THE PROPHET DANIEL
Harold A. Sevener
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EDITOR’S NOTE: In review of last month’s “The Prophet Daniel” this prophet’s petitions in prayer went beyond just a request for mercy for the nation of Israel; it was also a request that God be glorified in all that He does. Daniel knew that God’s program of redemption for Israel, and for the Gentile nations, involved two things. First, it involved the return of God’s glory to the cityof Jerusalem and to the Holy of Holies within the Temple. Secondly, it involved the indwelling presence of God’s glory in the lives of His people.
DANIEL DID NOT TELL GOD HOW TO ACCOMPLISH a program of redemption for Israel, nor did He tell God why He should accomplish it. He simply states, “...0 Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. . . open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name” (Dan. 9:17,18).
Daniel knew that God, in His grace, His mercy, His love, would work out all of the details. He knew God’s program of redemption involved Jerusalem and the Jewish people. He trusted God to “do right.”
God’s program of redemption, which He began with Israel, is still in effect. It has not changed through the centuries. During this Church age, all who become children of God through belief in His Son are indwelt with the “glory of God.” He no longer dwells in a building made of stones and mortar but now dwells in individuals who have confessed Yeshua as Lord and Savior. When the Lord Jesus returns to establish His kingdom on the earth, God will once again establish His glory in Jerusalem, the Temple, and ultimately He will establish His glory within the Jewish people.
The Psalmist declared: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.. . “(Ps. 122:6). In his petition Daniel, too, was praying for the peace of Jerusalem as he prayed for the return of God’s glory and prayed that God would once again dwell in Jerusalem.
I believe that we, like Daniel and the Psalmist, should be praying for the peace of Jerusalem. We should be praying for the salvation of the Jewish people and should be actively involved in sharing the Gospel with them.
The Body of Messiah, the Church, is composed of “Jew and Greek, bond and free, and male and female” (cf. Gal. 3:28). This is God’s desire for this current age, and just as Daniel prayed earnestly for God’s glory to return to Jerusalem, believers today should be earnestly praying for God’s glory to reside in the hearts of every Jew and Gentile. The only way’ this can happen is through the preaching of the Gospel. This is why it is so urgent that we bring the Gospel message to the ends ofthe earth. This is why it is so vital to be faithful in intercessory prayer.
I am convinced that if believers today would devote themselves to intercessory prayer for the peace of Jerusalem (for the indwelling presence of God in the lives of Jews and Gentiles), if believers today would petition God in the same way Daniel petitioned God, we would begin to see revival sweep across our nation and across the nations of the world. God is faithful. He does hear and act, extending forgiveness to all who will call on Him. He will bless His Word to the hearts of any and all who will consider its claims. He will not delay as far as His city and His Jewish people are concerned.
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God’s plan for our lives is not simply some cosmic kaleidoscope whichchanges every time we pray — or forget to pray. God’s plan for our lives iscomplete.
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Oh that believers today would begin to pray like Daniel. His prayer expressed the deepest concerns of his heart — not the formality that we sometimes engage in by reason of habit or the selfish concerns that we sometimes indulge. Daniel wanted God’s glory, honor, and reputation restored in this world. What a difference it would make if believers today would follow Daniel’s model of intercessory prayer. Look at what happened when he prayed. Daniel wrote:
“While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill - while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice” (Dan. 9:20-21).
Prayer moves God to action. it is not that He is inactive, just waiting for us to petition Him so that He will have something to do. Nor is He perplexed and unsure of what to do with us, or how to use us, and therefore waiting for our suggestions. His plan for our lives is not simply some cosmic kaleidoscope which changes every time we pray — or forget to pray. God’s plan for our lives is complete. He knows our every need and is eager to show His loving kindness to us, His children. The prophet Isaiah recognized this truth when he wrote:
“Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear” (cf. Isa. 65:24).
