this prayer through our spiritual awareness and scriptures which Daniel no doubt seems to be aware of.
Dan 9:3-6 KJV
(3) And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
(4) 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;
(5) We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
(6) 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.
It would appear as we learned in Daniel chapter 6 that Daniel sets his face in the direction of Jerusalem. The act of confession and admitting to iniquity is key to the mercies of God being received. It also according to the following passage from the curses for disobedience is important to acknowledge the judgment that comes forth from the Lord.
Lev 26:39-42 KJV
(39) And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them.
(40) If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me;
(41) And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:
(42) Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.
Psa 32:5 KJV
(5) I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
Psa 38:18 KJV
(18) For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.
Psa 51:3 KJV
(3) For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
As we can see Daniel is again demonstrating the depths of his knowledge of scripture. In the course of events and extremes of Daniel's experiences it would appear we found very little wrong in his behavior. However if we notice carefully Daniel includes himself in the prayer using the word “we”. In spite of all the favor God has shown Daniel he is very content to humble himself in prayer. This is very important to all who read and understand in order that God will continue to expand the depths of our spiritual gifts.
Dan 9:7-10 KJV
(7) 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 hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.
(8) O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
(9) To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
(10) 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.
Deu 4:26-31 KJV
(26) I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.
(27) And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.
(28) And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
(29) But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
(30) When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;
(31) (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
Psa 105:42-45 KJV
(42) For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.
(43) And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness:
(44) And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people;
(45) That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise ye the LORD.
Dan 9:10-14 KJV
(10) 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.
(11) 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 that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
(12) 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.
(13) 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.
(14) 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.
Jer 7:23-26 KJV
(23) But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
(24) But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
(25) Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them:
(26) Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.
Jer 25:4-7 KJV
(4) And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.
(5) They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever:
(6) And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.
(7) Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.
Isa 44:24-27 KJV
(24) Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;
(25) That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;
(26) That confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof:
(27) That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers:
There is something very interesting found in verse 11 that we will explore after our completion of the chapter. It will be in our prophetic food for thought comments.
Dan 9:15-19 KJV
(15) 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.
(16) 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.
(17) 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.
(18) 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 righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.
(19) 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.
Psa 106:6-10 KJV
(6) We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.
(7) Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea.
(8) Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.
(9) He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.
(10) And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
Psa 71:1-4 KJV
(1) In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.
(2) Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.
(3) Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.
(4) Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
Mic 6:3-5 KJV
(3) O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.
(4) For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
(5) O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD.
2Th 1:6-7 KJV
(6) Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
(7) And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
Psa 4:6 KJV
(6) There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
Psa 67:1-4 KJV
(1) To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm or Song. God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.
(2) That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.
(3) Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.
(4) O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.
Psa 80:7 KJV
(7) Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
Psa 17:4-9 KJV
(4) Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.
(5) Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.
(6) I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.
(7) Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them.
(8) Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
(9) From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.
Please stay in touch for the conclusion of Daniel Extremity part 9 as we explore the answer to Daniel's prayer. As always Thank you and God Bless.
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