Seventy Sevens

As it happens, you have come to church on the Sunday we’re looking at the end of Daniel chapter 9. Many regard it as the single-most difficult part of the book. And the single most difficult part of the book of Daniel might well be one of the most difficult parts of the entire Bible.

So we’re going to wade into this difficult section of the book to see what we can see. I think the only way to really do this is to take it bit by bit, piece by piece. We’ll just see how far we can get. We’re going to take this in two parts so we’re not here all morning.

A sigh of relief or an “amen” is entirely appropriate. My feelings won’t be hurt. There’s lunch waiting; I understand completely.

But let’s not forget: this is most important thing we do on a Sunday morning. Listening to Barrett is not the most important thing; opening God’s Word to hear from Him, to hear what He has to say to us, that is absolutely the most important thing we do.

And what a privilege it is!

If you have your Bible (and I hope you do), please turn with me to Daniel 9. If you are able and willing, please stand with me for the reading of God’s Holy Word. Daniel 9, verses 20-27:

Daniel 9:20–27 NIV

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.”

May the Lord add His blessing to the reading of His Holy Word!

>The first half of Daniel 9 records Daniel’s prayer—a prayer of worship, confession, and pleading.

Daniel was reading the Scriptures and he understood from what the Lord said through the prophet Jeremiah that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.

The Good News in all of this is that Daniel was pretty sure the 70 years was almost up. You see, Babylon has fallen. Belshazzar, the king of the Babylonians was killed and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom (Daniel 5:30-31).

This is some of what Daniel read in Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 29:10 NIV

10 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.

What Daniel took this to mean was that after 70 years of Babylonian captivity, the people of God would return to Jerusalem.

It was this promise that Daniel held on to. He held onto this promise with all his might. He held onto this promise for the entire time he was in exile. “Lord, I know what you’ve said. And I trust what you’ve said.”

This promise fueled Daniel’s prayers. His prayer in Daniel 9 is not an isolated incident; remember that Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den because he prayed to the Lord. Daniel was known to everybody around him as one who prayed.

This prayer in Daniel 9 is not the only prayer Daniel ever prayed; it’s just one of the prayers recorded for us. And, boy am I glad it’s written down here for our sake. We can learn a great deal from Daniel’s prayer and his commitment to prayer.

>Daniel’s prayer is a powerful prayer. Sometimes God’s people have to wait months or years or even a lifetime for God to answer their prayer. Not so with Daniel.

He reports in verses 20-21:

Daniel 9:20–21 NIV

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.

Even while Daniel was praying, the angel Gabriel came in swift flight.

God’s response to Daniel’s prayer was immediate.

Let’s pause here for station identification and a couple of thoughts:

Just because he appeared to Daniel, don’t expect Gabriel to show up when you pray; don’t expect any other angelic appearances for that matter. And,

Just because the Lord saw fit to respond immediately to this prayer of Daniel’s, don’t expect an immediate answer to your prayers. That’s not the point of this.

Gabriel’s appearance is proof that the Lord heard Daniel’s prayer.

What proof do we have that the Lord hears our prayers? We know that God hears and answers the prayers of His repentant people.

We know that Jesus sits at God the Father’s right hand and is currently interceding on our behalf. Christian, know this: Jesus is praying for you at this moment. And know that you are invited to pray; know that God will hear your prayers. Jesus is our Great High Priest, the One Mediator between God and us.

Our God neither slumbers nor sleeps. He is the God who listens, the God who hears, the God who gives us only good things (though our idea of what “good” is is often different from what His “good” actually is).

Gabriel appears to Daniel, while Daniel is still praying. And Gabriel let’s Daniel know that the Lord is going to answer Daniel’s prayer in the affirmative. Gabriel has come to give Daniel wisdom and understanding about God’s plan for the future.

>There’s something, though, that we shouldn’t skip over. It’s a detail that’s easily missed; a detail that doesn’t seem like a detail. It might even seem to be one of those "throw away” phrases.

Look at the last part of verse 21:

Daniel 9:21 NIV

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.

About the time of the evening sacrifice...

The evening sacrifice was the daily burnt offering which was offered around 3:00 in the afternoon. That is, in Jerusalem. It’s been almost 70 years since Daniel had been in Jerusalem. He’s been in exile. He’s been living in a strange land for decades. And yet, his watch is still set to Jerusalem time; his heart is still tuned to the temple system.

He hasn’t forgotten. His thinking was still regulated the life and worship he experienced in Jerusalem. His waking moments were dominated by God’s covenant purposes.

Daniel’s heart is focused on seeing God’s city restored so that the Lord’s name might be praised among the nations. Daniel longed to re-experience the ancient sacrificial rites that reminded the people daily of their sin and their need for salvation.

Daniel’s heart is in the right place. He isn’t praying selfishly or as one focused on himself. He’s praying as he should be praying—worshipping and looking forward to the day when God’s people are able, once again, to worship Him in His temple.

At the time of the evening sacrifice Gabriel appeared to Daniel to let Daniel know what was to come. “So,” Gabriel says, “consider the word and understand the vision.”

>Gabriel came to let Daniel know that a day was coming when God would act 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 prayed for God to act, and act quickly. Daniel prayed that the Lord would not delay.

And so Gabriel comes to let Daniel know that the Lord would, indeed, act. Transgressions and sins—taken care of. Reconciliation accomplished. Everlasting righteousness established.

It’s very easy for us who live in light of the New Testament to see these statements pointing to the work of Jesus on our behalf.

