Read Daniel 9:3-19. On what basis does Daniel make his plea for mercy?

We should especially note a few points in this prayer.

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First, nowhere in Daniel’s prayer is he asking for any kind of explanation for the calamities that happened to the Jewish people. He knows the reason. Indeed, the bulk of the prayer consists of Daniel himself recounting the reason: “We have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets” (Dan. 9:10, NKJV). The last time we left Daniel having a need to understand something was at the end of Daniel chapter 8, when he says he does not understand the vision of the 2,300 evenings and mornings (see Dan. 8:27).

The second point is that this prayer is an appeal to God’s grace, to God’s willingness to forgive His people even though they have sinned and done evil. In one sense, we see here a powerful illustration of the gospel, of sinful people who have no merit of their own, nevertheless seeking grace that they don’t deserve and for forgiveness that they haven’t earned. Is this not an example of where each one of us is, individually, before God?

Read Daniel 9:18-19. What other reason does Daniel give for the Lord to answer his prayer?

Another aspect of Daniel’s prayer deserves mention: the appeal to the honor of God’s name. That is, the prayer is not motivated by Daniel’s personal convenience or that of his people, but for God’s own sake (Dan. 9:17-19). In other words, the petition must be granted because God’s name will be honored.

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Read Daniel 9:1-2. Daniel says that he “understood by books” the prophecy he is studying so carefully. What book or books of the Bible does he mean?

As we look into this prayer, it becomes clear that it arises from an in-depth study of God’s previous revelation to Moses and the prophets. Having learned from Jeremiah’s scroll that his period of captivity will last seventy years (see Jer. 25:11-12; Jer. 29:10), Daniel understands the importance of the historical moment in which he is living.

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Let us bear in mind that Daniel offers this prayer in 539 B.C., the year that the Persian Empire replaces Babylon. So almost seventy years have elapsed since Nebuchadnezzar has conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. Therefore, according to the prophecy of Jeremiah, God’s people will soon return to their homeland. Trusting the Word of God, Daniel knows that something momentous is about to happen to his people and that, just as God promises in His Word, the exile in Babylon shall soon end and the Jews will return to their home.

From his study of the Scriptures available to him, Daniel also realizes how serious the sins of his people are. Because they have broken the covenant, they have severed their relationship with God; the inevitable consequence is, therefore, the exile (Lev. 26:14-45). Thus, it is the study of God’s revelation that provides Daniel with an understanding of the times and that gives him a sense of urgency to plead with God on behalf of the people.

As we approach the last days of earth’s history, we need more than ever to study and live according to God’s Word. Only Scripture can provide us with an authoritative explanation of the world we live in. After all, Scripture tells the story of the great controversy between good and evil, and thus reveals that human history will close with the obliteration of evil and the establishment of God’s eternal kingdom. The more we study the Scriptures, the better we can understand the contemporary situation of the world and our place in it, as well as our reasons for hope amid a world that offers none.

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Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Daniel 9:1-27; Jer. 25:11-12; Jer. 29:10; 2 Kings 19:15-19; Matt. 5:16; James 5:16.

Memory Text: “O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name” (Daniel 9:19, NKJV).

Daniel 9 contains one of the great prayers of the Bible. In crucial moments of his life, Daniel resorts to prayer in order to cope with the challenges that lie before him. When Daniel and his colleagues were about to be killed because of the mysterious dream of a pagan king, the prophet approaches God in prayer (Daniel chapter 2). And when a royal decree forbids petitions to any God but to the king, Daniel continued to offer his daily prayers toward Jerusalem (Daniel chapter 6). Thus, as we consider the prayer in Daniel chapter 9, let us remember that the vision of the 2,300 evenings and mornings in Daniel chapter 8 greatly impacts the prophet. Although the overall contours of that prophecy were explained, Daniel cannot make sense of the time period conveyed by the dialogue between the two heavenly beings: “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed” (Dan. 8:14). It is only now, in chapter 9, that more light is given to the prophet, and this time, too, it is in response to earnest prayer.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, March 7.

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Testimony From the Tomb

By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission

George Cobb is the man who died twice.

Little is actually known about Cobb, and no photos of him are known to exist.

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But his grave has attracted attention for decades because his tombstone in a cemetery in Brunswick in the U.S. state of Maine bears a birthdate and two death dates. It reads:

Born June 10, 1794
Died Nov. 10, 1848
Fell asleep May 9, 1882

In fact, Cobb was baptized on Nov. 10, 1848, and he asked that the date of his conversion be carved on his tombstone after he was laid to rest in the grave on May 9, 1882, at the age of 88.

“This is one of the interesting examples again of the faith and the willingness and the determination of our pioneers to share their faith in whatever means possible, including having something engraved on your tombstone that will share your faith after you have fallen asleep”, said James Nix, director of the Ellen G. White Estate.

The tombstone includes text from the fourth commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy”.

Nix has sought to find a photograph of Cobb and to track down his descendants, but without success. “I have looked high and low for a picture of Cobb”, he said. “I have asked up here, ‘Are their descendants of Cobb?’ I would like to know about this man who cared that much to leave instructions and money to carve all that extra text on his tombstone”.

Cobb’s unique witness from the grave has touched the hearts of many people, including church members who have stopped by the cemetery.

“He recognized that he needed to die to self and then he truly could become alive”, said Ted N.C. Wilson, president of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church. “So he lived his life in a beautiful demonstration of the contrast between living a life for himself and dying to the old self and becoming a new creature in Christ. What a privilege to see his tombstone”.

Karen Glassford, a third-generation Adventist missionary who works as education and communication coordinator at the church’s Institute of World Mission, said that when she initially saw the tombstone she suspected that the first death date might refer to Cobb’s baptism.

“His tombstone has become such a witness to other people”, she said. “It has made them curious, ‘Why did he die twice?’ I’m sure there will be people in heaven because of that man’s tombstone”.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

All Rights Reserved. No part of the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide may be edited, altered, modified, adapted, translated, reproduced, or published by any person or entity without prior written authorization from the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

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Further Thought: 

Below is a chart summarizing what we have looked at so far regarding the sequence of kingdoms depicted in Daniel chapters 2, 7, and 8. What does this tell us about the cleansing of the sanctuary?

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As we can see here, there are parallels between the chapters. Not only are the nations depicted in parallel to each other, the judgment scene in Daniel chapter 7 — which arises after the 1,260 years (A.D.538-1798) of papal Rome, directly parallels the cleansing of the sanctuary, which in Daniel chapter 8 arises after Rome as well. In short, this heavenly judgment in Daniel chapter 7 — the judgment that leads to the end of the world — is the same thing as the cleansing of the sanctuary in Daniel chapter 8. We are given here two different depictions of the same thing, and both occur after the 1,260-year period of persecution perpetrated by the little horn power.

Discussion Questions:

<–Thursday

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