Revision as of 16:31, 12 February 2024

Theological Proposition/Focus: We are all fallen creatures before the holy God of the universe.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: The holiness of God should drive us to our knees in repentance, not just for the sins of today but for the fallenness of humanity.

Introduction: Memory Verse: 1 Peter 5:7

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Preview: Today we are going to talk about repentance but not just personal repentance, corporate repentance. We will see that repentance ultimately acknowledges that we sin against God and must appeal to his mercy.

Text: Daniel 3:1-19, read Daniel 3:1-3 first then back to title slide then Daniel 3:4-19, then first point.

Image: Anticipation

Have you ever waited for something for so long that when the time finally comes you can't do anything but think about it? For me this often happens at night. A couple of years back I was going to be ferrying a small plane that had some instrument failures from Colorado to Lincoln by myself before it got repaired. It would be the first time I had ever made that length of a flight by myself and since the airplane was in need of repair my nerves were a little more tense than usual. In the days leading up to the flight I didn't really think much about it. But the night before I could hardly sleep. I was excited, anxious, and just primed to go. I remember thinking to myself, go to sleep, you need your sleep before this flight. Anticipation was driving me nuts!

Today we are going to be looking at Daniel 9 and anticipation will weigh heavy on Daniel. In order to understand Daniel 9 we need to take some time and dig into the historical background that brings us up to chapter 9.

Setting the Stage:

The Fall of Jerusalem

In 587 BC the city of Jerusalem fell to the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II. This campaign was part of a series of events that resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of many Judeans to Babylon.

Several factors were at work:

Political instability: The Kingdom of Judah was politically weak and faced internal strife, making it vulnerable to external aggression. Disobedience to Babylon: Judah rebelled against Babylonian rule, which led Nebuchadnezzar to besiege Jerusalem in 597 BC and later in 587 BC. Siege warfare: The Babylonian army surrounded Jerusalem, cutting off its food and water supplies, leading to famine and desperation among the inhabitants. Destruction of the city: After a lengthy siege, the Babylonian forces breached the walls of Jerusalem, resulting in the destruction of the city and its temple, including Solomon's Temple. Exile of the population: Many of the prominent citizens of Judah were taken into captivity and forced into exile in Babylon, marking the beginning of the Babylonian Exile, which lasted for several decades.

The reality underneath the visible reality was that God was at work.

The problems

At the beginning of Israel's history Moses had revealed the principle under which God intended to work with Israel

Obedience would bring blessing, and disobedience would bring discipline. One form of discipline was that Israel would be subjugated to Gentile powers (Deut. 28:48–57, 64–68). Israel’s experience in Babylon was the outworking of this principle.^[1]

However, Moses also promised that "the discipline would be lifted and the nation would be restored to blessing (Deut. 30). She would have to return to God and obey His voice; then God would turn back her Captivity and restore the people to the land from which they had been dispersed and shower blessings on them. ^[2]"

The prophets

Within the prophetic writings, the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the Judeans to Babylon were said to be consequences of the people's disobedience and rebellion against God's laws and commandments.

Throughout the Bible, there were numerous warnings from prophets such as Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Ezekiel, urging the people of Judah to repent and turn back to God. They prophesied about the impending destruction of Jerusalem if the people continued in their sinful ways, including idolatry, social injustice, and moral corruption. God's allowance of Jerusalem to fall to Babylon was in fulfillment of these prophetic warnings and as a demonstration of divine justice. God used the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar as an instrument of punishment to discipline the people of Judah and to bring about their repentance.

But hope was also promised in Jeremiah 25:11-12

11 This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 12 “But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt,” declares the Lord, “and will make it desolate forever.^[3]

Israel had messed up, but God was merciful and would restore the people. This is the context in which we find ourselves in Daniel chapter 9.

Let's read

Daniel 9:1-3.

In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. ^[4]

Daniel 9:4-19

4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:

“Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.

7 “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.

“Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. 12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. 14 The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.

15 “Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. 16 Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.

17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” ^[5]

Body

Repentance requires personal and corporate confession (4-6).

Most of us are familiar with the ideas of personal confession of sin.

But the reality is that we should also consider corporate confession..

Wickedness, rebellion, disobedience, and failure to listen rank among the top corporate sins.

Image:

MTR: Consider, what are some areas of corporate sin for which you should be repenting?

Repentance requires that we acknowledge that ultimately our sins are against the God of the universe (7-14).

When sin is allowed to linger it breeds shame.

Because sin is ultimately against God, God has the right to discipline.

God's discipline seeks to turn the sinner back to God.

Image:

MTR: Search your own heart, are there areas in which God is trying to get your attention?

Repentance requires an appeal to God not based on our righteousness but on His mercy (15-19).

Appealing to God is the correct response to sin.

Calling on the God who mercifully forgives is appropriate.

For the Christian our appeal for mercy is grounded in the cross of Christ.

Image:

MTR: Take a second consider the cross, come to God and ask for forgiveness, and joyfully praise the God who has forgiven.

1. ↑ J. Dwight Pentecost, “Daniel,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1359–1360.
2. ↑ J. Dwight Pentecost, “Daniel,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1359–1360.
3. ↑ Jeremiah 25:11-12
4. ↑ Daniel 9:1-3, NIV.
5. ↑ Daniel 9:4-19, NIV.