Complete Redemption—Daniel 9
Notes
Transcript
Think about your life. What is the worst thing that you have done. Now think about the worst thing that someone close to you has done. Maybe a family member. Maybe a friend.
What does it look like for you to pay for what you did? What does it look like for that other person to pay for what they did?
I know that everyone is going to have different answers. Some of us are thinking about something relatively mild. While others of us might be thinking about significant jail time.
Now, would you be willing to take the punishment for that person close you, for what they did and for what you did?
That is not normally our knee jerk reaction. In fact, if someone does something wrong, especially if it has hurt us, we want that person to pay. Complete payment. And when that happens, sometimes we still don’t think it is enough.
What is enough. What does complete and ultimate payment look like for the wrongs that we have committed? for the wrongs that others have committed?
Today, we are going to look at the words complete and ultimate. But, instead of thinking of them for payment of wrongs, we are going to look at redemption.
God seeks complete and ultimate redemption. We are going see this as we look at Daniel’s prayer, God’s lesson, and our application.
Before we dive in, will you pray with me?
1. Daniel’s Prayer
1. Daniel’s Prayer
In the first part of our text, Daniel does some calendar calculations and realizes that he is at the brink of seeing the fulfillment of a prophecy.
Let’s read Daniel 9.
In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom—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. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
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, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 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.
“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. We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 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. 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. 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. 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.
“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. 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.
“Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 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. 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.”
Daniel was remembering the verses that we referred to several weeks ago, when we were discussing the disembodied hand that had been writing words on the wall in front of Belshazzar. That night, God took the kingdom from the Babylonian’s and gave it to the Persians, under the leadership of Cyrus.
Jeremiah had prophesied:
This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.
For this to happen, the nation of Israel needed to turn to go and seek him with all their heart.
This is directly parallel with the covenant given to Israel in Deuteronomy. God had told Israel, back during the days of Moses, that if they turned from him and worshiped false gods, God would remove them from the land. However, if they repented, God would bring them back to the land.
Daniel saw the timeline. He saw that he had been in Babylon for about 70 years. He knew the prophesies of Jeremiah. He knew that God always faithfully kept his promises.
But, he also knew that one thing remained before God kept his promise. Repentance. Full acknowledgment of past transgression. That is is what happens throughout the Bible. Forgiveness comes through confession.
So, Daniel comes before God, seeking redemption for the sins of the nation, and brings those sins before God.
This is a powerful prayer.
We have no evidence that Daniel actually participated in the sins that led to Israel being kicked out of the land and all the other things that happened to them. But, he doesn’t say “Forgive them, Lord.”
But, he identifies with the people and cries out
we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.
It’s like you Republicans coming to God, confessing the sins of the Democrats, saying “we have done this.” Or you Democrats doing the same thing of the sins of the Republicans.
I have sat in some prayer meetings, where people have acknowledged the sins of the nation, but I don’t think I have heard anyone say: Forgive us, forgive me, for an action of the opposite side.
But, Daniel acknowledges that he is part of a group that has turned from God and owns the sins of the group.
“On the basis of a covenant relationship, Daniel turns to the Lord and confesses the sins of the people and includes himself among them. He acknowledges God’s righteousness in the Exile, but also turns to the Lord with the hope of repentance. Repentance is the road to reconciliation.”
He wants redemption. And turns to the God who has promised it.
2. God’s Lesson
2. God’s Lesson
Well, God answers Daniel’s prayer, but not in the way that he expected it. At least not immediately. Soon, Cyrus will send out his proclamation, allowing some Israelites to return to Israel and start rebuilding the temple. We’ll get to that soon.
Immediately, though, God sends Gabriel to bring a message to Daniel.
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—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. He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. 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:
“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.
“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. 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. 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.”
Okay, Gabriel, what in the world does this have to do with Daniel’s prayer?
Well, let’s take this message piece by piece.
Gabriel says that 70 sevens are decreed for the people of Israel and Jerusalem to:
“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.
Daniel is praying for the redemption of the people of Israel, so that they can go back to Israel.
God is concerned about a bigger redemption. A complete and ultimate redemption, where the people of Israel will live in their land with him as their king for all eternity.
What a day that will be: when transgression will be finished, sin will be ended, wickedness atoned for, everlasting righteousness will be brought, prophecy will be no more, and God’s dwelling will be wth them.
And God gives the timeline for that to happen.
Now, as we look at this timeline, remember: this timeline is directed at the Jews. The 70 sevens are decreed for them.
