Good morning, and welcome back into Mishkan Katan. I hope you have had a great week and that you are in good health. It has certainly been an interesting week here in America. In fact, in America, and in Israel, things have been interesting for quite some time.
This morning, we are going to delve into the 9th chapter of the book of Daniel, as we continue our study of that great book. I hope that it has been a blessing to you. Let me remind you, that you can refer people to my blog as well as to the live Mishkan Katan broadcasts. On my blog I am posting the text of my words that I speak here live each week on LambNetwork.tv. For example, earlier this week, I posted the installment that I have titled Daniel VI, which covers my teaching on Daniel Chapter 4. So that posting on the blog runs a little bit behind what we are doing here on the live Mishkan Katan program.
All right, if you have read Chapter 9 In advance, you will see that it can be divided into basically 3 sections of Ps, the English letter, not the vegetable. The first part of the chapter deals with God's promises. That is the first P. The next section deals with the prayer of Daniel. That's the second P. And the third P gives us yet another glimpse into Bible prophecy. That's our third P, although I doubt we will get to that one today. Those 3 Ps would make a nice sermon outline, wouldn't they?
Now I could do a series of teachings on the promises of God that are fulfilled or kept, as revealed in Scripture. However, that would be a digression from our current goal, which is to study the book of Daniel. Therefore, I'm going to only deal today with the promises of God which explicitly are relevant to this study. Some of them we have touched on before, and some of them we are going to be introduced to today. First, let’s read Daniel 9:1-2.
“In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans, 2 in the first year of his reign—I, Daniel, understood from the books that according to the word of Adonai to Jeremiah the prophet, the number of the years for the fulfilling of the desolation of Jerusalem would be 70 years.
As has been his custom in his book, Daniel tells us “what time it is”, (522 BCE - - Eternal Torah Calendar date) and he does so by naming the current ruler, as well as by specifying the year of his reign. In this case, the temptation is to believe that this Ahasuerus in Daniel 9 was the husband of Queen Esther. However, that’s not accurate. Esther and her Ahasuerus came along several years later. There are three known Ahasueruses referred to in Scripture. Darius the Mede, the king that, along with Cyrus the Great, vanquished the Babylonians, is the regent referred to here in Daniel 9. Daniel had been in exile an amazingly long 82 years and would be nearly 100 years old at this time.
Again, the book of Daniel is not presented in chronological order. Chapter 9 occurred close to when chapter 6 occurred, at the beginning of Darius the Mede’s reign. In fact, the events of chapter 9 probably occurred not long after Daniel emerged from the lions’ den with not a single claw mark on him. Chapters 7 and 8 happened before chapters 6 and 9. That the chapters are not given “in order” may be why Daniel chose to be so explicit about when each significant event occurred.
The first relevant promise we need to briefly re-examine is the one that was related to the people of Judah by Isaiah, Hosea, Amos, Micah and later on, Jeremiah. For about a hundred years, God had warned Judah that the people needed to make teshuvah, a Hebrew word that means to repent and return....repent of breaking God’s commandments and return to their first love, the pursuit of a relationship with Him. That shows how long-suffering and patient the LORD God was with Judah. Still, they did NOT repent and return. So, God kept his promise, revealed by these prophets, to send the Jews off into captivity, just as he did about 200 years earlier when he allowed the Assyrians to haul off the 10 northern tribes, for their similar idolatry.
The first of the ten commandments is first for a very good reason. All the others hang on that first one. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” The prohibition against idolatry. It is stated in the reverse, positively, in the Shema and the V’ahavta, found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5
4 “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one[a]. 5 Love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
When Yeshua was asked to name the greatest commandment, he quoted Deuteronomy 6:5, and then went on to say that the second greatest was to love one’s neighbor as oneself. This is recorded in Matthew 22:36-40.
Daniel got a front-row seat to witness how important the first commandment is. He had been a young boy when calamity, in the form of Babylonian hordes, descended upon his homeland. Then, a few years later, after Daniel was in Babylon in the king’s court, Solomon’s glorious Temple to Yahweh was destroyed. But, before he was hauled off to Babylon, he probably even saw the prophet Jeremiah on at least one occasion. He witnessed how the adults around him no doubt scorned what Jeremiah was warning would soon to come to pass. Suddenly, Daniel found himself in the maelstrom of it all. His whole world collapsed around him, as he was taken captive and marched to Babylon. He saw the promise of God fulfilled...literally.
