Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas
Jeremy approaches Bible teaching with a passion for getting the basic doctrines explained so that the individual can understand them and then apply them to circumstances in their life. These basic and important lessons are nestled in a framework of history and progression of revelation from the Bible so the whole of Scripture can be applied to your physical and spiritual life.
Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas
NT Framework - Prayer is about God, not us.
Who is in focus in prayer, God or us? In other words, who or what is prayer all about, us and our problems or God and His purpose?
More information about Beyond the Walls, including additional resources can be found at www.beyondthewalls-ministry.com
This series included graphics to illustrate what is being taught, if you would like to watch the teachings you can do so on Rumble (https://rumble.com/user/SpokaneBibleChurch) or on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtV_KhFVZ_waBcnuywiRKIyEcDkiujRqP).
Jeremy Thomas is the pastor at Spokane Bible Church in Spokane, Washington and a professor at Chafer Theological Seminary. He has been teaching the Bible for over 20 years, always seeking to present its truths in a clear and understandable manner.
Welcome to Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas and our series on the New Testament Framework. Today a smaller, bite-sized piece from the larger lesson. We hope you enjoy it.
Speaker 2:That's why, in verse 3, he gave his attention to the Lord and sought Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth. So we're going to read this prayer and it's the longest prayer in the Old Testament and then we're going to draw some of the doctrine from the partial restoration, from this event, one of which is the doctrine of prayer. Okay, the doctrine of prayer. We'll draw some points out of it. So let's go through this prayer. Verse 4, I prayed to the Lord, my God, and I confessed. Now, confession.
Speaker 2:Daniel knew that the only way that Israel could be restored to her kingdom after the times of the Gentiles, the four kingdoms passed, which he supposes from Jeremiah is what Is it? Only 70 years? I mean, how does this all fit? But he knows that this is a condition for national restoration and the kingdom of God to come. So he confesses and he said alas, o Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant and his loving kindness for those who love him and keep his commandments. And here's the confession. We have sinned, we have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly, we have rebelled, we have even turned aside from your commandments and ordinances. Moreover, we have not listened to your servants, the prophets who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land. That's all saying we messed up, it's our fault for the situation we are in. This is a brief aside. Have you ever heard people say because I have many times that they don't want to believe in God because of the way their life is and all the bad things that have happened? And they basically blame God and therefore they're not going to believe in this God? Daniel came forth very forthrightly and just said we and our situation in life is due to us and our wickedness and our sin. It's not you, it's us. We are the problem. And so he is confessing. And then he says not only am I confessing all this, but you sent your prophets to us. So this would be people like Elijah. This would be people like Elisha, who God sent to the nation so that they would confess, but they didn't listen to the prophets. He says we didn't listen to them. You sent them, but we didn't listen. Now that's all about them.
Speaker 2:Now look at the other side of the confession, verse 7. This is all about the Lord. Righteousness belongs to you, o Lord. In other words, you are the standard. But to us open your name, as it is this day, to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away. So this includes all 12 tribes those in Judah, the southern kingdom, those in Israel, the northern kingdom, who are now in exile, he says, and all the countries to which you have driven them because of their unfaithful deeds. That's all the exile which they have committed against you and that's what confession is. It's admitting that the sin is against who? Against God, who is the standard? He is righteous, open shame.
Speaker 2:Verse 8, belongs to us, o Lord, to our kings, our princes, our fathers, because we have sinned against you, every single one of us. Now he switches back to the Lord. To the Lord, our God, belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him, nor have we obeyed the voice of the Lord, our God, to walk in his teachings, which he set before us through his servants, the prophets, which would be Moses and the prophets that followed. All Israel has transgressed your law and all Israel has turned aside, not obeying your voice, and therefore the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, for we have sinned against him. Who do we sin against? We sin against God. We don't sin against other people. Other people aren't the standard.
