Daniel 9:3-19, A Prayer of Confession (2)

 For meditation purposes, add the following to things you see in Daniel’s prayer.

·       9:3-4a: Consider Daniel’s attitude.  There is deep humility and there is sorrow or grief over sin.  The first two Beatitudes are blessings on the poor in spirit and on those who mourn (Mt. 5:3-4).

·       9:4b: Daniel begins with words that are familiar to God.  They are God’s own words, spoken from Mt. Sinai in the giving of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:6).  Daniel reminds God of His promised faithfulness; he reminds himself that this promise was extended to those who love God and keep His commandments.  Daniel also refers to God as great and awesome (i.e. to be feared).  Daniel is saying that truth about God has been learned after the seventy years!  Throughout the prayer he refers to God’s faithfulness (v12), righteousness (v7,14,16), compassion and forgiveness (v9,18), previous deliverance (v15), and His glory (v15).

·       Not only does Daniel’s prayer show a great knowledge of God; it displays a great understanding of sin.  Note these different general and specific references to sin.

o   Sin (v5,15,16): missing the mark.

o   Iniquity (v5,16): perversity, moral evil; emphasizes the resulting guilt.

o   Wickedness (v5,15): the evil nature, general badness.

o   Rebellion (v5,9): resistance or defiance to authority.

o   Turning aside from God’s commands (v5).  Sin takes us off the narrow path.

o   Failure to heed the prophets (v6).  God graciously warned through His prophets, including Moses, v13; (cf. Deut. 28:15-68; Deut. 32, the Song of Moses).

o   Unfaithfulness to God (v7).  He keeps His word; in sin, we do not keep ours.

o   Sin against God (v8,11).

o   Disobeying God’s voice (v10,11,14).

o   Failure to seek His favor (v13).  In sin, we step out in our own strength.

·       Daniel offers no excuse, rationalization, or mitigating circumstances.  Thus, he is able to come to the critical point in confession: O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face (v7).  You are not to blame Lord; we are! 

·       What is Daniel’s hope that God will hear and forgive?  There is much hope.  There is God’s specific promise of seventy years (v2).  There is the covenant with Abraham (v4).  There is the previous deliverance from Egypt (v15).  He pleads the character of God, including mercy, forgiveness, compassion, and righteousness (v9, 16,18).  And Daniel makes the glory of God the ultimate basis for prayer: for Your name, Your city, the people of Your name (v19).

Let us learn.  Difficult times in our lives must be seen through the lens of Scripture and must lead us to a deeper knowledge of and relationship with our Lord.