November 14

DANIEL 9

²⁴ “Seventy weeksare decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. ²⁵ Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. And for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. ²⁶ And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Itsend shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. ²⁷ And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” – Daniel 9:24-27

DANIEL 9 SEVENTY WEEKS VISION

According to some references, the Hebrew word translated “weeks” (shabu’im) literally means “sevens.” In Genesis 29, it can refer to seven days or in Leviticus 25, it could mean seven years. The Jews observed a seven-year celebration (the sabbatical year), as well as a seven-day celebration (the Sabbath). Most scholars believe that this word here represents seven years. It would have been normal then for him to interpret these sevens as years. Seventy-seven year periods totals 490 years. As Jerusalem was suffering under the hand of Gentiles for 70 years (Daniel 9:2), so the Jews and Jerusalem would suffer under the hand of Gentiles for 490 years.  

Commentator Young says that “By the time these 490 years run their course, God will have completed six things for Israel. The first three have to do with sin, and the second three with the kingdom. The basis for the first three was provided in the work of Christ on the cross, but all six will be realized by Israel at the Second Advent of Christ.” Young continues that “This is a Divine revelation of the fact that a definite period of time has been decreed for the accomplishment of all that is necessary for the true restoration of God’s people from bondage. “This seventy-weeks vision manifests God’s mercy and steadfast love for his people. He prepares them for what is to come.

REFLECTION

• What can you infer from this vision as to the character and nature of God?

November 13

DANIEL 9

²⁰ While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for the holy hill of my God, ²¹ while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. ²² He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. ²³ At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision. – Daniel 9:20-23

DANIEL 9 PROMPT ANSWERS FOR FERVENT PRAYERS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Are you full of hope and faith when you pray?

Do you put your heart, mind and soul to your plea?

The Lord answers promptly those who are fervent

He can quickly respond to you while you’re still in prayer

God knows every need you have even before you ask it

So, run to your Father in heaven who is a generous giver.

During this time of Daniel’s prayer, while he was still confessing and declaring his petitions, God answered his prayer by sending Gabriel who gave him insight as to the vision Daniel saw. What struck me most in this account is how fast the Lord answered his fervent prayers. He answered Daniel while he was still in prayer and had not yet finished. It was amazing too that before the response and insight was given, Gabriel reminded Daniel how much greatly loved he is by God.

Do you pray fervently like Daniel did? Do you have undivided attention as you present your petitions and pleas to the Lord? Is your heart, soul, mind and body present as you lay down all your concerns and sins to the Lord? This kind of focus and heartfelt stance is what God expects from his people. Daniel was the personification of a fervent prayer. What a gift Daniel was for all believers! We were given a sample of how we can pray in spirit and in truth. He prayed like Jesus did in the garden of Gethsemane, vulnerable, honest and humble.

REFLECTION

• Share a time when you prayed fervently and it was answered promptly by God.

November 11

DANIEL 9

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. – Daniel 9:11-15

DANIEL 9 TAKING OWNERSHIP OF SINS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When sin has been born out of our selfish desires

We have gone against the Lord God Almighty

We need to take ownership of our lawlessness

That’s what happens when we admit our sinfulness.

We cannot please God unless we cut our ties with the world

Without the Spirit’s convictions, we cannot come to the Lord

Without accountability, we will continue to love sin

If we follow our nature, we would always want what God hates.

In this account, we witness Daniel’s intercessory prayer for the people of God. Notice how he uses “we” instead of “they” in his confession to God. He admits and takes accountability for what the people of God have done against the Lord. He recognizes that because of the transgression, the wrath of God is the right response to such sins. Daniel knows the Lord very well and accepts the consequences of the sins. How many of us can truly fervently confess, repent and worship the Lord all at the same time. This is probably why Daniel’s prayer is considered like Jesus’ prayer at the garden of Gethsemane.

REFLECTION

• Why and how is confession an important aspect of a believer’s prayer?

November 10

DANIEL 9

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. – Daniel 9:1-10

DANIEL 9 CONFESSION & FERVENT PRAYER

According to sources Daniel ministered from 605–539/538 BC. This makes him a contemporary of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, though Daniel’s ministry ended after theirs. Jeremiah prophesied the 70 years of captivity. In Jeremiah 25:2 we hear that Jeremiah spoke of this prophecy to all of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Daniel must have heard of Jeremiah’s prediction of the length of Jerusalem’s desolation Jeremiah had revealed that the city would lie in ruins for 70 years and then God would destroy Babylonia.

