Daniel's Intercession

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DANIEL 9:16-19

16 “O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. 17 Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. 19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

After [a] lengthy confession to God of his own sins, and an admission of the peoples’ transgressions, beginning in Dan 9:16–19, Daniel presented the content of his petition to the Lord. Daniel’s petition consisted of a prayer for restoration in three separate parts: (1) restoration of “your city Jerusalem . . . the city which is called by your name”–vv. 16, 18, (2) restoration of “your sanctuary,” which is the Temple—v. 17, and (3) restoration of God’s people, the Jewish nation—v. 19. Note that Daniel based his prayer not upon the peoples’ own righteous deeds, but upon God’s mercies as were demonstrated in history. In response to his prayer, the Lord sent the angel Gabriel to Daniel. Twelve years prior to this occasion Daniel had been visited by Gabriel after his vision of the ram and goat (cf. Dan. 8:16), which was possibly Gabriel’s second visit to Daniel (cf. Dan. 7:16).— Plea for Mercy (9:16–19), https://redeemedmind.com/2017/12/15/prayer-and-prophecy-daniel-9/.

Daniel's plea for mercy is instructive to all of us. First, we must confess our own sins to God which is part of our "reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1). Then we must intercede for others. As Jesus instructed, we must pray for our debts and then pray for our debtors (Matt. 6:9-13).

He further explains in Matthew 6:14-15:

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

St. Augustine called this request "the terrible petition," because he realized that if we pray, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors " with an unforgiving heart, we are actually asking God not to forgive us. We see this clearly if we substitute for the word debt the word sin, which is its intrinsic meaning. Then the petition reads, "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us."—R. Kent Hughes, The Sermon On The Mount: The Message Of The Kingdom ( This "terrible petition" can curse us or bless us, dare we pray it?)

PRAYER: Dear God, I confess my sins before you. O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! Let your anger and fury be turned away. Be merciful O God, according to your loving kindness and tender mercies. Deliver me from all evil. Amen!