Well, good morning to you, even on this hot day.
We have heaven to look forward to.
Let's take a look at Daniel chapter 9.
It's a prayer by a great prophet by the name of Daniel,
and it's really fabulous. It looks fairly
simple and straightforward, but it turns out to be a fabulous
prayer. If you turn in your bulletins
at the back page, there is a detailed outline.
I'm not going to go over the whole outline.
You can do that on your own. You'll have a chance to
do it this afternoon, if you so please. I just want to
highlight a couple important points and just focus
on the plea for mercy, his
prayer for mercy.
Daniel begins by confessing sin.
There is a prevalent saying at the time,
the fathers ate the sour grapes, but the children's teeth
are set on edge. You find it in Jeremiah,
you find it in Ezekiel. It's a saying that means
we are suffering the consequences of what others have done.
It's our father's fault, but we are paying for what they have done.
To modernize that example, it's our parents who drink,
but we have the hangover.
It's our father's fault, but we are paying for it.
It's our brother who exercises, and I wake up with the sore bones
and sore muscles.
And that saying was prevalent.
Everybody said, of course Jerusalem was punished,
but it wasn't our fault.
It was the fault of King Manasseh.
He is the one who got us into this mess.
And so it's not really us.
It's them, but we're suffering.
Daniel wants them to admit
that it's not like this,
that everyone,
everywhere,
committed every kind of sin.
And the way he does it
is in two ways.
In 11 verses,
he says
nine times,
we have sinned.
If you see something
nine times in a row,
and you still
don't get it,
you need
somebody to pray for you.
You know,
don't take difficult classes
in college,
that's for sure.
In 11 verses,
he says,
we have sinned,
we have sinned.
Nine times in 11 verses.
Look,
you can read the 11 verses
in approximately 30 seconds.
In the next 30 seconds,
I'm going to say nine times,
my name is Samir,
my name is Samir.
I stopped with five.
How should you respond?
Okay, we get it.
You made the point.
We have sinned.
You know,
we get it.
And then,
in verse 4,
5,
in verses 5 and 6,
he says,
we have sinned,
and he uses
five different verbs.
What does that tell me?
He has a good education.
He knows his vocabulary.
He speaks Hebrew well.
He uses five different verbs
in the same verse
as a way of saying,
you name it,
we've done it.
We have committed
every conceivable sin
under the sun.
We did it this way,
and we did it this way,
and we did it this way.
Nobody is with an excuse.
So what he wants them
to admit,
and to see,
that they have sinned.
The next section
in this prayer
are verses 11
through about 15.
If you look at verses
11 and 13,
you will notice
that certain words
are repeated.
the book of the law
of Moses.
The law of Moses.
Verse 11.
Verse 13.
If you look at
the other three verses,
he says calamity,
or destruction,
or desolation.
So he is repeating
the word
the law of Moses,
and he is repeating
the word desolation.
What he is saying
is nobody should be surprised
that this happened to us.
God told us
in the book of the law
of Moses
that if we disobey him,
he will bring
a calamity on us.
So we disobeyed him,
he brought the calamity.
At least it shows
that God takes
his own words seriously.
Maybe we don't
take it seriously,
but God takes it seriously,
and he has punished us
according to
what he has said.
The law warned us,
and the prophets
warned us,
and we ignored the law,
and we ignored the prophet,
and now we're saying,
why did this happen to us?
What do you mean,
why did this happen to us?
Because we didn't pay
attention to the warnings
in the law of Moses.
If you want to discourage yourself,
if you really want to
depress yourself
this afternoon,
read Deuteronomy
chapters 27 and 28.
there is a list of curses,
and if you do this,
I'll curse you this way,
and if you do this,
I'll curse you this way.
After reading about 50 of them,
you'll be in the dumps,
and if you're still not depressed,
read Lamentations,
which will definitely
describe these curses.
So Daniel is saying,
we have sinned,
God punished us,
it was fair,
he warned us,
we should have paid attention.
God kept his word.
But,
to say God kept his word
is good news,
because he kept his word
to punish us,
which also means
he will keep his word
to forgive us,
and ransom us.
Daniel has just read,
in the book of the prophet Jeremiah,
that the desolation
would last 70 years.
Let me digress for a minute.
How did he find that out?
Look,
Daniel has more visions,
and dreams,
and prophecies,
and ways of knowing God's will
than anybody I know.
You know,
some prophets get one or two visions,
he gets them all the time.
He and Amos are in a contest,
who can get more dreams,
and visions.
But God doesn't give him
a vision,
that the desolation
is going to end in 70 years.
You know how he finds it out?
He's reading
the prophet Jeremiah.
