And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
To set the face unto the Lord God is to turn deliberately and fully to Him to seek by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes, in earnest, complete prayer marked by humility, sorrow, self-denial, confession and repentance. Daniel did this in the first year of Darius after understanding from the books of Jeremiah that seventy years was fixed for the desolation of Jerusalem, pleading for the promised restoration to come soon, for the exiles' return, for God's anger to be turned away, and for Jerusalem and its temple to be rebuilt. Though greatly beloved of God and long in His service, he did not claim innocence but identified himself with his failing people, confessed their guilt as his own, and stood before God as a sinner. His earnest seeking was not in vain, for it interested all heaven, brought ministering angels to him with communication from God, and was heard with assurance of an answer. That humble, contrite, confessing prayer is the model for believers now, who are to seek God in the same way for wisdom, strength, and the Holy Spirit, with assurance that the same God will hear, lift up, and empower those who come to Him wholeheartedly.
Setting and Earnest Seeking
In the first year of Darius, Daniel understood from the books, the prophecies of Jeremiah, that seventy years was fixed for the desolation of Jerusalem. Having witnessed that desolation, he pleaded for the promised restoration to come soon, for the captive exiles' speedy return to their homeland, for God's anger to be turned away from Jerusalem, and for God's honor to be preserved. His prayer came as the seventy years of captivity were ending, in connection with restoration through Cyrus's decree, when Jerusalem's temple was to be rebuilt.
The seeking also followed the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true and shut up for many days, at which Daniel fainted and was sick certain days and was astonished but none understood it. Then he set his face unto the Lord God to seek by prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes, and prayed unto the Lord his God and made confession. To set the face unto the Lord God means deliberately and fully turning to God to seek Him by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. It is earnest, complete prayer marked by humility, sorrow, humiliation, afflicting the soul, self-denial, tears, confession and repentance, laying hold of the throne of infinite power in intercession, at times prayed aloud most earnestly.
Though greatly beloved of God and long in service, Daniel did not claim innocence but identified himself with the people who had failed God, confessed sin and acknowledged the people's guilt as his own, and appeared before God as a sinner. Daniel did not confine himself to the king's business but spoke in communion with the King of kings and Lord of lords. Keeping close to duty in prayer was his one special duty, maintained even under the decree that prayer to God would bring the lion's den, and his address to God was kept before he was cast there.
This seeking was the source of his wisdom, and its intensity and earnestness drew him nearer and still nearer to God. That earnest seeking was not in vain, for his supplication interested all heaven and the Lord heard it with assurance that He would answer. Ministering angels came to him to give him in vision the communication from God, showing that simple petitions that unload a burdened mind upon the Burden-bearer are heard.
Prophetic Place and Fulfillment
Daniel 9:3 stands in a chapter containing prophetic periods connected with Daniel 8, and that connection is unmistakable. That chapter holds the key to finding the commencement and termination of the 2300 days. The reckoning of that period begins in the year 457 B.C., as shown by historical and chronological facts.
The verse belongs to the prophecy of the seventy weeks, on which the first disciples based their preaching that the time was fulfilled and God's kingdom was at hand. It is part of the same great prophetic period as the 2300 days, though the two groups proclaimed different portions of it. Daniel 9 gives the time prophecy of the seventy weeks fulfilled at the first coming of Christ, when the time was fulfilled and the kingdom of God was at hand. In that same prophecy is foretold the death of the Messiah and the kingdom to be set up at the end of the seventy weeks.
The verse is part of Daniel's writings in chapters 7-12, which contain revelations about the future that Daniel did not fully understand. These prophetic writings were sealed until the time of the end. The seeking came after the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true and shut up for many days, at which Daniel fainted and was sick certain days and was astonished but none understood it. He then set his face unto the Lord God to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes, and prayed unto the Lord his God and made his confession. What Daniel in vision saw would be is being opened by the judgments of God witnessed in San Francisco and many places as a standing warning to the people in Oakland, and the great things to take place are before the living who shall see to the end of these judgments.
