II. DANIEL THE PROPHET--Chapters 7-12
C. The Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks--9:1-27
1. The preparation for the prophecy--vv.
1-23
a. Jeremiah's prophecy
considered--vv. 1, 2
(I)
The time of the consideration by Daniel
(A) First year of the reign of Darius the Mede,
son of Ahasuerus
(1) It was brought out in the discussion of chapter
6 that Cyrus appointed Darius King of Babylon.
(2) "The assertion of Daniel 9:1 that Darius
'was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans,' indicates
that he was invested with
the kingship by some higher authority. This well agrees with the
supposition that he was installed
as viceroy in Babylonia by Cyrus the Great." (Walvoord, 203)
(3) The word was made king--"It
shows that Darius did not become king over the Chaldean kingdom
by virtue of hereditary
right to it, nor that he gained the kingdom by mean of conquest, but
that he
received it (. . .) from
the conqueror of Babylon, Cyrus, the general of the army." (Keil,
320)
(B) Darius' first year of reign would be 538 B. C.
(II)
The nature of the consideration by Daniel
(A) Understood by books
(1) "The expression by books may be understood
to mean 'in books.' Jeremiah the prophet, in
addition to his oral prophetic
announcements, had written his prophecies in the closing days of
Jerusalem before its destruction
at the hand of the Babylonians." (Walvoord, 202)
(2) It may be that this phrase refers to a collection
of books (scrolls) that would include all books of
the Old Testament to that
time.
(3) It could also refer to a set of writings
among which included the prophecies of Jeremiah.
(4) In either case, Jeremiah's prophecy is
specifically mentioned.
(B) Daniel understood the number of years spoken by Jeremiah.
(1) The prophecy speaks of 70 years of
desolation upon Jerusalem.
(a) Jeremiah 25:9-12
(b) Jeremiah 29:10-12
(2) "How long Daniel had been in possession of
these prophecies is not known, but the implication is
that Daniel had now come
into the full comprehension of Jeremiah's prediction and realized that
the
seventy years prophesied
had about run their course. The time of the vision recorded in
Daniel 9
was 538 B. C., about 67 years
after Jerusalem had first been captured and Daniel carried off to
Babylon (605 B. C.)."
(Ibid.)
(3) "It is not surprising that Daniel became
particularly occupied with Jeremiah's writing, for Jeremiah
was one of his
contemporaries when the captivity commenced. We have already noticed
in a
former lesson that
Jeremiah's letter (particularly that which we call chapter 25 of his
great book)
had been sent from Jerusalem
to Babylon, after the captivity had begun, and were no doubt eagerly
read by those in captivity
there. In the fall of Babylon to the Persians, Daniel
undoubtedly
recognized the fulfillment
of his own interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the
great image,
and the angelic interpretation
of his own vision of four beasts, in chapter 7, and the succession
of
empires thereby depicted.
Realizing now that nearly seventy years had elapsed since the
captivity
began, with what tremendous
eagerness must the venerable prophet have again read the
unmistakable words of
Jeremiah 25:11" (Newell, l29-30)
(4) Some have thought that the 70 years refers
to the destruction of the temple instead of the capture
of Jerusalem.
(a) There is about 20 years
difference.
(b) Actually both turn out
to be true.
((I)) From
Daniel 9:2, it can be learned that the 70 years of captivity was about
over.
((II)) "Once
the children of Israel were back in the land, they were providentially
hindered in
fulfilling the rebuilding of the temple until seventy years after
the destruction of the temple
had also elapsed." (Walvoord, 204-5)
(III)
Principles that arise from Daniel referring to Jeremiah's prophecy
(A) Daniel interpreted Jeremiah's prophecy literally.
(1) He believed in a literal fulfillment.
(2) "Even though Daniel was fully acquainted
with the symbolic form of revelation which God
sometimes used to portray
panoramic prophetic events, his interpretation of Jeremiah was
literal and he expected God
to fulfill His word." (op. cit., 205)
(B) Daniel knew that prayer was the basis for the fulfillment
of God's Word.