This is the guilt trip.
It's coming.
If Daniel thinks
it's important
to study God's word,
and to find out
from Jeremiah
what's going to happen next,
you can fill the rest
of the sentence,
can't you?
If Daniel can do it,
who else should do it?
Me,
and you,
especially since we don't
get any visions,
I get bad dreams
depending on what I have
supper the night before,
but I don't
get revelations
from God.
So,
Daniel reads
in the prophet
that the desolation
would only last
70 years,
and that it was
happening right
before him,
in that very same year
that he is reading
and writing this,
what was happening.
So,
if God is faithful
to punish us,
guess what God
is faithful to do?
To forgive us.
And that is the good news.
So,
he begins
by asking God
to forgive us,
knowing that
that's what God
said he wanted to do.
Knowing what God's will is,
he prays
for God
to do his will.
That's variation
on thy kingdom come.
If I know God
wants to bring
his kingdom,
then I pray,
bring your kingdom.
Which now
leads us
to verse 4.
Verse 4
in Daniel 9
is a
brilliant,
brilliant
verse.
So,
in verse 4
he says,
I pray to the
Lord my God
and confess.
Let's notice,
first of all,
he uses the word
Lord.
There are two words
in Hebrew
that refer to God
as deity.
Elohim,
God,
which means God
as creator,
and Yahweh,
Lord,
which means God
in a personal
relationship with us.
We understand Elohim
best
when we look at creation.
We understand
Yahweh best
when we look
at human history
and we see
that God
is a covenant maker
and promise keeper.
God
and so,
Daniel addresses God
as Yahweh,
Lord,
Yahweh.
Yahweh is used
over 7,400 times
in the Old Testament.
It's the second
most frequently
used word
in the Old Testament.
The most frequently
used word
is the word
the,
the definite article.
But other than that,
it's the word Yahweh.
Isaiah
uses it
at least
200 times.
We have been
leading
eight chapters
into Daniel
and he hasn't
used it
once
yet.
There isn't
the word
Lord
anywhere
in the first
eight chapters.
But once
he starts
to pray,
he calls
God
Yahweh
because
Yahweh
means
a covenant
relationship
with God.
So he realizes
that our relationship
with God
is not just
like a boat
floating
on the water
without a sail
and without a water,
that our relationship
with God
is governed
by covenant
and that
the name
of the Lord
who instituted
this covenant
is Yahweh
Lord.
So begin
by saying
O Lord.
He is focusing
on his personal
relationship
with God
and the word
Lord is used
more in this
chapter than
all of the book
of Daniel
put together.
So he is saying
understand
we are in a
covenant relationship
but I want you
to continue
reading.
O Lord
the great
and awesome
God
who keeps
his covenant
of love.
Lord
covenant.
That shouldn't
be surprised.
The name
of the Lord
of the covenant
is Yahweh.
So he is
focusing on the
fact that it
is covenant
but it's not
just any covenant
it is covenant
of love.
It is the covenant
that God uses
to show us
his love.
In their case
it's the Abrahamic
covenant
and the old
covenant.
In our case
it's right in front
of you.
As we were
taking this
we were affirming
that we are
in a covenant
of love
relationship
with God.
But this
expression
covenant of love
is very
very interesting
and I'm going
to be disappointed.
You're going to
hurt my feelings
if you don't get
the next point.
Where does this
expression come from?
It comes from
Deuteronomy
7.9.
If you have
Bible
please
turn to
Deuteronomy
7.9.
Deuteronomy
is the fifth
book in the
Old Testament.
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy.
Turn to
chapter 7
verse 9
and I want
you to see
something
really
important.
I wouldn't
make you
go back
and forth
if it
wasn't
really
important
but I
can't
imagine
you
missing
this
point
this
morning.
So in
Deuteronomy
chapter 7
look what
Moses
says.
This is
what the
Lord is
speaking.
so in
verse 9
7.9
Know
therefore
that the
Lord your
God is
God.
He is
the faithful
God
keeping his
covenant of
love
to
thousand
generations.
God
keeps his
covenant of
love to
thousands of
generations.
This is an
unannounced
quiz.
Where did you
see the word
thousand
generations
recently?
Last week
last sermon
God chose
his anger
to four
generations
but his
love to
thousand
generations.
And we
saw it in
Exodus and
God is
affirming it
here.
God chose
his covenant
of love
to thousand
generations.
God is
infinitely more
loving toward
us than he
is wrathful.
If we push
him hard enough
he will be
wrathful.
But that's
not how he
prefers to
operate.
He prefers
to show
his love.
And
Daniel is
thinking
God chose
his love
to a
thousand
generations
while he's
already showed
his wrath.
