Part 8 of 12
Daniel’s Prayer and Prophecy
Daniel 9:3–24
Daniel 9:5 says:
“We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments.”
Daniel is praying on behalf of the nation of Israel. His prayer is rooted in Israel’s long history of rebellion.
To understand what Daniel is confessing, we go back to Second Chronicles chapter 36, the final chapter of Israel’s history before the Babylonian captivity. G... morePart 8 of 12
Daniel’s Prayer and Prophecy
Daniel 9:3–24
Daniel 9:5 says:
“We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments.”
Daniel is praying on behalf of the nation of Israel. His prayer is rooted in Israel’s long history of rebellion.
To understand what Daniel is confessing, we go back to Second Chronicles chapter 36, the final chapter of Israel’s history before the Babylonian captivity. God repeatedly sent prophets to warn His people because He had compassion on them and on Jerusalem. But Israel mocked the messengers, despised God’s words, and misused His prophets until there was no remedy. Judgment followed.
God brought in the Babylonians. Jerusalem was destroyed. The Temple was burned. The people were taken captive. This fulfilled what had been written by Jeremiah—that the land would enjoy its sabbath rests for seventy years because Israel had failed to obey the sabbatical year.
Daniel knows exactly why they are in captivity. It was rebellion. It was unbelief.
He confesses:
“Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets…”
Throughout Israel’s history, prophets warned the nation to turn from idolatry and rebellion. Instead, they persecuted them. As Stephen declared in Acts 7:
“Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?”
Israel’s pattern was consistent: reject the message, kill the messenger.
Even during Christ’s earthly ministry, unbelief remained the root problem. In Matthew 16, when Jesus asked who He was, only Peter answered correctly:
“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Unbelief has always been Israel’s central issue.
Daniel continues:
“O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces…”
He acknowledges that all twelve tribes remain accountable. They were not “lost.” They were scattered among the nations as foretold in Leviticus 26 and again in Jeremiah 25.
By the time of Pentecost in Acts 2, Jews were dwelling in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven. They had migrated throughout the Roman world for centuries following the captivity. Yet they remained connected to Jerusalem and the Temple.
Daniel appeals to Jehovah’s mercy:
“O Lord… forgive.”
He knows Israel deserves judgment. But he pleads for restoration because God is merciful.
Daniel recognizes that everything happening to Israel was foretold in the Law of Moses. He references the curses written centuries earlier.
Under Law, blessing followed obedience and cursing followed rebellion. That is the context of Daniel’s prayer. This is not Grace—it is Israel under covenant Law.
To contrast this, consider the prayers of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians and Colossians. Paul does not pray for national restoration under Law. He prays that believers grow in wisdom, spiritual understanding, and knowledge of Christ.
Under Grace, believers are not law-keepers striving for acceptance. They are people of faith.
As written in First Corinthians 15:1–4, the gospel is that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. Salvation is received by faith.
Daniel’s prayer centers on national repentance. Paul’s prayers center on spiritual growth in Grace.
That distinction is critical.
Daniel continues pleading for forgiveness and restoration, remembering God’s mighty acts—especially the Red Sea deliverance. Yet even after such miracles, Israel repeatedly fell into idolatry and unbelief.
Throughout history, only a remnant truly believed. As Elijah learned, even when he thought he was alone, God preserved seven thousand who had not bowed to Baal.
Daniel closes this portion of prayer asking God to restore Jerusalem and the sanctuary. In the back of his mind is one central hope:
The coming Kingdom.
While Daniel is still praying, the angel Gabriel appears and tells him he is greatly beloved. Interestingly, the writer of Revelation—John—is also called “the beloved.” Both were given foundational prophetic revelation.
Gabriel announces:
“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city…”
These “weeks” are weeks of years. One week equals seven years. This is confirmed in Daniel 9:27, where the week is divided in half.
Jesus Himself confirms this in Matthew 24 when He references “the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet.”
In Revelation 11 and 12, the time periods of 42 months, 1,260 days, and “time, times, and half a time” all equal three and one-half years. The final week is clearly seven years divided into two halves.
Seventy weeks equals 490 years determined upon Israel and Jerusalem—not the Church.
These 490 years are to:
• Finish transgression
• Make an end of sins
• Make reconciliation for iniquity
• Bring in everlasting righteousness
The work of reconciliation was accomplished at the Cross.
As Second Corinthians 5:19 says:
“God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself…”
And Colossians 2:13 declares that believers are forgiven all trespasses.
The payment for sin was complete. Yet it must be appropriated by faith.
Prophecy follows a clear pattern, outlined even in Psalms 2:
1. Rejection of the Messiah
2. God’s wrath and vexation
3. The establishment of the King on Zion
First the suffering. Then the glory.
Daniel’s prophecy lays the foundation for understanding that entire timeline.
✠SGT Dinah Scivoletti✠
✠Joan of Arc Priory✠
✠✠Act and God will Act (Actus et Deus Act)✠✠