(1) "Daniel recognized the certainty of divine
purposes and the sovereignty of God which will surely
fulfill the prophetic word."
(Ibid.)
(2) "He recognized human agency, the necessity
of faith and prayer, and the urgency to respond to
human responsibility as it
relates to the divine program." (Ibid.)
(C) Daniel recognized the importance of the confession
of sin--restoration is based on this.
b. Daniel's prayer
--vv. 3-19
(I)
The initial prayer--vv. 3, 4
(A) His approach to God --V. 3
(1) Sets his face unto the Lord God
(a) "This was a formal
beginning.in which Daniel turns away from other things to concentrate on
his
prayer to
the Lord. It implies faith, devotion, and worship. His activity
in prayer has a specific
end expressed
by the word to seek. It anticipates that he hopes to find
ground for an answer to
his prayer."
(Walvoord, 205-6; italics are his.)
(b) "Daniel gives himself
unreservedly to prayer in the hope and expectation that God will be
importuned
on behalf of His scattered people. As we consider his wonderful
supplications
here, let
us not forget that Daniel himself is now an aged man, perhaps nearing ninety
years of
age. During
most of this seventy-year period, he has occupied a position of
authority in the
heathen court,
and has maintained a consistent and unswerving testimony to the God of
Israel in
the face of
extreme personal trial. He has also been greatly honored of
God to such an
extent, indeed,
that his utter humiliation and personal confession of sin provide a
further
penetrating
glimpse into his character." (Newell, 130-1)
(c) "There is something
relentlessly insistent about this expression. We read of our
Lord in Luke
9:51 'when
the time has come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face
to go to
Jerusalem'--to
proceed to that which He knew awaited Him there, in fulfillment of Isaiah
50:5-7:
'Therefore
have I set my face like a flint.' Beloved, do we know any thing of
the real meaning of
this expression?
Surely, to 'set our faces unto the Lord God' does not mean to walk
about with
our heads
tilted upward toward the sky! Rather, it is suggestive of an
attitude of constant
looking to
God, even as Daniel says further, 'to seek by prayer and supplication.' Do
we know
what it means
to lay hold thus upon God, in prayer which continues even when we must of
necessity
be otherwise occupied during the day?"(op. cit., 131-2)
(2) Sought in prayer and by fasting
(a) "The attitude of mind
and steadfastness of purpose indicated is now supplemented by prayer
and supplications,
that is, prayer in general and petition specifically. This is accompanied
by
every known
auxiliary aid to prayer: namely, fasting, that he might not be diverted from
prayer
by food;
sackcloth, a putting aside of ordinary garments in favor of rough
cloth speaking of
abject need;
and ashes, the traditional symbol of grief and humility." (Walvoord,
206)
(b) "Imagine, if you
can, the powerful premier, at the close of his official duties of
state each day,
withdrawing
to the privacy of his own chamber and divesting himself of his
royal robes and
donning the
vesture of utter humiliation. This speaks of an exercise
of heart which is precious
in the sight
of God. There is no religious merit in sackcloth and ashes, and
no special personal
blessing accrues
to the those who fast--except the measurable blessing of being thus
able to
indicate to
God the earnestness of our prayers and the desperate determination
of faith in
obtaining
that which is recognized to be God's will for us." (Newell, 132)
(c) Thus, he used every possible
avenue to aid his seeking of God.
(B) His opening statement to God--v. 4
(1) The person of God
(a) "The address, 'Thou great
and dreadful God, who keepest the covenant,' etc., points in its first
part to the
mighty acts of God in destroying His enemies (. . .), and in the second
part to the
faithfulness
of God toward those that fear Him in fulfilling His promises." (Keil,
330)
(b) "In beginning his prayer
to the Lord, Daniel relies upon the fact that the majesty of God's
person and
the greatness of His power are manifested especially in His fulfilling
His covenant
promises and
manifesting mercy to those who love Him and keep His commandment."
(Walvoord,
206)
(2) The promise of God
(a) He keeps His covenants--whatever
God promises, He fulfills.
(b) He shows mercy--"The word connotes
not only forgiveness but loyalty in keeping His covenant
with Israel."
