Daniel 9:1-14

Daniel Confesses for His People

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1In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes, a Mede by descent, who was made ruler over the kingdom of the Chaldeans—

2in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the sacred books, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.

3So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

4And I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed, “O, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His commandments,

5we have sinned and done wrong. We have acted wickedly and rebelled. We have turned away from Your commandments and ordinances.

6We have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, leaders, fathers, and all the people of the land.

7To You, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but this day we are covered with shame—the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, and all Israel near and far, in all the countries to which You have driven us because of our unfaithfulness to You.

8O LORD, we are covered with shame—our kings, our leaders, and our fathers—because we have sinned against You.

9To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, even though we have rebelled against Him

10and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God to walk in His laws, which He set before us through His servants the prophets.

11All Israel has transgressed Your law and turned away, refusing to obey Your voice; so the oath and the curse written in the Law of Moses the servant of God has been poured out on us, because we have sinned against You.

12You have carried out the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us a great disaster. For under all of heaven, nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem.

13Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our iniquities and giving attention to Your truth.

14Therefore the LORD has kept the calamity in store and brought it upon us. For the LORD our God is righteous in all He does; yet we have not obeyed His voice.

Berean Standard Bible

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In the first year of Darius, Daniel reads the LORD’s word to Jeremiah and understands that Jerusalem’s desolation will last seventy years. He turns to God in prayer, fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

Daniel begins with the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion. Then he confesses: Israel has sinned, rebelled, rejected God’s commands, and refused to listen to His prophets. Kings, leaders, ancestors, and the people all share in that refusal. Daniel says “we,” placing himself among the people whose sin he confesses.

Righteousness belongs to God; shame belongs to His unfaithful people, both near and far. Yet compassion and forgiveness also belong to the Lord, even though Israel has rebelled. Daniel can acknowledge the depth of their sin and still turn toward the God they have disobeyed.

The disaster warned of in the Law of Moses has fallen on Jerusalem. Even then, the people have not sought God’s favor by turning from sin and attending to His truth. Daniel ends this part of his prayer by affirming that the LORD is righteous in all He does, while His people have not obeyed His voice.

Questions

1 What does Daniel learn from Jeremiah's prophecy?

AnswerHe learns that Jerusalem's desolation has a number of seventy years. The reading of Scripture moves him toward prayer rather than toward detached calculation.

2 How does Daniel confess?

AnswerHe names sin, wickedness, rebellion, disobedience, and refusal to listen. He speaks as part of the people instead of using their history to make himself innocent by comparison.

3 What contrast does Daniel make?

AnswerHe says righteousness belongs to the Lord, while open shame belongs to Israel. Confession begins with an honest difference between God's faithfulness and the people's failure.

4 What does Daniel say belongs to God even though Israel has rebelled?

AnswerCompassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord. Daniel confesses the people’s sin without giving up hope in God’s mercy.

What This Means for Us

Daniel reads a promise about time and responds with confession. He does not use prophecy to avoid responsibility or to treat restoration as an entitlement.

His “we” is important. He does not stand outside the people and criticize them from a safe distance, yet he also does not blur the seriousness of their rebellion.

When your household admits a shared failure, name the specific actions and hear from the people harmed by them. Hope in mercy should make confession more honest, not less necessary.

Prayer

Merciful Lord, teach us to confess without excuses or distance. Give us courage to name shared failures, compassion for those harmed, and hope grounded in Your forgiveness rather than our deserving. Amen.

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