God's Steadfast Love

to you, O Lord, belong righteousness.

He himself is righteous in the good standard. Verse nine,

to you, O Lord, belong mercy and forgiveness.

He doesn't have to forgive sin, but he's promised to forgive sin. And then verses 11 and 14, there's a turn where he reminds us there's a covenant, and he's keeping the word of the covenant. Let me read verse 14.

Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity that he promised and has brought it upon us. For the Lord our God is righteous in all the works he's done, and we have not obeyed his voice.

There's no not, this is not fair. God, you warned us. You've been patient. You've been faithful. We deserve this. You are right. This is the first chapter where the covenant name of God is addressed. Yahweh is in all caps, Lord. Capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D. There's an appeal to the covenant. God keeps his steadfast love. God has given us his word. He is faithful, and Israel has been found faithless. He is adored as the great righteous God who's faithful, which leads to the confession we have sinned against him. I believe as we look at the text, we can see the first purpose of the law very clearly being exercised. The first purpose of the law is to show us we're sinners. When we see our lives in light of the law of God, it shows us what is true righteousness, and it takes away all the excuses, it takes away all the ideas of how good we are. No, when we look at the law and its truth, and then analyze ourselves with it, it's a mirror that shows us our sin. We see here Daniel confessing his sin according to the very word of God that he has spoken. And let's just be very clear, verse six, God has spoken We did not listen. They refused to obey his word. They refused to hear his voice. They transgressed his law. They turned aside from his word. There's a couple ways we see here. First is there's a clarity that God has given us. We know when we've sinned because he's given us his law and his word so we know what sin is and we can identify when we've sinned. There's a goodness to that. There's also something important here that Daniel makes it clear, it's personal. They sinned against God. Verse seven,

we committed treachery against you.

The God who put his name on these people by promise, they violated that covenant. because they sinned against God, because they rejected Him. God has spoken personally in love to His people and they've rejected Him? That's why verse seven and eight,

to us, O Lord, belongs open shame. To us, O Lord, belongs open shame.

Too often we want people to feel shame because of our perceived problems. Here, he's using shame in the way it's supposed to be used in scripture, as when we sin against God, there is supposed to be a shame. So what Adam and Eve felt in the garden when they first sinned against God was a right shame. It is a proper experience whenever we see that we've sinned against a righteous God. But I want you to see what this prayer is doing. It's very important because right shame leads to a right response. When God brings about shame, it's to invite you out of it. This confession is confessing to us belong open shame so that we can come out of it. We are shamefully in a foreign land, Daniel's saying, and then he's expecting God to bring them out of it. There's a way in which too often you might hear a judgment and it's actually meant to put you in shame and leave you there. That's not the gospel. That's not Christianity. God doesn't call us sinners to leave us as sinners. God chooses our sin to invite us out. If the Holy Spirit is convicting you, it's to bring you out of that sin. If the Holy Spirit is convicting you, and you feel overwhelmed with a burden, shame, if it's God's work, it's to bring you out of that. Here we see the beauty of confession. Confessing to the right God, the righteous God, the merciful God. He's the God who restores. He's the God who forgives. We see declared very clearly over and over again, all Israel has sinned against you. Verse 11 is kind of a conclusion point, one of the many conclusions.

All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice.