We live in a day of prevalent lies. This makes it very, very hard to discern the truth. Currently, we are in another one of America’s close political races. Sadly, rather than tell the unvarnished truth about past records and/or what the candidate promises to do, lies are flying everywhere. That’s not to say all candidates lie. They don’t. What saddens me even more is that others with the power to expose those lies either don’t do so, or they lie themselves, just as bad as the politicians!
On one thing we can depend. God does not lie. And, He always keeps His promises!
Now, let’s begin to unpack the specific promise mentioned in verse 2. First, we have to look at another one of God’s commandments that the people of Judah broke. Turn in your bibles to Leviticus 25. While you are turning there, if you are an ardent, serious grower of crops, you are familiar with the term “crop rotation”. You can’t plant corn in the same field, year after year. Why not? The soil gets depleted of its vital nutrients. If you plant another crop there, or better still, don’t plant anything at all, the soil gets to rest and rejuvenate for a year. This vital principle was gleaned (sorry for the agricultural pun) from the commandments of God!
Well, just as some farmers will ignore this key principle, so did the farmers of Judah. In fact, they ignored it for 490 years! Let me show you how I got that number. First, let’s read Leviticus 25:1-7
Then Adonai said to Moses on Mount Sinai, 2 “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael and tell them: When you come into the land which I give you, then the land is to keep a Shabbat to Adonai. 3 For six years you may sow your field and for six years you may prune your vineyard and gather in its fruits. 4 But in the seventh year there is to be a Shabbat rest for the land—a Shabbat to Adonai. You are not to sow your field or prune your vineyard. 5 You are not to reap what grows by itself during your harvest nor gather the grapes of your untended vine. It is to be a year of Shabbat rest for the land. 6 Whatever the Shabbat of the land produces will be food for yourself, for your servant, for your maidservant, for your hired worker and for the outsider dwelling among you. 7 Even for your livestock and for the animals that are in your land—all its increase will be enough food.
So, in year seven, the sabbatical year, crops could not be planted or pruned. However, any “volunteer” crops that appeared COULD be eaten. God likewise promised, if you look down in your Bibles at verses 20-22 of that chapter, that He would provide such a bountiful sixth year of harvest that the people would be able to eat from it, as well as the volunteer harvests, until the harvest of the 9th year would come in. Following this commandment was a huge step for people whose very lives depended on crops growing up and getting harvested. It demonstrated great faith in God to give the land a sabbath rest.
On down in verses 34 and 35 of chapter 26, God tells His people what will happen if they do not keep His land sabbath commandment.
34 Then the land will enjoy its Shabbatot all the days of its desolation, while you are in the land of your enemies. Then the land will rest and enjoy its Shabbatot. 35 As long as it lies desolate it will have rest, that rest which it did not have from your Shabbatot, when you lived on it.
It’s as plain as day, really. The LORD declared the land WOULD get its sabbath rest, one way or another.
So, back to our verse 2 of Daniel 9. Where did Daniel get that the Babylonian “desolation” would last for 70 years? In order to understand his calculations, we need to refer back to the book of the prophet Jeremiah, another man who realized that God keeps His promises. Let’s look at Jeremiah 29:10-13.
10 For thus says Adonai: “After 70 years for Babylon are complete, I will visit you, and fulfill My good word toward you—to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans that I have in mind for you,” declares Adonai, “plans for shalom and not calamity—to give you a future and a hope.
Ahhhh, there is that often-quoted verse/promise in verse 11. However, most people who appropriate it fail to realize its connection to the people of Judah, to the Babylonian captivity and to the land sabbaths.
Because Father Yahweh says that the period of the captivity in the foreign land of the Chaldees will be 70 years, we must then assume that there were 70 land sabbaths not observed or kept. Therefore, the Jews did not keep that commandment for at least 490 years, and more if you count the Jubiliee years, which were to occur every 50 years.
The Temple was destroyed in 586 BCE. Sure enough, in 516 BCE, the last wave of Yehudi, Jews, returned to Babylon, where the Temple had been re-built. They left in three waves; they returned in three waves. God not only keeps His promises. He keeps them exactly!
Notice that Daniel interpreted this prophecy of Jeremiah’s as 70 literal years. And, he believed strongly that Jeremiah had heard from God, that Jeremiah’s prophecy could be trusted, perhaps because Jeremiah had been vindicated when the Babylonians conquered the kingdom of Judah. This is a good rule of Bible prophecy for those of us who study it. Unless there is a compelling reason to allegorize a number, because the author is using allegorical language elsewhere in the passage, for instance....we should take the number literally. In this case, there was no reason for Daniel to not take Jeremiah at his literal word.