(Ibid.)
(c) God's fulfilling of His
promises is in contrast to Israel's failure to keep theirs
(II)
The indispensable penance--vv. 5-!4
(A) The confession of sin --vv. 5, 6
(1) This is not his personal sin.
(a) "Daniel himself is one
of the few major characters of the Old Testament to whom some
sin is
not ascribed."
(op. cit., 207)
(b) "'We have sinned. . .
. we have done wickedly. . . . neither have we obeyed the voice of
the
Lord our God.'
These statements astonish us, coming as they do from Daniel who 'purposed
in
his heart
that he would not defile himself ' (1:8), and whose entire life as revealed
in this book
seems to have
been one of consistent holy walk before God. And be sure there
is no pious
hypocrisy
in this; Daniel himself would have been first to endorse the apostle Paul's
statement
long afterward:
'Whatsoever is not of faith is sin' (Rom. 14:23)" (Newell, 133)
(2) He identifies himself with the sin of the
nation Israel.
(a) "The heinousness of
their sin is amplified in verse 6 by the fact that they have disregarded
the
prophets which
God sent to them. This disrespect and disobedience to the prophets
characterized
all classes of Israel, including their kings, their princes, other
leaders referred to as
'our fathers,'
and finally 'all the people of the land.'" (Walvoord, 207)
(b) "The guilt becomes the
greater from the fact that God failed not to warn them, and that Israel
would not
hear the words of the prophets, who in His name spoke to high and low--to
kings
and princes,
i. e. the heads of tribes and families, and to the great
men of the kingdom and to
the fathers,
i. e. to their ancestors, in this connection with the exclusions
of kings and chiefs of
the people,
who are specially named." (Keil, 330; italics are his.)
(B) The contrast with God--vv. 7-9
(1) God's righteousness--v. 7
(a) "God had been righteous
in His judgment upon Israel, and in no way does Israel's distress reflect
upon the
attributes of God adversely." (Walvoord, 207)
(b) The righteousness "predicated
of God is not righteous cause, but righteousness as a
perfection
which in His
operations on the earth, or specially in His dealings toward Israel." (Keil,
331;
italics are
his.)
(2) Israel's confusion--v. 8
(a) "By contrast, Israel's
confusion or shame of face which had made them the object of scorn
of
the nations
was their just desert for rebellion against God. Daniel itemizes those
who are
especially
concerned: first, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, that is, the
kingdom
of Judah which was carried into captivity by the Babylonians, and second,
'all Israel,
that are near,
and that are far off,’ that is, also the ten tribes of the kingdom
of Israel which
were carried
off by the Assyrians in 721 B. C." (Walvoord, 207-8)
(b) "In this verse Daniel
repeats the thoughts of ver. 7a in order to place the sin and shame
of the
people opposite
to the divine compassion, and then to pass from confession of sin to
supplication
for the sin-forgiving grace of the covenant-keeping God." (Keil, 331)
(3) Jehovah's forgiveness--v. 9
(a) "Compassion and forgiveness
are with the Lord our God; and these we need, for we have
rebelled against
Him. This thought is expanded in vers. 10-14." (Ibid.)
(b) "Having contrasted the
righteousness of God to the sins of Israel, Daniel now turns
in Verse 9
to the contrast
of the mercies and forgiveness of God as compared to the sin
of Israel. The
word
mercies here is a different word than in Daniel 9:4 and is correctly
translated. Although
God is a God
of righteousness, He is also a God of mercy. It is on this
ground, of course, that
Daniel is,
basing his petition." (Walvoord, 208; italics are his.)
(C) The extent of Israel's sin--vv. 10, 11
(1) Israel's disobedience
(a) "Again, Daniel restates
the facts that Israel has not obeyed the voice of the Lord their God.
They have
not walked according to His laws as proclaimed to them by the Lord's servants,
the
prophets.
The word translated 'laws' in verse 10 means literally, 'instructions.'"
(op. cit., 209)
(b) "The rebellion against
God, the refusing to hear the voice of the Lord through the prophets,
the
transgression
of the law, of which all Israel of the twelve tribes were
guilty, has brought the
punishment
on the whole people which the law of Moses threatened against
transgressors."