Prayer Pattern for Believers
Daniel knew the value, aim, and object of prayer, and his practice with his three companions after being chosen for the courts of Babylon received answers. Prayer is not to inform God of what He does not know, for He knows the secrets of every soul and reads the hidden thought. Prayers need not be loud and long, and prayers that tell of wretchedness when none is felt are hypocrisy. God hears contrite prayer, and hears and openly rewards prayer offered in secret where no one sees or hears. Prayer works no change in God but brings the one praying into harmony with God, and it never takes the place of duty, is never accepted in place of tithe money no matter how often or earnestly offered, and will not pay debts to God.
Seeking God means turning to Him earnestly in humble, contrite prayer and supplication with fasting and confession of sin. God's people should seek Him for the strength and wisdom needed for their work, pray for themselves and for others who need salvation, and come together in close unity. They are to wrestle with God in intercessory prayer with all heart, soul, and voice, needing this prayer rather than confidence in their own wisdom, and God's power can keep them from foolish speech.
Daniel's humbling himself was followed by an experience that left him with no strength and made his own comeliness seem like corruption, and knowing God did not make him boastful but contrite and faithful. His experience teaches that God hears the contrite, answers those who seek Him wholeheartedly, and gives wisdom, increased ability, and heavenly power to those who ask in faith. God is willing to help those who come to Him, as Daniel's deliberate turning to God with fasting and other signs of humility and its results show. His prayer was heard because it came from sincere lips, and those who sincerely and earnestly seek the character needed to honor God and do Christ's work will share in the earth made new.
Daniel's earnest, complete prayer of humility and supplication is a model prayer to make our own, asking for the Holy Spirit to work on our behalf. It means humbling the soul in God's sight so He may lift up, joined with a true sense of worth measured by the price paid for redemption. Prayed in this way, it consecrates every capability and talent as God's precious endowment to be used for His name's glory, giving every advantage in the strife for immortality and eternal life and leading to perfection and completeness in Christ. Its result gave a Sabbath seeker assurance and helped her see the truth clearly.
The prayer begun here is one God's people need to offer together by assembling, confessing their sins, repenting before God, and continuing in prayer until the Lord manifests Himself to them with power. Such prayer is needed because of self-confidence and presumption, of having light sent yet not heeding the testimonies of His Spirit, and of departing from His expressed commands and working contrary to messages long given. It is needed because of selfishly gathering facilities to a few favored places while neglecting other parts of the field, with great neglect of the needs of the people in the large cities and in the Southern field. Praying this prayer leads those who claim to believe the truth to practise the truth, so that such neglect will not continue.
Setting the face unto the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes, humbling the heart and confessing sins, as set forth in the prayer in Daniel 9:3-19, is the pattern for learning what it means to humble oneself before God. One who has borne responsibilities in the work, has walked in false paths, has caused a departing from the faith, or has been reproved for departing from the faith should read that prayer, humble the heart as Daniel did, confess sins and make a change. God will speak peace to him who does so.
Prayer with confession of sin is the pattern for being faithful and true like Daniel, the man greatly beloved. It means waking up to the last great controversy and the conflict between good and evil angels, staying keenly alive to exposure to the enemy's malignant devices, and seeing that safety is in keeping the commandments of God. It means confessing sins and finding pardon, seeking to be guarded by heavenly intelligences and brought under the protection of the angels of God, living wholly for God's glory, and standing in lot and place. It is thorough work for eternity, required because people are not prepared for the Lord's coming and for what is soon coming upon the earth. In Babylon Daniel humbled himself before God and gave God the glory due His name, while never obliterating the line of demarcation between God's commandment-keeping people and those who have no respect for His law.
Daniel's setting his face to seek the Lord God in prayer is an example given for instruction and encouragement to follow when seeking God with humility of heart. The same God will hear believers now if they approach Him as Daniel did, putting trust in Him, keeping their souls in communion with God, and praying without ceasing. They are to ask Him to enlighten the mind and give clear conceptions of truth so souls understand truth. They are to ask Him to soften and subdue the heart, quicken the understanding to discern truth from error, and establish the wavering mind with knowledge and faith that will stand the test. This brings joy from Christ's love and care and assurance that He will not leave His people in weakness.
