Daniel 9 - Prayer & Prophecy

  1. Read Daniel 9:1-14. In the sermon, Robb talked about confession as ‘same-saying’ or agreeing with God about Him and His deeds, as well as us and our deeds. What specific truths does Daniel confess about God? About Israel?

  2. Daniel gives us a model of corporate confession in these verses. In our hyper-individualistic culture, we are not naturally inclined to praying on behalf of ‘our people.’ What might a corporate confession look like for our nation or our church community? Take some time to practice praying this way together.

  3. Read Daniel 9:15-19. How does God’s righteousness (v16) function in the economy of this prayer? How does it function in the previous confession (v7, for instance)? How would you explain this tension to someone new to the Bible?

  4. Read Daniel 9:20-23. What do we learn from Gabriel here in his personal address to Daniel? How does God respond to the kind of posture & prayer undertaken by Daniel in this chapter?

  5. Read Daniel 9:24-27. This passage is plagued with obscurity about time line beginnings and endings, but what is clear is that the work of God will be completed (v24, 27) in the fullness of time (v25a, 26b) through a Messiah or Anointed One (25b, 26a). How do you think this word affected Daniel? How does it affect you today, reading it after the death and resurrection of Jesus?

For more reading, consider this article by Michael Chase, as well as this chart outlining the most common 4 interpretive lenses for Daniel 9 - both published by Crossway.

Robb EsperatComment