We've all sinned. Daniel's praying for himself and all the people. There's a way in which it's individual and it's collective. Notice throughout it, verse 11, verse 6, verse 7, it's people everywhere, all Israelites in all places, and even generational, us and our fathers. I want to make sure we have these categories. There's a reality to corporate sin. He's confessing a corporate sin here. We are a covenant people. You are not the individual you've been told you are. There's a way in which we're covenantally tied to other people. There's a way in which groups sin, and there's a confession of corporate sin here that's right and good. Second, there's generational sin. Now both of these categories are oftentimes confused and applied in ways that I'm not sure scripture does, but it's a sin that Daniel and his fathers have committed. He's confessing the sin of his fathers in verse 16. As we see these two parts, adoration of God who's righteous, a confession of our sin that's clear, I wanna just point out a few observations about this. This is an authentic confession, but notice how it lacks real detail of the exact sins. I think we oftentimes think if I'm not raw with what I've done, it's not authentic. He makes it very clear as a genuine confession of sin, not by going into the dirty details of the sin, but by making it clear, you are right and I have sinned. You have spoken, I have rejected and not listened. Even think about Psalm 51. David doesn't mention murder or adultery in that confession. It's enough for him to say, I've sinned against you, God, first and foremost. I have sinned. When we think about public confession, when we think about the way we even confess our sins with one another, and especially in the prayers of confession, there's a way in which we can be authentic without having to get into those details in a way that I hope is helpful to think, all right, we can confess publicly, And it doesn't need to be this raw way in order to be authentic. Secondly, this is more of an ethical issue. We've been trained to think there's only one rule for ethics, and it's that nobody was hurt. It's a bad rule. If the only way we can determine if something's good or not is if nobody gets hurt, that's gonna leave us very immoral and ethical, and all kinds of people are gonna get hurt. There's one God and he's righteous. We have to reject what we've been trained to think, that as long as it's consensual, it must be fine. As long as no one got hurt, well, let's just say it's all good. No, there's a good God who's given us good laws. There is a true right and a true wrong, and we need to determine what's right and wrong based upon what he has said, not if it's consensual or not if someone's hurt. New questions, is this going to honor God? Is this going to be a way I can give thanks to God? Can I love the Lord, my God, with all my heart by committing these different practices? It isn't if somebody gets hurt, it's if it glorifies and relates to God and his good word. Think about this prayer, there's adoration, there's confession, and I believe verse 15, there's a turn, towards supplication. If you wanna look at the structure of the prayer, you can just write this down and look at it later. Verses four to six seems to be a summary of the confession. It sets the table, God, you're awesome, we've sinned. Verse seven through the first part of 11, 11a, that's, oh Lord, to you belong righteousness, to you, oh Lord, to us belong shame. The first line of 11 seems to be a summary now turning to the law of Moses. You have declared this, it is right, you told us in the law of Moses this is what would happen. Now I want us to turn to that supplication. This is 15 and 19.

And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name for yourself at this day, we have sinned and we have done wickedly.

Now, that's not quite a supplication, but I believe that's the beginning of the supplication. It's important to recognize that as the beginning of the supplication and now as a change of direction. But the supplication begins by remembering and reminding, God, you've delivered once before. Your arm is not short, your hand is not weak. You took Israel out of slavery in Egypt. Oh Lord, forgive us and take us out of Babylon. When we're asking for deliverance, when we're confessing sin, we remember back when we've been forgiven and we've been freed before, especially the great moments of God's salvation. For us, it's not the Exodus, it's the cross. But he begins this supplication, he pleads with God, he pleads with him, makes requests, beginning with, God, you have been the great deliverer. Verse 16,

O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, lay your anger and your wrath turn away from your city, Jerusalem, your holy hill, because of our sins. And for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy. And for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 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. Oh Lord, hear. Oh Lord, forgive. Oh Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not for your own sake, oh my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.

Notice he's, the supplication is all based upon the adoration and the confession. It isn't that we check off a box and if I praise him enough and I confess sins, then I can just ask whatever I really want. No, prayer is as much as you being shaped in adoration and confession so that then you give thanks for what is truly given to you by God. And asking the things that are ready for God to pour out upon you. His explicit request, let not your anger, turn away your anger, listen to our prayer, make your face shine upon us, incline your ear, listen, hear, see our desolation. Verse 19 again,

oh Lord, hear, oh Lord, forgive, oh Lord, pay attention and act.

