Daniel 9:21-The Elect Angel Gabriel Arrives to Provide Daniel the Answer to His Prayer
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday November 26, 2013
Daniel: Daniel 9:21-The Elect Angel Gabriel Arrives to Provide Daniel the Answer to His Prayer
Lesson # 276
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 9:1.
Daniel 9:1 During Darius’ first year, Ahasuerus’ son, who was from Median descent, who was made king over the Chaldeans’ kingdom- 2 during the first year of his reign, I myself, Daniel understood by means of the scrolls the specific number of years which the word of the Lord communicated to Jeremiah the prophet for completing devastating Jerusalem-seventy years. 3 Therefore, I devoted my full attention to my Lord, the one and only God by repeatedly presenting prayer request in the form of pleas for mercy while fasting with sackcloth as well as ashes. 4 Indeed, I caused myself to enter into prayer to the Lord my God. Specifically, I caused myself to enter into confession and said, “O my Lord, the one and only God, the Great One yes the Awesome One, who is faithful to His covenant because of His unconditional love on behalf of those who love Him, namely on behalf of those who conscientiously observe His commands, 5 we have sinned, thus we have done wrong so that we have been condemned as guilty because we have rebelled. Specifically, we have deviated from Your commands, that is, from Your laws. 6 Furthermore, to our own detriment, we never paid attention to Your servants, the prophets who spoke by Your authority to and for the benefit of our kings as well as our leaders and in addition our ancestors, yes, to and for the benefit of all the people belonging to the land. 7 You are righteous my Lord but we are publicly disgraced as is the case this very day. To the detriment of the Judean people as well as to the detriment of Jerusalem’s inhabitants likewise to the detriment of all Israel, those nearby as well as those far away in all the countries where You have driven them because of their unfaithfulness which they perpetrated against You. 8 We are publicly disgraced Lord, to the detriment of our kings, to the detriment of our leaders as well as to the detriment of our ancestors because we have sinned against You. 9 My Lord, our God is merciful as well as forgiving even though we have rebelled against Him. 10 Specifically, to our own detriment, we never paid attention to the Lord, our God’s voice by living by means of His laws which He gave in our presence through His servants, the prophets. 11 Indeed, all Israel has transgressed Your law. In other words, they deviated to their own detriment by never paying attention to Your voice. Consequently, the sworn judgment was poured out against us, which was written in the law given to Moses, the servant of the one and only God because we have sinned against Him. 12 Specifically, He carried out His words which He spoke against us as well as against our rulers who ruled us by causing a great disaster to take place against us, which has never taken place under all heaven like what has taken place against Jerusalem. 13 As what is written in the law given to Moses, all this disaster has taken place against us. However, we never sought the Lord’s favor, our God by turning from our iniquity followed by giving heed to His truth. 14 Therefore, the Lord was vigilant concerning this promised disaster in order to cause it take place against us because the Lord, our God is righteous with regards to all His actions, which He has performed. However, to our own detriment, we never paid attention to His voice. 15 Indeed, now my Lord, our God who caused Your people to be brought out from Egypt by means of great power so that You made a name for Yourself as to this day, we have sinned, we have acted wickedly. 16 O Lord in keeping with all Your righteous acts, please, I beg of You, turn away Your anger, yes, Your righteous indignation from Your city, Jerusalem, Your holy mountain. For by means of our sins as well as by means of our ancestors’ iniquities, Jerusalem as well as Your people are a disgrace among all those around us. 17 Therefore, at this moment, our God, please respond favorably to Your servant’s prayer request, yes, favorably to his pleas for mercy. Indeed please cause Your face to shine upon Your sanctuary for the sake of my Lord. 18 Please incline Your ear O my God! Indeed, please respond! Please open Your eyes! Yes, please see our desolate ruins, namely the city which bears Your name because we are by no means repeatedly presenting our pleas for mercy in Your presence on behalf of it on the basis of our righteous acts but rather on the basis of Your great merciful acts! 19 O my Lord, please hear! O my Lord, please forgive! O my Lord, please pay attention and then act! Please do not delay O my God for Your own sake because for the benefit of Your city as well as for the benefit of Your people, they are called by Your name!” 20 Now, I myself was still speaking specifically praying, namely confessing my sin as well as my people’s sin, Israel and in addition presenting my request for mercy in the Lord, my God’s presence on behalf of my God’s holy mountain. (My translation)
Daniel 9:21 while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. (NASB95)
“While I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel” indicates that while Daniel was presenting his intercessory prayer request on behalf of the Jewish exiles in Babylon, the elect angel Gabriel arrived in his presence from the throne room of God in the third heaven.
This temporal clause indicates that the angel Gabriel took on the form of a human being and specifically a male human being.
Gabriel’s name means “man of God” or “God is powerful.”
He and Michael are the only two angels mentioned by name in the Bible.
His name first appears in the book of Daniel in Daniel 8:16 where he provided Daniel the interpretation of the vision he received during the third year of Belshazzar’s reign in Babylon.
