(Video clip:  Fiddler on the Roof - 22:10 to 23:47)

Been there?  Tevye - the poor struggling milkman with the lame horse - with five daughters instead of five sons - living in a ordered world that’s coming apart - talking with God in that kind of personal one-on-one dialogue - crying out to God:   “The good book says, ‘Heal us O Lord and we shall be healed.’  In other words, send us the cure.  We’ve got the sickness already.”

Do you ever feel that way?  Do you ever feel tired?  Weary?  Spiritually?  Physically?  We’re living for Jesus.  Trying to do all the right things and hang in there.  But life really is a spiritual battle.  And sometimes it just gets to be too much.  When it seems like the opposition is winning.  Ever feel like that?  Where is God and His cure?

That’s the context of Daniel 9.  If you would, turn with me to Daniel 9:1.  As we’ve been doing we’re going to go through chapter 9 - unpacking as we go along - and then come to application for our lives.  We want to look at Daniel - who was extremely weary of all that was going on around him - and where Daniel found the courage to go on.

Daniel 9:1:  In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans - which is another word for Babylonians - in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.  Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking Him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

Let’s pause there and catch up to Where Daniel Is At.

We’re moving through the part of the Book of Daniel that focuses on prophecy - future history.  Which is confusing enough as it is.  Just to help us become more confused the Book of Daniel itself jumps backwards and forwards in time.  So, hang on.  Since last Sunday - chapter 8 - we’ve jumped backwards in time.

Do you remember when we last saw Darius?  Back at the end of chapter 5 - the handwriting on the wall.  When Cyrus - the Persian - conquered Babylon and took out Belshazzar - Cyrus the Persian left Darius the Mede in charge.  Same Darius as here in chapter 9.  The first year of Darius’ reign - when Belshazzar got taken out - would put us at 539 BC. 

So what goes here in chapter 9 takes place after Daniel’s two visions - in chapters 7 and 8 - but before what happens in chapter 6 - the lion’s den.  Slightly confusing.  Isn’t it?  Hang on to this.  Here’s the point.  We’re being brought back to focus on a pivotal point in history - pivotal between empires pivotal - in the relationship between God and His people.  The date of 539 BC is important for us to hang on to.

Then there’s Nebuchadnezzar - remember him?  Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem and hauled Daniel off into exile in Babylon in 605 BC.    So Daniel - who’s probably about 80 - Daniel has been living in Babylon for about 68 years. 

Notice also who Daniel is reading?  The prophet Jeremiah.  That was Daniel’s routine - right?  Pray three times a day.  Read Scripture.  That’s why later he gets tossed into the lion’s den.  Reading Scripture will do things to us.  Specifically Daniel is reading... Jeremiah.

In the 23 years before Daniel was hauled off to Babylon [in 605 BC] - for 23 years before that God had been speaking through Jeremiah - warning His people.  “You’re not listening to Me.  You’re not obeying Me.  Turn back to Me or I’m going to send judgment.”  Finally, in Jeremiah 25 - God specifically says, “I’ve had it.  I’m going to send Nebuchadnezzar to haul you off into exile.”

Then this - which was what Daniel refers to here.  Jeremiah 25:11:  “This whole land - meaning Palestine - this whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”

70 years being a huge number.  605 BC - Daniel gets hauled off to Babylon.  597 BC - Nebuchadnezzar hauls off another group of Jews into exile.  Finally in 586 there’s another deportation and Nebuchadnezzar destroys the temple in Jerusalem.

Point being:  Daniel - 539 BC - the Babylonians are toast because Cyrus just took out… Belshazzar.  Darius is now on the throne.  Daniel has been given these visions that have only reinforced his faith in God’s sovereignty over what’s going on around him.  Daniel and his people have been in exile since 605 - for about 68 years - coming up 70.  Or did the clock start in 586 with the destruction of the Temple?  Pivotal point in history.  Grab the question:  "Are the 70 years done?"

Where is Daniel at?  He’s taking God at His word.  He’s talking to the sovereign God about His word.  He's asking questions.  It is not too soon to start praying about this.  Which is what we need to do?  Isn’t it?  When we see what goes on around us and we wonder what God is up to.  When we're weary.  Go to God.  Pray.

Verses 4 to 19 are Daniel’s Prayer.  Daniel taking all this to God.

Hang on.  We’re going to read this whole prayer and then we’ll come back and make some observations.  Keep your safety bars down and locked until the prayer has come to a complete stop.

Verse 4:  I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.  We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. - Remember God’s warnings through Jeremiah?

Verse 7:  To You, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you.  To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against You.  To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets.  All Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice.  And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against Him. - God.

Verse 12:  He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity.  For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem.  As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. - Meaning we never repented.

