DANIEL 9: DANIEL'S PRAYER AND THE VISION OF THE 70 WEEKS

 

This chapter tells us that this happens in the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede (see 5:30;9:1). By now Daniel is an old man. He was probably around 14 years old, when he was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar and sent to Babylon in 605 BC. Daniel had been 68 years in captivity, and by now he was an old man of roughly 82.  The Babylonian empire has fallen, just as he had prophesied by the inspiration that God had given him. Darius the Mede came to power in 537 B.C. when he had conquered Babylon. The head of gold (Nebuchanezzar)  is no more. The second  kingdom, the Medo- Persian kingdom,alternatively described as "chest and arms of silver” (2:32),  "the bear“ (7:5); the ram with two horns (8:3)  rules.

This chapter has three divisions:

1.      9:1 -2 What Daniel learned from studying the Scriptures

2.      9:3 – 19 How Daniel turns to God in Prayer as a result of his studies

3.      9:20 – 27 The Lord's response to Daniel : The revelation of the  70 weeks

 

               1.  9:1-2 WHAT DANIEL LEARNED FROM STUDYING THE SCRIPTURES

We find Daniel reading the Scriptures, the books - a collection of scrolls. He was reading the prophecies of Jeremiah. It is possible that Daniel in his youth might have met/heard Jeremiah, the weeping prophet pleading with the unrepentant nation of Judah to return to their God. As he read the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, he began to understand, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last 70   years.  The passage which he must have been reading would have referred  to Jeremiah 25:8 - 13 and 29:10 - 14.

Now, if 68 years had passed since the first Jews were taken into captivity, this would mean that only 2 years were left before Jerusalem was going to be rebuilt and re-inhabited again. Daniel’s heart must have jumped for joy. The only problem was that there was as yet no visible sign that this would be fulfilled. The new empire had not given any indication that they were going to release the Jews. We know that  this happened in the time of Nehemiah and Ezra.  Neither was there any sign of revival, a spiritual return to God.  The captive Jews were no more spiritually minded  than they were before.  So, what was Daniel to do?

        2.  9:3-19 DANIEL TURNS TO GOD IN PRAYER

Against such a background Daniel began to call on the Lord in prayer.  Stuart Olyott says[1], "Daniel could see no more than a few who were heartily seeking God, so he determined to do it himself. He behaved like a man with a cheque from heaven. The cheque promised return from exile, on condition of a   renewed seeking of the Lord. As far as Daniel could see, nobody else was interested in cashing it. He therefore decided to do it...".

He was standing on the promises of God, and in so doing he recognised the divine inspiration of the word of the prophet Jeremiah. He said, on the basis of this prophecy, “God has said that after 70 years we can go home. This is a divine promise.   Therefore I will ask Him concerning it." God is faithful to His word, and therefore a believer may legitimately claim what is promised to  them by God, but it remains a practise which is   understood and practised so little, because we do not know our Bibles,  and therefore we do not know how to claim the promises. [See for instance the promises given in the Lord’s prayer- Matthew 6:9-13]

Without giving detailed attention to every word or phrase in Daniel’s prayer let us consider the approach and content of this prayer. This will provide us   with a very practical working model and approach to biblical prayer. Our Lord Jesus, in Matthew 6, emphasised the importance of praying to our Father who is in heaven, with the explicit purpose of seeking Him and His will for the purpose of our comfort and for our good.  In this particular case what was needed for the good of Israel was true repentance.  With that in mind, consider Daniel.

 a.       His attitude in prayer before God:  There is nothing bombastic, arrogant, presumptuous or demanding in Daniel's approach to God. He is humble before God. He pleads, fasts, puts on sackcloth. He confesses and identifies with the sins of his nation (9:3, 4). He means business as He addresses the Sovereign Lord earnestly and with the view of obtaining an answer in prayer. Daniel knew that God was His Father in Heaven. He was used to keeping company with God. He had a holy familiarity with God. He knew the work of prayer and communion with God.    Remember that it was Daniel's habit to pray 3 times daily (6:10). He fully expected God to hear him. 

