Daniel 9

Daniel 9:1-23

Wiersbe quips He was living in Babylon but was still measuring time by Jewish religious practices! (Bible Exposition Commentary - Old Testament) Daniel 9:22 He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, "O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding. Daniel 9 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Pritchard writes... True prayer always leads to new insight and deeper understanding. Since prayer in its deepest sense is a kind of “conversation” with God, when we talk with the Lord, we always end up learning things we didn’t know before. Prayer that comes from the heart teaches us things about God, ourselves, and our circumstances that couldn’t come any other way. It is hard to put into words exactly what this means but multitudes of Christians can give a hearty Amen to this truth. When we pray, we enter a realm that goes beyond the physical because we are talking to the God who created everything. What we gain from that is more than knowledge, it is deep insight into who God is and how he works in the world. The best kind of prayer changes us from the inside out as we learn what it means to say from the heart, “Thy will be done.” (The Positive Power of Prayer) Insight (sakal) means to act with insight, to be prudent, to give insight. Insight refers to the the capacity to gain an accurate and deep understanding of something. Understanding (biynah/binah) refers to knowledge superior to mere gathering of data. Webster defines understanding as the power of comprehending; especially the capacity to apprehend general relations of particulars, The faculty of the human mind by which it apprehends the real state of things presented to it, or by which it receives or comprehends the ideas which others express and intend to communicate. (1828 Webster) In chapter 1 we read that... And as for every matter of wisdom and understanding (biynah/binah) about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm. And Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king. (Da 1:20, 21) In chapter 10 Daniel uses this same word to record that he understood the message and had an understanding (biynah/binah) of the vision. (Da 10:1) The angel Gabriel carried out the same function in Daniel 8... And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, "Gabriel, give this man an understanding of the vision." (Daniel 8:16) Guzik... In his prayer, Daniel didn't ask for understanding. His prayer demonstrated that his heart was close to God's heart, so God will reveal much to Daniel as His friend (John 15:15). Daniel studied the passage in Jeremiah, but still didn't understand much. In this case, understanding came more through prayer. "All students of the word will tell you that when the hammers of learning and biblical criticism have failed to break open a flinty text, oftentimes prayer has done it, and nuggets of gold have been found concealed therein. To every student of the word of God who would become a well-instructed scribe we would say, with all the means which you employ, with all your searchings of the commentaries, with all your diggings into the original, with all your researches among learned divines, mingle much fervent prayer. (Spurgeon) "Luther affirmeth that he oft got more spiritual light by some one ardent prayer than ever he could do by the reading of many books, or by the most accurate meditation thereupon. (Trapp) Daniel 9:23 "At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision. Beginning: Da 10:12 for you are: Da 10:11,19 Lk 1:28 highly esteemed: Heb. a man of desires, Song 7:10 Eze 24:16 26:12 Gave me instruction: Da 9:24-27 8:16 10:21 Zec 1:9,14 6:4,5 Rev 4:1 Daniel 9 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries At the beginning of your supplications - God describes what communication with Him will be like in the future millennial kingdom... It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. (Isa 65:23) The command was issued - Presumably from God. You are highly esteemed - This Hebrew adjective chamudah is used three times to describe God's servant Daniel! (Da 9:23, 10:11, 10:19). This is rendered variously as - "Precious treasure". "Very precious" (NLT) "Great value" (NET). "Greatly beloved" (KJV).