Verse 14:  Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that He has done, and we have not obeyed His voice.  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, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.  O Lord, according to all Your righteous acts, let 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 byword among all who are around us. -  Now would be a good time for Your mercy and grace.

 
Verse 17:  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.  O 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.  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.” - We have the disease.  We need the cure.

Let’s stop there.  You can let go of the safety bar.

There are two observations that are helpful for us to make.

First:  The focus of Daniel’s prayer to God, is God.

In verse 4 Daniel begins with adoration.  God is the “great and awesome God.”  God our creator.  Who has creating everything simply because He has willed to do so.  God Who is almighty.  Marvelous beyond description.  Who is above and beyond comprehension.  Who is to be reverenced.  Feared.  Honored.

He is the God who “keeps His covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments.”  God who keeps His word.  Is faithful when we are faithless.  Who chooses to love us even when we were living as His enemies.  God who provides for us - cares for us - nurtures us - is patient and gracious and merciful towards us.

Verse 7:  “To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness.”  God Who is holy - without sin - separate from His creation.  Verse 9:  “To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness.”  He is the God who chooses to save us - for His own sake.  Not ours.  Verse 14:  What God does is in accord with His righteousness.  Salvation - judgment - He is always acting without sin.  Always just.  Always holy.

Adoration is all about God.  Who God is.  His character.  Exalting Him.  The King exalted on high.  We will praise Him.

On your Message Notes you’ll find listed the attributes of God.  Communicable meaning to some degree we can process them.  Incommunicable meaning the part of Who God is that we just don’t get. 

They're there so that during your devotions - your time with God - this week you can take time to read through them.  Some of them are easier to understand than others.  Look them up in a dictionary or systematic theology.  The point is to take time to follow Daniel’s example.  To think about God.  Mediate on who He is.  To speak words of praise and exaltation to the only One who is worthy of that adoration.

Daniel’s request is according to God’s will.  His prayer is all about God.

Verse 16:  “O Lord, according to all Your righteous acts, let Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem…”  Verse 17:  “For Your own sake, O Lord, make Your face to shine upon Your sanctuary, which is desolate.”  Verse 18:  Answer my prayer, not because of my great righteousness, “but because of your great mercy.”  Verse 19:  “Delay not, for Your own sake… because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

This is about what God wills.  Praying in conformity to the will of God.  Daniel knows the prophecy.  Knows that God keeps His word.  Knows of the character of God.  So Daniel’s prayer is asking for God to act according to God's character and to accomplish God's will.  “Hallowed be Your name...  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9,10)

Way too often we come to prayer and our prayers are all about us.  We skip through the adoration part giving token acknowledgement to who God is.  Rushing to our shopping list of requests and concerns.  We need to take time and marinate on this.  Who is the God that we’re coming before?  What does God want us to pray about?  What’s on His heart?

The focus of Daniel's prayer to God is God.

Second Observation:  Daniel’s humility before God.

This is how a godly man or women prays - approaches God on behalf of His people - in the midst of what wearies us.  Daniel is on His knees pleading for mercy - fasting - in sackcloth and ashes - in humility praying.  

We deserved this.  God wrote down His expectations - declared them to us even in the days of Moses.  We didn’t obey.  God sent prophet after prophet to warn us - to call us to repentance.  We didn’t listen.  God told us judgment had to come.  Still we rejected Him.  God did exactly what He said He would do and we deserve to be here in exile.

Isn’t that different from most of what we hear today?

A long time ago in a church far, far away - I visited a mother who’s son was in prison.  I forget the crime.  He wasn’t a mass murderer.  But, he deserved to be prison.  The mother said to me, “Pastor, my son is a good boy.  If you write a letter from the church, maybe they’ll let him go.”  Play the pastor card.

“Oh the injustice!  How our people have been wronged.  We’re owed something.  We don’t deserve this.  Its my spouses fault.  Its my parent’s fault.  How could a loving God allow this to happen?”

Notice the “we.”  Over and over Daniel lists the sins of his people.  He could have been detached - judgmental.  “They did this and now I’m living in exile.”  But, he includes himself.  “We deserve this.”  Anyone here never sin?  We all deserve God’s punishment for sin.

Its so easy for us as Christians to see ourselves as the solution and not part of the problem.  Others deserve what they get.  But, we’re just experiencing collateral damage - fallout from their sin.   

But, we struggle with and often succumb to the same temptations and problems and issues as those around us.  Maybe in different ways and to different degrees. But we’re all humanity.  The difference - those without Jesus struggle and have no answers.  We struggle and know where to turn for the answer.  But, we all struggle.