b.      His method of prayer before God :

(i)                 9:4 In worship -  the “I – Thou” relationship. Daniel knew who He was, he knew who God was: “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant…”

(ii)                9:5,6 In confession. In this confession he cannot separate himself from his people  Israel (see  the ‘we’ in 9: 5,6,8,9,10,11,14,15). In 9:11 - 14, Daniel  confesses  freely  that  the Babylonian exile  and  the suffering  of  Israel  is nothing less than what Moses had  promised would happen if the nation turned its back on God. The             present punishment is a fulfilment of a divine warning and promise in Deuteronomy 28 – Blessings for obedience ; curses for disobedience.

(iii)             9:4,9,18 Recalling God’s attributes-  We see how confession is mingled with a recalling of God's attributes, and primarily His mercy. It was on that ground of God's revealed character that Daniel could ultimately approach the God who is merciful.

           c.        His arguments, pleadings and urgency in prayer:  This is particularly evident from 9:16 onwards: "let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem“; 9:17 "listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy…";   9:18: “Oh my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.”  9:19 “O Lord, hear, O Lord, forgive. O Lord pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

Consider then the boldness with which Daniel approaches His God. Consider His argumentation. He stubbornly rests upon God’s own Word and Promises which are rooted in the revealed character and will of God in the prophetic Scriptures. He repeats that which God has said, and two things stand out…

(i)                 He presumes upon God’s mercy to undeserving sinners.

(ii)               He reminds God that Jerusalem and His people are called by His Name. They are His responsibility. He cannot now deny them. Therefore He must hear, act, and  not delay! When last have you prayed like that? This is one of the secrets of prayer. We must prevail with God (see Luke 11:5-13 and 18:1-8). And we must prevail with God, not on the basis of our own wills, but on the basis of His will. Notice that Daniel's plea is not that God will act for the people’s sake. They do not deserve it. They are hardened rebels. But the fact still remains   that they are His people and they are named by God's name. And now they live in exile and abject misery - and all this reflects on God's great name. The   nations mock them and they mock their God. God must now act, for His own sake, for His own reputation, His own Name! That is the argument that Daniel uses!  When last have we prayed like that? Have we ever prayed like that? Can we learn something from this prayer, as we look at the state of the Christian church in Namibia today? "Oh God, for your great Name's sake, will you not revive Namibia again?" (Ps. 86:5)

  3.                  9:20 – 27 GOD’S  RESPONSE TO DANIEL – THE SEVENTY WEEKS

 a.      9:20-23.What happens as a result of this prayer? God gives an answer to Daniel!  Gabriel, the angel whom we have met already in 8:16 came to Daniel in response to this prayer (9:22).  Please note that Daniel already has a reputation in heaven … “You are greatly loved” (9:23). Here we have one of these very rare glimpses into what heaven thinks of some people. We have a glimpse into what happens when people earnestly pray.   This prayer of Daniel is answered positively… “I have now come to give you insight and understanding…(22) therefore consider the word and understand the vision.” (23)

b.      9:24  This prophecy of the seventy weeks (or seventy sevens)  is one of the  most difficult in the entire O.T. and there is, as one might expect, no shortage of  ink spilt  on this matter. I am not about to enter into a debate on those issues.  I want to avoid obscurities and focus on what is clear.  What is clear is that this comes as an answer in response to Daniel’s prayer. It comes as a word of hope and a word of perspective on the present situation. But, what Daniels hears here from Gabriel encompasses so much more than the present. This is one of these prophetic passages (like Isaiah 53- the suffering servant) that has a much bigger historical framework than what appears at face value.  

The immediate context is that of the Jews in Babylonian exile. In reading the prophecy of Jeremiah Daniel understands that the Babylonian exile will last for 70 years. It is time to go home very soon. But, what then?  