It's all based upon that adoration, confession. Verse 15 is an appeal to God's deliverance before. We see here there's a declaration, you have forgiven, now, you have delivered, now deliver. I want you to notice there's a couple different aspects to this. There's a couple key repeated themes, and one is name. He declares your people, our name is a byword, we're mocked. We're mocked because of what's happened to us, we've been taken out of our land, we've been defeated. But more than that, verse 17, for your own sake, hear us. Verse 17, see the desolation of your city called by your name. And then 19 wraps it up, because your city and your people are called by your name. God puts his name on his promised people. That's a great promise, that's a great grace, that's a great reception we have, that God would give himself over to us. It's also a great responsibility for those who receive that name to represent that name, to make known that name. Here, the appeal is the glory of God has been applied to a sinful people. And the appeal that he's making is, God, for your glory, for your name's sake, bless this people as we repent and confess our sins. You see, the whole problem that Israel had was that they wanted a greater glory than God's. There is nothing greater than the glory you have when the name of Almighty God is put upon you. It's a great blessing and privilege to receive that name, and it's a great responsibility to represent Him. Do this for your name, for your reputation, for you need to be made known. Notice as he prays about this glorious name being applied to sinful people, there's another appeal at the end of verse 18. We do not plea before you because of our righteousness. We have nothing to claim other than your mercy. Because of your mercy. Because of the promises you've made, we're asking that you would show mercy to us and redeem us. hear, see, forgive, turn away wrath. The attention is on God blessing his people. This morning, if you're not a Christian, I want you to encourage you to know God sees and hears us all. We sometimes like to think God's not looking towards us or paying attention until we need him, but no, he sees us. He sees us more true than we see ourselves. He sees how much we have sinned and that we persisted in sin, and we need to see we deserve wrath. There is a righteous God and we have sinned against him. He alone can save us from that sin. The beauty of this passage is that Daniel knows the covenant-making God who has also promised salvation for all who have sinned against him. This morning, I invite you to know that same covenant-making God But in a way that Daniel is looking forward to, and that is, you have forgiveness uniquely in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Messiah, we'll read about it here in just a moment, who alone can save you because he alone paid the penalty for your sin. The righteous God must punish every sin. And either our sin will be punished when we face God or that sin has been punished when Christ died on the cross for our sin. We are all guilty. We cannot claim any righteousness of our own, but we, you today, can say, God, in your mercy, forgive me of my sin. Show me who you are so I can confess my sin. Show me who you are so that I can praise you. The invitation is to confess your sin to come out of it today. Confess your guilt to come out of it today. Believer, this prayer has a certain time step on it because it's Jewish people living outside of the promised land, praying for God to forgive them so they might go back to Jerusalem. Well, elect exiles, I don't think any of us are expecting to go back to Jerusalem. We're not praying this kind of prayer to go back to Jerusalem right now. We're praying this as the elect exiles that are the temple of God. We're not praying that we would go back and make sacrifices in Jerusalem at a temple. No, first Peter taught us we are the temple of God. We are the holy people of God. The living stone, Jesus Christ, we're all built upon him as now a new temple to provide a new kind of spiritual sacrifice. We have been delivered because we've been purchased by the precious blood of Christ, not to move to a new place, but to live in a new way, longing for the new heavens and the new earth. Christ has secured the covenant for us. There's still something very true about God. God blesses his people abundantly when he places his name upon us. If you're united with Christ, You have great blessing, and God is faithful to discipline those he loves in that blessing when we're disobedient. God does not bless disobedience, and he forgives the disobedience of all who confess. I want to appeal to you, Christian. Here's a prayer. that adores God, that praises God, that proclaims a righteous God, and is very clear about the shame of our rebellion and our sin. Do you still confess sin? When was the last time you confessed sin? With a conviction, with a brokenness of realizing how much you've fallen short. Does your confession of sin and maybe lack thereof lately, does that reflect less sin on your part or less recognition of it? Repentance is now the way of the Christian life. We get to grow closer to God and see more of our sins, so we're drawn out more closer to him. We can't say we're sinless, that'll make us liars. If we confess our sin, he forgives us. What an invitation to come out of shame, to come out of guilt, to come away from the sin that hinders us. And notice how central prayer is for the new life that Daniel hopes he and Judah will enjoy. Christian, how is your prayer life? How often you're praying, what you're praying for, how you're praying, that reveals your relation with God. Are we confessing our sin to God? Are we seeking to know more of His all and His righteousness? One of the things we prioritize is our Sunday morning service where we have lead prayers and our Wednesday night service where we pray together. The whole goal of that is that we're obedient to God's word praying together and that we're actually training and teaching each other to pray. Prayer's hard. It's a new way of talking. It's a new way of coming to God. What's amazing is if you just study all the different prayers in Scripture, it teaches you how to praise Him. It teaches you how to thank Him. It teaches you how to confess your sin. It teaches you how to complain rightfully to the righteous God. How gracious and kind is our God to invite us into these prayers, to lead us into these kinds of prayers? so that we know we can pray to him. The main emphasis here is this prayer, that's the main section, but prophecy is what follows. There's a promise, he prays, now there's the third and last section, verses 20, 27, and 20, 23 is a bit of an interlude leading up to this prophecy. Daniel says,