Daniel’s kind of honesty before God is seeing ourselves as participating in the sins of the society in which we live.  Bottom line - we’re all sinners - living before a holy and just - great and awesome God.  All of us are worthy punishment - of forever exile from Him.

Let’s go on to God’s Answer - verses 20 to 27.

Verse 20:  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, whom I had seen in the vision at the first,

Gabriel is who?  Angel of God.  Last Sunday we saw God send Gabriel to Daniel to explain the vision about the ram and goat.

Gabriel - came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice.  He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding.  At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved.  Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.

Let’s pause there.

Notice when God answers Daniel.

While Daniel is praying to God he is extremely weary of all that was going on around him.  60 plus years of an uphill battle living for God in a pagan society.  Where is God and His cure?  We can relate to how Daniel is feeling.  Yes?

God answers Daniel while Daniel is still speaking and praying and confessing and supplicating.  Daniel’s going on and on in prayer and the command has already been given.  Swiftly Gabriel comes.  The plan is in place.  Events are already in motion.  Whether we see it or not - in the craziness of our lives - in what wearies us - God is already in action.  The cure is already at work.

Second, notice how God regards Daniel.

Gabriel is sent to Daniel to tell Daniel that he is - what?  Verse 23 -  “greatly loved.” 

If you were getting pounded by this world would that help?  Just a tad?  To hear the great and awesome God tell you that He sees what you’re going through - hears your prayers - is already working - and that He greatly loves you?  There is a huge stamp of approval on Daniel and his character - his attitude in prayer.  “Daniel, you’re on the right track.  Keep going.  I’m with you.”

Do you know that God loves you?  Sometimes that's hard - to believe that God loves us.  Or that we're lovable.  Or to even think about loving ourselves.  John 3:16:  "For God so loved the world..."  The world is... us!  God so loved us that He gave His only Son to die on the cross - our place - taking the penalty for our sins - so that we can have a relationship with God now and forever.  God desires an eternal relationship with you because He loves you.  That's huge.  Isn't it?
 

Verses 24 to 27 are the core of God’s answer to Daniel’s prayer.  We’ll read these and then come back and then try to unpack what all this means.

Verses 24:  Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.  Know therefore and understand that 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 sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.  And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing.  And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.  Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war.  Desolations are decreed.  And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering.  And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.

There’s a lot here we don’t understand.  How’s that for an understatement?  On the back of your Message Notes is a chart that may help you to visualize this better.  God always answers prayer.  Sometimes His answer is “Yes.”  Sometimes its “No.”  Sometimes its “Wait.”  Sometimes God just blows our minds.

Before we get into this we need to be clear about something.  Future History means that it will happen the way that the sovereign God wills for it to happen.  Which also means that until it does happen we don’t know what exactly will happen.  And even then we may miss a few things along the way.

We're all in the same boat.  What I’m trying to do is what you’re trying to do which is to try to understand what God is telling us about what He’s going to do so we can understand what He wants us to understand and so to focus on Him and follow Him forward through all that.  Are we kinda of together on that?

What I'm sharing here is my best shot at trying to put together what I believe is a reasonable interpretation - after studying this through - my best shot of a reasonable interpretation of future history and share it in a way that hopefully is helpful.  Meaning that after Jesus comes back don’t harass me if I didn’t get all this right. 

There are a five observations that we can make in order to help us get a grasp on God’s answer to Daniel’s prayer.

First:  The meaning of the weeks.

At the core of Jeremiah’s prophecy - what Daniel is reading back up in verse two - the seventy years of exile for God’s people - at the core of that prophecy - the reason for the 70 year judgment was Israel’s failure to obey God.  Remember this? 

Daniel says this in verses 11 and 13, “All this calamity - this exile - this judgment - God poured out on us because we didn’t obey what God instructed us through Moses.” 

What did God instruct His people through Moses.  We need to be clear about that.

Moses instructed the Jews to plant crops for six years.  In the sixth year God would give them a bumper crop that they were to save - so that they could let the land rest during the seventh year.  Six years of growing.  One year of rest.  (Leviticus 26:1-22; 26:14-45; Deuteronomy 28:15-68; 30:2,3)

But, instead, they got greedy - disobeyed God - didn’t trust Him for His provision - kept the bumper crop - and planted in the seventh year anyway.  They did that for seventy cycles of seven years - for a total of 490 years.  So, God sends His people into exile for 70 years - one year for every 7 year cycle that they had disobeyed Him.  One year for every year they should have let the land rest.  70 years that when completed their exile would be brought to an end.

In verse 24, God calls those 70 years... 70 weeks.  Meaning that each week represents a 7 year cycle that God’s people disobeyed God.  1 week represents... 7 years.  What ultimately works out to 490 years.  70 times 7 cycles of 7 years.  In other words 70 weeks represents 490 years.

