Daniel

Build Day 12 Building Renewal: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

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The Questions

1) How does Daniel’s prayer relate with Nehemiah’s prayer in Nehemiah 1:4-11?

2) Daniel uses various titles and descriptions of God in his prayer; how is this significant?

3) How is this prayer of gut-wrenching confession still anchored in hope?

Daniel 9:3-10

3 So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:

Ah, Lord—the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands— 5 we have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commands and ordinances. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, leaders, ancestors, and all the people of the land.

7 Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but this day public shame belongs to us: the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and all Israel—those who are near and those who are far, in all the countries where you have banished them because of the disloyalty they have shown toward you. 8 Lord, public shame belongs to us, our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, because we have sinned against you. 9 Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God, though we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the Lord our God by following his instructions that he set before us through his servants the prophets.

Original Intent

1) How does Daniel’s prayer relate with Nehemiah’s prayer in Nehemiah 1:4-11?
If you think of a series of progressive, story-telling books, you’ll have a good idea of what’s happening with Daniel and Nehemiah. In brief, Israel was a budding nation birthed through Abraham’s son Isaac, the child of promise, by which God had covenanted with Abraham that He would turn a childless, aged man into the “father of many nations”. (Genesis 12:1-3) Isaac’s sons were twins, Jacob and Esau. Jacob had 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel (God changed Jacob’s name to Israel). These 12 families became slaves in Egypt as they had become so numerous that Pharaoh felt threatened. God called Moses, an Israelite, to lead the people out of slavery and into the Promised Land (also part of God’s covenant with Abraham). Twelve plagues later and 40 years of desert wanderings, Israel stepped into Canaan. Eventually, Israel grew tired of God’s rule over them and demanded a human king. Saul, Israel’s choice, was her first king, but he was self-focused and lacked real love for God or Israel. God chose David as the next king, and this shepherd-boy turned king, loved and cared for Israel well. David died and his son, Solomon, took over, but after Solomon’s death, the kingdom of Israel split. The Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah) continued rebelling against God, loathing Him, committing idolatry, and rejecting God’s covenantal love for them on repeat for centuries. During this time, God raised up prophets to warn Israel and Judah to repent of their sin, but they adamantly refused. Per the original covenant forged when Moses led Israel from slavery, God would punish His people by sending them into exile for their rebellion. Exile occurred at the hand of the Chaldeans (Babylonians) and would last 70 years. Youthful Daniel was taken captive from his homeland of Jerusalem and died in exile. The first exiles returned to Jerusalem around the year 537 BC, Nehemiah’s story began around 445 BC, nearly 100 years since Daniel’s death.

2) Daniel uses various titles and descriptions of God in his prayer; how is this significant?
Verse 3 begins with an interesting phrase usually translated in English, “I turned my attention”. The original Hebrew reads less eloquently, “I gave my face”. This wasn’t simply looking with the eyes, but the willful determination of Daniel’s entire being given in steadfast surrender. It was as if he were saying, “The whole of my face is set firmly upon You as I pray, and more so, as I await Your answer; I will not be moved, for so important is the cause for which I plead.” Also interesting are the titles for God Daniel chooses to use as he prays. In your Bible, verse 4 probably capitalizes all 4 letters of the title LORD, signifying God’s personal name for Himself, YHWH, (Yahweh). By calling out, “I prayed to the LORD (YHWH)…”, Daniel reminds himself and God of the deeply personal nature of God’s relationship with Israel. He chose them, He crafted them, and He birthed them as a nation. Daniel continued his petition, “…my God.” (verse 4, emphasis mine) While other Israelites had proven they cared for Yahweh in name only, while quite willing to worship false gods as it benefited them, Daniel verbalized his personal choice to respond to God’s invitation by reciprocation. Daniel chose YHWH as his own God. These insights, gained by studying the original language for a few words, is about to deepen as we read Daniel’s next two words, “Ah Lord…” (verse 4) No longer capitalized, the lowercase for “Lord” references the Hebrew word “adonai”, meaning lord, ruler, or sovereign. First, Daniel addressed God personally, and then followed on with the two-fold understanding that YHWH was also Adonai, King and Sovereign over all. Nothing was beyond His lordship and reign, and Daniel was His servant.

