Daniel: Humble Servant, Faithful God - Falling on Mercy

This Sunday we’ll continue our study in Daniel, focusing on chapter nine. This chapter breaks into two sections: Daniel’s repentance and Gabriel’s explanation of the timeline of God’s judgment. Let me set the stage for the first section. Daniel is reading “the books,” which refers to the prophet Jeremiah. As he reads, he comes to understand that Israel is experiencing the curses explained in the Mosaic covenant. Remember that Moses lays out the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience. Daniel learns from reading that God sent Israel into exile for seventy-sevens, which he interprets as seventy years. Suddenly, Daniel is faced with the reason for Israel’s suffering and exile, her sin.

So, in chapters seven and eight, Daniel learns that Israel will face constant threats from Babylon, the Medes and Persians, and Greece. In this chapter, he recounts reading in Jeremiah’s prophecy an explanation of Israel’s exile. This is personal for Daniel. As a child, he was taken captive to Babylon and has faced his own death on multiple occasions. The sin of God’s people has directly affected him, his family, and his nation. How does he respond? He turns himself to the Lord in prayer and fasting. He humbles himself before the sovereign God. Much of the chapter is his confession of Israel’s corporate sin without pointing a self-righteous finger at his countrymen. Instead, he throws himself and the nation on the mercy of God.

How does this apply to us? Join us Sunday as we consider this beautiful text.