1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—2 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.
3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 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, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 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. 7 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. 8 To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 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. 11 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. 12 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. 13 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. 14 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. 15 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.
16 “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. 17 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. 18 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. 19 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.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
This chapter takes place during the reign of Darius the Mede. Daniel had been studying the book of Jeremiah when he realised that the seventy years of captivity were coming to an end. Daniel turned to the Lord in prayer in an attitude of confession and pleading for God’s mercy. Daniel’s confession included himself when he prayed on behalf of his nation. Daniel’s prayer describes God as the One who is great and awesome, who keeps His covenants and shows steadfast love toward those who love Him and keep His commandments. He then contrasts this with the Jewish people who had sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned aside from His commandments and rules. They had not listened to the prophets, God’s messengers to the kings, leaders, and the people of the land. On the one hand, God was righteous and on the other, Israel deserved open shame because they had sinned against Him.
Daniel confessed that God had only done what He said he would all the way back in the days when he brought Israel out of the land of Egypt. Because Israel transgressed God’s law and refused to obey Him, the curse and oath that had been written in the Law of Moses had come to pass (Deut 28:48–57, 64–68). But Moses had also revealed what was needed for God to lift the curse, and that was for Israel to return to God and obey His voice (Deut 30). Daniel admitted that as a nation they had not entreated the favour of the Lord by turning from their sins and gaining insight by His truth (turning to and living by the Scriptures). Daniel reiterated that God remained righteous in His actions and the calamity that had befallen Israel was their own doing because of their sin.
Finally, Daniel petitioned God to show favour and mercy toward them and restore the temple and Jerusalem which lay in desolation. Daniel asked God to look upon the situation and to do what was best for His glory. Daniel was not making his appeal based on the nation’s righteousness but because of God’s mercy.
This is such a great model for prayer. When we find ourselves in a tough situation, it is often because of our own doing. But even when we are innocent, we are never righteous in ourselves. Our appeals to God should always be based on His mercy and on Him receiving the glory in our lives. Have you been praying from a position of entitlement? How can you change your prayers to focus on God receiving the glory in your life?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Complaints and Rebellion: Numbers 11-12