Discovering Mercy When Convicted

Daniel 9:4-23

Jim Davis

Daniel was a God-centered man with a God-center view of his world who challenged the world with his personal view of God. In the book of Daniel we find Daniel interned in a dark world as an exile in Babylon. He is taken to Babylon when he is only a teenager. Some sources say he lives to be almost 100 years old. He is beyond 60 years of age when he is thrown into the lions den.  He lives in the most tumultuous times of ancient history. Daniel mentions four world empires under which he lives. He experiences their rise and fall in the very palace he lives as the new conquers take up their resident there.

Daniel’s apocalyptic visions of the world challenge the world order and keep his life God-centered. As he interprets kings’ dreams and reads the handwriting on the wall, it also gives him a special view of his world and its future. He understands through those dreams and visions God is in control. God only paints the picture in broad strokes as Daniel receives interpretation to dreams and sees the visions. It is all Daniel needs to deduct who is in charge and what the outcome would be. It isn’t necessary for him to understand the details of how the dreams and visions will be fulfilled.  

You can only wonder what is going on in Daniel’s heart when he tells Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar of God’s judgment against them. They could have taken his life in a moment of rage. Yet, the very wisdom God gives him through their dreams and visions makes him determined to keep his life God-centered. He knows he is at the very center of it all. He is constantly reminded that God is judge of all the earth—his will prevails above all else. It was the only way to keep his sanity and keep a God-centered focus in such turbulent times. 

The psalmist reveals to us how Daniel undoubtedly feels living in exile.

Psalms 137:1-6

By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept

when we remembered Zion.

2 There on the poplars

we hung our harps,

3 for there our captors asked us for songs,

our tormentors demanded songs of joy;

they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"

4 How can we sing the songs of the LORD

while in a foreign land?

5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,

may my right hand forget [its skill].

6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth

if I do not remember you,

if I do not consider Jerusalem

my highest joy. NIV

The psalmist does not stop at simply telling how the exiles feel, but he reveals their determination to remain God-centered in a foreign land.

Psalms 137:5-6

5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,

may my right hand forget [its skill].

6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth

if I do not remember you,

if I do not consider Jerusalem

my highest joy. NIV

The exiles were determined to stay focused on Jerusalem, which was paramount to saying they were determined to stay God focused in a foreign land. It was their way of challenging the world order of things.

Staying Focused When God Convicts

As we come to Daniel chapter nine we find Daniel reading from the prophet Jeremiah. This is the passage he was reading:

Jeremiah 25:8-11

8 Therefore the LORD Almighty says this: "Because you have not listened to my words, 9 I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon," declares the LORD, "and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. 10 I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. NIV

No doubt Daniel is seeking to renew his perspective with a God given view of what is actually going on. Daniel is personally experiencing the fulfillment of the divine threats of judgment against Israel. As he studies the prophecies of Jeremiah he is experiencing the destruction and exile firsthand. God has brought about what he promised; he is personally experiencing it all. He has absolutely no doubt but what God is at the center of it all.

Nothing is worse than living all your life under the judgment of God for your shameful behavior. Disheartening, depressing, overwhelming, intimidating, demoralizing frightfulness—are just a few of the words which describe the feelings most have to overcome. It is not as easy as being forgiven and forgetting about your sin. Daniel is forced to live a life long exile in Babylon. The consequences of his sin are far-reaching. His life is under constant threat. The reason is because he refused to listen to God.

Daniel makes no effort to dismiss his guilt. He knows the guilt of Israel is as much his guilt as anyone’s. It is all but completely overwhelming, but Daniel refuses to allow his sin and suffering to drive him away from God. Instead, he remains God-centered trusting in the promises of God.

Moses also prophesied concerning Israel’s punishment, but he reminds Israel that God would not abandon or destroy Israel or forget the covenant he made with their forefathers.

Deuteronomy 4:27-31

7 The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the LORD will drive you. 28 There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell. 29 But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him. 31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath. NIV

Daniel not only understands and experiences the promise of God’s judgment; he understands God’s promise to be merciful when his judgment came. Moses writes, “But if from there [your exile] you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul--For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers.” God’s promises brought suffering, but they also promise mercy. Daniel is able to stay God-centered because he is fully focused on God’s promises found in his Word.

The gods of this world love to dance on our souls when we fail, to remind us of their victory over us. They use our condemnation to demoralize us. The natural consequences of our bad choices often long lived and tend to render us hopeless. It is what we do when convicted of sin that matters most of all. Daniel refuses to succumb to their onslaught; instead Daniel chooses to confess his sin and turn to God’s for mercy.  

