Daniel 9:3-7

Only because of God’s grace  offered in Jesus has mankind ever had any hope. 

God never changes…He always remains the same. Unbelievers see Him reflected in our actions. We may be the only representative of Jesus that a person may come into contact with. Holy Spirit help us to be your hands and feet to everyone that we meet.

It is never too late to change. In confession there is forgiveness! Ask God to forgive us our trespasses and enable us to  forgive those who have or will trespass against us in our life.

Because of God’s identification with His people, the misdeeds committed against them are likewise committed against Him.

Romans 12:2 urges, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” We can conform or we can be transformed. Max Lucado

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset”.  Saint Francis de Sales

Daniel 9:3-7

3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4 And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, 5 we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. 6 Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. 7 O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You.

Here, Daniel is confronted by the reality of Israel’s sin; his actions preface the prayer that follows. In contrast to rebellious Israel—for whom Daniel seeks forgiveness and restoration—God keeps His covenant  and is faithful concerning His promises. It is this sense of faithfulness to which Daniel can confidently appeal. 

The Hebrew word chesed is used throughout the old testament to describe God’s loyal love to His people and His covenant. Daniel identifies with his people. Israel rebelled against God’s proscription on idolatry and also failed to observe the Sabbath  rest for the land. God acted within His covenant stipulations and is therefore justified in punishing Israel for disobedience. Daniel recognizes this and juxtaposes God’s righteousness  with Israel’s shame. Because of God’s identification with His people, the misdeeds committed against them are likewise committed against Him. Those who identify themselves with Israel are shamed because their God has been disgraced. Faithlife Bible.

The books refers to Scripture, specifically the Book of Jeremiah, which states that the desolation of Jerusalem would be fulfilled in 70 years. Daniel’s own captivity occurred in 605 b.c. It was now 538 b.c., some 67 years after the conquest. The period of captivity was almost over. Zechariah refers to the 70-year period as beginning with the destruction of the temple, which took place in 586 b.c. (see Zech. 7:5). The temple was rebuilt in 515 b.c. (see Ezra 6:15). Therefore, the seventy years has several beginnings and endings. NKJ Bible.

In every prayer we must make confession, not only of the sins we have been guilty of, but of our faith in God, and dependence upon him, our sorrow for sin, and our resolutions against it. It must be our confession, the language of our convictions. Here is Daniel’s humble, serious, devout address to God; in which he gives glory to him as a God to be feared, and as a God to be trusted. We should, in prayer, look both at God’s greatness and his goodness, his majesty and mercy. Here is a penitent confession of sin, the cause of the troubles the people for so many years groaned under. All who would find mercy must thus confess their sins. Here is a self-abasing acknowledgment of the righteousness of God; and it is evermore the way of true penitents thus to justify God. Afflictions are sent to bring men to turn from their sins, and to understand God’s truth. Here is a believing appeal to the mercy of God. It is a comfort that God has been always ready to pardon sin. It is encouraging to recollect that mercies belong to God, as it is convincing and humbling to recollect that righteousness belongs to him. There are abundant mercies in God, not only forgiveness, but forgivenesses. Matthew Henry.

Deuteronomy 7:9 “Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

1 Kings 8:48 and when they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who led them away captive, and pray to You toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name:

Nehemiah 1:4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 9:33 However You are just in all that has befallen us; for You have dealt faithfully, but we have done wickedly.