The chapter begins with Daniel, in the first year of the reign of Darius, turning to God in earnest prayer, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes, for God’s mercy for His people in exile.
Notice that Daniel included himself with the people in their sins and rebellion against God and His law; he acknowledged that they deserved God’s punishment and judgement, for they had acted wickedly and had not listened to God’s prophets whom God had sent again and again to them – yet without their proper response and repentance time and again. Daniel’s posture was one of asking the Lord God for mercy and forgiveness for the covenant people of God. It was in order for the leader (like king David and king Solomon), the priest, the prophet (like Samuel) and the judge to intercede for the people of God, and here, Daniel was taking on this role for the sake of his people and humbly including himself among those who had disobeyed God and deserved the exile.
Daniel’s earnest prayer began when he perceived from the Word of God to prophet Jeremiah that the exile would last for 70 years, and he realised that the 70 years were then coming to an end. Although God had shared this through Jeremiah, Daniel did not take it for granted and he did not act presumptuously. He was conscious that repentance and earnest prayer were in order to plead for God’s mercy and forgiveness for the return of the exiled.
It is helpful to note that effective and definite prayers are often tied up with illumination from the Word of God – not only did Daniel pray according to Jeremiah’s prophecy, he also called upon God to act for His name’s sake and for His own glory, a fact which is revealed in Scriptures.
Real prayer centres on the hallowing of God’s name and the doing of His will. It purifies the heart; it purges our attitudes and motives; it melts down all the self-centredness, self-sufficiency and self-reliance. In God’s eyes, motivation is primary in prayer; He looks not only on the outward behaviour but also on the heart and any motivation that exalts itself will render our prayer and work rotten at the core. Daniel fulfilled all these positive features – no wonder God sent angel Gabriel swiftly to him at the time of the evening sacrifice to give him understanding and to respond to his prayers. Gabriel affirmed that Daniel was greatly loved by God because of his life of devotion to God and his humble and sincere disposition before God. This is in line with what Apostle James wrote: “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5: 16(b)).
From verse 24 to verse 27, the prophecy of the seventy weeks or the seventy sevens is addressed. This remarkable section declares that a definite period of time has been decreed by God for the accomplishment of the restoration of His people from bondage. This period – when it begins and when it ends exactly is not something agreed by all commentators – there are different schools of thought.
The word which is usually translated weeks is more accurately rendered ‘sevens’. It means a period divided into sevens, the precise length of this ‘besevened’ period is not being stated. The word in Hebrew may be paraphrased ‘a period of sevens, in fact, seventy of them’. The revelation of this decreed period has direct reference to Daniel’s prayer. The time of exile is almost ended, what then lies in store for Daniel’s people and Jerusalem. The answer – a period of seventy sevens has been determined in which their salvation is to be accomplished. As the period of exile is 70 years; the revelation of a period of seveny ‘sevens’ would therefore mean 70×7 years.
The seventy ‘sevens’ have been determined for the purpose of bring about six results – three negative and three positive. The negative result to be obtained is the abolition of the curse which separates man from God. The nature of this curse appears in the use of the words transgression, sin and iniquity: to put an end to sin, to finish the transgression and to atone for iniquity. This implies that a necessary sacrifice will be offered, upon the basis of which iniquity will be forgiven.
The three positive results are described: to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet and to anoint a most holy place. The everlasting righteousness is to be brought in from without i.e. from God through the Messiah. Both vision and prophet will be sealed – this implies that the method of revelation through vision and prophet would cease for the Messiah would be the great prophet. To anoint a holy place has reference to the enduing of the Messiah with the Spirit of the Lord; it may also indicate that the physical temple is no longer relevant – God would dwell in His people through Christ – the people of God would constitute the new temple of God; Jesus the Messiah would Himself be the new temple. All these six results to be accomplished are all Messianic – pointing to the coming of the Messiah who would accomplish all these six results.
As stated earlier, there are different schools of thoughts about the period, when it begins and when it ends exactly. The traditional interpretation entails less difficulty and does justice to the language of the text.
The seventy sevens serve as a symbolic number for the period that has been decreed for the accomplishment of the Messianic salvation (verse 24). In verse 25, we are told that that two segments of time elapse from the issuing of a word from God to rebuild Jerusalem until the appearance of Christ. After these two segments have elapsed, the Messiah will be cut off by and Jerusalem and the temple will be destroyed by the Roman armies of Titus. The Messiah will cause the Jewish sacrifice to cease by means of His death, and He will do this in the midst of the seventieth seven. As a consequence, the temple will be destroyed, and the destruction will continue until the end appears which has been appointed by God. The precise point of termination of the period of seventy ‘sevens’ is not revealed The emphasis is not on the beginning or end of the period but rather on the results which the period has been set apart to accomplish.
We see therefore that the answer to Daniel’s prayer is not just about the exile returning to Jerusalem and rebuilding the temple but the answer stretches to the time the Messiah would appear and fulfil His mission for God’s people. The abomination of desolation would be seen again when Titus desecrated the temple and destroyed it, as prophesied by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 24.
So, even after the return from exile, the people of God would continue to face much sufferings until the second return of the Messiah who would bring about an end to evil, institute judgement and establish the new heaven and new earth. God’s timetable and plan for His people is not over yet; He would bring all these about in His own time according to His perfect wisdom and in His own way.