Diving into Daniel: Daniel Reads Scripture
Daniel 9:1-2 - God’s Word invites deep study and then intensive prayer.
“In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.”
Daniel 9:1-2 NASB1995
Daniel 9 begins with Daniel observing (or understanding, depending on the translation) in the books the number of years that were revealed to the prophet Jeremiah for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem. This occurs in the first year of the reign of Darius, about twelve years after the vision in Daniel 8 and in approximately 539 to 538 BC according to Precept Austin. I love the image that Steve was able to get from ChatGPT AI. An elderly Daniel is by the window using the light to help him read scrolls of scripture!
The in-depth commentary on these two verses in Enduring Word is superb, with a lot to absorb; this tells the story so well and I am appreciative of the scholarship of David Guzik:
Understood by the books: Daniel 9 is one of the most amazing and significant prophetic passages in the Bible, and it begins with Daniel’s understanding and application of prophecy.
Daniel understood something from reading the words of God’s prophets. Prophecy is meant to be understood – perhaps not in every detail, but certainly in its main points.
Daniel understood this by the books – the specific words recorded in God-inspired books. Daniel couldn’t read 2 Timothy 3:16, but he did believe the truth of it: All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
“These verses show Daniel as a diligent student of Scripture who built his prayer life on the Word of God.” (Gleason Archer)
“Oh! That you studied your Bibles more! Oh! That we all did! How we could plead the promises! How often we should prevail with God when we could hold him to his word, and say, ‘Fulfill this word unto thy servant, whereon thou hast caused me to hope.’ Oh! It is grand praying when our mouth is full of God’s word, for there is no word that can prevail with him like his own.” (Charles Spurgeon)
The number of years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah: Daniel knew that effective prayer comes out of knowing and praying both God’s word and our present circumstances. His study of prophecy showed him a specific number – the 70 years described in Jeremiah 25:11-13 and Jeremiah 29:10, and his knowledge of the times led him to know those passages applied to his time.
“And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. ‘Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,” says the LORD; “and I will make it a perpetual desolation. So I will bring on that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied concerning all the nations” (Jeremiah 25:11-13).
For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place (Jeremiah 29:10).
It is important to note that Daniel regarded these as real, literal years. They were in no way understood as symbolic years.
Daniel was undoubtedly also familiar with Isaiah’s prophecies concerning Cyrus (Isaiah 44:28-45:4). He must have been encouraged to see a man named Cyrus rise in power over Persia.
That He would accomplish seventy years: Daniel believed that God would accomplish seventy years of captivity, yet he prayed passionately that God would do what He promised to do. Daniel knew that God’s promises invite our prayers and participation. They do not exclude our prayers and participation.
“Nothing, therefore, can be better for us, than to ask for what he has promised.” (John Calvin)
This principle is repeated in many passages. 2 Peter 3:12 indicates that there is a sense in which we can hasten the Lord’s coming by our holy conduct and godly lives; we can also hasten the Lord’s coming through evangelism because Paul says that God’s prophetic focus on Israel will resume when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in (Romans 11:25). This means that we can also hasten the Lord’s coming through prayer, even as Daniel asked for a speedy fulfillment of prophecy regarding captive Israel (Daniel 9). We can also pray Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20). If we want Jesus to come soon, there is something we can do about it.
But a second important reason is that Daniel asked God, in His mercy, to take the earliest of all possible starting points (Daniel’s abduction) for determining the beginning of the 70 years. There were three waves of captivity:
605 B.C. – Jerusalem was attacked and Daniel and other captives were taken to Babylon.
597 B.C. – Jerusalem was attacked and treasure was taken from the temple.
587 B.C. – Jerusalem falls and the nation was exiled.
Daniel wanted to prevail in prayer, asking God to take the earliest possible starting point to determine the 70 years. He wanted God’s mercy to come to Israel 18 years earlier rather than 18 years later.
In the first year of Darius: This was still three or four years before 70 years had passed from 605 B.C. This was not too soon for Daniel to begin praying. Daniel had the foresight to look ahead three or four years and to begin praying.
The word of the LORD through Jeremiah: Even in God’s eternal decrees, God has an essential role for people to play. God’s plan of the ages is declared, yet Jeremiah made a prophecy, Daniel made a prayer, and Cyrus made a proclamation.
“Too often our interest in the prophetic Scriptures is of a curious and speculative nature, or else we conclude that God will carry out His sovereign purpose no matter what we do, and so we do not concern ourselves with those matters.” (Lehman Strauss)
By his tribal heritage or family history Daniel was not uniquely qualified for a ministry of intercession. He did not belong to a priestly family like Ezekiel and he wasn’t a career prophet like Isaiah or Jeremiah. Yet like all of us, he could pray.
In fact, Daniel’s calling and station in life made it less likely that he would be such a man of prayer. He was a high government official who almost certainly had a busy schedule – yet he took time and energy to pray.
“Do not, I pray you, get into the habit of neglecting the assembling of yourselves together for prayer. How often have I said, ‘All our strength lies in prayer’! When we were very few, God multiplied us in answer to prayer.” (Spurgeon).
Some takeaways from this commentary:
Prophecy is meant to be understood. This has to be hammered home to me, a believer who is also painfully shy about eschatology. This doesn’t mean that present-day “prophets” are irrelevant, but we should focus on what God says in His Word.
Studying scripture like Daniel does in this chapter before he prays is a wonderful way to connect to God.
Although Daniel knows from Jeremiah that God will fulfill His promises for 70 years before restoration, Daniel is also compelled to pray actively about this promise and pray that the earliest timeline is the most likely timeline.
God invites our prayers even when He has set events in motion and has already revealed His timelines.
We can perhaps hasten the Lord’s return through our holy conduct, evangelization and fervent prayer!
My next devotional examines Daniel 9:3-19 - Daniel’s Prayer
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Thank you for inviting me into doing a deep study of Daniel. I pray that I learn the lessons from these devotionals and Your Word to help my prayer life. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Commentary from Enduring Word by David Guzik is used with written permission.