Dan 9:20-23 | KingComments | STEP | Daniel experiences that God hears while he still speaks and prays ( ). That Daniel “was speaking and praying” seems to indicate that he prayed out loud. Speaking while praying he is busy “confessing my sin”. This is very personal. He has always involved himself by talking about ‘we’ and ‘us’. But now he says “my”. We do not read of Daniel any sinful deed or a wrong word. Yet he is also a man to whom the words Solomon speaks in his prayer apply: “For there is no man who does not sin” ( ). Believers who live most devotedly to the Lord are most aware of their own sins and deficiencies. Daniel is also fully aware that he is one with the sinning people, whom he calls “my people Israel”. He knows he is not better than they are. After he had spoken before about presenting his supplications before God, he now speaks about causing to fall [as it is literally] his supplications before the LORD his God. He knows that he himself is in the presence of God. This places him directly at “the holy mountain of my God”. The mountain where the city of God and the house of God are, are the cause of his supplication. He keeps it personal by talking about “my God” once more. We will only be able to share in God’s feelings about His dwelling place if we have such a personal and profound relationship with God. If we look at God’s church with His eyes and if we know God’s heart about it from His Word, our prayer for God’s church will increasingly resemble that of Daniel for God’s people of that day. In it is again said that Daniel is still busy expressing his prayer, to which is now added that this is the moment he gets a visit. This underlines the value of his prayer to God. This prayer is a prayer according to His will. God is quick to answer that prayer. The timing of the response is also significant and interesting. It is “about the time of the evening offering”, that is to say the time when the daily burnt offering was brought in Jerusalem. This is not happening literally at that moment, because there is no temple and no temple service anymore. But faith does think about what is due to God and what God takes into account. Daniel lives in it and thinks about it. The same applies to us. When God intervenes through our prayer, it is always in connection with His Son and His work on the cross, of which the sacrifices are a shadow. There are some remarkable events in Scripture associated with this “time of the evening offering”. So it is at this same time that Ezra is appalled by the sin of the people ( ). It is the hour of prayer, the hour when Cornelius receives an answer to his prayer ( ). God likes to hear at that hour. The reason for this is that at that hour He did not listen to Someone else. The ninth hour is the hour when the Lord Jesus was not heard for our sake ( ). Daniel is so much in prayer that Gabriel must touch him to let him know he is there. Gabriel could also have made his presence known by speaking a few words. But the touching shows that the angel is actually personally present with Daniel. The touch means the end of Daniel’s prayer. To God it is sufficient. He knows the desires of his heart. Gabriel tells Daniel that as soon as he has started praying, a word of God has gone out in heaven. That word was addressed to Gabriel and contained the instruction to go to Daniel and teach him and to give him insight into what he has heard and seen in the vision. Here we see how God is ready to answer a prayer of His own. Sometimes the answer can be stopped for some time, as we will see in the next chapter ( ). This does not mean that the answer does not take place, but that the answer is postponed. We may know that this also fits into God’s plan. It is not enough that Daniel has received revelations about future things. What he also needs is insight into its meaning. Only then will he benefit from it. The Lord Jesus also opened the Scriptures, and He opened the disciples’ understanding to understand the Scriptures ( ). We also need an opened understanding, as well as an opened Scripture. Thus, Paul says to Timothy: “Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” ( ). If we want to understand the thoughts of God, we have to reflect on them. . We need to focus our attention on them, ponder them and compare Biblical texts with each other. That the revealed will of God is so often unknown to us, and that we err in it, is because there is so often a lack of real attention and thoughtfulness on our part. Our understanding is opened and we are given insight into the meaning of God’s Word when it also can be said to us that we are “highly esteemed”. All the children of God may know that they are “esteemed”. Every child of God may know that he is in God’s favor ( ). That is not because of who he is in himself, but because he is favored “in the Beloved”, that is the Lord Jesus ( ). But there are children of God of whom He says they are “highly” esteemed. These are those children who desire to act and to walk in everything according to His will and to His honor. It will be clear that He looks at them with greater pleasure than believers who are unfaithful. Abraham and Lot are both believers. However, God cannot share His thoughts with Lot, but He can share His thoughts with Abraham ( ). Daniel is one in whom the fear of the LORD is and with whom the LORD can therefore deal confidently and make known what is on His mind ( ).

