With his mind upon Jeremiah’s prophecy, and knowing that its basic tenets had been fulfilled, Daniel turned westward toward Jerusalem, looking through an open window, where he lived. Assuming a position of humility, he knelt down, and spread out his arms toward God and prayed (cp. Daniel 6:10; 1Kings 8:46-49). He addressed the Lord as the great and dreadful God, meaning the God whose presence inspires reverence or godly fear, the God who kept covenant and mercy with those who loved and obeyed him (Daniel 9:4).
Thus, Daniel began by confessing to God, saying “We have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have rebelled…” In Leviticus 26 the Lord, through Moses, promised that, if Israel despised his statutes and judgments and wouldn’t obey him, meaning if they would break covenant with him, then he would weaken them and break their pride in their power, so that the land no longer yielded its increase to them (Leviticus 26:15-20). If this didn’t bring them to repentance and restore their hearts to him, he would cause their livestock to dwindle through disease and death during birth (Leviticus 26:21-23). Yet, if they still wouldn’t return to him, the Lord would then cause them to fall before their enemies in battle, and he would bring upon them pestilence and famine (Leviticus 26:24-26). Finally, if they still refused to repent and return to him, he would reduce them to cannibalism during famine, their enemies would conquer them, their cities would be destroyed, and they would be brought captive to the land of their enemies, while their own land would lie waste and they would be scattered throughout the heathen nations, and they would live in fear among those who hate them (Leviticus 26:27-39).
Therefore, Daniel began his prayer by confessing his iniquity and that of his fathers (Daniel 9:5; cp. Leviticus 26:40), admitting that it was because they had broken covenant with the Lord by despising his statutes, walking contrary to his will and rebelling against him (Daniel 9:6; cp. Leviticus 26:15-20). For this reason, the Lord walked contrary to them, until they would humble themselves and repent and accept their punishment through his hands (Leviticus 26:41).
Daniel then began praising God for his integrity of character, his rightness in all his ways, and ever so merciful in his judgments. Daniel also recalled that God had even provided for a path to forgiveness (Daniel 9:7, 9). Nevertheless, the disobedience and rebellion of those Jews, living near and afar off from his Presence, had brought nothing but shame upon them, be they kings, princes or the people of the land. It is we who have brought all this evil upon ourselves, because we had despised the oath we had taken in the Law of Moses, and in doing so we have sinned and rebelled against you, our Lord and God (Daniel 9:7-11). Daniel continued by admitting that we did all this, in the face of all the warnings we had been given, as they were all written down in the Law, which we received from Moses (Daniel 9:11-14).
Nevertheless, and despite our own behavior, Daniel begged in prayer, because of your righteousness, not our own, because of your integrity, which is renown from the time you had taken us out of Egypt, let your anger and fury against Jerusalem cease, and cause your Face (Presence) to shine once more upon your Temple, which lies desolate in the land. Not for our sake, for we rebelled, but for your sake, for the sake of your righteousness and mercy, for the sake of your own integrity, “Oh Lord hear; oh Lord forgive; oh Lord harken and do… because your city (Jerusalem) and your people (the Jews) are called by YOUR NAME!” (Daniel 9:15-19; cp. Leviticus 26:42-45).
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