Coming to the Place of Prayer Daniel 9:1-4

In the Place of Prayer ... Confession  Daniel 9:4-15

In the Place of Prayer ... Supplication  Daniel 9:16-19

The Seventy Weeks of Daniel  Daniel 9:20-27

As a young boy Daniel had to stand up against how Babylon was trying to take away his identity and to make him like the other children, - eat the same food (… that had been offered to the idols), join in with all the other young boys who were being groomed by Nebuchadnezzar,

When he grew older he constantly had the jealousy and the suspicion of his peers against him,

They had him thrown into a den full of lions.

Even as an old man Daniel was still suffering for God … not least by being confronted with these two visions in chs. 7 & 8.

It seems that Daniel is once again on his own, - there doesn’t seem to be any others round him with whom he can share his thoughts. … He turns to the Word of God … to Jeremiah.

He is being reminded of the promises of God. God promised the children of Israel over 68 years earlier that He would bring them back home from their captivity in Babylon.

In 9:2 we see he did a good thing. He kept in touch with men who faithfully served the God he served.

He went to his ‘Bible’ and read where God had spoken to another great prophet who remained faithful, I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

Great and all as Daniel was he was only a part of God’s plan, - significant though he would have been, - and he too was in need of God’s Word as it had been spoken through others.

As a young boy he would have heard of Jeremiah and how he had foretold Jerusalem being laid waste, Jer. 25:7  Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt. 8  Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, 9  Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. 10  Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.

And yet God promised that an end would come to their captivity, Jer. 25: 11  And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 12  And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. 13  And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations.

… And now, in Daniel’s lifetime, the seventy years were almost up, - sixty-eight! … It is soon time to go home. This old man would have walked every step … he would have crawled if need be … to return home to the city of God in Jerusalem.

… God promised it and Daniel believed it! He ‘hung on’ to God’s Word. He trusted God’s Word. “It’s sixty-eight years from now, … it’s sixty-seven, … fifty, forty, thirty years. The time is getting closer to when God will bring us back home. It’s twenty years, ten years, … our release is coming soon!”

The promise of God’s Word, - He is the God Who keeps every promise He ever made.

Yes, He promised these people His wrath … and they suffered it.

But He promised them to bring them home to Jerusalem.

The Psalmist wrote, Ps. 9:9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. It was into this refuge that Daniel often took shelter.

How well do you know God’s Word? None of us knows it well enough to become complacent, - the more we read and study it the more we realise we need to read and study it more!

You could read a verse fifty different times and on each occasion you come back to it the Holy Spirit might be saying something new to you … but also each time what He says to you through His Word is always consistent with the complete Truth of the Word of God.

He never contradicts Himself.

He never shades in with grey that which is black and white.

He doesn’t make His Truth to be more palatable to one generation or to the other, - the Truth of God’s Word never changes … for He is a God Who never changes.

Daniel turned to the Word of God because he knew he could be convinced by every word that came from the mouth of God.

On a slightly sceptical note, couldn’t you imagine some of his fellow-Jews saying, “Daniel, that old Bible of Jeremiah’s was for a different age. It’s not for today. It’s the Bible of a people from another century, another land, another life, another set of circumstances! You need to move on. Put the old Book away and do as we do. Join in with the people we are living among.”

Yes, I could imagine some saying that. … Losers, they were! They missed out on the confidence that Daniel had, the confidence firmly secured upon the promises of God’s Word.

Is there a particular way by which we should come before God?

In answer to that question I ask you this question, “Is there a particular way by which we should come before a Monarch, a President, or a Prime Minister?”

Of course, there is. Let’s face it, very few of us will ever have the opportunity to enter the presence of such a person.

So, is there a particular way by which we should come before God? Yes, there is.

The children in Galilee came unto Jesus and He accepted them into His presence, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

Now how do you think those children came to Jesus? Just picture it in your mind. They would have come to Him simply, trusting in Him and loving Him and enjoying sitting at His feet.

There was another young man who came to Jesus, “Good Master, …” but the young man no matter how much he wanted to belong to Jesus the pleasures of his heart held him back.

There was another woman who suffered from Mt. 9:20 an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: 21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. She came believing.

In the Old Testament they came to the altar with their gifts, - their very best gifts and God accepted them.

Some came, though, with gifts that were completely unworthy of God and He rejected not only the gift but the one who brought it.

You see, there is a particular way by which we must come before God. It doesn’t matter how sincere you are … you can only come in the way that He will accept.

The road into the presence of God has been sprinkled and cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. All my sins that once were an obstacle to my communion with Him have been eternally cleansed by the blood of Christ.

When I come before God in prayer it is a privilege to know that He will accept me and that He will listen.

… But returning to Daniel, and to these difficult times that were before him, …

Notice that he is not treating God as a pal, - the way so many do today,

He is not sauntering into God presence as if he is taking it for granted.