To set the face unto the Lord God is to turn deliberately and fully to Him to seek by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes, in earnest, complete prayer marked by humility, sorrow, self-denial, confession and repentance. Daniel did this in the first year of Darius after understanding from the books of Jeremiah that seventy years was fixed for the desolation of Jerusalem, pleading for the promised restoration to come soon, for the exiles' return, for God's anger to be turned away, and for Jerusalem and its temple to be rebuilt. Though greatly beloved of God and long in His service, he did not claim innocence but identified himself with his failing people, confessed their guilt as his own, and stood before God as a sinner. His earnest seeking was not in vain, for it interested all heaven, brought ministering angels to him with communication from God, and was heard with assurance of an answer. That humble, contrite, confessing prayer is the model for believers now, who are to seek God in the same way for wisdom, strength, and the Holy Spirit, with assurance that the same God will hear, lift up, and empower those who come to Him wholeheartedly.
Setting and Earnest Seeking
In the first year of Darius, Daniel understood from the books, the prophecies of Jeremiah, that seventy years was fixed for the desolation of Jerusalem. Having witnessed that desolation, he pleaded for the promised restoration to come soon, for the captive exiles' speedy return to their homeland, for God's anger to be turned away from Jerusalem, and for God's honor to be preserved. His prayer came as the seventy years of captivity were ending, in connection with restoration through Cyrus's decree, when Jerusalem's temple was to be rebuilt.
The seeking also followed the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true and shut up for many days, at which Daniel fainted and was sick certain days and was astonished but none understood it. Then he set his face unto the Lord God to seek by prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes, and prayed unto the Lord his God and made confession. To set the face unto the Lord God means deliberately and fully turning to God to seek Him by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. It is earnest, complete prayer marked by humility, sorrow, humiliation, afflicting the soul, self-denial, tears, confession and repentance, laying hold of the throne of infinite power in intercession, at times prayed aloud most earnestly.
Though greatly beloved of God and long in service, Daniel did not claim innocence but identified himself with the people who had failed God, confessed sin and acknowledged the people's guilt as his own, and appeared before God as a sinner. Daniel did not confine himself to the king's business but spoke in communion with the King of kings and Lord of lords. Keeping close to duty in prayer was his one special duty, maintained even under the decree that prayer to God would bring the lion's den, and his address to God was kept before he was cast there.
This seeking was the source of his wisdom, and its intensity and earnestness drew him nearer and still nearer to God. That earnest seeking was not in vain, for his supplication interested all heaven and the Lord heard it with assurance that He would answer. Ministering angels came to him to give him in vision the communication from God, showing that simple petitions that unload a burdened mind upon the Burden-bearer are heard.
Prophetic Place and Fulfillment
Daniel 9:3 stands in a chapter containing prophetic periods connected with Daniel 8, and that connection is unmistakable. That chapter holds the key to finding the commencement and termination of the 2300 days. The reckoning of that period begins in the year 457 B.C., as shown by historical and chronological facts.
The verse belongs to the prophecy of the seventy weeks, on which the first disciples based their preaching that the time was fulfilled and God's kingdom was at hand. It is part of the same great prophetic period as the 2300 days, though the two groups proclaimed different portions of it. Daniel 9 gives the time prophecy of the seventy weeks fulfilled at the first coming of Christ, when the time was fulfilled and the kingdom of God was at hand. In that same prophecy is foretold the death of the Messiah and the kingdom to be set up at the end of the seventy weeks.
The verse is part of Daniel's writings in chapters 7-12, which contain revelations about the future that Daniel did not fully understand. These prophetic writings were sealed until the time of the end. The seeking came after the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true and shut up for many days, at which Daniel fainted and was sick certain days and was astonished but none understood it. He then set his face unto the Lord God to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes, and prayed unto the Lord his God and made his confession. What Daniel in vision saw would be is being opened by the judgments of God witnessed in San Francisco and many places as a standing warning to the people in Oakland, and the great things to take place are before the living who shall see to the end of these judgments.