(Keil, 331)
(2) Israel's judgment
(a) "In Deuteronomy 28, for
instance, the conditions of blessing and cursing are set forth before
Israel in
detail. If they obeyed they would have every blessing temporal
and spiritual from God.
If they
disobeyed, God would destroy them and scatter them over the earth. Moses
had made
perfectly
clear that Israel's situation would indeed be desperate if they disobeyed
the Lord
God." (Walvoord,
209)
(b) Cf. Deuteronomy
28:63-67
(c) "Therefore has the curse
poured itself out, and the oath, i. e. the curse strengthen
with an oath."
(Keil, 332;
italics are his.)
(D) The itemization of Israel's punishment--vv. 12-14
(1) Confirmed God's Word
(a) Against judges--"'Our
judges' is an expression comprehending the chiefs of the people,
kings
and princes."
(Ibid.)
(b) Against the people--"Above
all, the other terrible judgment was that of the destruction of
Jerusalem
itself which was the final blow to Israel's pride and security." (Walvoord,
210)
(2) Didn't pray
(a) "Adding to all their
earlier sins, Israel in their extremity did not turn to the Lord in prayer:
'yet
made we not
our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities
and
understand
the truth.' Even in the midst of the terrible manifestation of
the righteous judgment
of God,
there was no revival, no turning to God; rulers and people alike persisted
in their evil
way."
(Ibid.)
(b) There is a return to
the thought of verse 11 here.
(c) Consequently--"The truth
of God is His plan of salvation revealed in His word, according
to
which the
sinner can only attain to happiness and salvation by turning to God and obeying
His
commands."
(Keil, 332)
(3) No alternative
(a) "Because Israel did not
do this, therefore the Lord watched upon the evil, i. e.,
continually
thought
thereon--an idea very frequently found in Jeremiah." (Ibid.)
(b) "What Daniel is saying
is that God had no alternative, even though He was a God of mercy;
for
when mercy
is spurned, judgment is inevitable. Daniel, accordingly concludes in
verse 14."
(Walvoord,
210)
(c) Daniel 9:14--"Therefore
hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us; yet made
we not our
prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and
understand
the truth."
(d) Cf. 1 Corinthians
11:27-32
(4) An encouragement--"Jehovah was being faithful
in keeping His word both in blessings and in
cursings, which must have
encouraged Daniel in anticipating the end of the captivity."
(Walvoord,
210)
(III)
The important petition--vv. 15-19
(A) The appeal--v. 15
(1) "In presenting his petition, Daniel first
of all appeals to the revelation of the power and forgiveness
of God in delivering
the people of Israel from Egypt. In doing so, God had not only
manifested
His forgiveness but His power,
and had gained 'renown' among the nations for the demonstration of
His mighty power. The
deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt is, in many respects,
the
Old Testament standard
illustration of the power of God and His ability to deliver His
people."
(op. cit.,
211)
(2) So Daniel appeals to God's past dealings
with Israel in deliverance, demonstration of power, and
forgiveness. All the
miracles that God wrought in delivering Israel from Egypt was to manifest
His
glory to the nations.
(3) "Stuart summarizes verse 15 in these words,
'Here commences the supplication of the speaker; at
least, this address is
preparatory to it. The argument stands thus: "O God, who in time
past hast
wrought wonderful deliverances
for thy people, and thereby acquired a glorious name--repeat thy
wondrous doings, and add
to the glory which thou hast already acquired! As thou didst bring
us
out of exile in Egypt,
so bring us out of exile in Babylon"-- a name, as at the present
time, i. e.,
such a name, glory, honor,
as is attributed to thee even now,--We have sinned etc., the deep
sensation of penitence
forces from the speaker the repetition of confession.'" (Stuart, Moses,
A
Commentary on the Book of
Daniel. Boston: Crocker & Brewster, 1950, 261;
italics are his.
Quoted in Walvoord, 211.)
