Message of the Week

The Little White Community Church

Scripture: Daniel 9: 1- 19  

Sept. 22, 2024

Message: “Daniel’s Prayer for His People!”

by Pastor George Gnade

Intro.: 1. In Gen. 18: 16-23, Abraham interceded for Lot who lived in Sodom and Gomorrah. God heard Abraham’s prayer and saved his life when those wicked cities were destroyed.

2. In Ex. 32: 7-14, Moses interceded for the Israelites who had made a golden calf and were indulging in wrong behavior.  He also prayed that God would spare their lives, not because they were worthy, but simply because they were His people. For the sake of His name, God spared most of them.

3. In Dan. 9: 1-19, Daniel interceded for the Jews who had been taken into captivity because they had turned away from the Lord.

a. Jeremiah had confronted them but they would not listen. So God told Jeremiah the people would be scattered all over the known world, but after 70 years, He would allow them to return to their own land. 

b. During those 70 years, God encouraged His people to repent and get closer to Him. 

4. That is where Daniel comes into the picture. As most of you know, he had been captured by King Nebuchadnezzar and taken to Babylon where he and his friends were trained to serve the king. 

a. That happened when Daniel was just a young man. Since then, almost 60 years had past. In the passage we are studying, Daniel was now about 80 yrs. old. 

b. As he looked around, he was very upset with the way the Jews were living. Most of them had not changed much at all. And being a man of prayer, Daniel found himself overwhelmed by the sins of his people.

5. He knew they did not deserve to return to their own land. Since the 70 yrs. were almost up and the day when they should be ready to return was rapidly approaching, he suddenly felt a heavy burden in his heart for God’s people. 

a. He began to intercede for them in the same way that Abraham had prayed for Lot and the way Moses had prayed the Israelites. 

b. To show the sincerity of his prayer, he wore sackcloth and ashes and pleaded with God for mercy.

A. Consider the way Daniel addresses God Himself.

1. In Dan. 9:4, he prays: “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with all who love Him and obey His commands.”

a. Notice how Daniel wants to acknowledge how great and awesome God is.  There is no other god like Him.

b. To show His love, He made a covenant “with all who love Him and keep His commands.” In exchange for His love, He expected them to show their love and appreciation by doing their best to obey Him. 

c. Sadly, while God kept His part of the agreement, they did not keep theirs. 

2. In Dan. 9:7, he prays: “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame.”

a. Daniel was confessing that God was not the problem. God’s people were the problem. Our God is not only loving, He is also righteous. He does all things well. 

b. Sadly Daniel confessed that the whole nation had gone astray. As Daniel described this : “We are all covered with shame.”  In praying for them, he included himself as one of them. 

c. In order for Jesus to die on the cross for us, He had to become a man like us so He could represent us.

3. In vs. 9, Daniel continued: “The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving; even though we have rebelled against Him.”  Daniel is acknowledging that God always takes the first step in trying to reach us. Certainly that is what God did when He asked His Son to come and die on the cross for us.

4. Finally, in Dan. 9:15, after telling us who God is and what He is like, Daniel reminds God of all He had already done.

a. He writes: “O Lord, our God, (you) brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and made for yourself a name that endures forever.”

b. The story of how God used Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt was a truly miraculous event in which God deserved all the credit.

c. When we address God, it is often helpful to thank the Lord for the miracles He has done for us in the past as we seek His help for the future.  

B. Having reaffirmed with God who He is and all He had done for them, Daniel then turned the spotlight unto all of Israel and confessed how the whole nation had turned away for Him.

1. In vs. 5, he writes: “We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and your laws. 

a. Many people who have rejected God’s ways and insisted on the right to do things their own way instead don’t even realize how rebellious they are being.

b. If their consciences bothered them in the beginning, after a while it is just as if they were seared. 

The more others join them in their disobedience, the more they convince themselves it must be OK. 

c. That is exactly what happened in Israel and that is exactly what is happening in America. 

2. Over and over again, Daniel confirms how the whole nation ought to be ashamed. His concern was they no longer even felt that shame. 

a. Daniel confesses that God was justified in punishing them and scattering them all over the world.

b. He had warned them through Moses and the prophets over and over again. His punishments had become more and more severe until finally He scattered them. 

c. But even after all of this, most of them had not learned their lesson (vs. 13 -14).

C. Yet in spite of all of this, Daniel pleaded with God in behalf of his people.

1. In vs. 19, he prayed: “O Lord, listen. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, hear and act. For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your name.” 

2. Daniel pleaded with God to keep His Word for the sake of His holy name and allow the people to return to their land. In answer to his prayers, Cyrus the Great of Persia made a decree that allowed the Jews to go back.

In conclusion: 1. Praise God, Jesus is our Great High Priest who is constantly interceding with the Father in behalf of His people (Rom. 8:34). 

a. Not only that, but the Holy Spirit living in our hearts also “intercedes  for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom. 8:27).

b. And in I Tim. 2: 1, Paul writes: “I urge then that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone.” 

2. The worse things get, the more we need to pray and intercede for those in trouble. The Lord loves those who pray and seek His face and intercede for those around them. We may be amazed when we get to heaven to see what a difference our prayers made.