Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
DANIEL 9
Daniel’s Prayer
1 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:
“Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.
7 “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.
“Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. 12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. 14 The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.
15 “Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. 16 Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.
17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”
The Seventy “Sevens”
20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill— 21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. 23 As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:
24 “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.
25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”
Application Notes
9:1 The vision in Daniel 9 was given to Daniel during the same time period as Daniel 6. This Darius is the person mentioned in Daniel 6. The Xerxes (also known as Ahasuerus) mentioned here is not Esther's husband. The events described in the book of Esther happened about 50 years later.
9:2-3 Daniel pleaded with God to bring about the promised return of his people to their land. The prophet Jeremiah had written that God would not allow the captives to return to their land for 70 years (Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10). Daniel knew of this prophecy and realized that this 70-year period was coming to an end. Daniel also demonstrated that he knew the Scriptures and studied them. Just as Daniel immersed himself in the Word of God, we should daily read our Bibles and pray for God's help to understand what we are reading 9:3-19 In Daniel's prayer for the nation he confessed his own sin and the sin of all his fellow Israelites, using the pronoun we throughout. In times of adversity, it's easy to blame others and excuse our own actions. If any Israelite was righteous, it was Daniel; yet he confessed his sinfulness and need for God's forgiveness. Daniel consistently humbled himself before God. He also interceded on behalf of all the Israelites. Like Daniel, let us confess our sin and pray for God's forgiveness for others. Pray for your family—your parents, your children, and your church. God proclaims that our prayers are like incense and an offering to him (Acts 10:4; Revelation 8:4). He hears our petitions.
9:3-19 Daniel knew how to pray. As he prayed, he fasted, confessed his sins, interceded for others, and pleaded that God would reveal his will. He prayed with complete surrender to God and with complete openness to what God was saying to him. When you pray, speak openly to God. Leave your resistance and hesitation behind. Be open, vulnerable, and honest, and be ready to respond when God replies.
9:4-6 The captives from Judah had rebelled against God and refused to listen to him. Their sins had led to their captivity. But God shows mercy even to rebels when they confess their sins and return to him (see 9:9). Don't let your past mistakes, rebellion, or stubbornness keep you from returning to God. Don't let your sin have the final word. Your past disobedience may make it seem like a great gulf has opened between you and God, but God is eagerly awaiting your return. Delay no longer. Run to his open arms!
9:6 God had sent many prophets to speak to his people through the years, but their messages had been ignored. The truth had been too painful to hear. God still speaks to us clearly and accurately through his Word, the Bible. He also speaks to us through preachers, teachers, and concerned friends. Sometimes the truth hurts, and we would rather hear words that soothe, even if they are false. If you are avoiding God's message to you, maybe you are trying to avoid making a painful change. Don't settle for a soothing lie that will bring harsh judgment. Accepting the truth even if it is painful can only help you.
9:11-13 Daniel mentioned the curses outlined in Deuteronomy 28. God had given the people of Israel a choice: Obey him and receive blessings, or disobey him and face curses. The affliction was meant to turn the people to God. When we face difficult circumstances, we should ask ourselves if God has reason to send judgment. If we think so, we must urgently seek his forgiveness. Then we can ask him to help us through our troubles.
9:14 Daniel spoke about how God continually tried to bring Israel back to himself. Yet even after disaster struck them, they refused to obey him: God still uses circumstances, other people, and, most importantly, his Word to get our attention and bring us back to him. What would it take for God to get your attention?
9:17-19 It would be a mistake to read the Bible as dry history and miss the deep personal emotion that springs from its pages. In this section, Daniel was crying out to the Lord. He had a deep concern for his nation and his people. So often our prayers are without passion and true compassion for others. As you pray, don't be afraid to pour out your deep feelings and emotions to God.
9:18 Daniel begged for mercy, not for help, because he knew that his people deserved God's wrath and punishment. God sends his help not because we deserve it but because he wants to show great mercy. If God would ref use to help us because of our sin, how could we complain? But when he sends mercy when we deserve punishment, how can we withhold our praise and thanksgiving?
9:23 The angel Gabriel reassured Daniel with these words: “You are highly esteemed.” This is a message to you, as well. You are valued and loved! Gabriel told Daniel that at the very moment he began praying, his prayer was answered, and Gabriel had come to his aid. What an incredible moment. Three times Gabriel reminded Daniel how greatly valued he was (10:11-12, 19). Daniel had a special role, but God cares deeply about you as well. He loves you, and he will always hear your prayers.
9:24-25 Each day of these 70 weeks (“seventy ‘sevens’”) may represent one year. The Bible often uses round numbers to make a point, not to give an exact count. For example, Jesus said we are to forgive others “seventy-seven” times (Matthew 18:22). He did not mean a literal 77 times, but rather that we should be abundantly forgiving. Similarly, some see this figure of 70 weeks as a figurative time period. Others, however, interpret this time period as a literal 70 weeks or 490 years, observing that Christ's death came at the end of the 69 weeks (i.e., 483 years later). One interpretation places the seventieth week as the seven years of the Great Tribulation, still in the future. Consequently, the number would symbolize both the first and second comings of Christ.
9:25 The streets and trench (possibly referring to a moat or water channel) mentioned in this verse show that Jerusalem will be rebuilt as a complete, fully functioning city.
9:26-27 There has been much discussion about the numbers, times, and events in these verses, and there are three basic views: (1) The prophecy was fulfilled in the past at the desecration of the temple by Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 169 and 167 BC (see 11:31); (2) it was fulfilled in the past at the destruction of the temple by the Roman general Titus in AD 70, when one million Jews were killed; or (3) it is still to be fulfilled in the future under the Antichrist (see Matthew 24:15).
9:26 The Messiah, the Anointed One, would be rejected and killed by his own people. The Jewish people were expecting a mighty king to vanquish their Roman enemies with a military overthrow. When Jesus did not attempt a physical rebellion and re-establishment of the earthly kingdom of Israel, they were confused and disappointed. Instead, Jesus defeated the greater power of sin and death by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. Death and sin had to be defeated before any true and lasting kingdom could be established. Gabriel prophesied here that Jesus would seem to have failed in his mission, but the fullness of his perfect, just, and all-powerful kingdom would come later.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)