‏ Daniel 9:20-23

The Answer Comes

Daniel experiences that God hears while he still speaks and prays (Isa 65:24 ; Isa 30:19b). That Daniel “was speaking and praying” seems to indicate that he prayed out loud. Speaking while praying he is busy “confessing my sin”. This is very personal. He has always involved himself by talking about ‘we’ and ‘us’. But now he says “my”.

We do not read of Daniel any sinful deed or a wrong word. Yet he is also a man to whom the words Solomon speaks in his prayer apply: “For there is no man who does not sin” (1Kgs 8:46). Believers who live most devotedly to the Lord are most aware of their own sins and deficiencies. Daniel is also fully aware that he is one with the sinning people, whom he calls “my people Israel”. He knows he is not better than they are.

After he had spoken before about presenting his supplications before God, he now speaks about causing to fall [as it is literally] his supplications before the LORD his God. He knows that he himself is in the presence of God. This places him directly at “the holy mountain of my God”. The mountain where the city of God and the house of God are, are the cause of his supplication. He keeps it personal by talking about “my God” once more. We will only be able to share in God’s feelings about His dwelling place if we have such a personal and profound relationship with God. If we look at God’s church with His eyes and if we know God’s heart about it from His Word, our prayer for God’s church will increasingly resemble that of Daniel for God’s people of that day.

In Dan 9:21 it is again said that Daniel is still busy expressing his prayer, to which is now added that this is the moment he gets a visit. This underlines the value of his prayer to God. This prayer is a prayer according to His will. God is quick to answer that prayer.

The timing of the response is also significant and interesting. It is “about the time of the evening offering”, that is to say the time when the daily burnt offering was brought in Jerusalem. This is not happening literally at that moment, because there is no temple and no temple service anymore. But faith does think about what is due to God and what God takes into account. Daniel lives in it and thinks about it. The same applies to us. When God intervenes through our prayer, it is always in connection with His Son and His work on the cross, of which the sacrifices are a shadow.

There are some remarkable events in Scripture associated with this “time of the evening offering”. So it is at this same time that Ezra is appalled by the sin of the people (Ezra 9:4). It is the hour of prayer, the hour when Cornelius receives an answer to his prayer (Acts 10:3 ; Acts 3:1). God likes to hear at that hour. The reason for this is that at that hour He did not listen to Someone else. The ninth hour is the hour when the Lord Jesus was not heard for our sake (Mt 27:45-46).

Daniel is so much in prayer that Gabriel must touch him to let him know he is there. Gabriel could also have made his presence known by speaking a few words. But the touching shows that the angel is actually personally present with Daniel. The touch means the end of Daniel’s prayer. To God it is sufficient. He knows the desires of his heart.

Gabriel tells Daniel that as soon as he has started praying, a word of God has gone out in heaven. That word was addressed to Gabriel and contained the instruction to go to Daniel and teach him and to give him insight into what he has heard and seen in the vision. Here we see how God is ready to answer a prayer of His own. Sometimes the answer can be stopped for some time, as we will see in the next chapter (Dan 10:12-14). This does not mean that the answer does not take place, but that the answer is postponed. We may know that this also fits into God’s plan.

It is not enough that Daniel has received revelations about future things. What he also needs is insight into its meaning. Only then will he benefit from it. The Lord Jesus also opened the Scriptures, and He opened the disciples’ understanding to understand the Scriptures (Lk 24:32 ; 45). We also need an opened understanding, as well as an opened Scripture. Thus, Paul says to Timothy: “Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” (2Tim 2:7).

If we want to understand the thoughts of God, we have to reflect on them. . We need to focus our attention on them, ponder them and compare Biblical texts with each other. That the revealed will of God is so often unknown to us, and that we err in it, is because there is so often a lack of real attention and thoughtfulness on our part.

Our understanding is opened and we are given insight into the meaning of God’s Word when it also can be said to us that we are “highly esteemed”. All the children of God may know that they are “esteemed”. Every child of God may know that he is in God’s favor (Rom 5:1b-2). That is not because of who he is in himself, but because he is favored “in the Beloved”, that is the Lord Jesus (Eph 1:6). But there are children of God of whom He says they are “highly” esteemed. These are those children who desire to act and to walk in everything according to His will and to His honor.

It will be clear that He looks at them with greater pleasure than believers who are unfaithful. Abraham and Lot are both believers. However, God cannot share His thoughts with Lot, but He can share His thoughts with Abraham (Gen 18:17-19). Daniel is one in whom the fear of the LORD is and with whom the LORD can therefore deal confidently and make known what is on His mind (Psa 25:14).