Crumbs 27

 

This contains some thoughts on Daniel 9 : 1-19

Crumbs from the Master ‘s Table 73

Daniel at Prayer

Scripture Daniel 9:17-19 New International Version 17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”

Crumbs In this prayer lie the fundamentals of praying These same principles lie in the New Testament and apply in the 21^st century.

The Scriptures had inspired Daniel to pray. The context is poignant. A new king is sorting a new regime. Daniel has received a vision of the ram and the goat. Well may Daniel pray. Our prayers could be interwoven with our Bible reading

He comes to God in prayer on the basis that God will keep His word (verse4), His essential righteousness. (verse7) and God’s great mercy (verse18) . He also points out that God has saved His people in the past (verse15). All these still apply today in Christ’s work at the cross. Daniel points out that God’s name, His reputation depends on the condition of His people.

A part of this prayer is confession. Daniel is a good man but here he is identifying with a deeply sinful people. There are three strands to this vicarious confession , disobedience to the law (verse5), a failure to listen to prophets (verse6) and a failure to seek favour of the Lord(verse13).

Where it comes to petition Daniel simply lays the various aspects of the situation before God. He does not tell God what to do. There is an awareness that the shame and disaster borne by the people are the result of their sin. The one clear request in this prayer goes to the core of the problem. “Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! “ (verse19)

Questions1. How may we use the Scriptures to guide our prayers ? 2. How can this prayer guide us in our prayers for our world ?

3. What do we learn for our approach to God from this passage ?

Crumbs 72

 

This contains some thoughts on Daniel 8

Crumbs from the Master ‘s Table 72

The Ram and the Goat

Scripture Daniel 8:23-27 New International Version

23 “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise. 24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people. 25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power. 26 “The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.” 27 I, Daniel, was worn out. I lay exhausted for several days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding.

Crumbs I be fair flummoxed .If a man like Daniel is prostrated by this vision what chance have we? We do not always remember the high price some of the prophets paid for bearing the Word of God. Today there is often a high price for those who answer the call to minister the Word. Such a call should not be answered glibly and those who respond treated with love and respect. It seems to me that this vision points to the emergence of Greece as a world power and hence the hegemony of the western world. This vision was for the remote future. It was sealed but our Lord’s use of Daniel indicates that it has been divinely unsealed. (Matthew 24:15 ) Understanding the detail eludes me but we may appreciate the vision in terms ‘s of the general teaching about the end times. There is a lesson from both testaments. We ought to live lives appropriate for the coming of the Lord and the end. 1 John 3:3 Approaching these prophecies I have looked for the hand of God and the Messiah. Here we see however great the enormity of man’s sin however opposed to Christ our Father is sovereign and He conquers

Questions1. How should we treat ministers of the Word ? 2. How should we use Scripture to understand our present world ? 3. What do we learn of the Lord Jesus from this passage ?