PASSIONATE PURSUIT...WHAT'S MINE IS MINE DANIEL CH 9

  Daniel 9:1-7 STUDY GUIDE

IN THE FIRST YEAR OF DARIUS THE SON OF AHASUERUS, OF THE SEED OF THE MEDES, WHICH WAS MADE BY THE KING, OVER THE REALM OF THE CHALDEANS;
IN THE FIRST YEAR OF HIS REIGN I DANIEL UNDERSTOOD BY BOOKS THE NUMBER OF THE YEARS, WHEREOF THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO JEREMIAH THE PROPHET, THAT HE WOULD ACCOMPLISH SEVENTY YEARS INT HE DESOLATIONS OF JERUSALEM.
AND I SET MY FACE UNTO THE LORD GOD, TO SEEK BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATIONS, WITH FASTING, AND SACKCLOTH, AND ASHES:
AND I PRAYED UNTO THE LORD MY GOD, AMD MADE MY CONFESSION, AND SAID, O’ LORD, THE GREAT AND DREADFUL GOD, KEEPING THE COVENANT AND MERCY TO THEM THAT LOVE HIM, AND TO THEM THAT KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS;

Daniel sought the Lord on behalf of the children of Israel. The word states that without a vision the people perish. Daniel is the prophet and seer of the Lord. Jeremiah the prophet gave the vision of warning to the children of Israel and many failed to heed the Lord’s warning of captivity. After the children were taken into captivity the Lord still moved the heart of Daniel to seek him for the years to come and to understand the timing of the Lord’s restoration.

Sometimes when you’re seeking the Lord through the word and read of his warnings, oftentimes, we don’t see things from the perspective or merely and individual or a saint of God. We often hear the word of the Lord concerning his children and therefore we see things as a whole or group. When the Lord addresses the sin as a whole, he chastens them as his children, but individually he called them servants.

We see the Lord allowing the judgment, but we must also recognize that not all that were taken into captivity were guilty of the iniquity for which Jeremiah had spoken several years in advance. There were priests, prophets, elders, and several others chosen of God that did walk in his righteous statutes and yet were still carried into the same judgment of captivity. The Lord is no respector of persons.

The Lord had Daniel to understand by the books the words that were written of Jeremiah. He was led by the spirit of God to do such a thing. He could have read of Isaiah, or Ezekiel, or Moses. However, the Lord led his to seek through the prophet Jeremiah. The Lord wanted Daniel to get an understanding of why they went into captivity and the timing for which they would be restored unto him again. He wanted him to understanding the timing of judgment.

There were seventy years of desolations that were to come to pass concerning the children of Israel. It is the role within the office of the prophet to speak as the mouth of God, to instruct, and to give the vision and “make it plain” to His children. So the prophet had been inquiring of how long the children would be in captivity among the foreign nations and seeking instructions of timing concerning their restoration to their own lands.

The Lord reveals so much in the books of Jeremiah in the books about the rebellion of the children if Israel. They backslid in unbelief, they were idolators, but most importantly the Lord made it clear about the things that belong to him! It wans’t a small thing for those who were called by the name of the Lord to sanctify the sabbath day and the sabbath year and to keep it holy unto God...to hallow it. He was and is serious about his time with us and his holiness. This is the fear of the Lord, to hallow his name and his day and to keep it holy. Therefore, the Lord makes it clear that the seventy years of desolations was him redeeming the years that belonged to him that weren’t sanctified. He made the command, He’s everlasting, and He promised. He is a God that keeps His covenant. He has given us his Spirit to walk in unity with Him and His holy spirit is the reason why we move and have our being. Everything that we do is supposed to be by his spirit. He commanded that his spirit also have a day of rest and sabbath year of harvest.It wasn’t just a command, it was a promise.

Lev 25:4

BUT IN THE SEVENTH YEAR SHALL BE A SABBATH OF REST UNTO THE LAND, A SABBATH FOR THE LORD: THOU SHALT NEITHER SOW THE FIELD, NOT PRUNE THE VINEYARD.
AND THOU SHALT NUMBER SEVEN SABBATHS OF YEARS UNTO THEE, SEVEN TIMES SEVEN YEARS, AND THE SPACE OF THE SEVEN SABBATHS OF YEARS SHALL BE UNTO THEE FORTY AND NINE YEARS.

There is a spiritual order tot hings. Though the Lord made it clear that he desires his time to be sanctified and set aside. He wants his will and his purpose done his way. He established his process of sowing and reaping a spiritual harvest. When you give the Lord his time he gives instructions and tells his true worshippers of his desires. He states what he requires of his children. He sows unto us his spiritual things and in due season he alone gives the increase.

