Daniel 9:23

9:20-27 An answer was immediately sent to Daniel's prayer, and it is a very memorable one. We cannot now expect that God should send answers to our prayers by angels, but if we pray with fervency for that which God has promised, we may by faith take the promise as an immediate answer to the prayer; for He is faithful that has promised. Daniel had a far greater and more glorious redemption discovered to him, which God would work out for his church in the latter days. Those who would be acquainted with Christ and his grace, must be much in prayer. The evening offering was a type of the great sacrifice Christ was to offer in the evening of the world: in virtue of that sacrifice Daniel's prayer was accepted; and for the sake of that, this glorious discovery of redeeming love was made to him. We have, in verses 24-27, one of the most remarkable prophecies of Christ, of his coming and his salvation. It shows that the Jews are guilty of most obstinate unbelief, in expecting another Messiah, so long after the time expressly fixed for his coming. The seventy weeks mean a day for a year, or 490 years. About the end of this period a sacrifice would be offered, making full atonement for sin, and bringing in everlasting righteousness for the complete justification of every believer. Then the Jews, in the crucifixion of Jesus, would commit that crime by which the measure of their guilt would be filled up, and troubles would come upon their nation.

All blessings bestowed on sinful man come through Christ's atoning sacrifice, who suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. Here is our way of access to the throne of grace, and of our entrance to heaven. This seals the sum of prophecy, and confirms the covenant with many; and while we rejoice in the blessings of salvation, we should remember what they cost the Redeemer. How can those escape who neglect so great salvation!

This circumstance shows how ready the Lord is to hear the prayers of his people; and yet it was not owing to the prayers of the prophet, and to any intrinsic virtue or merit in them that the Lord did what he afterwards declares should be done; and, besides, more is revealed and promised than Daniel asked for: the commandment came forth; either the order from the Lord to the angel, dispatching him on this errand to the prophet, to acquaint him with his mind and will; or the proclamation of Cyrus, to let the people of the Jews go free, and go up to Jerusalem to build their city and temple, published that morning, just about the time Daniel began to pray, the seventy years' captivity being completely finished; see Daniel 9:25, and I am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved; or, "art desires" (p); all desire, exceedingly desired; very lovely, amiable, and delightful, in the sight of God, and all good men: or, "that thou art greatly beloved" (q); thus the angel came from God, out of heaven, to show it to him, to make it appear that he was highly in the favour of God, in that he made known his secrets to him: therefore understand the matter; or "word" (r); attend to the word; advert to the form of speaking used, and labour to get the knowledge of it: and consider the vision; this vision, as Japhet; the following vision or prophecy of the seventy weeks; think of it well, as being a matter of great importance and consequence. (p) "desideria", Michaelis; "vir desideriorum",

(23) The commandment. —The marginal version is to be preferred, which points to the revelation which follows Daniel 9:24-27 . The title “greatly beloved” occurs again ( Daniel 10:11 ; Daniel 10:19 ). It implies that Daniel was worthy of this proof of God’s love. St. Jerome compares ( 2Samuel 12:25 ) Jedidiah.

23. At the beginning of thy supplications, &c.—The promulgation of the divine decree was made in heaven to the angels as soon as Daniel began to pray. came forth—from the divine throne; so Da 9:22. thou art greatly beloved—literally, "a man of desires" (compare Eze 23:6, 12); the object of God's delight. As the apocalyptic prophet of the New Testament was "the disciple whom Jesus loved," so the apocalyptic prophet of the Old Testament was "greatly beloved" of God. the vision—the further revelation as to Messiah in connection with Jeremiah's prophecy of seventy years of the captivity. The charge to "understand" is the same as in Mt 24:15, where Rome primarily, and Antichrist ultimately, is referred to (compare Note, see on [1098]Da 9:27).

23 . the commandment came forth ] a word went forth (cf. Esther 7:8 ; Isaiah 55:11 ). The reference is not to the commandment given to Gabriel to go to Daniel, but to the Divine declaration contained in Daniel 9:24-27 . to shew thee ] to declare (it): cf. on Daniel 2:2 . greatly beloved ] greatly desired , or (R.V. marg. ) very precious : lit. desirable things or desirablenesses ; cf. Daniel 10:11 ; Daniel 10:19 , ‘a man of desirablenesses,’ the plural being intensive[333]. [333] For the Heb. idiom here employed cf. Psalm 109:4 ; Psalm 110:3 : and see Ges.-Kautzsch, § 141 c. The cognate verb means to desire ( Psalm 19:10 ; Exodus 20:17 , ‘covet’); and when applied to men has usually reference to their personal attractiveness ( Isaiah 53:2 ; Psalm 39:11 , ‘his desirableness,’ A.V., R.V., ‘his beauty’). The word here used, properly desired , is elsewhere rendered precious ( 2 Chronicles 20:25 ; Ezra 8:27 ; Daniel 11:43 ), or pleasant ( Daniel 10:3 ; Daniel 11:38 ): hence R.V. marg. ‘very precious.’ understand … consider ] R.V. consider … understand . The two words in the Heb. are different forms of one and the same verb: R.V. transposes the renderings, probably on the ground that ‘understanding’ implies more than ‘consideration,’ and would naturally follow it. the matter ] the word ( Daniel 10:1 ), i.e. the prophetic word following ( Daniel 9:24-27 ). the vision ] Daniel 8:16 ; Daniel 8:27 , Daniel 10:1 .

At the beginning of thy supplications - We are not informed at what time Daniel began to pray, but as remarked above, it is most natural to suppose that he devoted the day to prayer, and had commenced these solemn acts of devotion in the morning. The commandment came forth - Margin, "word." That is, the word of God. This evidently means, in heaven; and the idea is, that as soon as he began to pray a command was issued from God to Gabriel that he should visit Daniel, and convey to him the important message respecting future events. It is fair to conclude that he had at once left heaven in obedience to the order, and on this high embassage, and that he had passed over the amazing distance between heaven and earth in the short time during which Daniel was engaged in prayer. If so, and if heaven - the peculiar seat of God, the dwelling-place of angels and of the just - is beyond the region of the fixed stars, some central place in this vast universe, then this may give us some idea of the amazing rapidity with which celestial beings may move. It is calculated that there are stars so remote from our earth, that their light would not travel down to us for many thousand years. If so, how much more rapid may be the movements of celestial beings than even light; perhaps more than that of the lightning's flash - than the electric fluid on telegraphic wires - though "that" moves at the rate of more than 200,000 miles in a second.