Bible Study Book Availability Update 12/2/2024

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ELECTION DAY

Many people have already participated in early voting. Many will vote today. Some will not vote at all. But, sadly, a large portion of  our population will complain about the results. But do we pray for our nation? Daniel sets a wonderful example of how we should do that. 

Most of you know that Daniel and his friends had lived faithfully to God while in captivity and service to the kings of Babylon and the Medio-Persion empires. God had given Daniel visions about the future that frightened him. 

Daniel 8:27 Amplified Bible

27 And I, Daniel, was exhausted and was sick for [several] days. Afterward I got up and continued with the king’s business; but I was astounded at the vision, and there was no one who could explain it.

When the election doesn’t tally the way we want it to, we may say, “This just makes me sick.” but Daniel’s exhaustion and sickness was much deeper. He had a genuine concern for his people. Daniel’s prayer has components of the prayers we should pray for our country. We can learn much from studying how he prayed and following his example.

Daniel 9:3 Amplified Bible

3 So I directed my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.

Genuine prayer begins with us seeking God. We focus on Him. Seeking Him means denying selfish comforts and indulgences. Focus on Him means a deep desire to know Him for all of Who He Is and a need to obey Him completely. We know that Daniel had been obedient, bold, and focused on God for decades. Here he makes a clear and deliberate decision to seek God even more fervently. We are never so close to God that we can stop seeking Him. Our focus and attention must always be on knowing Him more deeply and with greater commitment. 

Daniel 9:4 Amplified Bible

4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and extends lovingkindness toward those who love Him and keep His commandments,

God is great and awesome. We cannot skip over these two words. Great: The dictionary definition includes “large in size or quantity, importance or fame, excellence, intensity or extent.” God is all of these. His Presence inhabits the whole universe and beyond. He is more important, exponentially more important, than anyone, than the whole number of humankind, than the very universe. To know Him, we need to acknowledge this. Awesome: the dictionary defines it as “deserving and overwhelming feeling of reverence, respect, sometimes mixed with fear or dread. Tough question, but do we have an overwhelming feeling of reverence for God? Daniel also describes God as keeping His covenant. God absolutely keeps His promises. If He spoke it, believe it exactly as He said it. If it is a blessing, be assured it will happen. If it is discipline or punishment, believe it will happen unless we repent. Lovingkindness: God also has lovingkindness to those who love Him and keep His commandments. Love Him. Do we really love Him? I pray that I will love Him more. Will we ever love completely this side of Heaven? No, but the key is back in verse 3, turning our attention to Him and focusing on Him. Keep His commandments: to scripture and His perfect personal purpose for us individually. We can’t do this in our own power but in His love and grace, He sends His Spirit to dwell in us when we acknowledge Jesus as Lord, and believe in Him as Savior. When we yield to Him, He guides us and enables us to be obedient to his purposes.

Daniel 9:5 Amplified Bible

5 We have sinned and committed wrong, and have behaved wickedly and have rebelled, turning away from Your commandments and ordinances.

This begins Daniel’s prayer of confession for national sin, not just prayers for his own sin, but for his ancestor’s sin, for his nation’s sin, for historical sin and current sin. Do we do this when we pray or do we just complain about our nation?

Daniel 9:6 Amplified Bible

6 Further, we have not listened to and heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

We have pastors, teachers and scripture. Scripture is the most important. We can hear sermons, read books, listen to podcasts, watch YouTube but if we aren’t studying scripture, being obedient to the whole content and context, forming our life around God’s words, living and thinking consistent with scripture, taking His warnings seriously and being grateful for the blessings bestowed on us because of his mercy and compassion, we too are in rebellion against God. 

Daniel 9:7 Amplified Bible

7 “Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us confusion and open shame, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away, in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the [treacherous] acts of unfaithfulness which they have committed against You.

Other scriptures teach us that no one other than God is righteous. (See Romans 3:10, Psalm 53:1-3, Psalm 14:1-3) A works based salvation is impossible. We have no righteousness. Righteousness belongs to God alone, but in His mercy and compassion He spreads His righteousness over those who love Him and obey Him. It’s not earning our salvation: it’s recognizing and acknowledging that our lives are confusion and shame, and that we deserve punishment. Because of the lovingkindness of Holy God, we can be redeemed. If we rebel against Him, there are consequences, discipline for believers while in this life or eternity in hell for unbelievers, those continue to rebel and reject. The people of Judah were driven from their homes because of their treacherous acts.

