Daniel's Prayer

I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed... [Daniel 9.4] 

Daniel's prayer in Daniel 9.4-19 is nothing if it is not a confession of sin. In fact, Daniel rightly associates curses with disobedience (Proverbs 26.2) and, based on the curses his people were experiencing at that time, Daniel pleads for forgiveness.

Nothing in Daniel's prayer is defensive or attempts to justify him or his people. It is obvious from Daniel's prayer that he truly believed that curses don't lie; that the punishing circumstances Israel was experiencing were the just reward for their corporate betrayal of God.

“Lord, you are in the right; but as you see, our faces are covered with shame. This is true of all of us, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel, scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you. [Daniel 9.7]

In Daniel chapter 9, Daniel associates the writings of Jeremiah (vs. 9.2) and the Law of Moses (vs. 9.11, which is directly explained in Deuteronomy 28.15-68) to Israel's circumstances of captivity and curses. Daniel deferred entirely to God's Word.

It should be understood here that Daniel, from all Biblical accounts of his life, did NOT participate in Israel's sin of idolatry. And yet, we find Daniel here repenting as if he himself sinned. Daniel understood that the important thing was not to see 'just who sinned,' but instead to repent himself for all his people because he understood the power of intercession. He gave us a preview of the power of Jesus on the Cross interceding for sinners while suffering for their sin that He did not commit.

In a world today no less racked with curses (according to the Biblical definition of curses in Deuteronomy 28.15-68) and rife with murder of innocent children (abortion), should we not also rightly associate these circumstances with disobedience and idolatry? 

There is a serious problem when we deny God's Word regarding curses and neglect to repent. The modern idols of debt, insurance, medicine and technology, as they remediate curses, teach us nothing of repentance and everything about man's solutions with no accountability to repent. Consequently, God's Word has largely been deemed "abstract" and we console ourselves that "stuff just happens" only further disassociating curses with sin. Few repent for themselves and few repent (intercede) for others. AND, few repent for their curses upon Jesus Christ on the Cross... Oh, everyone is happy that Jesus "paid it all," but few fall broken and fully yielded at the foot of His Cross in repentance and submission. AND SO... Jesus said:

...the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’ [Matthew 13.15]

It must be understood that Jesus, speaking of "eyes and ears," was not introducing a novel thought: 

Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell. They have hands but cannot feel, and feet but cannot walk, and throats but cannot make a sound. And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them. [Psalm 115.4-8]

The idols of the nations are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. They have  mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, and mouths but cannot breathe. And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them. [Psalm 135.15-18]  

The power of God is in famine among His people. Sin abounds, idolatry abounds, abortion abounds and God's people suffer every curse written in His Word just like the world.

Daniel's prayer serves to remind us that the world's sin is our sin. Daniel's prayer reminds us to intercede regardless how spotless we deem ourselves (which is a lie, by they way). Daniel's prayer reminds us that curses "tell all" regarding the presence of sin. Daniel's prayer reminds us to repent. Daniel's prayer points us to Jesus on the Cross. Daniel's prayer points to us on our cross.

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24, Mark 8.34, Luke 9.23]

Father, I confess the sin that is rampant in the world. The obvious curses upon mankind, the blatant sinfulness and the murder of innocent children all paint an undeniable picture of our need to repent. O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people... bear your name. So be it!