“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city…”.  Gabriel is saying to Daniel- “you have been reading about the 70 years… you have been thinking about the future of your people and Jerusalem …well this is going to happen by  divine decree– see 9:24. The interpretive minefield here is the meaning of the 70  weeks / sevens – are these  7 literal weeks – 490 days  or are they  70x7 years – 490 years, or is this simply a symbolic period? I don’t know.  So let us focus on the clarity rather than the obscurity.  What must happen in those seventy weeks following the 70 year exile?  The Jewish people and Jerusalem must  finish the transgression, the end of sins, atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness,  to have all visions and prophecy sealed (i.e. completed) , and a most holy place anointed… all this must happen in this mysterious time frame.

Our focus must not be on a literal earthly time frame, but on a divine time table. Above all we must be focussed on the necessity of what must happen here. 

With that in mind, let me ask you:  Who alone can put an end to sin? Who can atone for iniquity? Who can bring in everlasting righteousness? Who seals all visions and prophecies? Who ultimately anoints  a most holy place (the temple of God)? To whom must the vision point? Who is God’s final prophet? It is Jesus alone! (Hebr. 1:1-3).  So, in effect, Gabriel said, “Daniel, you’ve been thinking about the seventy years of exile for God’s people. Well, that’s not the only seventy in God’s program for Jerusalem. In seventy periods of seven, Jerusalem will witness even greater things.” Jerusalem will be a witness to the coming of Jesus! That is the broad sweep of the future before Daniel. 

We pause to consider this: the future is in God’s hands. Gabriel says, “Daniel, what lies before you and your people is in the hands of a good  and merciful God.”

c.       In 9:25 - 27 we see how the seventy weeks are divided.  Three periods  make up 70 weeks.

(i)     9:25 seven weeks – a relatively  short time

(ii)   9:26 sixty two sevens – a relatively long time

(iii) 9:27  one week – an intense short time

 The Bible uses “seven” as a figure of perfection.  Daniel’s “seventy sevens” is a perfect and complete period of time. Just like  “forgiving seventy times seven”  is a figure for complete and perfect forgiveness, so Daniel’s “seventy sevens” is the decreed period in which the great work of God is brought to complete perfection.

 The period of the (a) seven weeks (9:25) coincides with the rebuilding of Jerusalem. The rebuilding of the city with squares and moat (streets with trenches) refers to the rebuilding of Jerusalem by men like Ezra and Nehemiah (460 to 410 BC) which began when king Artarxerxes gave the command to rebuild Jerusalem.

The period of the (b) 62 weeks (9:26)encompasses a much longer period of time (@ 410 BC to 30 AD) which began with Jerusalem rebuilt and restored (Note:  “it shall be built again… but in a troubled time”). This period finishes with Christ’s first coming and, more specifically, with the beginning of His public ministry. After the 62 weeks the Anointed One (Messiah) will be cut off (9:26)- a reference to the cross.

Thereafter  the  city and the sanctuary will be destroyed again, and we know, that  soon after Jesus' death,  almost  40 years later  in A.D. 70 Jerusalem and the temple were   destroyed under the Roman general Titus (… the prince who  is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary). Why did this happen? Once again, the Jews had rejected the gospel of God. The Lord Jesus made it clear, that His rejection by the Jews would mean the destruction of their city and their temple (see the Olivet discourse in Matthew 24).

The period of the (c) one week (9:27): This is a very difficult text. Who is it that makes the strong covenant with many? If we stick to the context then the prince who destroys Jerusalem and the temple is here in view. This is the week when darkness reigns. It seems as if this is the period of the Anti- Christ – the man of lawlessness which Paul has in mind in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. It seems to be that time before Christ’s return, when the anti-Christ imposes  his authority,  forbids true worship and promotes idolatrous worship. 

However that is not the end. Here is the end: “And on the  wing of abominations shall come the one who makes desolate, until the  decreed end  is poured out on the desolation.” D.R Davies says, “he finally runs into the meat grinder of God’s decree. Predetermined. On target. Certain”.[2] This is the conclusion of our chapter. This is what Daniel saw. This is what you must see. The final triumph belongs to God. Hallelujah!

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[1] Stuart Olyott:  Daniel  ( Welwyn Commentary), p. 119

[2] D.R. Davies BST series  (IVP) :Daniel, p.138