Daniel’s Prayer

Daniel 9:1-19

1
 2

• This prayer is a beautiful example of

confessing sin and seeking
forgiveness
• It is like the prayer of David in Ps. 51
 3

• Truly, Daniel was a man of prayer

• Some believe that Daniel was
around 80 when he prayed this
prayer
• What can we learn about prayer
from Daniel?
 4

•I. The setting of the

prayer (vs. 1-3)
 A. Reason for the prayer 5

Dan. 9:1-2
• [1] In the first year of Darius the
son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of
the Medes, which was made king
over the realm of the Chaldeans;
 6

• [2] In the first year of his reign I

Daniel understood by books the
number of the years, whereof the
word of the LORD came to
Jeremiah the prophet, that he
would accomplish seventy years
in the desolations of Jerusalem.
 7

• Daniel’s requests were based

upon what God had already
promised in the prophets
 8

Jer. 25:11-12
• [11] And this whole land shall be
a desolation, and an
astonishment; and these nations
shall serve the king of Babylon
seventy years.
 9

• [12] And it shall come to pass,

when seventy years are
accomplished, that I will punish
the king of Babylon, and that
nation, saith the LORD, for their
iniquity, and the land of the
Chaldeans, and will make it
perpetual desolations.
 10

• The words of Jeremiah were a

source of hope for Daniel
• Daniel was a great prophet – he
was also a student of the
scriptures – his prayer was based
on what the scriptures taught
 11

• The more we know about God’s

will, the more effective our
prayers will be
• A lack of knowledge produces a
lack of confidence!
 12

1 Jn. 5:14-15
• [14] And this is the confidence that
we have in him, that, if we ask any
thing according to his will, he
heareth us:
[15] And if we know that he hear us,
whatsoever we ask, we know that we
have the petitions that we desired of
him.
B. Preparation for the prayer 13

Dan. 9:3
• [3] And I set my face unto the
Lord God, to seek by prayer and
supplication, with fasting, and
sackcloth, and ashes:
 14

•II. The content

of the prayer
 15

•A. Daniel’s
Confession
1. Daniel addresses “The Lord 16

My God” – Vs. 4
• [4] And I prayed unto the LORD
my God, and made my
confession, and said, O Lord, the
great and dreadful God, keeping
the covenant and mercy to them
that love him, and to them that
keep his commandments;
 17

• God is great and awesome

• He keeps His covenant and mercy
with those who (1) love Him and
(2) keep His commandments
 18

Jn. 14:15
• [15] If ye love me, keep my
commandments.
 2. Confessing on behalf of his 19

people – Vs. 5-6

• [5] We have sinned, and have committed
iniquity, and have done wickedly, and
have rebelled, even by departing from
thy precepts and from thy judgments:
[6] Neither have we hearkened unto thy
servants the prophets, which spake in thy
name to our kings, our princes, and our
fathers, and to all the people of the land.
 Confessing on behalf of his 20

people
• Of sinning and committing
iniquity
• Of doing wickedly and rebelling
• Of departing from His precepts
and judgments
• Of failing to listen to His prophets
 3. Contrasting their shame with 21

God’s righteousness – Vs. 7-9

• [7] O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto
thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as
at this day; to the men of Judah, and to
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all
Israel, that are near, and that are far off,
through all the countries whither thou
hast driven them, because of their
trespass that they have trespassed
against thee.
 22

• [8] O Lord, to us belongeth confusion

of face, to our kings, to our princes,
and to our fathers, because we have
sinned against thee.
[9] To the Lord our God belong
mercies and forgivenesses, though
we have rebelled against him;
 23
4. Reviewing their sin, and the
fulfillment of God’s warning – Vs. 10-14
• [10] Neither have we obeyed the voice of the
LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he
set before us by his servants the prophets.
[11] Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law,
even by departing, that they might not obey
thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon
us, and the oath that is written in the law of
Moses the servant of God, because we have
sinned against him.
• [12] And he hath confirmed his words, 24

which he spake against us, and against

our judges that judged us, by bringing
upon us a great evil: for under the whole
heaven hath not been done as hath been
done upon Jerusalem.
[13] As it is written in the law of Moses,
all this evil is come upon us: yet made we
not our prayer before the LORD our God,
that we might turn from our iniquities,
and understand thy truth.
 25