Prayer Pattern for Believers
Daniel knew the value, aim, and object of prayer, and his practice with his three companions after being chosen for the courts of Babylon received answers. Prayer is not to inform God of what He does not know, for He knows the secrets of every soul and reads the hidden thought. Prayers need not be loud and long, and prayers that tell of wretchedness when none is felt are hypocrisy. God hears contrite prayer, and hears and openly rewards prayer offered in secret where no one sees or hears. Prayer works no change in God but brings the one praying into harmony with God, and it never takes the place of duty, is never accepted in place of tithe money no matter how often or earnestly offered, and will not pay debts to God.
Seeking God means turning to Him earnestly in humble, contrite prayer and supplication with fasting and confession of sin. God's people should seek Him for the strength and wisdom needed for their work, pray for themselves and for others who need salvation, and come together in close unity. They are to wrestle with God in intercessory prayer with all heart, soul, and voice, needing this prayer rather than confidence in their own wisdom, and God's power can keep them from foolish speech.
Daniel's humbling himself was followed by an experience that left him with no strength and made his own comeliness seem like corruption, and knowing God did not make him boastful but contrite and faithful. His experience teaches that God hears the contrite, answers those who seek Him wholeheartedly, and gives wisdom, increased ability, and heavenly power to those who ask in faith. God is willing to help those who come to Him, as Daniel's deliberate turning to God with fasting and other signs of humility and its results show. His prayer was heard because it came from sincere lips, and those who sincerely and earnestly seek the character needed to honor God and do Christ's work will share in the earth made new.
Daniel's earnest, complete prayer of humility and supplication is a model prayer to make our own, asking for the Holy Spirit to work on our behalf. It means humbling the soul in God's sight so He may lift up, joined with a true sense of worth measured by the price paid for redemption. Prayed in this way, it consecrates every capability and talent as God's precious endowment to be used for His name's glory, giving every advantage in the strife for immortality and eternal life and leading to perfection and completeness in Christ. Its result gave a Sabbath seeker assurance and helped her see the truth clearly.
The prayer begun here is one God's people need to offer together by assembling, confessing their sins, repenting before God, and continuing in prayer until the Lord manifests Himself to them with power. Such prayer is needed because of self-confidence and presumption, of having light sent yet not heeding the testimonies of His Spirit, and of departing from His expressed commands and working contrary to messages long given. It is needed because of selfishly gathering facilities to a few favored places while neglecting other parts of the field, with great neglect of the needs of the people in the large cities and in the Southern field. Praying this prayer leads those who claim to believe the truth to practise the truth, so that such neglect will not continue.
Setting the face unto the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes, humbling the heart and confessing sins, as set forth in the prayer in Daniel 9:3-19, is the pattern for learning what it means to humble oneself before God. One who has borne responsibilities in the work, has walked in false paths, has caused a departing from the faith, or has been reproved for departing from the faith should read that prayer, humble the heart as Daniel did, confess sins and make a change. God will speak peace to him who does so.
Prayer with confession of sin is the pattern for being faithful and true like Daniel, the man greatly beloved. It means waking up to the last great controversy and the conflict between good and evil angels, staying keenly alive to exposure to the enemy's malignant devices, and seeing that safety is in keeping the commandments of God. It means confessing sins and finding pardon, seeking to be guarded by heavenly intelligences and brought under the protection of the angels of God, living wholly for God's glory, and standing in lot and place. It is thorough work for eternity, required because people are not prepared for the Lord's coming and for what is soon coming upon the earth. In Babylon Daniel humbled himself before God and gave God the glory due His name, while never obliterating the line of demarcation between God's commandment-keeping people and those who have no respect for His law.
Daniel's setting his face to seek the Lord God in prayer is an example given for instruction and encouragement to follow when seeking God with humility of heart. The same God will hear believers now if they approach Him as Daniel did, putting trust in Him, keeping their souls in communion with God, and praying without ceasing. They are to ask Him to enlighten the mind and give clear conceptions of truth so souls understand truth. They are to ask Him to soften and subdue the heart, quicken the understanding to discern truth from error, and establish the wavering mind with knowledge and faith that will stand the test. This brings joy from Christ's love and care and assurance that He will not leave His people in weakness.