3) How is this prayer of gut-wrenching confession still anchored in hope?
“We have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commands and ordinances. We have not listened…” (verses 5-6) “…public shame belongs to us.” (verse 7) “…public shame belongs to us (…) because we have sinned against You.” (verse 8) The litany of Israel’s sins against the Lord were long, deep, and wide. They had offended His holiness and broken relationship with YHWH, their personal God, and the cut was deep against Him. They had violated the terms of their covenant with their sovereign Lord, Adonai, and they deserved death per the legal binding agreement of their covenant vow. According to the stipulations laid out, they had literally “missed the mark” (Hebrew hata for “sinned” in verses 5 and 8) of righteous living as was spelled out in their covenant. Legally, Israel’s situation was absolutely hopeless. Restitution with the Almighty was impossible. Their sins were too great and their ability to cleanse themselves of shame and offensive reproach was equally impossible. Yet, stunningly, Daniel did not plead without hope. He clearly knew Israel’s situation, it was his own words that laid it naked before the Lord God, but Daniel had one hope, and he clung to it with remarkable tenacity as he gave his face to God in prayer. “Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord…” and dare he say it? Yes, he spoke it, “our God.” Daniel went beyond saying YHWH was “my” God, to boldly re-claiming the Sovereign Lord as Israel’s God. Why? How could he make such a claim in the face of their reprehensible pile of sin? One reason alone, because He knew God’s character to be rich in compassion and forgiveness.

Everyday Application

1) How does Daniel’s prayer relate with Nehemiah’s prayer in Nehemiah 1:4-11?
The similarities between Daniel’s prayer and Nehemiah’s are uncanny, given their prayers were recorded nearly a century apart from each other. This fact alone should give us pause to consider the weightiness of their model and reflect how our prayer lives would benefit by following their examples. Both men had set their lives unswervingly upon honoring the Lord God, and they both had become keenly aware of their nation’s sinful rebellion after reading Scripture. (Daniel 9:3-10 and Nehemiah 1:5-11) Daniel pleaded for God’s mercy in remembering Israel in their exile, while Nehemiah, also living in Babylon, pleaded with the Lord for mercy as well, even though the specifics of their requests were quite different. Both men called upon the very same covenant of love as evidential reason for God to grant them mercy and favor. The two prayers evidence nearly exact addresses for God and model the same flow of adoring God (Daniel 9:4 and Nehemiah 1:5), confessing sin (Daniel 9:5-6 and Nehemiah 1:6-7), interceding for the nation (Daniel 9:7-8 and Nehemiah 1:6-7), and requesting favor (Daniel 9:17 and Nehemiah 1:11). Go see for yourself, it’s quite amazing! As you read Daniel 9:3-10 and Nehemiah 1:5-11, take note of the portions that make you curious and stick out to you as if bolded, this is the Spirit of the Lord inviting you to commune with Him over His Word! Prayerfully reflect on these things as you read the two passages side-by-side again. What is the Lord teaching you and convicting you of as you read His Words?! Take the challenge set forth by these two men who never met on earth and begin intentionally modeling your own prayers after their example. Go ahead and start right now in prayer!

2) Daniel uses various titles and descriptions of God in his prayer; how is this significant?
Daniel and Nehemiah both leaned on God’s covenant as grounds for their request, but we must remember who began the covenant relationship, God. God told Abraham He would make him into a great nation. God allowed Jacob (Israel) to have 12 sons, who would become the 12 nations. When it was time to ratify the covenant in writing (ie: Ten Commandments), God came down from Heaven in a cloud instead of insisting His people rise to Him in His grandeur. (Exodus 19:16-19) Here is the humble YHWH! Fast forward a few centuries and this same God fulfills His covenant to Abraham by sending Jesus, God in the flesh. True to His character, He began the relationship, He set His love upon humanity. (1 John 4:19, John 15:16) What was humanity doing while Adonai humbly sacrificed Himself for us? We hated Him. Still, He came. (Romans 5:8) This is YHWH, the sacrificing, covenant-keeping God. I came to a place where I faced the reality that, for all my self-proclaimed “goodness”, I too was a God-hater. My sins brought the punishment of death upon Christ, by His choice. While I hated Him, He loved me. Like Daniel, there was a point when I reciprocated His invitation to make me His own, and I claimed Him as my God. I turned from my perverted sins and became His, welcomed into a covenant relationship I had done absolutely nothing to earn. Like Daniel, the more I grew in my faith, the more I realized I could also call Yahweh my Adonai. Christ was my precious friend, but also my sovereign Lord. I was both friend and His joyful servant. How might seeing God as Yahweh and Adonai shift your relationship with Him?