1 Cor 9:11-14
IF WE HAVE SOWN UNTO YOU SPIRITUAL THINGS, IT IS A GREAT THING IF WE SHALL REAP YOUR CARNAL THINGS? IF OTHERS BE PARTAKERS OF THIS POWER OVER YOU, ARE WE NOT RATHER? NEVERTHELESS, WE HAVE NOT USED THIS POWER; BUT SUFFER ALL THINGS, LEST WE SHOULD HINDER THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST.
DO YE NOT KNOW THAT THEY WHICH MINISTER ABOUT HOLY THINGS LIVE OF THE THINGS OF THE TEMPLE? AND THEY WHICH WAIT AT THE ALTER ARE PARTAKERS WITH THE ALTER?
EVEN SO HATH THE LORD ORDAINED THAT THEY WHICH PREACH THE GOSPEL SHOULD LIVE OF THE GOSPEL.

So, we can clearly see that when we allow the Lord his sanctified time with us. He sows the spiritual and those spiritual things we also impart to one another. This is how we “stir up” the gifts and continue to edify and build the body of Christ. However, if we do not humble ourselves at the Lord’s feet then the sowing doesn’t take place. The seeds aren’t planted and therefore there is not a harvest...instead there is desolation. The fruit is corrupt. The Lord didn’t plant us here to not receive his harvest. The Lord didn’t plant seed that are corruptible unto himself. This is why the Lord had warned through the prophet Jeremiah because the children were living in such an abominable way that it was affecting the harvest so much so that the lord called it seventy years of desolations because of what was sown. We become barren when we walk in sin and so not take time to seek the Lord and sup with him at the time allotted (sabbath). Then the spiritual things that have transpired during the six years prior to the sabbath year manifest in the natural realm. Nonetheless, the Lord God desires for his children to prosper and be in good health. He desires that we have life and have it more abundantly. However, the abundance comes with obedience to the will of Christ. We cannot eliminate the spirit and expect a spiritual increase from God. The year of Jubilee that the lord gave account of with his children had come because they did the work to sow in a righteous way according to his will. They sanctified themselves and the word in their hearts and therefore saw the manifestation naturally of what had already been sown spiritually according to the pattern of his holy word.

Hosea 10:12-13
SOW TO YOURSELVES IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, REAP IN MERCY; BREAK UP YOUR FALLOW GROUND: FOR IT IS TIME TO SEEK THE LORD, TILL HE COME AND RAIN RIGHTEOUSNESS UPON YOU.
YOU HAVE PLOWED WICKEDNESS, YE HAVE REAPED INIQUITY; YE HAVE EATEN THE FRUIT OF LIES: BECAUSE THOU DIDST TRUST IN THY WAY, IN THE MULTITUDE OF THY MIGHTY MEN.

THEREFORE, WHEN THE LORD REVEALED HIS WORD THE THE PROPHET DANIEL WHICH HAD ONCE BEEN GIVEN BY THE PROPHET JEREMIAH, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF TO SEEK THE FACE OF GOD. HE BEGAN TO FAST AND PRAY AND MAKE HIS PETITIONS KNOWN UNTO THE MOST HIGH.

As Daniel the prophet petitions the Lord, he recognized the need to confess his sins, but not just his sins alone. Confession and repentance of sin comes because the spirit of God moves upon your conscience to surrender and his spirit makes known the error of our ways. Daniel was righteous before God, he often made oblation (prayer) unto the Lord. He was the priest of God and was often seen praying. However, though Daniel often prayed and sought the Lord, he laid his flesh aside to pray by the spirit in the unity of the fellowship with the saints and the children of Israel. He didn’t point the finger and place blame as others have done. He uses the word “we”. He is a part of this body of chosen who have sinned against God. The spirit prayed with knowledge that though we are individuals, we are still many members of one body and that body in unity had sinned against God. God kept his covenant and vows with the chosen. However, we did not.
Daniel 9:5-6
WE HAVE SINNED, AND HAVE COMMITTED INIQUITY, AND HAVE DONE WICKEDLY, AND HAVE REBELLED EVEN BY DEPARTING FROM THE PRECEPTS AND FROM THE JUDGMENTS:
NEITHER HAVE WE HEARKENED UNTO THY SERVANTS THE PROPHETS, WHICH SPAKE IN THY NAME TO OUR KINGS, OUR PRINCES, AND OUR FATHERS, AND TO ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE OF THE LAND.

The Lord is Holy and has stated be ye holy for I am holy. We must return to the place of excellence where God called us to be. We cannot pick and chose when we want to be a royal priesthood. He called us with a high calling and stated that we are a peculiar people. He is the light and there is no darkness in him at all. Daniel as the prophet and priest of God begins to cry unto the Lord for his mercy and gives recognition of the things that belong tho God versus the things that belong unto us. To God belong mercy and forgiveness, but to us belong confusion. So many times when we pray we often pray as if we are already righteous and that we haven’t sinned unto God and that he owes us something and that’s how so many people are given into deception and covetous practices, lies and deceit. They don’t see their need for forgiveness and surrender. They have been blinded to see the need for his mercy and longsuffering. He said give to him what’s due to his name. We petition him often times as if he is our servant, instead of it being the other way around. This is why he called this a wicked and perverted generation. He is coming and his reward is with him. He is coming to sever the wicked from the just. This scripture is not just about prayer, but about repentance, grace, mercy and to confirm that the Lord is coming for what is his. He not coming just for his chosen, but he is also coming for every holy thing that he has sown into this place.