Second:  There’s a definite starting point to all this.  Verse 25 - the word - the decree - to “restore and rebuild Jerusalem.”

According to Nehemiah 2, the decree to “restore and rebuild Jerusalem” was issued in the 20th year of the reign of Artaxerxes.  Which doesn’t mean a whole lot - except that we know when that date was.  God has preserved it for us.  (Nehemiah 2:1-8)

Herodotus - who was a well respected historian and contemporary of Artaxerxes - and another famous historian of those days Thucydides - have kept an historical record of Artaxerxes - that includes dates.  So we know - from sources even outside the Bible - that the decree to restore Jerusalem was issued in the year 445 BC.

What was that date?  445 BC.  Hang onto that.

Third:  God gives us a way to check our answers.  To know if we really are understanding what God is saying to us here.  God wants us to get this.  And by the way - if what’s on the screen is moving too fast all this is on the chart on your Message Notes.

In verse 25 God divides the 70 weeks in to three groups of weeks:  Seven weeks and 62 weeks and a 70th week that we’ll come to in verse 27.  Gabriel says that from the decree - what decree?  The decree to rebuild Jerusalem.  What year?  445 BC - from the decree to the coming Messiah - Jesus - would be 7 weeks and 62 weeks - or 483 years until the Messiah is cut off.

If we were to take the time to do the math - take into account the Jewish year being 360 days instead of 365 days - correct the 4 year error in dating the birth of Jesus at 1 or possibly 2 AD rather than 4 BC - do all the calculations as some of have done - 483 years comes out to April 32 AD - or the very time we believe that most probably Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey - Palm Sunday.  Or, more importantly - the very week Jesus - the Messiah - was crucified - “cut off.”

Point being - because we can see the fulfillment of what Daniel was being told we know that our understanding of the weeks is accurate.  We can check our answers.

Fourth observation:  The 70th week hasn’t happened yet.

Things like making an end of sin - making an atonement for iniquity - bringing in everlasting righteousness.  We’re still waiting for that.  That’s why on your Message Notes you’ll see a squiggly line between the cross and the one last week.

Prophecy is often like looking over mountain ranges - seeing the tops of the mountains without seeing the valleys in between.  Daniel is standing in a valley looking up the slope of history to the first summit.  Beyond that he’s given a glimpse of a mountain peak further on.  What he doesn’t see - because its not important for him to understand - what he doesn’t see is the valley in between the mountains.  That valley is the squiggly line - the church age - today - whatever falls into the valley of time between the cross and the 490th week.

Point being - the prophetic clock has stopped.  We’re in a period of waiting.  But, as sure as the clock ticked through the crucifixion - it will tick again.  Count on it.  [pun intended]

Fifth observation:  The point of God’s answer is found in the last week.  Where is God going with all this?

The prince who is to come - same person we identified last Sunday - this coming abominable anti-Christ king - who’s going to destroy the city and the sanctuary of God - make a covenant with many for that one last week - and then half way through break it - put an end to sacrifice and grain offerings - warring against God’s people - verse 27 - all that wearies us goes on “until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator” - the abominable anti-Christ.

The whole code thing and the timing helps us to understand that the last week is seven years.  It is real time period - with a beginning and an end - and God has set the boundaries of what will happen.  Who sets the boundaries?  God.  The abomination gets his.  Evil and what wearies us will be brought to a just end.

Processing all that… for out heading back into life out there…

The prophecy is the answer to Daniel’s prayer.  Which is God answering  Daniel’s question about God’s timing and restoration of His people.  God giving Daniel a glimpse behind the curtain of past and future history.

The point isn’t whether we’re being treated unjustly or if God is doing what we think He should be doing - we got the sickness where’s the cure kind of thinking - the point is for us to be in alignment with God’s will.  Where God is going in history.

That behind God going out of His way to love on Daniel.  “Daniel, I hear your weariness.  Know that you are greatly loved - still - always.”  That’s why God shows Daniel how he Daniel - your people - your holy city - fit into what God is doing.

History - what often seems to us to ebb and flow without rhyme or reason - history - which kind of moves along and not much can be done about it - especially those currents that flow against God and His people - the events of history - and our lives - that weary us and seek to break us - history - as God uses history - is well thought out - designed - decreed - according to God’s sovereign will.  There are God set boundaries.

Hear this:  In times when we’re weary - we need to learn to exalt God - to focus on who He is - not on what wearies us.  To seek His will to be done.  To get in alignment with God’s movement in history.  What it is that He is already doing. 

Courage comes - even in times of great weariness - courage comes as we learn to see God moving in history and to see ourselves as a part of what He is doing.  As we learn to focus forward and follow Him.

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Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®  (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.