while I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for the holy hill of my God, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel,

not the first time we've seen Gabriel, the angel

whom I had seen in the vision of the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. He made me understand, speaking with me, saying, oh Daniel, I have come out to give you insight and understanding.

So Daniel's telling us while he's giving this prayer, Gabriel comes and gives him insight and understanding. Well, it isn't clear if Daniel has misunderstood something so far. He seems to be praying God's word very clearly and helpfully, but Gabriel comes to give him insight and understanding. There's something new actually. Verse 23,

at the beginning of your pleas for mercy, a word went out,

a declaration. As you were praying for mercy, a word went out. As he was praying for mercy, I wanna go ahead and say, a merciful word went out. And I've come to tell it to you. And just look, verse 23.

For you are greatly loved.

How sweet is that to hear, if you're Daniel? He's not hidden his sin, he's confessed it, he knows he's not lovely. But the affirmation of God here, of a man who's contrived, who's a man who's confessed his sin, who's a man who's coming to him pleading for mercy, you're greatly loved, and so I'm telling you something new. There's a great affirmation here that we understand that is ours. If we're in Christ, we're greatly loved. God doesn't fall in love, God gives us his love. And notice, God speaks because he loves. Everything God has ever said to us is given to us because he loves us. Every word from God is given to his people because he loves us. Here, Daniel receives this very unique revelation that is given to him by Gabriel that is intended for all the saints at all times afterwards, especially the church.

Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision.

Now the section everybody's been waiting on. This is the only section of Daniel people are like, I'm really waiting to hear what you did in about 70 weeks. Well, I've tried not to intend on disappointing everybody, As we come to this section, there's lots of questions. Hiss's division, verses 24 to 27. There are many questions. I'm gonna give you some of the questions you have to wrestle with as you think about this text, and I hope you have conversations about it afterwards. Verse 24, the 70 weeks. Is it 70 weeks? Is it a perfect time reference? Or is it, as it really reads, 77, 70 sabbatical sevens, meaning seven, a series of seven years, which would be four and 90 years. Is it related to weeks, years, or some kind of vague, perfect number? That's one decision. Verse 24, all these purposes in 24, all these things that are gonna come after 70 weeks, to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to seal both the vision and the prophet, incredible promises, incredible purpose, that's good. When do all these take place? Is it all at once? Number three, verse 25. Gabriel says that the word went out to restore Jerusalem. There's actually four options, but the two primary options seem to be Ezra 7-7 is when that word went out, which is 458 B.C., or Nehemiah 2, which would be 445 B.C. If your head's spinning, just wait. Question number four, who is the anointed one and the prince? Pretty significant moment here, that this new figure is being promised here, coming of an anointed one and a prince in verse 25. Verse 25 and 26, there's a seven-week period and a 62-week period. Are those supposed to be added up to 69 weeks, which is almost 70 weeks, isn't it? What is the last week? Why is it distant from the other 69 weeks? Number seven, verse 26, how and why is the anointed one cut off? How does that relate to Jerusalem? Number eight, verse 26, the people of the prince, the anointed and the prince are the same person in 25, is the anointed and the prince the same person in verse 26? Or is the prince a new figure? And then, just beyond the text, how does this fit with the rest of the apocalyptic visions of Daniel. How does it fit with Matthew 24 in Revelation? Major questions. The most significant question I've really wrestled with that I found to be central is the identification of the second prince reference. It's important to see the main thing as we wrestle with this. Let me tell you what you can walk away with that's very clear from this text before we get into an interpretation. Daniel's been waiting 70 years. In response to the prayer after 70 years, he gets another time reference, and he gets a promise of what will happen. And let's just focus in on those six things that is promised. There's a decree about your people and your holy city. I believe here there's an affirmation God is turning his attention to his people in the city, as Daniel asked. There's this which God is remembering and making a promise to return to this people. And remember, he prayed for forgiveness. He prayed for him to hear but also to forgive. Notice the content of the prayer. Here's what is decreed about your people and your city.

To finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for iniquity.

It sounds like an affirmation that the request for prayer is answered in some way. Those are the three negative statements. Finished transgression, put an end to sin, atone for iniquity. Now notice,

to bring an everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, to anoint a most holy place.

There's a completion, there's a perfection that happens after 70 weeks. The beauty of Daniel remembering the promise. Daniel praying according to the promise is that God has given him assurance. I see you, I hear you, I have a plan for the full forgiveness and restoration of Jerusalem. But now we have all those questions. I've read at least 10 different authors on this and have as many views wrestling in my head. I've never wanted a church so badly in my life. I'm gonna run through and just give you one big gulp of what I think this means, and then you can talk amongst yourselves afterwards. I believe the seven weeks, I believe the 70 weeks, it should be read as the 77s. The sevens could be a period of weeks or the sabbatical year, seven years leading up to the seventh sabbatical year. I believe because Daniel's praying after 70 years, there's a real timestamp given in response to how Daniel's praying. It also seems to follow the pattern of scripture from Leviticus 25 that these are 70 sets of seven years, which is 490 years, which means Daniel is praying, God, it's time to restore Israel, and God at some level is saying, yes, and you will wait longer for a different kind of completion. Verse 24, then 70 weeks and 490 years and 70 sabbatical seasons or sections. I will bring about this great salvation to finish transgression, to atone for iniquity, to anoint a most holy place. And then 25,

know therefore and understand from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince. There shall be seven weeks. Then for 62 weeks, it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.

All right, so now we've got seven weeks, which, we've got the seven weeks, we have the 62 weeks. Well, if I'm counting the weeks as Sabbath sections, or seven years, seven sabbaticals, 49 years, 62 sabbaticals, 434 years, that is a total of 483 years. We're looking at timestamps, assuming the seven and the 62 should be added. And notice he's saying, from the time the word to restore Jerusalem goes out, There'll be 49 years and 34 years, that's 483 years. Remember those two starting places for when that word goes out. I believe it should be Ezra, 457. If you take 457, subtract 483, again, that's 457 BC. There's no zero year, which is what gets confusing. You end up in 27 AD. This would be about the time of Jesus' baptism. of his anointing, of the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus, anointing him to be the Savior. That time lines up. Then notice that he is the prince and the anointed. Those two names are tied together, which is significant for how I feel I need to interpret the latter part. Notice 626,

after the 62 weeks, The anointing should be cut off.

Okay, there's just this brief declaration there's gonna be a Messiah, an anointed one, a ruler. And Daniel's all been about the rule of God forever. And then with the temple being built and Jerusalem being restored, then the ruler is cut off? And shall have nothing? Believe here, we see a reference of Jesus Christ. His being cut off. Him having nothing. No honor, because he dies on the cross. No one to defend him, he stands alone in our place. Here we see the anointed one not coming with power to destroy another kingdom, but power to die. A power with nothing. I believe this is where we can see Isaiah 53 informing what's taking place in that simple declaration,

the anointed one shall be cut off.

He will die not for his own sin, because he has no sin. He will die for his people's sin. How much Daniel understood the sweetness of this? Well, notice he, in other prophecies, he couldn't sleep afterwards. This one, that doesn't say that. Whatever he understands, it's a fuller, more longer-weighted salvation that's coming. Now here's where the key difficult interpretation that I've wrestled with all week is.

