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"The 70 Weeks of Daniel"
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"The 70 Weeks of Daniel"
Contiguous / Unbroken		  °
   

5. Daniel Receives Understanding of the End of Israel's Captivity
    5a. In verse two, we see that Daniel received understanding about Jeremiah's prophecy that Israel would be desolated... and then taken into captivity, specifically for seventy years. We saw that Babylon invaded Israel in 606BC as the captivity began.

Daniel 9:2
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.

    5b. "...confession is made unto redemption"
    As Daniel understood that Jeremiah 25:11&12 was referring to Israel's Babylonian captivity, Daniel must have sensed that the fullness of restoration of Israel was at hand as we hear him pray which to the God of Israel beginning at verse four. Daniel puts on sackcloth and ashes and begins to confess the sins of Israel. In Daniel's coming prayer and confession, we will revisit a theme of the reality of blessing in obedience, and consequence for sin.
Daniel 9:3
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;

6. "All This Evil..."
    6a. In this prayer of Daniel's what we are going to see is something that has been discussed many times in this fellowship, the concept of blessing in obedience and consequence for sin. Daniel prays -

Daniel 9:5-8
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.

    6b. By all means... take time to read this prayer of Daniel's from verses 5 to 14. Daniel is not shy to confess to a boatload of sin that the people of Israel had committed. This included going after other gods such as Baal, to the extent that the prophet Jeremiah thought himself to be the only soul left in the nation that believed in YHVH without spiritual adulteration.
Daniel 9:9-11
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.

    6c. The High Cost Of Sin
    Friends, look what this sin cost Israel. They lost everything and their city of Jerusalem was completely decimated to the point of the walls themselves being torn down. The temple was destroyed and its treasures robbed and carried off to a strange land. Their children born in slavery. This was Israel, unable to play their harps in a captive land. Sin costs, friends... "big time".
Daniel 9:12-14
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.

    6d. The Consequences of Sin
    One may say, "Jesus paid the price for my sins." Well and good -- but I can tell you that if we continue to live in sin after coming to Christ, that our forgiveness in Him does not exclude consequences for sin. We don't "get away" with anything, when we secretly do that which we know to be sin. Sometimes the consequences of these sins leave life long scars.
    The warnings against sin that we read of in the law, were given to protect us against the destruction that the poison of sin causes in our lives. Today, as born-again believers in Messiah we are led of the Spirit, Who leads us and guides us to that same safety in righteousness. As Daniel, on behalf of Israel clearly learned the consequences of sin, we can learn from their example.

7. Daniel's Request for the Restoration of Israel
    7a. Acting on His Faith ...in Prayer
    Remember how in verse two, that Daniel began to receive understanding about the prophecy of Jeremiah concerning Israel's captivity and how he sensed that it may be coming to total conclusion? Well, now, he acts on that faith and in prayer makes a request of the Lord, speaking to Him as the powerful God who brought Israel out of Egypt.

Daniel 9:15
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.

    7b. Notice how Daniel addresses God as that One who brought Israel out of the land of Egypt? He senses I think it is time for such a deliverance from Babylon, and he is of course correct. The year is 539BC, the first year of Darius (the Mede), the newly installed king.
Daniel 9:16-17
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.

    7c. Daniel abandons any plea based on His own righteousness, Israel apparently had none... but rather appeals to the mercy of God.
Daniel 9:18-19
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.
...And now for a special announcement from the angel Gabriel.


  1. Part 1.    Searching Out The Seventy Week's Prophecy
  2. Part 2.    A Short History of the Captivity and Freeing of Israel
  3. Part 3.    Daniel's Understanding of Prophecy & Prayer of Redemption
  4. Part 4.    A Special Announcment From the Angel Gabriel
  5. Part 5.    Determining the Starting Point
  6. Part 6.    The Accomplishments of Messiah
  7. Part 7.    "...to finish the transgression"
  8. Part 8.    "...to make an end of sins"
  9. Part 9.    "...to make reconciliation for iniquity"
  10. Part 10.   "...to bring in everlasting righteousness"
  11. Part 11.   "...to seal up the vision and prophecy"
  12. Part 12.   "...to anoint the most Holy"
  13. Part 13.   The Accomplishment Question
  14. Part 14.   The Contiguous Seventy Weeks of Daniel





    
 

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 Web Author:Michael Stevenson Updated: 1/27/2005 1:12PM