12 “‘And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.’”
9:12
“And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem.”
Now Daniel details the divine discipline God brought upon Israel for her sin and rebellion against God’s Word.
9:13
“As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.”
Moses warned Israel about departing from God, but Israel disregarded the warning in Moses, so God brought discipline upon them. The remedy lies in the repentance of Israel.
PRINCIPLE:
Non-confession of sin sends us pell-mell toward spiritual degeneration.
APPLICATION:
The more we neglect fellowship with the Lord, the worse our discipline becomes. There is a degenerating process if we do not confess our sins. Knowledge and application of the principles of the Word will save us from protracted discipline. All effective Christian living rests on the principles of the Word.
Effective prayer rests on the principles of the Word. Prayer should not be hit or miss: “Lord, bless the lilies and the little bunnies of the field!” That is a shotgun approach to prayer or confession. True confession lies in specifying our sin.
Genuine confession involves acknowledging specific sins. It is not enough to pray, “I confess my sins.” We must tell God precisely how we violate Him. If we order a computer, we order a specific computer within certain specifications and price limits.
When we recognize that we are utterly unworthy in the presence of an absolute, Almighty God, we have the right attitude for confession and prayer. The more holy we are, the more conscious we are of our sin. We have a sense of our unworthiness. Justification of self will not help us to grow in the Lord. Evading and minimizing our sins will lead us further astray. Our hope lies in admitting our unworthiness and casting ourselves on the mercy of God. Humility is the foundation for confession.
Ge 18:27, “Then Abraham answered and said, ‘Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord…’”
Is 6:5, “So I said:
‘Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The Lord of hosts.’”
Confidence in the character of God is at the root of all trust in God. If God’s favor falls on His people, everything else will follow in its place. A characteristic of God’s glory is that He is good to His people.