3) How is this prayer of gut-wrenching confession still anchored in hope?
Oh Sisters, I cannot stop the tears streaking my cheeks as I write of God’s beautiful compassion and forgiveness! Israel’s sins were grievous and perpetual, indeed they were. Yahweh had every right to be forever angry with them, toss them aside, and forget them for eternity, but as the psalmist wrote, “He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our iniquities.” (Psalm 103:10) Breathe. That. In. What was true for Israel on the day Daniel pleaded with God for release from exile, and the people were welcomed Home, is true for you and me. It was true for Nehemiah when the people wore sackcloth, ashes, and wept violently over their sin, knowing it was only God’s compassionate forgiveness that could rescue them from the consequence of their rebellion. His response to Israel’s weeping with Nehemiah is precious and life-giving, “Do not weep…do not grieve, because the joy of YHWH is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:9-10) As if the Lord’s response to both of these prayers is not stunning enough, look at the disciple John’s words to all people who look to Christ for their sole rescue from the consequence of our own sin, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) If you’ve ever wondered if it could possibly be true that God would forgive your awful sin, whatever it is, read the stories of these two men, read the words of John who walked beside Jesus in real life, and know beyond all assurances that YES, Christ will forgive your sin completely, welcome you Home to Him (John 14:23), and will free you (John 8:36) to walk in delight with Him all your days (Psalm 23:6).

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

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The GT Weekend! ~ Kneel Week 2

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The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Jesus is the greatest authority of all time. He is the beginning and the end, the life-giving vine, and He made himself low that we might have fellowship with Him and abide in Him. He is present with us, and He is our great High Priest, which means IN HIM, we have direct access to God the Father. How would your prayer life change if you fully embraced the knowledge that Jesus Himself presents our requests to the Father? He says that whatever we ask in His name He would give us. Consider the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Read the prayer out loud and consider what it could look like if God were to answer each of the requests listed there for your life. If you want to study this prayer with fresh insight, pick a few studies from our Journey Into Prayer theme. Then take a moment to examine your heart. Are you abiding in Christ? Is there a pattern of sin in your life that you need to repent from? Is there someone you have wronged and need to make amends with? Repent of your sins, make a plan to be at peace with everyone as much as it depends on you (Romans 12:18), then boldly approach the throne of God (Hebrews 4:16), making your requests known to Him with thankfulness (Philippians 4:6). Don’t be afraid to pray big and pray specific. Speak your requests out loud and worship your God. He can do far more than you can ask or imagine. Watch to see how He works in your life.

2) On Wednesday, Bethany challenged us to pray while assuming the best about God. She reminded us we are called to pray about everything, that God wants to know us better, that He is characterized by giving good gifts, that He knows us and what we are struggling with, and finally that He is gracious to us. Which of these truths do you struggle to believe the most? Talk to God about this today. Write down one or two of these truths that are difficult to accept. Why are these harder to believe? What holds you back from accepting God’s character and graciousness toward you? What would need to change for you to believe it? After you consider these questions, look back at the Scriptures Bethany presented to confirm the truth about God’s character. As you read the words God gave us about Himself, consider what would change for you if you truly embraced these things about God. Finally, write a prayer asking God to help you assume the best about Him, and pray as though you do believe those things. God can and will meet you even in the midst of unbelief. He will help you, because He desires you to know Him more.

3) When Daniel prayed to God on behalf of the people of Israel, he didn’t ask for forgiveness because he or the people deserved it. He acknowledged before the Lord how they had done nothing to deserve His forgiveness or action on their behalf. Instead, Daniel asked because he knew the Lord had (and still has!) abundant compassion. Even in our weakest moments, we can rely on God’s character to remain the same. He is gracious and compassionate. “What are you waiting on? What are you wrestling through? What are your hardships? Bring them to the Lord.” Ponder in your heart if you can agree with the Apostle Paul when he says, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” And Sister, remember you do not need to be strong on your own. When we have a personal relationship with Jesus, He gives us strength for each day. (Ephesians 6:10) As an additional help, His church is meant to support one another. As you face your struggles today, would you walk in humility and share your journey with a trustworthy Jesus-follower? As we allow others into our trials, we give them the gift of seeing the Lord work in His great strength along with us. Paul boasted of His weakness that Christ would be made great. We can join in this gift with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Colossians 1:9b-13 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

…We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.