(B) The further appeal--v. 16
(1) "In presenting his petition specifically,
Daniel significantly appeals again to the righteousness of the
Lord in verse 16. Although
anticipating that the hope of the restoration of Israel depended
on the
mercies of God, Daniel
recognized, nevertheless, that it must be 'according to all thy
righteousness.'
Here is implied the whole
system of reconciliation to God by sacrifice, supremely fulfilled in
Jesus
Christ. Daniel recognizes
that somehow there is no contradiction between the righteousness of
God and His mercies and
forgiveness." (op. cit., 212)
(2) Keil (333) points out that Daniel appeals
the righteousness of God as shown in God faithfully
fulfilling His covenant to
Israel.
(C) The request--vv. 17-19
(1) Prayer is for more than restoration--"In
verse 17, he beseeches God to 'hear the prayer of thy
servant, and his supplications'
and, in answer to Daniel's petition, to 'cause thy face to shine upon
thy sanctuary that is desolate,
for the Lord's sake.' Ultimately, it was not simply the restoration
of
Israel which Daniel sought,
nor the restoration of Jerusalem or even the temple, but specifically
the
sanctuary with its altars
of sacrifice and its holy of holies." (Walvoord, 212)
(2) Prayer is also a plea based on the fact that
God's city is at stake. Keil (334) state that the King
James Version rendering "the
city which is called by Thy name" enfeebles the expression here; they
say it should be stated as
"the city over which Thy name is named." It seems obvious to this
writer
that this is unnecessary,
for if the city is called by God's name, it is clear that He is over
it as the
place of His rule.
(3) The plea--"The eloquence of Daniel's
prayer now reaches its crescendo. How it must have
delighted the ears of God
to have heard His devoted servant present His petitions. How it must
have moved the heart of
God to have heard Daniel pray, 'O my God, incline thine ear, and
hear;
open thine eyes and behold
our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name; for we do not
present our supplications
before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.' If
prayer
to God can be called persuasive,
Daniel's prayer certainly merits this description. Daniel in his holy
life, his careful preparation
in approaching God, his uncompromising confession of sin, and his
appeal to God's holy character
as the One who is both righteous and merciful, illustrates the kind of
prayer that God delights
to answer. Daniel, led by the Spirit of God had expressed precisely
the
prayer that God wanted to
hear and wanted to answer." (Walvoord, 212-13)
(4) The prayer's close--"In closing his prayer,
Daniel once again beseeches God to hear, to forgive, to
do, to defer not, all for
God's own sake, for God's city Jerusalem, for God's people Israel, who are
called by the name of the
Lord. As Tatford has well said, 'The prayer is one of the most
remarkable in the pages of
Holy Writ.'" (op. cit., 213)
c. Angel Gabriel's
coming--vv. 20-23
(I)
When he came
(A) During Daniel's petition
(1) "While Daniel was ordering his petition to
the Lord, the answer was already on the way by means
of the heavenly messenger,
the angel Gabriel. Daniel implies in verse 20 that the angel was sent
at
the very beginning of his
prayer. As Daniel expresses it, it was accomplished 'whiles I was
speaking and praying, and
confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my
supplication before the Lord
my God for the holy mountain of my God.'" (op. cit.,
214)
(2) "Daniel's experience of suddenly answered
prayer, except for the visible appearance of 'the man
Gabriel, whom I had seen
in the vision at the beginning' (9:21), has frequently been the delightful
portion of the people
of God. It is a thrilling foretaste of conditions during
millennial days, when,
according to Isaiah 65:24:
'Before they call, I will answer, and while they are speaking, I will
hear.'"
(Newell, 135)
(B) At the evening oblation
(1) "According to verse 21, Gabriel touched Daniel
about the time of the evening oblation. It is
obvious that the prayer of
Daniel recorded here is only a summary of the actual oral prayer
which
probably was lengthy and
culminated at the time of the evening sacrifice." (Walvoord, 214-5)
(2) It is not obvious to this writer that this
prayer is only a summary; Daniel was in the habit of praying
three times a day, and this
would have been his evening prayer. Thus, this may well constitute
the
entire prayer; it is certainly
complete in itself.