He’s not coming in simply to be seen to be praying …

He’s an old man. He has done his bit for God and the people of God. “Take it easy now Daniel”.

… I don’t know how God’s people survive without coming out to the place of prayer. Our fellowship will only ever be as good as its praying people!

How is it some of our folk find it so easy to make excuses not to be at the prayer meeting?

And how is it some of our folk don’t even make excuses!?

I don’t understand how God’s people who promised to agree with our constitution and we never see them at this meeting place of prayer. – Don’t be angry with me for saying that … because shame on those who have turned their backs on the promises they made.

Look at Daniel, - even one as great and as old as he draws aside to seek the face of God, I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications.

He was so sincere in coming before God that he laid hold on the seriousness of approaching Him. He came with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes, - what does that mean? He knew he needed to be there for the sake of his people and for the glory of God.

He came in absolute repentance and humility. He had been a powerful and influential man during the rule of the Babylonians and the Medes and Persians … but with God he was simply a servant coming before his Master.

He was nothing but what God had made him. Everything he was he owed to God. Without God he had no purpose.

I can’t come to God any way I choose. I have to come through the mention of the Saviour’s name, recognising the blood that has been shed so that I would be acceptable before the Throne.

Yes, I now have a right before the Throne … and I dare not take that right for granted or abuse that right because it has been won for me at such a high cost.

When I come before the Throne the Mighty God and Sovereign Lord is its occupant! … It’s a privilege being a servant of God

… And the position of God’s servant is to be humbly at His feet.

We need to understand how Daniel is approaching God here.

We need to understand how sincerely he came before the Throne.

We need to understand the situation out of which he came, - a world that left God behind … away back in Jerusalem.

But even though the world had left God behind Daniel – the faithful servant of the Lord – kept on trusting in the promises of God’s Word. … The Word that assured him that – even in Babylon – it was a privilege to be a servant of God.

… And there in humility we find this faithful man of God falling upon his knees. Yes, the position of God’s servant.

“I’ve met a beautiful woman in my work. She understands me and I’m going to leave my wife and take up with her. … I believe that’s the will of God for my life!” Pearl and I have two friends that were married for 17 years. They have four children and had been involved leading evangelistic groups and open-airs for many years. Just over a year ago I had a phone call from the lady, - she told me that her husband and her were splitting up. They had made friends with another married couple and they intended swapping spouses. “We believe that’s the will of God” No, it’s not! The will of God, according to the Word of God, is that you remain faithful to the marriage vows you made before God.

“My mates go out every Friday night and they have asked me to go along with them to the pub. I’ll only take a couple of drinks … I believe the Lord understands.” No, He doesn’t! He doesn’t understand it, and neither does He turn a blind eye to it when His people go off and disobey His Word and His commands.

You see, God’s Word spells out to us God’s will. You don’t know what is God’s will for your life? … Search the Scriptures. Do what Daniel did, - look into God’s Word and it will grip you and He’ll show you very definitely what His will is for you.

The Bible says Jesus is coming back again, - that is God’s will,

The Bible says there will come upon His people times of persecution when every believer must stand for his/her faith, - that is God’s will,

The Bible says that the Gospel will be preached in every corner of this world, - that is God’s will.

I know I have mentioned reverence before … but we need always remember to Whom we are speaking.

There needs to be reverence, - a holy honour for the Person of God.

Through prayer we enter into the presence of One Who the High Priest of Israel dare only enter but once a year.

Just because we now enjoy continuous access before the Throne we dare never take that privilege for granted.

Here, in this place, you and I respect each other, - I respect you, you respect me … why? Because we are brothers and sisters in the faith and because we are fellow-human beings.

How much more is the Person of the Almighty God to be respected and reverenced!

Look at how Daniel begins: The Name of God, O Lord, the great and dreadful God

… not dreadful as we would mean it today … but such is our God that He is to be held in the highest esteem.

In His presence we dare not say anything … we dare not do anything … we dare not think anything … that would bring Him down to our level. God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.

At the Name of God even the devils in hell must bow!

O Lord, the great and dreadful God, The Name of God and also notice too  The Nature of God keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;

Do you see the covenant mentioned here? Daniel is depending upon the covenant! He’s depending upon the promises and the agreement between God and His people that saved them out from among all the other nations and made the children of Israel to be God’s own people. That’s the covenant!

We too have a covenant relationship with God, - a covenant sealed with the blood of His Son!

It’s in the nature of God that He gave His only-begotten Son as the Lamb of the covenant slain from before the foundation of the world … keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him ...          Yes, there is reverence here, and there is also …

There is no such thing as ‘small sins’ or ‘white sins’, - all sin is an affront to the holiness of God.