Speaker 2:Daniel admits, just like David admitted against you you only have I sinned. When we are confessing in that way, we are confessing properly. The sin is against him, verse 12,. Thus he has confirmed his words, which he had spoken against us and against our rulers, who ruled us to bring on us great calamity. In other words, god wrote all this in the Mosaic law the five degrees of divine discipline. If you don't listen to my voice but rebel, then I will send upon you this curse and then, if you don't listen again, I will send it upon you sevenfold more, and so forth, all through the five degrees.
Speaker 2:And he's saying it's all our fault. You told us you were going to do this to us, and yet we have not listened and we continue to rebel. It's just like a son and a father, and the father says if you don't do this, this will be the penalty. And the son says I don't care, and you give them the penalty. And then you say a warning again and the son says it doesn't matter, I'm still going to rebel. And so the father says, okay, fine. Well, it's greater penalties and you lose more and more freedoms until you don't have a car and you can't get out of your room and you're locked away, tied to your bed. And that's what I would do to you. I would confine you. And this is the definition of a good father Happy fathers.
Speaker 2:God does lay out, and he is the father of Israel. Israel is his son, right and and they are now suffering under the divine discipline of the father. Daniel recognizes that. In the middle of verse 12 he says for under the whole heaven, there has not been done anything like what was done to jerusalem. It was raised to the ground is destroyed. It was. It is a day in in Jewish history that is one of the saddest days. The beautiful Solomonic Temple, all its articles, everything destroyed, the articles taken away, and this was the heart of their whole life. And it was all taken. And they were marched 800 miles away, many of them naked and in chains for days on end, into captivity.
Speaker 2:Terrible thing, verse 13, as it is written in the law of Moses all this calamity has come on us, just like the word of God said. Yet we've not sought the favor or grace of the Lord, our God, by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to your truth. That's such a great verse that should be memorized. Turn from our iniquity, give attention to truth. It's truth. That's such a great verse that should be memorized. Turn from our iniquity, give attention to truth, his truth. Therefore, the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us. For the Lord, our God, is righteous with respect to all his deeds, which he has done, but we have not obeyed his voice. It's just a great contrast, right between who God is, how he is righteous, how he has done everything that he said he would do, and how Israel is liars, sinners who do not respond to him and to his truth, who worship idols who don't obey.
Speaker 2:And now verse 15, o Lord, our God, who have brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name for yourself, as it is this day, among all the nations. They knew of this God. We have sinned and we have been wicked. Oh Lord, in accordance with all your righteous acts, let now your anger and your wrath turn away from your city, jerusalem, from your holy mountain, for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, jerusalem and your people have become a reproach to all those around us.
Speaker 2:So now, our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his supplications and for your sake, o Lord, for your sake, not for our sake, but for your sake or for your name, o Lord, let your face shine on your desolate sanctuary. O, my God, incline your ear and hear, open your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by your name, jerusalem. It's your name that is attached to this city, lord, and it's in desolations. So restore it for your name, for we are not presenting our supplications before you on account of any merits of our own.
Speaker 2:Don't answer this prayer because of us, because of something we've done, because if you do, there's nothing you won't answer, he says, but on account of your own great compassion. Oh Lord, hear, oh Lord forgive, oh Lord, listen and Lord, take action For your own sake, oh my God, do not delay, because your city, it's your city and it's your people are called by your name and therefore your reputation is at stake. That is the whole basis of his prayer. It's all about the Lord and the Lord's name. It's not about Daniel, it's not about the people of Israel, it's about the Lord, ultimately, and that has to be a focus in prayer.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining us on Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas. If you would like to see the visuals that went along with today's sermon, you can find those on Rumble and on YouTube under Spokane Bible Church. That is where Jeremy is the pastor and teacher. We hope you found today's lesson productive and useful in growing closer to God and walking more obediently with Him. If you found this podcast to be useful and helpful, then please consider rating us in your favorite podcast app, and until next time, we hope you have a blessed and wonderful day.