In the people of the prince, who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.

It doesn't say the prince destroys the city and the sanctuary, it says the people of the prince. This prince could either be the antichrist who is to come later or it could be another reference back to Jesus. I find it unusual that Gabriel would give us anointed prince referring to Jesus and then anointed prince and the prince doesn't refer to the same person. That's how I'm trying to help you see how I've gotten to this prince should be Jesus. How did the people of the prince destroy the city and the sanctuary? There's many desolations. We realize there's some way in which a gradual fulfillment of all that's going on. I realize it's late. Got to do a little thinking. Got to do a little talking afterwards. The abomination of desolation spoke of Daniel in the holy place in chapter 8. Last time we were together was Antiochus. When a Roman governor decided to put a pig on the altar of the Jewish temple to worship Zeus. That was one abomination. That was one desolation. Well, that Roman governor defiled the temple of God with a wrong sacrifice. I believe here the people of the prince, they're now being accused of a worse desolation than the Romans because they put to death Jesus Christ, the true temple of God. Well, God's saying, I remember my people, but it's the same people who destroyed Jesus. Remember, Jesus refers to himself as the temple. and says it will be destroyed in three days and be raised again. Here the people of the prince, they're the ones destroying the temple. I believe there's an incredible judgment for the people in that they're the ones who cut him off. They're the ones who destroy that temple. I believe, as we saw, Antiochus was one fulfillment. The people here killing Jesus is another fulfillment. I believe there's another fulfillment in AD 70 where Jesus tells us in Matthew 24, it's actually the Jewish people's fault also of the temple destruction in AD 70.

As the end shall come with a flood, the end shall be war. Desolations are decreed.

None of this is happening out of God's control. He has decreed it. We can see from 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. Verse 27, he, referring back to the prince, Jesus makes a strong covenant with many for one week, and

for half the week he shall put an end to the sacrifice and the offering.

I believe that half week of whatever, when Christ has put an end to the sacrifice, that's him giving his own life, being cut off. He put an end to the sacrifices in a new covenant by becoming the once for all sacrifice.

On the wing of abomination shall come the one who makes desolate until the decree end is poured out on the desolator.

There is a final defeat of Satan and the Antichrist. A couple takeaways. Your salvation is not based on your understanding of every detail of what God is foretelling Daniel. It is based upon Jesus Christ and your faith in him dying for you and your sin. This passage is important for us because of how good God has been. From what people will this Messiah come? You can answer it out loud. The Jews. The line of David, the root of Jesse. Where will the Messiah be born? Why do we know that? God told us. This passage is telling us a when. Might be why the Magi of the East know when to come to Jerusalem. Might be why those in the temple were ready. Many were waiting. God has been good to show us. Again, the promise here, after Daniel has prayed, I will atone for the iniquity. There will be an atonement for iniquity. There will be a forgiveness of sin. The anointed one, the king, he will come and his rule shall be forever. He will bring about the true and perfect covenant. As we reflect upon this in our current new covenant with Christ, there is no time stamp for when Jesus is coming again. He told us we will not know. So we are to wait faithfully, actively, patiently. Wait faithfully, actively, patiently. Faithful means we're being obedient to God in all the way he's commanded us, knowing he is righteous. We're active and obedient, seeking to build up his church, the true temple of God, not a man-made temple. Patiently. He is worthy of all your worship. While you're waiting, do not get distracted and fall into sin, fall into earthly comforts, fall into earthly confusion. Long for Jesus return. Come Lord Jesus. We pray with me. Father, we come before you. Thankful you have not left us alone in our darkness, in our self-deception. You have spoken so we know you're the righteous, awesome God. We thank you, we know your promise that you will remove our sin as far as from the east, from the west, and it is removed from us because you placed it upon Christ, and he paid it all. Give us great confidence that you're the God worthy of our worship, because you're the God who has forgiven us of our sin, We thank you for how you've orchestrated this great salvation. Help us to wait faithfully until Christ returns. In his name we pray, amen.