Daniel 9 Devotions by Stephen Taylor

Daniel 9:2

It was the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, who became king of the Babylonians. During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned from reading the Word of the LORD, as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years. 

 

There is power. There is freedom. There is hope found in reading the Word of God! Daniel was in exile in a foreign nation, filled with pagan gods and surrounded by people who wanted him gone. Yet, he did not crumble or turn from the Living God, and I believe part of the reason is that he kept reading His Word.

 

By the time Darius came to power, the Jews had been in exile a while. But it says that Daniel came to learn this information in the first year of Darius; thus, we can conclude that he continued to read his Word throughout his time in exile. He didn’t waiver or let his surroundings dictate how he was going to serve and obey his God, and neither should we!

 

One of the reasons this verse is important is because Daniel had been there a while, been through a lot, but God gave him hope for the future in a promise from His Word! And He will do the same for us if we diligently and faithfully read His Word and obey His commands. God didn’t make it difficult for us. We are blessed to have His complete body of work, the Bible. But if we don’t read it, then we’re missing out. Daniel received hope and encouragement in a desperate situation from the Word of God, and we can too! The Bible will speak to us, but the question is, are we willing to stop and listen?

 

Joshua 1:7-9 - “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

 

God bless! I love you all! Glory, Honor, and Praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!

 

 

Daniel 9:1,2

In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom— in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.

Daniel was in captivity far from his homeland, yet found his answers in God’s perfect Word; do we? Daniel could have turned to the world around him for answers, but instead, he remained faithful to the Lord and thus found the answers to his problems. We too must take this truth to heart and be taking God’s Word into our hearts daily. Daniel understood the world around him not through his eyes but through the Scriptures. We must do the same; we must understand this world, our condition, and the final outcome not through human understanding or wisdom but through God’s.

Look around at the world; through man’s eyes and understanding, it’s in shambles beyond repair and desperately lost forever. But that’s not what God’s Word tells us. Yes, there are lost people, but the world is not lost, because Christ came and conquered on the cross. Yes, the world seems beyond repair, but Christ says He is making all things new.

If we want to not only survive but thrive, our understanding has to come from the Scriptures. God has given us such a power-weapon in them and also a life-preserver to cling to. Through the Scriptures, we can have a glimmer of hope in an otherwise desperately dark world. When God’s word dwells in us, we can stand with confidence on the promises He has made in the face of great peril. If we are not full of His Word, then we are in danger of being filled by the world. This world is fading, but our God is not; He is eternal, He is immortal, He is immovable, and He is coming again!

Psalm 37:29-31- The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just. The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip.

Psalm 119:11- I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

God bless! I love you all, but His love saturates the pages from Genesis to Revelation! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!