For a Jewish perspective on these verses, the rabbis point out that the first (and only) year of Darius the Mede’s short reign marked the 70th year since Nebuchadnezzar first subjugated Jehoiachim. It is because of this that Daniel interpreted that the prophecy was due to be fulfilled. However, he had miscalculated. The true computation as far as the LORD God was concerned began when Nebuchadnezzar had the Temple destroyed, and would end with the finished re-building of the Temple 70 years later. The angel Gabriel clarified that later in the chapter, as we will see.
Let’s move on now to verse 3
3 So I set my face to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.
Notice that Daniel did not take the attitude that God would just say, “Ok, 70 years are up. Time to bring them home!” Daniel did not dare to demand or to flaunt before God the promise. Instead, he employed a powerful concept in Scripture: when you make teshuva, you must return to the point from which you departed. Therefore, confession and repentance commensurate with the vileness of the transgression were required. This is why Daniel did not merely pray casually, but he donned sackcloth and ashes. He fasted. He prayed earnestly.
When do we usually pray? Are we guilty of praying “as a last resort”? Have you ever been guilty of saying, “I wish there were something I could do about this situation other than to pray?” These behaviors betray a serious underestimation of the power of prayer. Accordingly, praying to God about the 70 years prophecy is not the last thing Daniel did, after he ran around and consulted 315 other godly men. No, it was the FIRST thing he did, because he recognized it was the most powerful weapon in his arsenal, and because we have seen already in this book that Daniel was a man who prayed regularly and faithfully. Going to Father Yahweh in prayer about this matter was as natural a decision as taking his next breath.
You might wonder at the difference between prayer and supplications, as both are mentioned here. The sages say that prayer refers to the actual prayer, but that supplication includes a separate plea that the prayer itself will be heard and accepted/granted.
Fasting is often seen as a substitute for a sacrifice, in Jewish terms. The loss to the physical body during a fast is viewed as a vicarious substitute for the flesh that would have in previous times been offered on the altar of sacrifice. Sackcloth and ashes are a sign of humility and grief. It was customary on fast days to put ashes on the Ark of the Covenant, on the Torah Scrolls and on the heads of the people present, in order to lead all to repentance. This makes me think somewhat of the Catholic concept of the penitent going to the priest on what is known as Ash Wednesday, the day before the apex of the Lord’s Passion, whereupon the priest would dip his finger in ashes and mark the symbol of the execution stake on the forehead of the person. Catholicism and to some extent Christianity as a whole has appropriated several of the practices of Judaism. But, we will walk with determination right past that rabbit trail. On to verse 4.
4 “I prayed to Adonai my God and confessed, saying: ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and mercy with those who love Him and keep His mitzvot, 5 we have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have acted wickedly; we have rebelled; we have turned away from Your mitzvot and from Your rulings. 6 We have not listened to Your servants the prophets,[a] who spoke in Your name to our kings, our leaders and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
You might wonder why the very devout and godly old prophet is including himself in this confession. After all, had he not proven his mettle since he was chosen by God to be a leader in these foreign kingdoms? This is one of the things that Christians misunderstand about Judaism. Judaism is very much a community of faith, whereas Christians operate much more on an individual basis in their relationship with God. God’s promises to the Jews were to the Jewish NATION, as were his punishments. Since Daniel was a member of the nation of Judah, he needed to confess too. This is why, depending on your translation, you will see in this prayer the pronoun “we” about 14 times.
Daniel was not the only prophet who took this attitude. None other than the great Moshe/Moses entreated God similarly. At Mt. Sinai, God became so angry with the Hebrews because of their idolatry he told Moshe He would just start over and from Moses build an entirely new nation. The sages say Moses was the most humble man who ever lived, and this trait is evident in Moses’ reply to God. He essentially told the Lord that if He threw the Hebrew nation over, He could throw Moses over with them. Abraham, Moses, Ezra and Nehemiah also saw themselves as the kinsmen of trangressors, crying out for mercy on their behalf. God honors that level of humility. Let’s proceed on to verse 7-11 now.
7 “‘You Lord are righteousness, but shame covers our face to this day—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, near and far, in all the countries where you have banished them—because they behaved unfaithfully toward you. 8 Adonai, shame covers our face—our kings, our leaders, our fathers—because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is compassionate and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against Him. 10 We have not obeyed the voice of Adonai Eloheinu by walking in His Torah that He set before us through His servants the prophets. 11 Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your Torah and has turned away—not obeying Your voice.
Daniel’s prayer had three essential components. It begins, appropriately, as all prayers should, of praise of the Almighty (vs. 4). He also points out that all who love God keep His commandments. Yeshua said virtually the same thing in John 14:15. Love is the greatest commandment which frames all the others.
