Continued from Chapter 11b
And while I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord, my God, for the holy mountain of my God; and while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I saw in the vision at first, approached me in swift flight about the time of the evening offering. And he enabled me to understand, and he spoke with me, and he said, “Daniel, now I have come forth to make you skillful in understanding. In the beginning of your supplications, a word came forth, and I have come to tell it, for you are beloved; now contemplate the word and understand the vision. (Daniel 9:3-23)
Daniel asks in the name of all Israel for forgiveness and restoration to the land of their forefathers. His prayer for restoration and rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple is answered although the sacrificial system was still not reinstituted and Jerusalem lay in ruins. There was no “mixing” of prayers of repentance with sacrifices being offered in the Temple. It was the time of day for the evening offering but no sacrifices were being presented in the destroyed Temple at that time. Only the prayers of repentant sinners could bring about national restoration and the rebuilding of the Temple. Solomon’s request was that heart-felt prayers offered from exile toward the Temple, not specifically toward the ruins of the Temple, should be received by God. Nevertheless, it is obvious from the description of Daniel’s supplication that God received prayers offered even toward the ruins of the Temple.
Nehemiah
Nehemiah, himself still in exile, saddened by the news that the Jews in Judah were in great distress confessed the sins of the “sons of Israel” wherever they may be: And it happened when I heard these words that I sat and wept, and I mourned for days, and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. And I said, “I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps the covenant and loving-kindness to those who love Him and to those who keep His commandments. Let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to listen to the prayer of Your servant, which I pray before You today, day and night, concerning the children of Israel, Your servants, and I confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we sinned against You; and I and my father’s house have sinned. We have dealt corruptly against You, and we have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances that You commanded Moses, Your servant. Remember now the word that You commanded Moses, Your servant, saying, ‘If you deal treacherously, I shall scatter you among the nations. And if you return to Me and keep My commandments and perform them — if your exile is at the end of the heaven, from there I shall gather them, and I shall bring them to the place that I chose to cause My name to rest there.’ Now they are Your servants and Your people, whom You redeemed with Your great strength and with Your strong hand. I beseech You, O Lord, may Your ear now be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and to the prayer of Your servants, who wish to fear Your name, and cause Your servant to succeed today, and grant him mercy before this man.” And I was the king’s butler. (Nehemiah 1:4-11)
God responded to Solomon’s prayer saying, “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. . . .[I]f My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land. Now My eyes shall be open and My ears attentive to the prayer of this place” (2 Chronicles 7:12-15). This did not preclude God’s answering sincere prayer made elsewhere. God did not answer Solomon’s prayer point by point but the unfolding of events in Jewish history shows that He did grant all that Solomon requested. The fact that Nehemiah’s prayer request, as Daniel’s before him, was granted without his providing a sacrificial offering shows that sincere repentance without the shedding of blood can bring forgiveness even for one living in exile. But, God did warn Solomon that if the people of Israel went too far in their sin, He would uproot them from their land and destroy the Temple (2 Chronicles 7:17-22). What would be left for them to do, but to reach out to God for forgiveness? In Leviticus 26:40-45, God declares that once the Israelites have repented their sins and those of their forefathers, He would show mercy to them and end their exile.
With the Temple destroyed, only sincere repentant prayer could be offered as a means of achieving atonement. This Daniel did at a time when the sacrifices were suspended; this Nehemiah did when sacrifices were again reinstituted, but he was still in exile. The absence of the Temple service has not prevented the Jews from seeking God in humility and establishing a relationship with Him at the personal level, which is the goal of the sacrificial offering made with a contrite spirit. This does not mean that the exile or the absence of Temple sacrifice is what God ultimately intends for the Jewish people, but restoration of the full atonement procedure as provided by the Torah will come according to His timetable. Meanwhile, as we learn from the prayers of Daniel and Nehemiah, “All Israel are responsible for one another.”2 They do not speak only of their own sins or dwell on the sins of others, but include themselves within the national commonality. They do not request personal reward for their own merits, but would have all Israel benefit from the divine recognition of their merits. Their prayers reflect national responsibility and national repentance leading to national atonement and forgiveness. As such, there is not only an individual atonement taking place but a national atonement as well.
Continued