As Israel’s exile in Babylon nears its prophesied chronological end an aged Daniel prays a beautiful, honest, and forthright prayer on behalf of the sinful, stubborn, and rebellious people of Israel. God responds to the earnestness of Daniel’s prayer by sending Gabriel to provide a cryptic explanation of Israel’s future that is simultaneously reassuring (God is in control of the timing) and discouraging (there are many dimensions of exile yet to come, it will be awhile). For Christians looking backward though, this vision is good news for our modern-day exile!

Scripture Reference

Daniel 9

Complementary Passage: Jeremiah 25: 1-14

Sermon Audio

 

Sermon Notes

• Daniel’s Prayer of Repentance to End Exile – Telling the story of Daniel 9
• Pray Powerfully Out of the Agony of Exile
  • Pray humbly (verses 3-4)
  • Pray honestly (verse 5, etc) – about yourself, those close to you, the church, the nation
  • Pray repentantly (verses 7, 8 etc) – genuine turning away from sin and rebellion against God
• Jesus Christ is the One True End of Exile
  • Gabriel gives God’s answer to the prayer -> there’s more trouble than the 70 years ahead
  • All six things Gabriel said must happen are fulfilled in Christ
  • Christians will always be citizens of heaven but we can overcome the pain of our earthly exile by drawing ever closer to Christ
  • Our ability to feel thankful shouldn’t be based on how well or not we feel about the world around us, but about how Christ has formed within us!