God Answers Daniel's Prayer

JULY 10, 2022 STUDY NOTES DANIEL 9:20-23 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES GOD ANSWERS DANIEL’S PRAYER INTRODUCTION From the very beginning of Daniel 9 we find Daniel praying and seeking God Throughout his prayer he has confessed his sins and the sins of Israel Interwoven within his confession of sins he has been praising his righteous God Calling upon God as his Lord and his Master, the one who is the God of mercy Daniel pleads for the mercy of God to be bestowed upon Israel Daniel desires to know the future of his people, the nation of Israel, and the city of Jerusalem God sends the angel Gabriel to minister to Daniel and give him an answer to his prayer Dan 9:20 And 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; Daniel said he was “speaking,” and the one he was speaking to was “the LORD my God” Daniel said he was “praying,” which we learned from the beginning of the chapter, Dan 9:4 And 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; (“Dreadful” means “awesome,” Daniel was praying to his awesome God) As Daniel was praying, he was confessing his sin and the sin of his people to “my God” And “presenting my supplication,” which means requesting favor from “the Lord my God” His request unto the one he calls, “my God,” was for “the holy mountain of my God” Why is the holy mountain so important? The “Holy Mountain” is known as “Mt. Zion” Mt. Zion is the place where the Lord has put His name, it is God’s “holy mountain,” Joe 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; That it is God’s holy mountain will be revealed at the time of the return of Christ, Joe 3:17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more. The judgments of the Day of the Lord will begin at the time of the return of Christ Following the Day of the Lord, Christ will establish His millennial kingdom and reign in Zion Review last week’s notes: Mt. Zion will be the future capital city of the nation Israel, the city of Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3) The Lord will reign from Mt. Zion (Psalms 2:6) and He will reign forever (Psalms 68:16) The day is going to come when many will come to Mount Zion (Micah 4:2) Jerusalem will be the capital of the millennial earth and the center of worship God’s people will be there, and they will shout praises unto the Lord (Psalms 48:1) Jerusalem will be the city of beauty and joy (Psalms 48:2) When Christ returns the city of Jerusalem will be known as the city of God (Matt 5:35; Psa. 46:4) Jerusalem is the city of God, the holy city, and it will be exalted (Isaiah 2:2) The name of the millennial city will be, “The LORD is there” (Ezekiel 48:35) Because the “The LORD is there,” the Lord of Lords will reign from Jerusalem God has prepared a city for Abraham and his spiritual descendants, Heb 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Page 1 of 4 It is a heavenly city, Heb 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. A city yet to come, Heb 13:14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. That heavenly city is “heavenly Jerusalem,” Heb 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, That heavenly city is known as “New Jerusalem,” Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. The same eternal city that Jesus has prepared for the church, Joh 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Jesus will fulfill His promise to us, Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. We can see why Daniel’s prayer for Israel and Jerusalem is so important It goes beyond the present problem that existed at the time of Daniel At the time of Daniel, the “holy mountain” was the site of the ruined Temple at Jerusalem Which Daniel had already prayed for, Dan 9:17 Now 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. Daniel said, the sanctuary “is desolate,” when Jerusalem fell the temple was torn apart Daniel knew Israel and Jerusalem must continue to exist because of God’s covenants with them Israel and Jerusalem have been promised an eternal future with Christ Current events related to the nation of Israel are important, we must pay attention to Israel Current events related to Jerusalem are important, we must pay attention to Jerusalem Pay attention to God’s Word first, learn what God says first, then listen to the news Jerusalem appears 643 times in the OT and 83 times in the NT, the city of Jerusalem is important The “True Church” of the NT has been promised an eternal future with Christ and is important Israel, Jerusalem, and the True Church of the NT must continue to exist until Jesus returns God was listening to the prayer of Daniel and God speaks to Daniel God reveals to Daniel that Israel and Jerusalem must endure forever Dan 9:21 Yea, 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. For the second time Daniel tells that while he was still praying God answered God answered Daniel’s prayer before he even finished praying Which is an important point, God wants to answer our prayers before we even say Amen Which should not surprise us, listen to Jesus, Mat 6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. We don’t have to explain to God why we are asking, prayer turns it over to God’s will for us Daniel experienced what God has promised to those who will reign with Him in New Jerusalem, Isa 65:24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. God sends an angelic messenger to Daniel, his name is “Gabriel,” his appearance was of a man The meaning of the name “Gabriel” is, “man of God,” the way Daniel describes him Daniel had seen him before, Dan 8:16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. “Gabriel” is one of only two angels mentioned by name in the Bible The only other angel identified by a personal name in scripture is Michael We find both-of them involved