Verse 17: “And now hear, O God, the prayer of your servant – and his supplication. Cause Your face to shine upon Your sanctuary, which is desolate on account of the Lord.”

On account of the Lord: Daniel is not saying that there is any reason for God to respond to his prayer other than because of who God is. Man has no merit. We have sinned, we have disobeyed, we have not been faithful. Daniel knows, however, that God is going to move because of His mercy, His loving-kindness and because He is a forgiving God. He moves because of who He is, and not because of who we are (2 Timothy 2:13).

Verse 18: “Turn, my God, Your ear and listen. Open up Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called according to Your name. For there is not concerning us any righteousness, for we are placing our supplication before You because of Your abundant mercy.”

Note: Daniel is emphasising, again and again, that we have no merit. There is nothing we can point to in our lives that would cause God to act on our behalf. Daniel is coming before God, prayerfully, realizing that if things are going to change, if there is going to be a renewal, if Israel is going to be brought back to the land it is not because of who the Jewish people (or anyone) are, but it is because of who God is – merciful, forgiving, kind. God gets all the glory for the great things that He does.

Verse 19: “O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, pay attention! Do not delay, on account of You my God. For Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

Your city and Your people are called by Your name: Daniel realizes that the only thing that he has, with which he can petition God, is this covenantal relationship. No where in the Scripture will we find that God has changed (Hebrews 13:8) and rejected His people or His city (Jerusalem) forever.

In the book of Hosea God does reject them for a season (Hosea 1:9, Hosea 9:17 etc) but then, because of His faithfulness (2 Timothy 2:13), He restores them and calls them His people once again (Hosea 1:10-11).

Verse 20: “While I was still speaking and praying and confessing my sins, and the sins of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God concerning the holy mountain of my God,”

Holy mountain: The Temple Mount. Daniel had a burden for the temple to be rebuilt, and for worship to be reinstated there.

Note: During the millennial reign of Messiah (Revelation 20:6) there will be a temple in Jerusale and people will be worshipping there (Zechariah 14:16-21). Just before the 70-year Babylonian exile was about to end, Daniel was anticipating the return of the people to the land of Israel, but he was also anticipating and desiring the rebuilding of the temple. In the last 70 years, after a nearly 2000-year exile, we have witnessed the return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel. If we are prophetically minded we should be expecting a temple to be built on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. At the writing of this study guide, it may seem like an impossibility in our eyes – the world would say that is too much of a provocation to the Muslims -but it is going to happen. The temple is going to be rebuilt on the Temple Mount. It is just a matter of time. 

This third temple is going to, however, be inhabited by the antichrist (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)

Although there is going to be a temple in Jerusalem during the 1000-year reign of Messiah, in the New Jerusalem there will be no temple (Revelation 21:22).

Verse 21: “I was still speaking in prayer, when the man Gabriel, who I saw in the vision at first, was flying, and he touched me at the time of the evening sacrifice.”

Speaking in prayer: Prayer caused Daniel to have an angelic encounter. Daniel was praying for the will of God to be done, praying in the Spirit, and he received revelation.

Man: See Daniel 8:15-16. Gabriel has the appearance of a man, but he is an angel.

Verse 22: “And he made me to understand, and he spoke with me and said: ‘Daniel, now I have gone forth to make you wise in understanding.’”

Make you wise in understanding: Gabriel was commissioned to give Daniel insight. When we pray according to the will of God He instructs His angels to minister to us, to help us to mature and grow (Hebrews 1:14, Psalm 91:11-12).

Verse 23: “At the beginning of your prayer and supplication went forth the word. I came to declare that you are greatly desired, and for you to understand the word and understand the vision.”

Greatly desired: (ותֹ ִ֖ודּמֲח) The word for ‘desired’ is written in the plural, which means that it is therefore translated ‘greatly desired’.

Understand: Daniel was not going to understand what was going to happen without divine intervention.