“Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God…”
Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God,
God replied to Daniel’s prayer in verses 20-23, while he was still in the act of prayer. God’s answer came in the form of the vision of the seventy sevens – a 490-year program for Israel. After sixty-nine heptads (units of seven) equaling 483 years, the death of the Messiah would occur. After an indefinite period following the death of the Messiah, the final seven years would culminate in the Second Coming of Christ. There is, then, an interval between the sixty-ninth and seventieth heptads. The Antichrist will head the Revived Roman Empire during the seventieth heptad of seven years.
Prayer for the “holy mountain” is a prayer for the restoration of Israel back to the land from captivity. Notice that Daniel not only confessed the sin of the nation, but he confessed his personal sins.
PRINCIPLE:
Frank confession places us into fellowship with the Lord.
APPLICATION:
It is challenging to admit that we are wrong. It is hard to say to another, “I am to blame.” This is true with our fellowship with God as well. David was a man after God’s own heart because he confessed his adultery. He wrote two Psalms of confession after his sin (Pss 32, 51). God restored him to fellowship after his confession. David learned to say, “I violated you, God. It was my fault.”
If we breach our fellowship with God, we will lose our joy. The only way back to joy is to make a frank diagnosis and confession of our sin.