Jesus came to die for our sins, to pay the price of our transgressions, to cover our wickedness. He came to make us right with God—to reconcile us, to make us friendly again with the Holy God. He lived the perfect life and He imputed (credited) His righteousness to us.

This is glorious news for Daniel, glorious news for us: The Lord has not cast His people aside. He’s still dealing with them. He’s holding on to them, and He will never let go.

Though they have sinned and rebelled and disobeyed, though they have fallen short and transgressed His law, the Lord is with them and He is for them.

Gabriel comes to say: “God is not through with you. He’s not given up. He hasn’t thrown in the towel.”

And here’s the wondrous truth: He never will. He will never turn His back on you. He will never be unfaithful. He will never leave you or forsake you. He will hold you fast.

Gabriel came to let Daniel know that a day was coming when God would act.

What Gabriel announces is the coming of the New Covenant. This New Covenant will not come in Daniel’s time.

It will be many, many years—hundreds of years—before the realization of this promise.

And that’s kind of the kicker of Daniel 9.

>Daniel 9:24 is full of incredible hope and promise—the promise of the New Covenant, the promise of sins and transgressions and wickedness put to an end, the promise of everlasting righteousness.

Verse 24 is full of incredible hope and incredible promise.

And yet, this is also where it starts to get really confusing.

Open up any book on Daniel 9, and you’ll get to this discussion about the seventy sevens or seventy weeks. What is meant by this cryptic telling of time? Seventy sevens…seventy weeks…

It’s really hard to say.

Some people take this very literally. Seventy sevens/seventy weeks, that is, seventy times seven. 70 x 7=490 meaning this is 490 weeks or 490 years.

As I’ve read and studied Daniel 9 over the last several weeks, my head’s been spinning trying to sort out all the various interpretations. There are dozens of views on these verses, if not hundreds.

I can’t be too firm on which view I take, mostly because we don’t really know for sure.

The great theology of that .38 Special song is spot on when it tells us to “hold on loosely.”

We can and should take a view on what all this means, but we need to hold onto our views loosely, because no one knows for sure what this means.

There will be a day we know fully just as we are fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12). For now, we know in part, we understand in part.

So, I can’t say with 100% certainty what is means by the phrase “seventy sevens”, but I’m pretty sure it’s not a literal 490 week- or 490 year-period.

Here’s the reason I’m sure seventy sevens isn’t meant to be taken literally. This is apocalyptic literature, meaning it’s symbolic. Apocalyptic literature uses numbers as symbols.

Seventy sevens doesn’t mean 490; it symbolizes a complete period of time.

Seven stands for completeness or perfection. Ten stands for fullness. Seven times ten is seventy. Seventy sevens.

Take an example: When Peter goes to Jesus and asks, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Jesus answers, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.”

Now, is Jesus telling Peter that on the 491st time he doesn’t have to forgive his brother or sister who has sinned against him?

No! No one takes that number literally.

Jesus’ point is not, “Forgive them 490 times, but that’s all!” No, no.

Jesus’ point is, “Forgive and forgive and forgive and forgive and forgive and keep on forgiving.”

It’s a symbol of completeness, fullness.

There’s good reason to not consider this a literal 490 year period. It’s a stretch to think that this means anything but a symbolic period of time; a complete period of time. In other words, this is referring to a long, long time.

Here’s part of the lesson for us in this section of Daniel 9: God’s timescale is far bigger than we can imagine.

Some of what Daniel prays for will come to pass fairly soon. Most of what Daniel prays for will take much, much longer.

The New Covenant will not arrive at the end of Daniel’s time in exile. They will head back to Jerusalem, Jerusalem will be rebuilt in a relatively short amount of time. But the New Covenant—the ultimate fulfillment of God’s answer to Daniel’s prayer will take some time, a long time. It will take seventy sevens.

Daniel won’t see it in his lifetime, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t long for it. Daniel won’t live to see his prayer answered in its entirety, but he knows it has been answered; he trusts that God knows exactly the best way and exactly the right time to do what He has planned. Daniel knows that God’s ways and thoughts are higher than his.

We want a god with microwavable ways and imminent solutions. We want a god who acts immediately, on our timetable; not a God who deals in periods of hundreds and thousands of years.

We want everything now.

When I moved here from Kansas City, I took a major hit in the internet speed department. I was used to lightening fast fiber optic internet. Files would download in seconds. Netflix and Hulu were instantly streamed to my TV.

When I came to Rich Hill, I would cue up a show on Netflix at home, hit pause, and then go do something for 30 minutes or an hour—run to the store, do something here at the church, vacuum the house, etc. Then, when I got home, the show was all ready to watch with no buffering…most of the time. Sometimes it would still buffer and I would have to do the worst possible thing imaginable: wait.

How terrible it is to have to wait for entertainment or food or anything else!

We want a god of microwavable ways and immediate means.

God says to Daniel (and to us): “Here’s what I am going to do, but not right away.”

The restoration and transformation that Daniel longed for was going to take longer than 490 years; in fact, part of it is still to come.

Seventy sevens…appointed by God…however long that might be.

However long that might be, friends, don’t lose heart!

Trust.

Endure.

You and I are further along than Daniel & Company, but we’re still not there. We still have a time (probably a turbulent time) ahead of us—possibly a long time until we see the complete fulfillment of all of this.

What’s required of us is what Eugene Petersen calls “a long obedience in the same direction.”

The application to this sermon is probably the most difficult yet. And it will likely be the most unpopular. Here’s our response to this part of God’s Word: WAIT.

As we wait for God’s purposes and His plan to unfold in our lives and in this world, we wait for Him knowing all the while that He will not cast us aside, trusting that His timetable is far better than ours.