We've been
in captivity
for 70
years.
So maybe
it's time
for him
to show
his love.
And so
he wants
this God
who shows
his love
through covenant
to thousands
of generations
to move
to save.
So
let's take
a look
at
verse
17.
Daniel
back to
Daniel
chapter 9
verse 17.
Now
our
God
hear
the
prayer
and
petitions
of your
servant
for your
sake
O
Lord
look with
favor
on this
desolate
sanctuary.
Give
ear
O
God
and hear
open
your
eyes
and see
the
desolation
of the
city
that
bears
your
name.
So
what he
wants to
do is
to appeal
to God
and what
is he
going to
appeal
based on?
He is
asking God
to make
his face
shine
on them.
he wants
God
to
forgive
them.
Verse
18
is
really
incredible
because
he says
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.
He's
saying
Lord
please
answer
my
prayer
not
because
I
am
righteous
but
because
you
are
merciful.
I
want
you
to
see
something.
This
looks
straightforward.
It's
not.
It's
very
important.
If
you
go
one
book
before
Daniel
it's
Ezekiel.
Please
turn to
Ezekiel
chapter
14.
Ezekiel
is also
praying
and God
is talking
with Ezekiel
about
this.
The
background
is this.
The
background
comes
from
Abraham.
God
wanted
to
destroy
Solomon
and
Gomorrah
and
Abraham
starts
to
intercede.
Lord
if
there
are
40
righteous
people
would
you
not
forgive
the
whole
city?
And
God
says
yes
for
the
sake
of
40
I
will
forgive.
Lord
if
there
are
30
would
you
not
forgive?
I
will
forgive.
So
he
keeps
interceding
and
lowering
the
number.
And
then
from that
grew up
the idea
that for
the
sake
of the
righteous
few
God
will
spare
the
larger
sinful
city.
Now
what
Ezekiel
is saying
in chapter
14
is that
in this
case
this is
not going
to work
that
even
if
these
great
prayer
warriors
pray
they
are
not
going
to
cause
God
to
relent.
And
he
mentions
three
of
them
Noah
Daniel
and
Job.
I
would
have
thought
Noah
Moses
and
Job.
No
it's
Noah
Daniel
and
Job.
See
that
it's
in
Ezekiel
14
14.
Who
is
this
Daniel?
There
are
two
Daniels.
There
is
a
figure
in
Ugaritic
mythology
and
then
there
is
the
prophet.
Ezekiel
and
Daniel
are
contemporaries.
Daniel
went to
exile
nine
years
before
Ezekiel.
He
is
now
being
told
that
even
if
the
cream
of
the
crop
the
best
Noah
Daniel
and
Job
even
if
these
three
top
prayer
warriors
to pray
they're
not
going
to
cause
God
to
relent.
The
amazing
thing
is
that
Daniel
is
already
made
the
best
of
the
best.
God
is
putting
him
in
the
same
class
in
the
same
league
as
these
other
two.
I
would
have
thought
first
of all
if I
were
Ezekiel
I'd
go to
Daniel
and
I'd
say
for
ten
dollars
you know
give me
ten
dollars
I'll
tell you
what
God
thinks
of
you
or
I
would
say
you
are
in
special
favor
with
God
and
I
would
be
tempted
to
say
Lord
you
said
it
I
didn't
say
it
you
said
I'm
one
of
the
best
people
on
your
list
surely
I
owe
you
know
you
owe
me
something
here
you
know
you
need
you
know
I
I'm
special
you
owe
me
a
favor
you
owe
me
to
answer
a
prayer
but
he
doesn't
how
does
he
pray
Lord
based
on
your
mercy
we
are
not
making
requests
of
you
because
of
our
righteousness
but
because
of
your
great
mercy
why
does
he
pray
and
on
what
basis
Lord
for
your
sake
for
your
mercy
sake
because
you
are
a
God
who
keeps
his
word
because
you
are
a
God
who
keeps
love
for
thousands
of
generations
so
when
we
come
to
pray
to
God
we
have
to
keep
in
mind
he
doesn't
listen
to
us
because
I
have
been
faithful
all
week
long
so
now
I
need
to
collect
my
reward
he
listens
to
us
because
he
is
merciful
he
is
loving
he
holds
generations
for
thousand
times
so
God
is inviting
us
to pray
and
to
remember
his
covenant
of
love
if
you
think
you
can
see
God's
love
in
the
Old
Testament
indeed
you
can
but
you
haven't
even
started
until
you
get
to
the
New
Testament
and
really
then
see
this
great
covenant
of
love
that
we
are
involved
in
Amen