Dan 9:18 | KingComments | STEP | Daniel does not beg for an end to the exile nor for his personal interests. The subject of His supplications are the city, the holy mountain, the holy temple and the people of God. He begs God “for Your sake” to let His face shine on His sanctuary. He is concerned about the glorious Name of the Ruler and Commander. Daniel draws His attention to the fact that His sanctuary is desolate. He exclaims that God can’t leave it that way, can He? So we must also learn to beg in view of what is now God’s sanctuary, His church, which is “a holy temple in the Lord” ( ). If we see what remains of that in the practice of Christian faith, we must also say that that temple has been destroyed. If we were to share more in God’s feelings about this, we would be more like a Daniel begging God to let His face shine on it. What comes into His light He redeems and restores ( ). His light reveals what is going on and also shows the solution. Without His light everything remains in darkness. If we long for Him to shine His illuminating and restorative light upon His church, we will take to heart the word of Isaiah and do it according to it: “And give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth” ( ). We will continually, vigorously, and almost shamelessly, beg God to open and incline His ear and open and see with His eyes ( ). Daniel clearly mentions that he does not present or as it is literally “cause to fall” or cast down his supplications before God – another powerful expression that fits this intense prayer – on account of any merits of their own, for they do not possess them. He casts them down on the basis of God’s “great compassion”. The deeper we are permeated by this, the more boldly we will approach God, yes, rushing at Him and, as it were, continuing to bombard Him with our supplications. Daniel does so with a threefold “Lord”, in which he insistently pleads that the Lord hears, forgives, listens and takes action, and does not delay any longer. In short sentences, he strongly states his words. The various expressions show a heart that is completely overwhelmed by the matter that is before his attention. It expresses an intense commitment. He also pleads with God not to wait with His actions in favor of His city and His people. The seventy years are over, he read in the book of the prophet Jeremiah. The prayer is that of a prophet, a man of God, a man who loves his land, a man who has the glory of God as the highest goal of his life. He has a close, personal relationship with God, whom he calls in “my God” for the first time in his prayer. If such a person intercedes in this intense way and confesses sins and puts forward arguments for action, he will be accepted by God. He does not say these things to teach God and he does not argue to influence God. This is the way God wants to be called upon, for it is the only way our thoughts can be brought into the right state. If we have the spirit, the faith, the repentance and the seriousness of Daniel, we can be sure that our prayers will be answered, just as his prayer will be answered. The ground on which he begs all this is “for Your own sake”. He seeks in everything the honor of God. It is about His Name. That Name is by Himself inextricably bound to His city and His people, for that is where His Name is proclaimed. What happens to His city and His people touches Himself. That is the argument for Daniel. We must also have this plea to beg God to stand up for His church, “which He purchased with the blood of His own [Son]” ( ).

‏ Daniel 9:18

Daniel Begs God to Listen

Daniel does not beg for an end to the exile nor for his personal interests. The subject of His supplications are the city, the holy mountain, the holy temple and the people of God. He begs God “for Your sake” to let His face shine on His sanctuary. He is concerned about the glorious Name of the Ruler and Commander. Daniel draws His attention to the fact that His sanctuary is desolate. He exclaims that God can’t leave it that way, can He?

So we must also learn to beg in view of what is now God’s sanctuary, His church, which is “a holy temple in the Lord” (Eph 2:21). If we see what remains of that in the practice of Christian faith, we must also say that that temple has been destroyed. If we were to share more in God’s feelings about this, we would be more like a Daniel begging God to let His face shine on it. What comes into His light He redeems and restores (Psa 80:3). His light reveals what is going on and also shows the solution. Without His light everything remains in darkness. If we long for Him to shine His illuminating and restorative light upon His church, we will take to heart the word of Isaiah and do it according to it: “And give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth” (Isa 62:7).

We will continually, vigorously, and almost shamelessly, beg God to open and incline His ear and open and see with His eyes (Lk 11:5-12 ; Lk 18:1-8). Daniel clearly mentions that he does not present or as it is literally “cause to fall” or cast down his supplications before God – another powerful expression that fits this intense prayer – on account of any merits of their own, for they do not possess them. He casts them down on the basis of God’s “great compassion”. The deeper we are permeated by this, the more boldly we will approach God, yes, rushing at Him and, as it were, continuing to bombard Him with our supplications.

Daniel does so with a threefold “Lord”, in which he insistently pleads that the Lord hears, forgives, listens and takes action, and does not delay any longer. In short sentences, he strongly states his words. The various expressions show a heart that is completely overwhelmed by the matter that is before his attention. It expresses an intense commitment. He also pleads with God not to wait with His actions in favor of His city and His people. The seventy years are over, he read in the book of the prophet Jeremiah.

The prayer is that of a prophet, a man of God, a man who loves his land, a man who has the glory of God as the highest goal of his life. He has a close, personal relationship with God, whom he calls in Dan 9:18 “my God” for the first time in his prayer. If such a person intercedes in this intense way and confesses sins and puts forward arguments for action, he will be accepted by God.

He does not say these things to teach God and he does not argue to influence God. This is the way God wants to be called upon, for it is the only way our thoughts can be brought into the right state. If we have the spirit, the faith, the repentance and the seriousness of Daniel, we can be sure that our prayers will be answered, just as his prayer will be answered.

The ground on which he begs all this is “for Your own sake”. He seeks in everything the honor of God. It is about His Name. That Name is by Himself inextricably bound to His city and His people, for that is where His Name is proclaimed. What happens to His city and His people touches Himself. That is the argument for Daniel. We must also have this plea to beg God to stand up for His church, “which He purchased with the blood of His own [Son]” (Acts 20:28).