God’s Word for You
Daniel 9:1-3 The Holy Scriptures
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Friday, December 12, 2025
In this chapter, Daniel prays one of the finest prayers of the Old Testament. He prays for the captive Jews in Babylon (9:4-10), for Jerusalem (9:11-16), and for the temple (9:17-19). He had already been pondering the words of the prophet Jeremiah when he prayed, for Jeremiah said that the captivity would end after seventy years. Then, for the second time, Gabriel appears to Daniel to tell him that in “seventy ‘sevens’” wickedness and sin would be atoned for. He describes the coming Savior as the Messiah (“Anointed One”), a promise that God’s people would hold dear (John 4:5).
9:1 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes, who was a Mede by birth and who became king over the realm of the Chaldeans—2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to the prophet Jeremiah, must be fulfilled for the devastation of Jerusalem, which was seventy years. 3 Then with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes I turned to the Lord God, to seek an answer by prayer and supplication.
The Xerxes of verse 1 is not the same as the king in the book of Esther, but a king who reigned beginning in about 539 BC. His son Darius was already named in Daniel 5:31. A later Darius, Darius Hystaspes, is the one in Ezra 4:2; Haggai 1:1 and Zechariah 1:1. For a king to call himself by more than one name is a common theme throughout the Old Testament. Tiglath Pileser III of Assyria is also called King Pul in 1 Chronicles 5:26, and Pharaoh Osorkon IV is called Pharaoh So in 2 Kings 17:4. Even Moses’ father-in-law is called both Jethro and Reuel (compare Exodus 2:18 and 3:1).
Daniel uses the word “sepharim,” which means “books” or “scriptures.” This is the earliest use of this term in the Bible as meaning the Bible in the sense we think of, and therefore I have translated it as I have. It means that by Daniel’s time, the Books of Moses were accepted and assembled for reading in the synagogue. Also, it is certain that the Former Prophets were accepted by all and that copies were available to the synagogues. The Former Prophets, like the Latter Prophets, were a group of four: Joshua, Judges, Samuel (55 chapters, usually divided into two parts) and Kings (47 chapters, also divided into two parts). Kings in particular was a brand-new document in Daniel’s time, since it ends in the days of the Babylonian king Evil-Merodach, who ruled for just about two years after Nebuchadnezzar died.
The Latter Prophets would ultimately include Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Book of the Twelve minor prophets, although in Daniel’s time only nine of the twelve were yet written.
The final division of the Old Testament, the “Writings,” would eventually include Daniel’s book, also Chronicles, the Psalms, Job, and other books like Ezra, Ruth, Proverbs, and so on.
Daniel accepts these books, all that were written in his time, including that of his contemporary Jeremiah, as the Word of God and the Word of Truth. The specific term he uses is “the Word of the LORD,” which is what Jeremiah also says (Jeremiah 1:2, etc.). For our prophet, this meant the assurance that the message that the exile would end after seventy years was the Lord’s own truth, to be accepted, believed, and counted on.
For the Holy Christian Church, the Holy Scripture is the sole authority for doctrine. The Bible speaks it, faith believes it. The Bible is the rule that rules all others; when we have a question, we turn to Scripture. Those who set Scripture below something else have things turned around. A great many Protestant churches have fallen into this trap, making faith the source and rule of theology instead of the Bible. They look inward at themselves for guidance instead of to the word of God. This has many dangers:
1, It means that the knowledge of Christian truth is lost, and human ignorance, speculation, and opinion are elevated above the Holy Spirit, who inspired the Scriptures to be written.
2, Since faith comes by hearing the proclaimed message (Romans 10:17), faith in its true Christian sense is relinquished.
3, When Scripture is set aside, prayer must be given up as well, since prayer presupposes continuing in God’s Word. “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you” (John 15:7).
4, The victory over death is given up, since Jesus said, “If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death” (John 8:51).
5, If we deny the inspiration of Scripture, we give up the one effective means of doing mission work, which is teaching the nations to observe all things that Christ has commanded his church (Matthew 28:19). Whoever does not bring the doctrine of Christ should not be received as a Christian teacher (2 John 1:9-10).
6, We lose the true unity of the Christian Church, with is faith in the Word of Christ (John 8:31-32; Matthew 28:19; Ephesians 4:3). Luther explained, based on these passages, “The Word and the doctrine must effect the Christian fellowship and unity.”
7, We give up unity with God, since in this lifetime God approaches us only through his Word. Whoever does not commune with God solely by means of his Word is attempting unity with God only through his own fantasies or poor understanding. “Now we see as if in a mirror, darkly; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).
8, We turn the Christian religion away from being a “wisdom that is from above” (James 3:17) and twist it into a wisdom of this world, which is not wisdom at all, but folly.
The Bible, the Word of God, is what strengthens God’s people (Psalm 119:28). We beg God not to take his word away from us (Psalm 119:43), and therefore it is the supreme folly to throw it away. The Christian’s hope is expressed in the Word (Psalm 119:81). The Word of God in his Ten Commandments is his righteous and holy will (Psalm 119:172). We are able to measure our sinful rebellions only according to God’s word (Lamentations 1:18), and our Savior from all sin is only revealed in the word (Isaiah 53:1; John 12:38).
Worship the Lord, adore his Christ, and trust his holy word. His Word is a lamp to our feet, and a light for our path (Psalm 119:105).
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.