in the life and ministry of Daniel and the children of Israel Page 2 of 4 Gabriel is a messenger of God, the one who comes with a special message from God It was Gabriel that announced to Zechariah the birth of John the Baptist, Luk 1:19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary that she would give birth to the Messiah, Luk 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, Does God still send forth angels today? The writer of Hebrews has an answer for us, Heb 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? I am sure that we all have encountered events in our life that we don’t understand How could they have turned out like they did, where did our protection come from? When we felt that we had no answer, no way out, no chance to escape, yet there was a way Could there have been a ministering spirit standing in the way, making a way possible for us? Daniel was praying for a way to be prepared for Israel, he knew God must prepare the way The original language may indicate that Daniel was emotionally drained as he prayed But Gabriel came to touch Daniel, he touched him at “The time of the evening oblation” Which was the time of the evening offering and a time of prayer, Ezr 9:5 And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, For Daniel, it was no longer a time of sacrificing a lamb, the temple had been destroyed But Daniel continued to present the sacrifice of his heart unto the Lord The very same thing that we are called upon to do today, Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. The time of the evening sacrifice was three o’clock in the afternoon It was referred to in Scripture as the “ninth hour,” Act 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. In the OT, the ninth hour sacrifices were offered, pointing to another 9 th hour sacrifice It was at the ninth hour that God’s Lamb was sacrificed on the cross, Mat 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? It is interesting that Daniel’s prayer was answered at the “ninth hour,” the hour that Gabriel came Gabriel came that Daniel might understand, God wants us to read, study, and understand Dan 9:22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. Daniel was informed by God because he had prayed, prayer is still a means of information Sincere praying will lead us to new insight and a deeper understanding of God’s Word Prayer is talking to God and allowing God to talk to us, guide us, and instruct us Prayer takes us into the spiritual realm and introduces to us spiritual truths Gabriel came to Daniel to give him “skill,” to give Daniel spiritual “insight” Gabriel came to Daniel to give him “understanding,” understanding beyond that of man Which Daniel had experienced before, Dan 1:19 And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. Dan 1:20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm. God wanted Daniel to understand the truths of God and live according to those truths God wants us to understand the truths of God which are written in the Bible, learn and live them But an accurate and deep understanding of God’s Word can only come through prayer and study Page 3 of 4 Don’t attempt to study the Word of God apart from prayer Don’t attempt to live according to God’s Word apart from prayer Dan 9:23 At 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. God stood ready to send Gabriel at the very beginning of his “supplications” Which means that Daniel was asking God, he was seeking God’s answer for the future God was ready to answer, “the commandment came forth,” it came forth in a vision to Daniel A vision that Daniel probably received at the beginning of his prayer for Israel The “commandment” was God’s answer, God’s promise, it was God instructing Daniel Gabriel said, I have come to “show” you, literally to “tell you the truth” Truth related to the future of Israel, which only God could reveal The truth that Gabriel would tell Daniel was important, and Daniel was important “Thou art greatly beloved,” or, “you are highly esteemed,” Daniel, you are of great value Two more verses state Daniel as “a man greatly beloved,” Dan 10:11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. Dan 10:19 And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me. God said to Daniel, you are important to God, and your prayer is important to God It is important that you understand, you must, “understand the matter” Daniel, you must understand what I have shown you through the vision Understanding required divine intervention, that is why Gabriel was sent to Daniel Gabriel told Daniel to “consider the vision,” “consider” is the same word as “understand” It appears that Daniel had already received the vision, at the beginning of his prayer As Daniel was praying, the answer came concerning the future of the nation of Israel The vision had been given to Daniel and not to Gabriel, Gabriel will interpret the vision CONCLUSION Daniel 9 reveals the importance of Bible study to us (vs. 2,6,10) We learn how important prayer is (vs. 3) We learn how important is it to confess our sins as we pray (vss. 4-5,8-9) We learn how important is it to praise God as we pray (vss. 3,4,7-9,14-19) Following your confession and praise, make known your requests unto God The prayer of God’s people is important to God, He is waiting to answer, His answer is important Remember what we have learned, Daniel read God’s Word and then he prayed And God gave him understanding It is time for us to read the Bible, pray and desire for God to give us understanding It is time for us to praise God and seek a personal revival It is time to pray, study God’s Word, to praise God, and seek a revival for our church And as a revived church seek those who are lost and without Christ in their life Listen to the song and pray for us to experience it Page 4 of 4