• [14] Therefore hath the LORD

watched upon the evil, and
brought it upon us: for the LORD
our God is righteous in all his
works which he doeth: for we
obeyed not his voice.
 26

• They had not obeyed the voice of

God
• They had not walked in His laws
• They transgressed His law – they
departed by not obeying His
voice
 27

• They had not prayed that they

might turn from their iniquities
and understand His word
 God’s warnings had been 28

fulfilled
• Lev. 26:14-39
• Deut. 28:15-68
 5. Summarizing their sin – 29

Vs. 15
• [15] And now, O Lord our God,
that hast brought thy people
forth out of the land of Egypt
with a mighty hand, and hast
gotten thee renown, as at this
day; we have sinned, we have
done wickedly.
 30

•B. Daniel’s
Petition
1. His passionate plea to God – 31

Vs. 16-19
• [16] O Lord, according to all thy
righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine
anger and thy fury be turned away from
thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain:
because for our sins, and for the
iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and
thy people are become a reproach to all
that are about us.
 32

• [17] Now therefore, O our God,

hear the prayer of thy servant,
and his supplications, and cause
thy face to shine upon thy
sanctuary that is desolate, for the
Lord's sake.
 33

• [18] O my God, incline thine ear, and

hear; open thine eyes, and behold
our desolations, and the city which is
called by thy name: for we do not
present our supplications before
thee for our righteousnesses, but for
thy great mercies.
 34

• [19] O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive;

O Lord, hearken and do; defer
not, for thine own sake, O my
God: for thy city and thy people
are called by thy name.
 35

He petitions God to:

• Turn away His anger and fury
• Hear his prayer and supplications
• Cause His face to shine on His
sanctuary, which is desolate
• See their desolation and the
desolation of the city called by
His name
 36

• Hear, forgive, act and not delay

What was Daniel’s plea based 37

upon?
• IT WAS NOT BECAUSE OF THEIR
RIGHTEOUS DEEDS! IT WAS
BECAUSE OF:
• God’s righteousness
• His great mercies
 God heard Daniel’s prayer – 38

9:21-23
• [21] Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer,
even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen
in the vision at the beginning, being
caused to fly swiftly, touched me about
the time of the evening oblation.
[22] And he informed me, and talked
with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now
come forth to give thee skill and
understanding.
 39

• [23] At the beginning of thy

supplications the commandment
came forth, and I am come to
shew thee; for thou art greatly
beloved: therefore understand
the matter, and consider the
vision.
 40

• In the visions that followed

Daniel was told that Jerusalem
would be rebuilt and the Messiah
would come
 41

•Lessons
 42

1. Be ready always to pray

• 1 Th. 5:18
• “Pray without ceasing”
 43

• 2. We must trust in the love and

mercy of God for the forgiveness
of sins, and not on our own
righteousness
• “Do you ask God for forgiveness?
44

Why should He forgive you? On what

basis do you expect it? In vs. 18
Daniel said his request for
forgiveness was not based upon
‘righteous deeds’ but on the
forgiving character of God. We don’t
ask God to forgive us because we are
so good, but because He is so good.”
 45

• 3. A wonderful blessing we enjoy

as Christians is the cleansing
blood of Jesus as we confess our
sins
 46

1 Jn. 1:9
• [9] If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
 4. We must pray with a 47

contrite heart
• Contrite = remorseful for past sin
and resolved to avoid future sin
• “People who have a contrite
spirit weep over wrongdoing and
express genuine sorrow for their
sins”
 48

Mt. 5:3
• [3] Blessed are the poor in spirit:
for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
 49

• “The poor in spirit are those who

are the opposite of the proud and
self-righteous; they are the
humble ones who understand
their lowly state as compared to
the Lord.”
 50

• “It describes those who are

contrite and reverent; it is the
beginning point for those who
seek to enter God's spiritual
kingdom and go on to heaven.”