Have you ever thought how you are going to stand before the Throne … knowing the kind of person you are and the thoughts that sometimes go through your mind? It’s frightening but for this … that the Bridegroom is going to present His Bride, - of which you and I are a part, - before His Father a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but … holy and without blemish.

But as Daniel stood before the holiness of God he couldn’t hide the magnitude of his sin and the sin of his people. It was wilful disobedience on a grand scale. He couldn’t make excuses for it for there is no excuse for sin. He couldn’t say, “Lord, it’s just the way we are nowadays!”

No, he says, We have sinned, and [we] have committed iniquity, and [we] have done wickedly, and [we] have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: 6  Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets

It’s a big thing admitting that … especially if you have served God for over 68 years! … but Daniel confessed it, and also on behalf of his people.

Their sin was great. The sacrificial lamb on the altar had been forgotten, - it was now a thing of the past … back in Jerusalem.

What do I mean by this? With the eye of faith Daniel looked upon the face of the Lord and saw God’s righteousness. When he looked in the mirror of the glory of God what did he see about himself? He saw the awful sinfulness of his own sin.

He saw how great was the sin … and he saw what God’s people had become ... 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.

They had been carried off into captivity by a foreign wicked, evil nation and had taken unto themselves to worship the gods of that nation.

You see, this was the mask of their sin  that they had put on, - the confusion on their faces.

Confusion reigns when you take your eyes off the righteousness and holiness of God and the Word of God.

You come out with all the heresies when you look away from God and His Word and the sad thing is you don’t even know the severity of what you are saying and doing.

This doesn’t just sometimes happen … it always happens!

Look away from God and the devil blinds your eyes by placing over your face the mask of sin.

God had blessed them. He had given them their own land and cities. He built up for them a reputation second-to-none among the nations. But there was a confusion that had developed among the people of God and Daniel was praying for them to return to v.5 [God’s] precepts and [God’s] judgements and [to hearken] unto [God’s] servants the prophets.

And this mask of sin was worn by all classes of the people, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.

Daniel wasn’t referring to some past event in their history, he was referring to the here and now because not only were they wearing the mask of their sin but they also had on …

Their sin was covering them, - like the mantle (the veil/cloak).

How were they clothed? Is. 64:6 all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.

Upon the people of God the curse of God had been poured out.

In the days of the wilderness the offering on the altar wafted up to Heaven as a sweet-smelling savour;

God commanded them in Lev. 26:2, Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. … 9  For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you. God promised them the privilege Adam and Eve enjoyed (cf. Gen. 3:8), v.12 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.

However, His favour was conditional, Lev. 26:14ff. and any disobedience would not be countenanced, v.23 if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me; 24  Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins. 25  And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant.

God’s wrath covered them like a mantle and the people who were once seen to be enjoying His blessing were now identified by …

Daniel knew the reason they had been 68 years in Babylon was because of their own rebelliousness against the Lord.

In the days when they lived in Jerusalem God had told them through the prophets that He would take them into captivity under the yoke of Babylon but they wouldn’t listen

Each of the prophets warned them of the consequences of compromising their faith in God … but they just wouldn’t heed the warnings!

And God marked them, Jer. 17:1 The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars.

God had marked them, - He put a stroke against their names; and Daniel understood the penalty of sin and how it was because of their sin that they had been in Babylon those 68 years.

Daniel did not make light of their sin, he didn’t explain it away, he saw it as repugnant to the holiness of God … and that is what brought him unto his knees.

That was the burden he had upon his heart …

This was a downhill spiral … all the way.

The only way we can say Biblically that humanity has a free will is that his will is in freefall!

The will is loaded down by sin. The will is in every sense of the word fallen because of sin. It is corrupted and incapable of anything that brings glory to God. It is incapable of itself to respond to God and that is because sin has directed the will away from God.

… And Daniel saw that and he confessed openly before God his and his people’s responsibility, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

His sin was a daily burden to him and as he came before God on behalf of his people he cried out to God because of their sin, - his and their’s!

How do we understand this opening portion of Daniel’s prayer? What does it teach us about praying for our land and for the people – the Church – of God?

Do we understand the holiness of God? Do we approach His holiness reverently? Do we truly know in our hearts the Name of God and the nature of God?

Yes, there is the reverence but also there is the penitence. Even tonight are we recognising the magnitude of our sin? … that sin in its many shapes and forms is never small and insignificant because it took Christ to die on the cross of Calvary to break its power!

And what about the mask of sin, do you think we recognise and the way it has covered our eyes? … these Israelites were making excuses for things they ought not to be involved in.

Instead of being clothed in the righteousness of Christ is it the mantle of sin that is draped over our shoulders hiding out what Christ has done for us by the shedding of His precious blood?