(3) "Gabriel arrived and 'touches' him--doubtless
to announce his arrival and to attract the pleading
prophet's attention, which
was apparently concentrated to such an extent upon his prayer as to
render him oblivious to all
else.'" (Newell, 135)
(4) "There, of course, had been no evening
oblation for half a century since the destruction of the
temple in 586 B. C.; but
in Daniel's youth, he had seen the smoke rise from the temple site in the
afternoon sky with its reminder
that God accepts a sinful people on the basis of a sacrifice offered
on their behalf. This
sacrifice usually began about 3 P. M., and consisted of a perfect yearling
lamb
offered as whole burnt offering
accompanied by meal and drink offerings, which typified the future
sacrifice of Jesus
Christ upon the cross as the spotless Lamb of God (Heb. 9:14).
Daniel does not
speak specifically of the
sacrifice but only of 'the evening oblation, that is, the meal offering
and the
drink offering. The time
of one, of course, was the time of the other." (Walvoord,
215)
(II)
What he said
(A) Came to inform
(1) "Upon arrival, Gabriel talks with Daniel
and states that the purpose of his coming is 'to give thee
skill in understanding.'
Although Daniel's prayer was not directed to his own need of
understanding
God's dealings with the people
of Israel, this is the underlying assumption of his entire prayer.
God,
in a word, wants to assure
Daniel of His unswerving purpose to fulfill all His commitments to
Israel,
including their ultimate
restoration." (Ibid.)
(2) Consequently, Daniel would understand.
(B) Came by Command
(1) "The commandment apparently came from God
Himself; although conceivably he [Gabriel] might
have been sent by Michael
the Archangel." (op. cit., 216)
(2) "Surely, this should challenge us at the
outset of every prayer we offer! If God would thus
instantly hear and dispatch
in reply one of the mightiest of His messengers to a man living
before
Calvary and before Pentecost,
and assure such a man that he was 'greatly beloved,' how much
more those of His household
who are members of the Body of Christ, and. whom the apostle
himself describes as 'holy
and beloved!' (Col. 3:12). And what matter if the angelic
messenger
does not arrive on the same
day? It is only because God in His infinite knowledge knows that
delay
is vital to the accomplishment
of all of His purposes." (Newell, 135-6)
(C) Came to give understanding
(1) "According to Gabriel's own statement, he
had come to show Daniel what was necessary to
understand the entire matter
of Israel's program, and specifically to consider the vision of
the
seventy weeks described in
the verses which follow." (Walvoord, 216)
(2) "The sentence, 'for thou art a man greatly,
beloved . . . .' does not contain the reason for Gabriel's
coming in haste, but for
the principal thought of the verse, the going forth of the Word
of God
immediately at the beginning
of Daniel's prayer." (Keil, 336)
(3) The preamble important
(a) "To both--the word and
the form of its revelation--Daniel must give heed. This revelation
was,
moreover,
not communicated to him in a vision, but while in the state of natural
consciousness."
(Ibid.)
(b) "The long preamble of
twenty-three verses leading up to the great revelation of the
seventy
weeks is,
in itself, a testimony to the importance of this revelation. The
stage is now set for
Gabriel to
reveal to Daniel God's purposes for Israel, culminating in the second coming
of Christ
to establish
His kingdom on earth." (Walvoord, 216)
(c) Remember Daniel by
inspiration of God spends 23 verses on the Preamble, and only four
verses on
the prophecy.
(d) In contrast most commentators
spend more time on the four verses (This writer does likewise.)
((I)) Note
no. 1--Preparation for an event often takes much more time than the event
itself.
((II)) Note
no. 2--As Walvoord (above) pointed out, this long preamble led "up to the
great
revelation of the seventy weeks is, in itself, a testimony
to the importance of this
revelation." (Bold type is this writer's.)
((III)) Walvoord
spends 16 pages on the first part; 21 pages on the second.
((IV)) Keil
takes 16 pages for the first section; 66 pages on the second.
((V)) Newell
on the other hand uses 16 pages for the preamble, and only 14 on the
prophecy.