Why then does God respond to our prayers? Because prayer is the acknowledgement of His very being: His sovereignty, His omnipresence, His omnipotence, His Omniscience. Prayer allows our spirits to draw near to God who is Spirit. Through prayer we exercise the faith God has given us, so that as we grow in Him we begin to see that His will for us is what is best in this life and through eternity. Prayer moves us to recognize and to accept God’s sovereign rule in our lives. Prayer instills confidence that what God does, He does for our good andfor His glory.
The Scriptures teach us that answers to our prayers may come in a variety of ways. In the case of Daniel’s prayer, the answer was immediate. For Abraham’s servant who stood praying by the well of Nahor, the answer was given before he had finished praying, and while he was speaking “Rebekah came out” (Gen. 24:15). There are other instances when God’s answers are delayed because of spiritual conflict in heavenly places (cf. Dan. 10:7-11:1; Eph. 6:10-18; Rev. 12:7-12). There are times when the answer is given, but we fail to see it, or accept it, as was the case when Peter was released from jail (cf. Acts 12:11-16). Answers to our prayers can also be delayed because of some unconfessed sin in our lives (Isa. 59:2). We find another reason for unanswered petitions in James, “You do not have, because you do not ask God” (cf. James 4:2).
Daniel prayed in faith, believing the Word of God. He was willing to accept God’s will, because he had confidence that God knew what was best for himself and for the people of Israel. God responded to Daniel’s prayer by sending to him the angel Gabriel.
In previous study we have seen how Gabriel occupies a strategic part in God’s program of redemption and judgment (cf. discussion on Gabriel in chapter 8), and this answer to Daniel’s prayer was visual’ proof that God was the covenant-keeping God. He would show compassion and mercy upon Jerusalem and His Jewish people.
The fact that Gabriel came to Daniel in “swift flight” has led some Bible scholars to believe that Gabriel was sent quickly in answer to Daniel’s prayer. On the contrary, it would appear that Gabriel was sent “swiftly” because of Daniel's physical, emotional, and spiritual state, Daniel was an old man, by this time, drained from his intense time of study and intercessory prayer. He was weary in well-doing. His previous vision had left him ill for several days (cf. Dan. 8:27).
I rejoice in reading about God’s grace! He could havegivenDaniel another vision, but
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Prayer is the acknowledgement ofGod’s very being, His sovereignty, His omnipresence, His omnipotence, His omniscience.
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instead he sent His messenger, Gabriel, who not only explained God’s program to Daniel, but also gave him the emotional and spiritual support that he needed.
God knows our needs, and oftentimes He meets them by sending His special messengers our way. Gabriel told Daniel, “. . . Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the message and understand the vision” (Dan. 9:22-23).
What encouraging words to Daniel: “As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given.” There have been times I have experienced this in my own prayer life, when I have been talking to God about my problems, concerns or some undesirable circumstances. Even as I prayed, solutions came to mind. I believe the best decisions are those which are made while we are meditating on and talking to God. Prayer can cause problems to diminish and make God’s will apparent.
Notice that Gabriel told Daniel he was a man “highly esteemed.” Daniel, however, saw himself as a worthless sinner. He identified himself, completely with the sinful nation, and in humility he had put on sackcloth and ashes before approaching a holy and righteous God. But to God, every believer is “highly esteemed,” because we have been purchased by the shed blood of our Messiah, the Lord Jesus. God no longer looks at what we are, but rather what we can be through His Son. In God’s sight we are not dressed in sackcloth but rather the robes of His Son’s righteousness.
Gabriel came to Daniel at the time of the evening oblation, (or about 3:00 P.M.). This was the time of day when the Passover lamb was killed, and the time of day when our Messiah was put to death. Perhaps this was why Gabriel was sent at this particular hour. When the Temple was destroyed, prayer was sustituted for the daily sacrifice, and for Daniel, who prayed three times a day, this hour was one of his regular times for prayer. In so doing, Daniel faithfully sacrificed in his prayer life and God faithfully responded. He would give Daniel an answer concerning Israel’s captivity.
THE CHOSEN PEOPLE