Next, in verses 5-17, we find Daniel’s confession first for himself and then on behalf of his nation, that for most of its history Israel and Judah had NOT kept those commandments, specifically mentioning unfaithfulness and rebellion. Similarly, our prayers should include confession of our own sins and that of the Body of Messiah, of which we who follow Mashiach are a part.
The Torah differentiates between חטא “chayt” (unintentional sin) and עןן “avon” (intentional sin, which is basically rebellion). I have shared in other broadcasts on this program that there was no prescribed offering to take care of intentional sin.
And, then, finally, he presents his petition, in verses 17-19. You may have noticed that much more of his prayer time is devoted to praising the Lord for his faithfulness and compassion, and for confession of sin, than for petition. Most of us are guilty of spending the majority of our time asking God to deliver us from our current circumstances.
Let’s read on to the remainder of verse 11 and following. We see in verse 11, where reference is made to the aforementioned judgments of Leviticus 25 and 26.
“‘Therefore the curse and sworn judgment written in the Torah of Moses the servant of God has been poured out upon us, for we have sinned against Him. 12 So He has confirmed His words that he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled over us by bringing on us a great calamity. Under the whole heaven nothing like this has ever been done to Jerusalem! [b] 13 As it is written in the Torah of Moses, all this calamity came on us, yet we have not sought the favor of Adonai Eloheinu by turning away from our iniquities and paying attention to Your truth. 14 So Adonai was intent on bringing the calamity upon us, for Adonai Eloheinu is righteous in all His deeds that He has done—while we have not paid attention to His voice.
The sages point our here that one of the functions of the kings of Israel/Judah was to act as a judge over the people. Because they had not fulfilled that function and had in most cases flagrantly disregarded God’s commandments themselves, they too were judged guilty. Yet, as unprecedented as these events were in the history of the Hebrew nation, even so, as one translation puts it, the people of God did not “entreat the countenance” of their God. The sages point out that the word “panim” (faces) usually is applied to God’s benevolent, gracious, pleased face. When He is displeased or angry with His people, they cannot see His face, because it is turned away. He conceals it. See Deuteronomy 31:18.
18 I will surely hide My face on that day because of all the evil they have done, for they have turned to other gods.
On to the next two verses, 15 and 16 of Daniel 9:
15 “‘So now, Adonai Eloheinu, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and made for Yourself a Name to this day—we have sinned, we have acted wickedly. 16 Lord, in keeping with all Your righteous acts, let Your anger and Your fury turn away, please, from Jerusalem, Your city, Your holy mountain. Because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become an object of scorn to all those around us.
Interestingly, Daniel juxtaposes two opposite concepts here, in his appeal to the glory of God throughout the earth. There is no doubt that the deliverance of the remnant of Jacob’s offspring from slavery in Egypt brought great glory to Almighty God, as He delivered them “with a strong hand and an outstretched arm” (Deuteronomy 26:8). Juxtaposed against that miraculous act, and the other mighty acts which followed, in bringing Israel to the Promised Land, Daniel points out that Jerusalem has now become an object of scorn in the eyes of all the pagan peoples surrounding the dispersed Hebrews. And, it is because he does not want to see His God scorned and derided that he entreats Yahweh to remember his prophecy and promises. He’s asking Father Yahweh to rescue them for His own name’s sake. He’s asking Him to sanctify His Holy Name.
Daniel never appeals to Father Yahweh on the basis of the merits of his people, because that would have been hopeless. Instead he focuses his appeal as mentioned just a moment ago, and also focuses it on the compassions, the mercies of Father Yahweh. Verses 17 and 18 ...
17 ‘So now, our God, listen to the prayers and petitions of Your servant, and cause Your face to shine upon Your devastated Sanctuary, for the sake of my Lord. 18 Give ear, my God, and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolation and the city called by Your name. We do not present our supplications before You because of our own righteousness, but because of Your great compassions. 19 Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay! For Your city and Your people are called by Your name.’
It is worth pointing out that other great men of the Tanakh were also alive during this period, men such as Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Ezra and Nehemiah. It could be that Daniel had enlisted them to pray with him about this matter.
Daniel then went on praying, according to verse 20. Only part of his prayers on this occasion are recorded here in his book. And, it was as he continued to labor in prayer that something marvelous happened. Someone familiar stopped by, someone we met in chapter 8, with an amazing message for the old prophet.
We are going to stop here, because the limits of time will prevent me from thoroughly treating the experience Daniel had on this occasion with Gabriel.
Please keep praying ardently for the USA and for Israel. Both countries live in such critical times. Now, more than ever, we must be people of prayer.
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