Prayer Journal
Dearest Heavenly Father, boldly we approach the throne room of grace. Not by any merit or achievement, but only by the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. Thank You for hearing our prayers. Thank You for making a way for us to speak with You directly. You are present with us at all times, whether we are aware or not. Help me, Oh Lord, to live and breathe a life of prayerful dependence on You. May I never lose sight of my deep, abiding need for You. My weaknesses, whether on display or hidden away, show me my inadequacies, but You Lord are strong in all my shortcomings. Lord, I believe You when You say You give good gifts to You children. I believe You know all things, even before I speak. I believe You are gracious. Help me in my unbelief. You know the deepest desires of my heart. You know my greatest needs and my hardest struggles. In Your mercy, hear my desperate cry for help, and be my Rock, my Anchor, my unfailing Refuge. Guide me in paths of righteousness for the sake of Your great Name. Help me to walk in Your faithfulness, ever mindful of my need for You, casting my care upon You at all times.

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Kneel Day 10 Why God?

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Daniel 9:1-19
Ephesians 6:10-20
2 Corinthians 12:6-10

Kneel, Day 10

History repeats itself.
Not in the sense that the same events happen over and over, rather that we have been dealing with the consequences of sin since it first marred God’s perfect world.

Today, we’re diving into the prayers of Daniel, who was no stranger to the suffering of life. As part of the Jewish nation, Daniel joined his people as they were exiled from their homeland in Jerusalem and sent to live under the rule and the captivity of Babylon.

Daniel was acutely aware how the exile and captivity were direct consequences of Israel turning away from God to focus on the fleeting rewards the earth has to offer.
He saw suffering magnified in the oppressive rule of Babylon and yet,
he chose faith in the midst of hardship.
With God’s righteous judgment in play, Daniel pleaded to the Lord on behalf of the Jewish people for their forgiveness and reconciliation back to Him. (Daniel 9:1-19) He confesses his sins and the sins of his people. He recognizes God’s judgment upon His people as just and warranted.

Can we say the same today? How often do we wrestle with the weight of the world and ask, “Why, God?” We see the consequences of sin run amuck around us, and we find our hearts aching for something beyond this world.

The battle we experience with sin isn’t against human enemies, but against the forces of the spiritual realm. (Ephesians 6:12) In the battle for our hearts, our only hope is to focus on our merciful God, the only One able to rescue us from the turmoil.

Daniel had some pretty intense first-person experiences with God’s grace and mercy (in a fiery furnace and a lion’s den). (Daniel 3 and 6) He knew the power of the ever-present mercy of God, so he called on those attributes of God and pleaded on behalf of his people for an end to their suffering.

In his prayer, Daniel acknowledges God is righteous and just, while also merciful and gracious. He seizes this opportunity, while experiencing God’s wrath, to confess, to point to God’s greatness, and to remind himself God keeps His promises, including His promise to deliver His people.

Daniel realizes God is enough. There’s no pretense Daniel will receive all the answers, or possess the power to deliver himself or his people from judgment; instead, he recognizes God alone will provide and sustain.

Daniel shows us through his prayer what it means to be in true, intimate relationship with God:
It’s trust.
It’s a confident hope.
It’s surrendering control.
It’s remembering God is for us.

Like Daniel, I find myself currently in a season of loss and missing all that was familiar and safe. I have been asking myself, “Is Jesus enough? Is the hope I see glimmering beyond these struggles enough to sustain me through the valley? Is a relationship with Him all I need?”

God doesn’t require us to have all of the answers, and we can rest knowing we don’t need them. He simply welcomes us, right now, as we are, to trust Him for the Journey.

For our questions, the Lord provides Himself.
“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God–who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly–and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)

For our longing for justice, again, the Lord gives Himself.
“This is my servant [. . .] I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring justice to the nations.” (Isaiah 42:1-2)

For our weariness from suffering, the Lord offers Himself.
“Rise up, Lord God! Lift up your hand. Do not forget the oppressed.” (Psalm 10:12)

Consistently, the Lord God invites us to lean into His mercy and compassion, remembering He alone is enough.

What are you waiting on?
What are you wrestling through?
What are your hardships?
Where are you asking, “Why, God?”

Let’s bring these struggles to the Lord. Let’s experience His grace and mercy flooding our hearts as we confess our sins and dive deeper into relationship with Him. Let’s embrace the only One who is enough. He’s already waiting for us!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Kneel Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Kneel!