Petitioning for Providence

Daniel 9:1–19 ESV

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

Scripture: Daniel 9:1-19

Sermon Title: Petitioning for Providence

           It’s a joy to be with you all tonight as we gather together and have opportunity to turn as one body to the Lord our God. We are here seeking his provisions for ourselves, our lives, and our world. As we speak to God through songs and hymns and spoken prayers, and we desire to receive his blessing, I invite us to look at a prayer in Scripture from Daniel 9 verses 1 through 19. 

           The context is important here because, like many of ours, Daniel’s prayer is specific to his situation. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded and began to take exiles from Judah in the year 605BC. Part of the first group taken captive included young men who would be trained as royal advisors. We find in that group Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—who were renamed Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Jerusalem and Judah finally fell in 586BC; so, there is a 19-year window to Judah’s downfall. The book of Daniel has an even longer history. If you read through the book, we see from King Nebuchadnezzar eventually Belshazzar takes the throne, and then later Babylon was overthrown by the Persians—who according to chapter 5 verse 31, Darius the Mede took over the kingdom—that would have been around 539BC. 

           So, we read this in verses 1 and 2...With the dates I have given you so far, Daniel was probably in Babylon-Persia for about 66 years, add on 10 more years or so for when he came, that makes Daniel somewhere around 80 when he is praying this. We heard 70 years of desolation. Those years appear either to be wrapping up, or if they were meant to start in 586—will be finished soon. However that number is interpreted, Daniel is seeking what God was planning for his people.