Dave Burnette's Commentary

Daniel Chapter 9

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Daniel
Date Penned: BC 536 (Covering Events BC 605-536)
Overview: Daniel's Visions (c 7-12)
Theme: Daniel's Visions testify that God is in Control (c 7-12)
Message: Daniel prays for his People. (v 1-27) 

Daniel: Chapter 9 Commentary  


(9:1) The story of Belshazzar's feast found in chapter 5 fits chronologically between chapters 8 and9. This Darius is the person mentioned in chapter 6. The 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 found in Jeremiah chapter 25 and 29. Daniel had read this prophecy and knew that this 70 year period was coming to an end.

(9:3) Daniel knew how to pray. He had read God's Words and believed them. As he prayed - he fasted, confessed his sins, and pleaded that God would reveal his will. He prayed for complete surrender to God and with complete openness to what God was saying.

(9:4) God is merciful, even to rebels, if they confess their sins and return to him. Don't let your past disobedience keep you from turning to the Lord. He is waiting for you with open arms.

(9:6) God had sent many prophets to speak to his people through the years, but their messages were ignored. The truth was too painful to hear. God still speaks infallibly and authoritatively through the Bible. He also speaks through preachers, teachers, and concerned friends. Sometimes the truth hurts and we would rather accept soothing falsehoods. If you are unwilling to listen to God's Word maybe you are unwilling to repent or change. Don't miss God's best settling for being comfortable in your sin. Turn to the Lord today while the door is open for your sins to be forgiven and experience the Lords forgiveness.

(9:7) "Confusion of faces" could also be translated as being shamefaced or ashamed.

(9:11-13) Daniel mentioned the blessings and curses outlined in Deuteronomy 28. God had given the people of Israel a choice.: Obey me and be blesses, or disobey me and face curses. The affliction was meant to turn people to God. When we face difficult circumstances, we should ask ourselves if God has reason to send judgement. If we think so, we must urgently seek his forgiveness. Then we can ask him to help us through our troubles.

(9:18) Daniel begged for mercy, not for help, because he knew his people didn't deserve Gods' help. God sends his help, not because we deserve it, but because he wants to show great mercy when we need him. If God refused to help us because of our sin, how could we complain? But when he sends mercy even though we have sinned, how can we withhold our praise?

(9:24,25) Each day of these 70 weeks may represent one year. Scripture often uses round numbers to make a point, not to give an exact count. For example, Jesus said we are to forgive others, "seventy times seven" times. He did not mean a literal 490 times only, but that we should be abundantly forgiving. Similarly, some scholars 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. They say Christ death came at the end of the 69 weeks (483 years later)  One widely accepted interpretation places the 70th week as the seven years of the great tribulation, still in the future. 

(9:26,27) The Messiah would be rejected by his own people. His perfect eternal Kingdom would come later. There has been much discussion on the numbers, times, and events in these verses and there are two basic views (1) The prophecy was fulfilled in the past, either at the desecration of the Temple by Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 168-167 BC or at the destruction of the Temple by the Roman general Titus Vespasian in AD 70when one million Jews were killed ; or (2) It is still to be fulfilled in the future under the Antichrist.

 


Dave Burnette's Life Application


Do You Pray?

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue with the Book of Daniel with Chapter 9. In our text today we see Daniel praying for His people and the Lord spoke to Him to convey His Message to the people. In making application we see the need to pray and seek the Lord for He does love us and will speak to us through His Word. Today many fail to have God's best for their life simply because they do not pray and seek the Lord. How about you? Do you Pray? Let us learn from our text today and the example of Daniel to see that the Lord does hear your prayers and answers them according to His Plan and Purpose for your life.

 

.
Daniel 9

Daniel 9

 1In 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;

 2In 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.

 3And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:

 4And 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;

 5We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:

 6Neither 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.

 7O 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.

 8O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.

 9To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;

 10Neither 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.

 11Yea, 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.

 12And 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.

 13As 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.

 14Therefore 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.

 15And 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.

 16O 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.

 17Now 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.

 18O 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.

 19O 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.

 20And 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;

 21Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.

 22And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.

 23At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

 24Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

 25Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

 26And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

 27And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.