"I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years whereof the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah the prophet, for the accomplishing of the desolations of Jerusalem, even seventy years." This time was now nearly up. It was the first year of Darius the Mede, who received the kingdom after the city of Babylon was taken and Belshazzar was slain. (Dan. 5:30, 31.) And now Judah's exile should be ended and the day of her liberation was at hand. But was there any indication that such a thing was about to take place? None at all thus far--no stir, no movement, no edict, in fact no visible prospect. But far more depressing to Daniel was the fact that there was no evidence of any spiritual preparation among the people. For God's predictions are not fulfilled in a mechanical sort of way. They are always conditioned. Thus, for example, God had indeed said that He would lead Israel out of Egypt and bring them into the land which He had promised to their fathers; but when they rebelled against Jehovah, the realization of the promise was deferred forty years, until all that generation died; and not they but their sons inherited the land. And, but for Moses' intercession in the matter of the golden calf, none of Israel would have gone in, and the [73] whole program would have been set back by 400 years. Thus, in like manner, the promise of the return from the Babylon captivity was indeed scheduled to take place after seventy years were fulfilled; but certain conditions were implied, and not only implied, but plainly stated. In connection with the promise of the return as given in Jer. 29:10, the Lord said, "And ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith Jehovah, and I will turn again your captivity . . . and I will bring you again unto the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive." This is in accord with the general principles which had been laid down before by Moses, in Lev. 26:40-42, in which the confession of their iniquity of their fathers, and the acknowledgment of the righteousness of God's punitive dealings with them, and a humble submission to Jehovah, is made the condition of their restoration. Until such a change took place, and a new attitude was manifest, God could not restore them.

      The time had now come for their return from Babylonian exile. But there was no sign in Israel of any self-humiliation. There was no contrition to be seen, there was no supplication, no seeking after Jehovah with all their heart. Far from it--many of the Jews had become acclimatized to Babylon's pleasant surroundings and were content to live there for ever. They had enjoyed many favors of them that had carried them captive--largely through the [74] sacrificial faithfulness of Daniel and his friends. Some of them had grown wealthy; and (as the event showed) most of them did not care to go back to the scenes of ruin and desolation which had been their fathers' happy land.

      A heavy fear and foreboding gripped Daniel's heart. Could the promised return and restoration take place under these circumstances? He had anticipated with joy the glorious vision of Israel's restoration, as pictured in Jeremiah (chapts. 30-33) and in other pre-exilic prophets. If he had perhaps hoped that the hour of this wonderful restoration was nigh, there were things which troubled him.

      Seventy years--and yet, four Gentile world-powers were to come--four beasts, the little horn of the fourth, the terrible sufferings in store for his people before they were to come into their own? And those prophecies looked far into the future. The "he-goat" with the notable horn between his eyes--the power of Greece under its first king, Alexander--must come and conquer the Medo-Persian ram; and four kingdoms were to arise out of Alexander's empire, and out of one of these, in their latter time, a little horn, a bitter persecutor of Israel was to come. All that was a long way off: the vision was for many days, and belonged to the time of the end. And when would all Israel and Judah be gathered back to their land, and that to possess it for ever, as Jeremiah had foretold? (Jer. 30:3.) When at last would Jacob's tempestuous voyage end and his storm-tossed ship anchor in that glad haven of rest, where he "shall be quiet and at ease, and none shall make him afraid," and "they [75] shall not sorrow any more at all"? (Jer. 30:10; 31:12.) And when would this be true: "In those days and in that time, saith Jehovah, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I leave as a remnant." (Jer. 50:20). In seventy years? This was what perplexed Daniel, and filled him with fears and apprehensions concerning the future of his beloved people, their land and their city.

      And therefore he now lays himself out to pray for them. Because they evinced no spirit of penitence, because they did not confess their sins, and appeal to Jehovah in tears and supplications, therefore he, Daniel, would set himself to do this for them, as their representative, their intercessor. Did not Moses do so in Israel's wilderness days, and God heard and accepted the nation for his sake? So now would he do.

      "And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. And I prayed unto Jehovah my God and made confession and said . . ."--Will the reader now turn to the chapter and read for himself this wonderful prayer of intercession which follows (Dan. 9:4-19), and note some of its high features.

      1. His confession, thoroughgoing, frank and honest. No excuse, no minimizing of guilt, no reservation is there.

      2. He justifies God and condemns the sinner. (Comp. Ps. 51:4.) He acknowledges unreservedly God's justice in the judgments that have been [76] inflicted upon the people. He fulfills the conditions laid down in Lev. 26:40-42.

      3. He confesses also the people's careless and impenitent state, which, alas, still existed. (Verse 13.)

      4. Although Daniel himself had been pure and true in all his life, he takes his place with the guilty, sinful people and thus pleads for them. It is not merely "they" that sinned, but "we". So also did Moses identify himself with guilty Israel (Ex. 34:9), and our Lord Jesus, who for our sake was reckoned among the transgressors.

      5. Beneath it all, as in all the great prayers of the Bible, there is a deep concern for God's interest--His name, His honor. For Jerusalem was not just a city, dear to Daniel's heart, but she is God's city--"thy city, thy holy mountain," "the city which is called by thy name." And the temple which lay in ruins because of the nation's sin is "thy sanctuary that is desolate." Yea, and the people, though for the time disowned, are "thy people" and they "are called by thy name". How long shall this reproach be, that men shall say, "These are Jehovah's people, and are gone forth into captivity?"

      6. The great burden of the prayer is finally compressed into its final sentence: "O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake. O my God, because they city and thy people are called by thy name." In this one petition--"defer not"--centers Daniel's hope and fear. The seventy years are fulfilled--O Lord, despite just [77] cause to do otherwise, defer not, but fulfil the gracious promise to us now, for your name's sake.

      But defer He would and must. Yet there should be a token fulfillment of His promise. There would be a liberation and return of a handful of the people. But the great promise of the glorious restoration must wait. How long? This is the theme of the prophecy that follows. (Dan. 9:24-27.)

      While Daniel was yet "speaking and praying," and, as he said, "confessing my sin and sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before Jehovah my God for the holy mountain of my God"--there came again "the man Gabriel whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning." (This either has reference to the vision of chapter 8, verse 16--or to a vision which is not recorded.) And Gabriel instructed him and talked with him, and said, "O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee wisdom and understanding." As had begun to pray, Gabriel received orders from God; "and (he said) I am come forth to tell thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore consider the matter; and understand the vision." (Dan. 9:20-23.) Here follows the wonderful prophecy of the "Seventy Weeks"--the discussion of which belongs to the next lesson.

[LOD2 73-80]