Daniel 9:4, 9-14

4 I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed:

9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. "Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. 12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. 14 The LORD did not hesitate to bring the disaster upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.

15 "Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. 16 O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our fathers have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us. 17 "Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name."

The basis of all prayer is what God has promised to do in his word. How else can we pray for God’s will to be done? Daniel’s prayer is an expression of trust in a God who keeps his word. This is why Daniel constantly refers to what God has promised to do. He had already experienced the fulfillment of divine threats of judgment. Now he is praying that God would keep his promise of forgiveness, deliverance and restoration. He spoke to God as a child would speak to a parent: “Lord, you promised . . .” (The Communicator’s Commentary, Daniel, Sinclair B. Ferguson, Word Books, Waco Texas, pg 191.)

Elijah prayed for it not to rain for three years. The basis of his prayer was that God promised to shut up the heavens if Israel sinned (Deuteronomy 11:16-18). He was only asking God to do what he already said he would do. His prayer request was guided by what God’s word promised. Likewise Daniel is fully praying for what God promised.

Prayer of the faithful is based upon what God has already promised to do. It is prayed in accordance to his will—in accordance to what God desires to do in my life or the life of others. Prayer is not based upon how much we feel like requesting. It is based upon what God has promised to do; it is based upon his covenant with us. This is what Daniel did. He searched the word of God to see what God had promised to do and based his prayer upon God’s promises. We should not do less than that; we dare not ask more than that. (The Communicator’s Commentary, Daniel, Sinclair B. Ferguson, Word Books, Waco Texas, pg 191.)

Life is very confusing at times. In times of confusion we feel like we don’t know what to pray for or which way to turn. In times like these we must return to God’s word and discover the promises of God. I must realize God has given me some promises that I can know he will fulfill. In these promises I will find God’s direction for my life. God’s promises hold our God given destines.

Matthew 7:7-12

7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. NIV

For God’s Sake Pray

Christians need to be taught--- for God’s sake pray! True prayer seeks the glory of God. Listen to Daniel’s request: “O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name." Throughout Daniel’s prayer he speaks of God as “the great and awesome God”; he is a God who “keeps his covenant and mercy” shows “mercy and forgiveness”; he confirms his word in holy judgment; his word is truth; he is a deliver of the oppressed. (The Communicator’s Commentary, Daniel, Sinclair B. Ferguson, Word Books, Waco Texas, pg 194.)

Daniel came to learn these attributes of God as he experienced God’s personal deliverance in his personal trials. God’s very expression of himself through these attributes in his relationship with us is the very basis of his glory. It is how his glory is revealed to a lost world. It is no wonder that Daniel asks God to save Israel for God’s sake. Daniel’s prayer was focused on the need of Israel but his prayer was God-centered. He cries out, “Save your people, Lord, for your sake” (v. 19). (The Communicator’s Commentary, Daniel, Sinclair B. Ferguson, Word Books, Waco Texas, pg 191.) Daniel wants his ancient world to see God’s deliverance. He sees God glorified in Israel’s deliverance. He asks God to save them for God’s sake—for his glory. He may have felt that God needed to show them who is in charge. It is sort of like showing them who is boss.

Nothing reveals the glory of God more than how he works through his people to accomplish his will on earth. Daniel wanted the world to see God’s glory through his deliverance of his people. It wasn’t a backhanded way of manipulating God into doing what he wanted God to do.

Our modern world can stand at the book of Genesis and see all the way to Calvary’s cross. What a glorious view of God—working to salvage sinful helpless people and it has all been for the sake of God’s glory. God has done it to reveal himself. Salvation history reveals the glorious God in charge of it all. God has done it all so that we might understand the true nature of the God of the universe. What a glorious view of God. How else could he reveal his true nature with such glory?

Daniel’s prayer for Israel reminds me of Moses interceding for Israel in the wilderness.

Numbers 14:11-16

11 The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they."

13 Moses said to the LORD, "Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them. 14 And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, O LORD, are with these people and that you, O LORD, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. 15 If you put these people to death all at one time, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, 16'The LORD was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath; so he slaughtered them in the desert.'” NIV

Moses was praying for his people for God’s sake so God’s glory would be manifested to a lost world. For God to destroy them in the wilderness with one swift blow would diminish his glory before a lost world.

Conclusion:

Paul speaks of God’s saving grace revealing His glory.

2 Corinthians 4:13-15

13 But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, "I believed in God, and so I speak."   14 We know that the same God who raised our Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself along with you. 15 All of these things are for your benefit. And as God's grace brings more and more people to Christ, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. NLT

It is the salvation of our souls that reveals our glorious God to a lost. The world needs to see what God is doing through us. Let us challenge the world with the good news through our lives for God’s glory—for God’s sake.