Here in Daniel 9:21, he gives Daniel the prophecy, which today is called “the Seventy Weeks of Daniel.”
He appears again in Luke 1:19 where announces the birth of John the Baptist to his father.
He is found again in Luke 1:26 where he approaches Mary with an offer from God to be the mother of the Messiah.
“Whom I had seen in the vision previously” refers to the revelation Daniel received from God, which is recorded in Daniel chapter eight.
“Came to me” is composed of the verb nā·ḡǎʿ (נָגַע) (naw-gah´), “came” which is followed by the preposition ʾěl (אֶל) (ale), “to” and its object is the first person singular pronominal suffix ʾǎnî (אֲנִי) (an-ee), “me.”
The verb nā·ḡǎʿ means “to touch” and not “to come” or “approach” since it is referring to bringing a bodily part into contact with another object.
It is indicating that Gabriel touched Daniel in his extreme weariness during the evening offering while he was presenting to God an intercessory prayer request for the Jewish exiles in Babylon.
“In my extreme weariness” is composed of the verb yā·ʿēp̄ (יָעֵף) (yeh-awf´), “weariness” which is followed by the preposition bĕ (בְּ) (beh) “in” and its object is the noun yeʿāp̄ (יְעָף) (yeh-awf´), “extreme.”
The verb yā·ʿēp̄ has been interpreted by ancient and modern translations and commentators as either meaning “to be faint” pertaining to a tired manner or “to fly swiftly.”
Those who choose the latter interpret the word as being derived from עוּף (’uf, “to fly”) and the former from יָעַף (ya’af, “to be weary”).
Therefore, the word can mean that Daniel was faint in a state of weariness when Gabriel arrived or the angel flew swiftly from the throne room of God to provide him an answer to his prayer request.
The latter would imply that Gabriel had wings.
This is problematic since Daniel described Gabriel as appearing to him as a human being and specifically a male human being and we know that the Lord did not create men with wings.
Daniel does not mention Gabriel as possessing wings.
It could be argued that Gabriel could have flown into Daniel’s presence without wings.
Thus, interpreting the verb yā·ʿēp̄ as meaning “to fly swiftly” is not a problem.
However, Daniel’s statements here in verses 20-21 are describing for the reader what Daniel was doing when Gabriel arrived in his presence and touched him.
In verse 20, he tells the reader that he was confessing his sins and the sins of the Jewish exiles.
He also tells the reader in this verse, he was presenting his prayer request for the exiles and the city of Jerusalem.
Then, in verse 21, he continues his description of what he was doing when Gabriel touched him by telling the reader that he was speaking to God during his prayer request when Gabriel arrived.
He also says that Gabriel arrived during the evening offering after telling the reader that Gabriel touched him.
So throughout verses 20-21 Daniel has been describing for the reader what he was doing when Gabriel touched him.
Therefore, to insert a description of the manner in which Gabriel arrived in his presence would be out of place.
Therefore, because of the context, the verb yā·ʿēp̄ more than likely means “to be in a state of weariness.”
The noun yeʿāp̄ means “weariness” referring to being physically tired and is the object of the preposition bĕ, which is a marker of a state or condition indicating that Daniel was in a state of weariness.
The verb yā·ʿēp̄ and this prepositional phrase literally mean “to be faint in a state of weariness.”
“About the time of the evening offering” refers to one of the two daily sacrifices offered required by the Law (Exodus 29:38-39; Numbers 28:3-4).
Daniel 9:21 As I myself was still speaking during this prayer request, then that man, Gabriel, whom I had seen during the previous vision, touched me as I was faint in a state of weariness about the time of the evening offering.
Daniel continues his description from verse 20 of what he was doing when the elect angel Gabriel arrived from the throne room of God in the third heaven to provide Daniel an answer to his intercessory prayer request for the Jewish exiles in Babylon.
Here in verse 21, he informs the reader that he was still speaking to God during his intercessory prayer request for his fellow Jewish countrymen exiled in Babylon when Gabriel touched him.
He describes Gabriel as the one he had seen during the previous vision he received from God during the third year of Belshazzar’s reign in Babylon, which is recorded in chapter eight.
He then tells the reader that when Gabriel touched him, he was faint in a state of weariness, which undoubtedly was the direct result of spending all day in prayer.
The text says that this weariness was attributed to Daniel praying all day rather than coming into contact with Gabriel.
Daniel informs the reader that Gabriel appeared to him approximately the time of the evening offering.
This sacrifice usually began about 3 p.m. and ended approximately 6 p.m.
It consisted of a perfect yearling lamb offered as a whole burnt offering accompanied by a meal and drink offerings, which typified the cross of Jesus Christ.
The time of the evening offering was also a time of worshipping God in prayer.
Even though Solomon’s temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. so that the daily sacrifices could not be offered for 66 years, Daniel was still observing this particular time of the day as an appointed time of worship.
More than likely, the period of the evening offering was one of the three times he prayed daily (cf. Daniel 6:10).