Daniel’s response to Jeremiah’s prophecy was to plead God for mercy. He fasted and confessed all the sins of God’s people and asked for forgiveness for the idolatry and disobedience. His prayer was full of the knowledge of the God he served very faithfully.

REFLECTION

• What lessons can we learn from Daniel’s response to the word of the Lord?

November 9

DANIEL 8

¹⁸ And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up. ¹⁹ He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end. ²⁰ As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. ²¹ And the goatis the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. ²² As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power. ²³ And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. ²⁴ His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. ²⁵ By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand. ²⁶ The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.” ²⁷ And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it.

                                                                     – Daniel 8:18-27

DANIEL 8 GOD’S CHARACTER AND ATTRIBUTE MANIFESTED

In this account we see God’s sovereignty over history and events. He has the sole control over what is to come. Another attribute of God manifested in this account is his omniscience which is all-knowing. Only God knows all things, He knows what is to come and how people think and what is in their hearts.

Another characteristic that God showed here is his compassion and provision to Daniel. He knew that Daniel was struggling to understand the vision and so he provided answers to him through an angel. He also comforted him that these events won’t happen until much later so he shouldn’t be so concerned regarding them and must keep these dream interpretations to himself. Isn’t it reassuring to know that God is the only one in control and his plan will come to pass whether we like it or not? Because Daniel was faithful to God, he was given such honor to know future events that will come.

REFLECTION

• What are some attributes and character of God that he has clearly shown you?

November 7

DANIEL 8

In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. ² And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. ³ I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. ⁴ I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.⁵ As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. ⁶ He came to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. ⁷ I saw him come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. ⁸ Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven. – Daniel 8:1-8

DANIEL 8 VISION OF THE RAM & THE GOAT

According to sources, Daniel was in Susa which is now modern-day Iran when he had this vision. Elam was the name of the province where Susa stood when Daniel wrote this book, not necessarily when he had this vision. Susa became Esther’s home. One hundred seven years later, it was the city from which Nehemiah departed to return to Palestine (Esther 1:2; Nehemiah 1:1). The “citadel” was the palace that housed the royal residence, and it had strong fortifications. According to sources, the “ram” (male sheep) that Daniel saw standing before the canal represented Medo-Persia (Daniel 8:20). The two horns, representing power, symbolized Media and Persia, the two kingdoms that formed an alliance to create Medo-Persia. The goat in verse 5 represents Greece (Daniel 8:21) and the conspicuous horn between his eyes is clearly Alexander the Great as history proves. Normally goats have two horns, so this goat was unusual. Under Alexander, the Greek armies advanced quickly from the west against Persia.

REFLECTION

·       Why do you think Daniel’s vision involved animals and not direct kingdoms?

November 3

DANIEL 7

⁹ “As I looked, thrones were placed,
    and the Ancient of Days took his seat;
    his clothing was white as snow,
    and the hair of his head like pure wool;
    his throne was fiery flames;
    its wheels were burning fire.”
¹⁰ A stream of fire issued
    and came out from before him;
    a thousand thousands served him,
    and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;
    the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.

¹¹ “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. ¹² As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. – Daniel 7:9-12

DANIEL 7 THE ANCIENT OF DAYS RULE

This account narrates the parts of Daniel’s dream and it focuses on the title of God “Ancient of Days.” According to gotquestions.org website, this title of God is found only three times in the bible namely Daniel 7:9,13 and 22. Verse 22 refers specifically to Jesus whose judgment will be part of the end-times events. In Daniel 7:13, the term “ancient of days” refers to God the Father, and we see Him on His throne as Jesus, the “Son of Man” approaches the throne on clouds. God is a triune God, meaning three Persons in One, and at different times “Ancient of Days” refers to Jesus Christ and at other times, to God the Father. But in the prophetic sense, it clearly refers to Jesus, the Ancient of Days returning to pronounce judgment on the world (Daniel 7:22).”

What does this title of God mean to us Christians? Should we shudder knowing that one of these days, we will be held accountable to how we live our lives? Many of us do not really want to ponder on this title of God because it reminds us how we will be held accountable for every little or big thing we do in life. Daniel’s prophetic vision could be a warning for us all to watch how we live our lives. Are we serving God or ourselves?

REFLECTION

• Why do you think this “judge” title of God scares many people?