Daniel 9 Understanding Yesterday and Today

From: B S TURNER Owner
bturner12@centurylink.net


Daniel 9 Understanding Yesterday and Today

Daniel Chapter 9
Understanding Yesterday and Today

The ninth chapter of Daniel is as important to us today as the time in which it was written. This is truly a lesson about the act of repentance and understanding in a way that the Lord would have it be and one that He would recognize as a true act of humility if we approached it as such.

As the chapter opens we are to understand that Daniel was well versed in scripture and understanding by what he tells us in the second verse – to make sure that what he was reading and understanding is clear, he went to the Lord for a confirmation.
Not just a prayer for the Spirit to be with us as we read or listen; he went to an entirely different level.

He is giving us a glimpse into the kingdom of God with the preparation of how to receive and understand the will of God.

Romans 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Prayer, Supplication, Fasting, Sack cloth and Ashes were the, pay special attention here, actions that he took so that he would be able to enter that sphere of intelligence.
DC 90:5b All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also, otherwise there is no existence.

Understand what is happening here –
9:4 And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;

After he had prepared he prayed for forgiveness for himself….we have to stop for a moment. Daniel prayed for forgiveness for himself so that he would be a clean vessel ready to receive. Even more interesting is when he addresses God he lumps himself into the pool of sinners that he is wanting to know about. Do we do that? Should we do that?

Daniel is not placing himself above any one of those people that he is to bring the message / ministry to…

And what were the sins that he / they were repenting from?
9:5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments;
9:6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

He, Daniel, the one that we are reading about grouped himself into being party to those sins ranging from committing iniquity to that of not listening to the prophets……is there a type and shadow here for all of us to understand today?

Do you see the pattern here that is set before us as we want, no need, to hear from the Lord – this is not the first time that this pattern has been written about in scripture. Can you find the others?

In the clarity that Daniel had he recognized that the Lord is righteous but the people are confused….and he understands why. It is because they have trespassed against God.

9:8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
9:9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
9:10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

The sobering part of this chapter comes in verse 13
9:13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us; yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.

Do you see us, you and me, in the above verses today? I am not just referencing the destructive virus that is bringing this country to its knees….Do you see how we as a people and Priesthood need to prepare and pray so that we can be ready to receive and be restored or as Daniel prayed

9:18 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.

We need his mercies and knowledge – can we get there? Can we change and get to this point without being compelled? I think that you just answered the question in your mind.

Take time to read verses 2 – 23 in the ninth chapter of Daniel and then read it again and focus on Daniels prayer...what do you see?

Brian Turner