If you have the old KJV, you will see that these sevens are translated as weeks. But, literally, in the original language, it is sevens. 70 sevens. 7 sevens. 62 sevens. The question is sevens of what?
In the next chapter, we have sevens of days. Which is a week. But, this chapter, sevens of who knows!
Well, the first seventy that was referred to: the seventy of Jeremiah was a seventy of years.
So, most everyone agrees that what is being discussed here is a seventy of seven years. Or 490 years.
These 490 years is split into 49 years, 434 years, and then 7 years.
A decree will call for the rebuilding of Jerusalem. 49 years of trouble will occur and then the city will be rebuilt. From that time, 434 years will pass until the death of the Anointed One. Then the Jerusalem will be destroyed, bringing the end times. At the end of the end, someone will confirm a covenant for the last seven years. In the middle of that 7 years, sacrifices will cease and the abomination that causes desolation will be set up, until the end comes.
Well, let’s do some math shall we?
King of Persia ____, in the year____, called for the rebuilding of the Jerusalem. 49 years later, the Jerusalem was rebuilt. Just like God said. Unfortunately, Daniel wasn’t alive for either of these events.
From that date, 434 years later, Jesus was completing his ministry, and he dies. Just like God said: the Anointed One will be put to death.
At his death, half of God’s promises are fulfilled: transgression will be finished, sin will be ended, wickedness atoned for.
The other half haven’t happened yet.
Now, we are wondering about that last 7 years. The final “sevens.”
We know that about 40 years after Jesus’s death, Jerusalem is destroyed. The temple demolished. But, that is not a seven.
Remember, the years are decreed for the people of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. Currently, we are in the church age, the end times, as Jesus slowly calls his church to himself.
One day, he will remove his church, and Israel will be put front and center. At that time, the last seven will come to pass. The temple will be rebuilt. And Israel will experience the fulfillment of so many prophecies that have not be completed.
At the end of that time, we see the final three promises fulfilled:
Everlasting righteousness will be brought, prophecy will be no more, and God’s dwelling will be with them. Forever.
God is in control.
Daniel asks God to redeem his people now. God sends a message about complete, ultimate redemption. That which will happen at the end of time alone.
3. Our Application
3. Our Application
I fear that I have landed too far into the details. I shared the timeline because it shows God’s sovereignty. His control. I did not share it for us to worship the detail or the timeline. We will see more of this timeline filled in as we continue through Daniel and into Revelation.
But, what does this have to do with us?
God did not give this to Daniel so that he can have a chart of the end times.
He didn’t give it to us for that purpose either.
So what does this have to do with us?
Great question. Thanks for asking it.
When we look at circumstances around us, what is our focus on?
A. Individually
A. Individually
When we go through hard times, when life doesn’t treat us right. What is our focus? Do we want the circumstances changed right now? Do we want healing right now? Do we want peace right now?
Say we are struggling with sin, and we are beaten down, feeling like there is no hope. What is our prayer? Do we want victory right now?
Praying for God to act right now is not bad. We should pray. We should beg God to act.
But our hope is not in the right now.
As we struggle through the pains, the chaos, the depressions, the failures of this life, we see Jesus.
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
When we suffer in this life, not suffering because we are being disciplined, but suffering as we try to glorify God and mortify our sin, we are reminded of Jesus who suffered for us:
to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness,
And one day, he is coming again:
to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place
Our hope is not what happens right now, but in God’s complete and ultimate redemption, when his glory is revealed.
B. Familially
B. Familially
Say, our family is going through challenges and we feel helpless. We need God to act and only he can fix whatever is going on. And we beg him to do that.
Sometimes, especially when it comes to our family, we think that what we need is a fix for the situation before us. But a temporary fix, while nice, is not what is really needed.
What we need is complete and ultimate redemption.
As Paul writes:
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Our hope is Jesus’ coming. The hope for our family members is Jesus coming. Jesus’ coming into their life through salvation and ultimately Jesus coming again to usher us into eternity.
Our hope is not what happens right now, but in God’s complete and ultimate redemption, when his glory is revealed.
C. Nationally
C. Nationally
Let’s look at one more area, shall we?
How about our nation. What is our focus on? Where is our hope at?
Chuck Colson wrote:
"Where is the hope? I meet millions of people who feel demoralized by the decay around us. The hope that each of us has is not in who governs us, or what laws we pass, or what great things we do as a nation. Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people. And that's where our hope is in this country. And that's where our hope is in life."
Our hope is not in policy, political parties, or presidents. Our hope is in God’s complete and ultimate redemption.
Are we hoping for that? Are we praying for that?
