Lessons from the book of Daniel
Don’t Just Confess the Sins of Others.
Confess Your Own Sins and Pray for Mercy.
In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, a Mede by birth, who was made king over the Chaldean kingdom— in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books according to the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah that the number of years for the desolation of Jerusalem would be seventy. So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
Daniel is a man who sees visions. Daniel is a man who prays and God gives him answers. What does he do with his time? He studies the Bible. He studies the words of the prophet Jeremiah and embraces them as the Word of God. As Daniel reads the prophet Jeremiah, he comes to understand current events. In other words, Daniel studies current events in light of Scripture. This is a good thing to do.
Daniel doesn’t have more important things to do: “I don’t need to read the Bible. I’ve got a direct pipeline to God. I just tune in and let God speak straight to me. Me and God have it all together. I don’t need to read the Bible. That’s for spiritual peons. I’m a prophet. Matter of fact, I believe I’ll go down in history as one of the great prophets.”
Daniel studies the Scriptures and believes the Scriptures; he understands history in light of the Scriptures. He understands current events in light of the Scriptures. As he reads, Daniel sees that the desolation of Jerusalem will last seventy years. Even though he knows this, he also knows what he is to do during those seventy years. So, Daniel does what he should do. He turns to the Lord and pleads with Him in prayer, petition, and fasting. He puts on sackcloth and ashes:
I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: Ah, Lord—the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands…
Please, don’t skim over this: God keeps His covenant with all who love Him and obey His commands. Be like Daniel. Don’t just confess the sins of others. Confess your own sins and pray for mercy.
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