And remember when Adam and Eve were found out, they went and they tried to cover their nakedness but God saw through their rags because there was the mark of sin written indelibly upon their hearts with the blackest ink.

And what was the consequence but the misery of sin. Sin is not allowed in God’s presence. He hates it. He won’t even look upon it. Sin brings misery … God’s displeasure

All this Daniel saw when he was on his knees. Where ought the church to be today but on their knees in prayer before God.

This is a prayer of confession Daniel is praying. That is where he comes to because he knows he can get nowhere until his sin is dealt with by the God of all grace and mercy, - he’s trusting in God for pardon, v.9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him.

Last Sunday evening we were considering David’s words along similar lines, Ps. 86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. 

At this point in our meeting let’s come before God in prayers of confession. You don’t know what to say? … Ask the Lord to search your heart and to show you what you need to say!

O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.

God’s people were terribly slow to realise that Lk. 12:48 unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.

God had been good to these people; yes, God is good to all His creation, to all people He has created, but in a special way He is good unto His own … and His own in the Old Testament dispensation was the children of Israel.

Out of all the peoples on the earth the marvel was that God had chosen them, Dt. 7: 7  The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people … 8  But because the LORD loved you.

The people owed a great debt to the grace of God. While other nations were running round worshiping all the gods their finite minds could create the children of Israel were God’s people! … and unto those whom God has given much shall be much required.

One day, God said “Enough is enough!” and He called His people before the judgement bar to give account! ... and He found them guilty of the transgression of rejecting God.

Their penalty was sure, and when Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon swept into Jerusalem, their penalty was also swift.

They were soon to realise through the preaching of God’s faithful prophets the anger and the fury of God must be satisfied.

Consider what happened to Jerusalem. …

This city with its beautiful temple the enemy destroyed,

The strong walls that made Jerusalem virtually unconquerable became a mass of rubble,

The magnificent palace of the kings lay in ruins,

The peoples’ houses and lands were ploughed up and devastated.

This was the terrible destruction that happened to God’s own people … and it was the price God put upon their rejection of Him.

You know where I’m leading to, don’t you?

Churches where God’s Name was once held holy and dearly-loved have replaced the majesty of His Name with the crudity of the world.

Ecumenism has dealt such a blow to the evangelical fervour of God’s people that those who have remained faithful are nothing more than ‘embarrassing isolationists’. “Those people in Pathhead Baptist are so out-of-touch with reality, it’s unbelievable!”

In the modern understanding of church unity Christ is no longer sought after, but a church unity at any price – at any theological cost – is the prevailing factor that drives many in the church today.

“Oh, it doesn’t matter if they don’t see the Bible the same way we do, (that it is full and complete) and it doesn’t matter if we have a ‘slightly different’ understanding of what the Gospel means” … Well it does!!

If you reject the Word of God in all its entirety the God of the Word will reject you! … That’s what the Bible teaches!

You see, there is the price for rejecting God, - He doesn’t send us of to an earthly Babylon any more … but there is a Babylon which today is a spiritual wilderness that many of God’s people have been exiled to, - their churches lie in ruins … spiritually speaking …

Their prayer meetings are empty, their Bibles are desecrated, their worship is a mockery, … there is a spiritual dearth … and Daniel,- this faithful man of Lord, - approaches the Throne with a full understanding of what it means when Lord exacts from His people the price of rejecting Him.

Now therefore, O our Lord, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.

Here is a prayer for revival. Here is a prayer of a man who is surrounded by a religiousity that was breaking his heart.

… And he comes to the place of meeting with God. God, as far as Daniel was concerned, was not Israel’s last hope; God, as far as Daniel was concerned, was Israel’s only hope.

How often our prayers reflect what we really believe!

It is the sixty-eighth year of captivity in Babylon, - only two more years to go, - and Daniel is crying out to God as he never did before.

Notice it wasn’t only for himself he was praying, because he prayed, O our Lord.

Is there an indication there was anyone with him as he prayed this prayer? No, there is no such indication. It seemed Daniel was praying this prayer on his own.

No doubt there were others who thought and prayed similarly to Daniel, after all, God always keeps unto Himself a faithful remnant … but on this occasion it seems Daniel was praying alone.

He asks a very particular request, cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.

He was seeking the glory of God among God’s people.

The sanctuary lay desolate and all the people round Jerusalem mocked the God of the Hebrews. Daniel prayed …

“Lord, come back again into Your holy place. Come back again in to the place where once Your Name was known. Lord, it’s lying in ruins, - it’s our fault, it’s because of our sin and disobedience, - Lord, return again to thy sanctuary that is desolate and do it for the Lord’s sake. Lord, it’s time we came back again to our God.”

You see, it wasn’t the sanctuary in itself that Daniel longed for, - the bricks and mortar; no, Daniel longed for the face of God in mercy and grace to once again shine upon the people of God.