Daniel 9:8 Amplified Bible

8 O Lord, to us belong confusion and open shame—to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers—because we have sinned against You.

Again, Daniel acknowledges that confusion and open shame belong to us, our ancestors, and our governmental structure, and confesses their sins. Do we pray for our leaders? Do we confess corporate, historical, national sin? Before one political ideology starts pointing a finger at another, remember that we are all sinners. All of us. 

Daniel 9:9 Amplified Bible

9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and lovingkindness and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; 

Daniel expresses the character of God in juxtaposition to the rebellion of the people. Mercy, longkindness and forgiveness belong to God. We can show mercy, forgiveness and love. Even unbelievers can do these things sometimes because humans are created in the image of God. But believers should be able to show mercy more often, forgive more often, love more because God’s Holy Spirit dwells in us to conform us to His likeness, but only God possesses true mercy, lovingkindness and forgiveness. In contrast and in spite of God’s character, the people rebelled against God. The same thing happens today. 

Daniel 9:10 Amplified Bible

10 and we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in His laws which He set before us through His servants the prophets.

We know that we are to confess personal sin, but Daniel confesses the sin of others also, first the leaders then the masses of people, his countrymen. They had not obeyed the Levitical Law or the words of the prophets. The point is not disobedience to men who had set themselves up as leaders. The point is that God spoke through humble men who considered themselves unworthy. We are not under the Levitical Law but through Jesus’s sacrifice we are under the perfect law of liberty and grace. (See James 1:25, James 2:12) We believe, and are redeemed and forgiven.  Because of what Jesus did for us, His Spirit lives in us and produces a desire for obedience. The New Testament teaches us how to live in obedience to this freedom. Our nation was founded on these principles and this freedom. We have much to confess for our people and our ancestors.

Daniel 9:11-15 Amplified Bible

11 Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, even turning aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us and the oath which is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him. 12 And He has carried out completely His [threatening] words which He had spoken against us and against our rulers [the kings, princes, and judges] who ruled us, to bring on us a great tragedy; for under the whole heaven there has not been done anything [so dreadful] like that which [He commanded and] was done to Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this tragedy has come on us. Yet we have not wholeheartedly begged for forgiveness and sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our wickedness and paying attention to and placing value in Your truth. 14 Therefore the Lord has kept the tragedy ready and has brought it on us, for the Lord our God is [uncompromisingly] righteous and openly just in all His works which He does—He keeps His word; and we have not obeyed His voice.

15 “And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for Yourself a name, as it is today—we have sinned, we have been wicked. 

Rebellion resulted in God's discipline/punishment. When they did not obey the words that God spoke through the prophets, God did what He had spoken to Moses, which was a curse for their disobedience. God carried out his warnings on the rulers and the people. A great tragedy came on them because of their rebellion. Even with all the tragedy that God brought on them, they did not wholeheartedly beg for forgiveness, seek God’s favor, turn from their wickedness, pay attention and place value on God’s Truth. What about us? Do we wholeheartedly seek God's favor and beg for forgiveness. Do we pay attention and place value on God’s Truth? Because they had not wholeheartedly repented and placed value on God’s Truth, and because of God’s Righteousness and Justice, He kept His word and brought tragedy on His rebellious people. Daniel acknowledges God’s power and His character, and confesses the sin and wickedness of the people. 

Daniel 9:16-19 Amplified Bible

 16 O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous and just acts, please let Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain. Because of our sins and the wickedness of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become an object of scorn and a contemptuous byword to all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, our God, listen to (heed) the prayer of Your servant [a](Daniel) and his supplications, and for Your own sake let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary. 18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and look at our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You because of our own merits and righteousness, but because of Your great mercy and compassion. 19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! Do not delay, for Your own sake, O my God, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

Daniel continues to admit the guilt of the people yet appeals to God on their behalf. His plea is based on God’s character. God’s anger and wrath is because He alone is Just and Righteous. God alone is truly merciful, compassionate and forgiving. Daniel asked God to listen to his prayer, not because he or the people had any merit to deserve God’s mercy, but so that God could be glorified in His mercy toward His chosen people. Daniel asked God to let His Face shine on His sanctuary. 

As we walk away from the election polling place day and our votes have been cast, we will watch to see the results of the election. More importantly, we should pray. Simply pray. Daniel’s prayer is a good example to follow.