What does Daniel 9:13 mean?
Daniel understood that the people of Israel had been given clear warnings from the Law of Moses and many prophets. They were told of the disasters which would follow disobedience to God (Deuteronomy 28:15–24, 48–50; 29:25). And yet, the people betrayed their Lord and suffered exactly the consequences predicted (2 Kings 17:1–8; Jeremiah 25:7–11). Rather than learning from the Lord's Word, they chose idols and sin. Daniel's own life was part of this story (Daniel 1:1–7). He has been praying for Israel's forgiveness and the Lord's restoration (Daniel 9:1–3).Deuteronomy 28 includes chilling details of what would happen if the people turned away from God to pursue evil and false idols: "The LORD will bring you and your king whom you set over you to a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known" (Deuteronomy 28:36). That conquest was accomplished by Assyria (2 Kings 17:1–8) and Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:5–7). If Israel had listened to the warnings God gave them, she would have been blessed instead of cursed. Writing many years before Daniel, Isaiah describes Judah as a "sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged" (Isaiah 1:4). He also describes the nation under the Lord's hand of judgment: "Your country lies desolate; your cities are burned with fire" (Isaiah 1:7).
Daniel 9:1–19 records a prayer of confession on behalf of God's rebellious people; Daniel includes himself by using terms such as "us" and "we." After the fall of Babylon, Daniel sees evidence in the writings of Jeremiah that Israel's exile may be nearing an end. He prays for forgiveness and restoration, referring to God as righteous, merciful, and forgiving. This prayer leads to an appearance from the angel Gabriel. Gabriel will deliver a prophetic message about Israel's future.
Darius became king when Babylon fell to Medo-Persia. Daniel compared this to writings from Jeremiah, and realized the exile of Israel was almost over. As he prayed for God's intervention, the angel Gabriel arrived to provide further explanation. Gabriel's prophecy ties the arrival of an "anointed one," or "Messiah," or "Christ," to a moment in history followed by a set interval of time. This prediction includes dire moments for Israel and Jerusalem.
