Prayer Power from Daniel

Does Prayer Make a Difference?

9:4–19 Prayer, a covenant work
Daniel’s praying was dominated by a sense of the character of God especially as that is revealed in his righteousness. The righteousness of God is his absolute integrity, his conformity to his own perfect glory. In his relationships with his people this takes the form of his faithfulness to his covenants with them. In that covenant relationship he has promised to be their God and to take them as his people; he has promised that they will enjoy blessing as they themselves respond to his covenant love in faithfulness, but judgment should they respond to him in unbelief, ingratitude and disobedience (cf. Dt. 27; 28). It is significant that the covenant name of God, Yahweh, used in the book only in this chapter, appears frequently printed in the niv as Lord (v 2, 4, 10, 13, 14, 20; cf. Ex. 3:13–15).
These principles underlie all of God’s dealings with his people in the OT and come to the surface in Daniel’s prayer. In his longsuffering with his disobedient people God had sent prophets to summon them back to covenant faithfulness (5–6). Their exile was the result of their indifference to his warning and a fulfilment of the covenant curse (7; cf. Dt. 28:58, 63–64; Je. 18:15–17). In a true spirit of repentance, Daniel, the most faithful of all God’s people, took to himself their guilt as though it were his own (we is repeated eight times in vs 5–10). In this respect his heart reflected the heart of God (cf. Is. 63:8a, 9a); they are his people (cf. v 20). The ultimate remedy awaited the time when God’s Son would take his people’s guilt as though it were his own (cf. Is. 53:4–6, 10–12; 2 Cor. 5:21). But the hope of forgiveness does not minimize the seriousness of their condition. Indeed Daniel ransacked the OT vocabulary as he described and confessed Judah’s failure (sin, wrong, wickedness, rebellion, turning away, not listening, unfaithfulness, transgression, disobedience; 5–11) and its consequences (shame and scattering; v 7). Such judgment is the expression of God’s covenant righteousness in response to the sin of his people. He has kept his promise (7, 11–14).
As he prayed over the plight of his people, Daniel did not ask God to abandon his righteousness. Paradoxically, it is the people’s only hope. As in the first exodus, for his own glory God revealed his covenant righteousness in mercy to the oppressed as well as judgment on the wicked (cf. Ex. 3:7–10, 20; 6:6). Encouraged by the divine promises through Jeremiah, Daniel appealed to God to defend his glorious Name which he had bound to the people and the city of Jerusalem (16). The goal of his intercession is the glory of God’s Name; its foundation is God’s covenanted word of promise concerning the restoration; its motivation is the knowledge of the righteous mercy revealed in God’s saving deeds in the past (15–19).

Carson, D. A. (1994). New Bible commentary : 21st century edition. Rev. ed. of: The new Bible commentary. 3rd ed. / edited by D. Guthrie, J.A. Motyer. 1970. (4th ed.) (Da 9:4-20). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., USA: Inter-Varsity Press.