August 1 Covenant Commitment

Daniel 9:3-19

I turned to the Master God, asking for an answer—praying earnestly, fasting from meals, wearing rough penitential burlap, and kneeling in the ashes. I poured out my heart, baring my soul to God, my God: 'O Master, great and august God. You never waver in your covenant commitment, never give up on those who love you and do what you say. Yet we have sinned in every way imaginable. We've done evil things, rebelled, dodged and taken detours around your clearly marked paths. We've turned a deaf ear to your servants the prophets, who preached your Word to our kings and leaders, our parents, and all the people in the land. You have done everything right, Master, but all we have to show for our lives is guilt and shame, the whole lot of us—people of Judah, citizens of Jerusalem, Israel at home and Israel in exile in all the places we've been banished to because of our betrayal of you. Oh yes, God, we've been exposed in our shame, all of us—our kings, leaders, parents—before the whole world. And deservedly so, because of our sin. Compassion is our only hope, the compassion of you, the Master, our God, since in our rebellion we've forfeited our rights. We paid no attention to you when you told us how to live, the clear teaching that came through your servants the prophets. All of us in Israel ignored what you said. We defied your instructions and did what we pleased. And now we're paying for it: The solemn curse written out plainly in the revelation to God's servant Moses is now doing its work among us, the wages of our sin against you. You did to us and our rulers what you said you would do: You brought this catastrophic disaster on us, the worst disaster on record—and in Jerusalem! Just as written in God's revelation to Moses, the catastrophe was total. Nothing was held back. We kept at our sinning, never giving you a second thought, oblivious to your clear warning, and so you had no choice but to let the disaster loose on us in full force. You, our God, had a perfect right to do this since we persistently and defiantly ignored you. Master, you are our God, for you delivered your people from the land of Egypt in a show of power—people are still talking about it! We confess that we have sinned, that we have lived bad lives. Following the lines of what you have always done in setting things right, setting people right, please stop being so angry with Jerusalem, your very own city, your holy mountain. We know it's our fault that this has happened, all because of our sins and our parents' sins, and now we're an embarrassment to everyone around us. We're a blot on the neighborhood. So listen, God, to this determined prayer of your servant. Have mercy on your ruined Sanctuary. Act out of who you are, not out of what we are. Turn your ears our way, God, and listen. Open your eyes and take a long look at our ruined city, this city named after you. We know that we don't deserve a hearing from you. Our appeal is to your compassion. This prayer is our last and only hope:

Master, listen to us! Master, forgive us! Master, look at us and do something!
Master, don't put us off! Your city and your people are named after you: You have a stake in us.

The children of Israel had been commanded in Leviticus 25:1-7 to give the promised land a Sabbath rest—that is a rest every seventh year. There were not to farm or harvest from their land. For 490 years the Israelites had not observed this Sabbath rest command. God had warned them about the consequences if they were disobedient in Leviticus 26:27-28, 33-34, the  promise of His wrath. Yet if in spite of this you do not obey Me, but act with hostility against Me, then I will act with wrathful hostility against you, and I, even I, will punish you seven times for your sins….You, however, I will scatter among the nations and will draw out a sword after you, as your land becomes desolate and your cities become waste. 'Then the land will enjoy its sabbaths all the days of the desolation, while you are in your enemies' land; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. (NASB) Their disobedience is recorded in 2 Chronicles 36:20-23, Those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete. Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia--in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah--the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up! (NASB)    

Daniel goes before the Lord in prayer, while fasting, crying out “O Lord” or “O God” twelve times in his petition. He speaks on behalf of all of the Israelites, for generations, confessing that they sinned and now he realizes that the prophesy of Jeremiah is about to be fulfilled—the seventy years is almost up. He was pleading with the Lord to listen to his prayer, to put aside His anger and to be compassionate. Forgive, listen, take immediate action.

When you pray do you seek forgiveness? Do you ask God to listen to you and to take immediate action? Jesus has promised that He will indeed hear our prayers and take them to God the Father.

Thank you, Jesus, that you hear my prayers. Like Daniel, I confess that I have not followed your commandments to the letter of the law—please forgive me—and my nation. Draw me—and the people of my country—close to you that we would live in such a way as to be pleasing to you in all that we do and say. Show me how to apply the “Sabbath” principle to my daily life.

© 2012 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

Scripture from The Message, except where noted.