What is the meaning of Daniel 9:5? We have sinned and done wrong Daniel’s first confession is simple and direct. He owns Israel’s guilt without excuses. • Sin here is both personal and collective. Though Daniel himself lived righteously (Daniel 6:4), he speaks in the first-person plural, identifying with his people in covenant solidarity (Ezra 9:6; Nehemiah 1:6). • Wrongdoing is moral deviation from God’s revealed standard. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). No heart is exempt. • True confession begins by naming sin for what it is—missing the mark of God’s holiness (Psalm 51:4) rather than blaming circumstances or culture. • Because Scripture is accurate and literal, we take Daniel’s words at face value: Israel’s exile was not accidental but the righteous consequence of real actions God had previously warned against (Leviticus 26:14-39). We have acted wickedly and rebelled Daniel moves from the fact of sin to its attitude. • “Acted wickedly” points to deliberate wrongdoing. Israel’s leaders and people embraced idolatry, injustice, and hypocrisy (Jeremiah 7:9-10). • “Rebelled” is the language of treason against a rightful King. Isaiah 53:6 explains, “We all like sheep have gone astray; each one has turned to his own way”. • Rebellion is never passive. It is conscious resistance, the same heart that Saul displayed when he refused to obey God fully (1 Samuel 15:23). • Daniel’s confession reminds us that repentance must address both deeds and the defiant spirit behind them (Acts 3:19). We have turned away from Your commandments and ordinances The root of Israel’s plight was departure from God’s Word. • “Turned away” pictures a decisive change of direction—choosing a path opposite the one God set out (Deuteronomy 28:15). • Commandments and ordinances encompass moral law and ceremonial instructions alike. Abandoning either part fractures covenant fellowship (Psalm 119:10-11). • When God’s people neglect Scripture, drift follows swiftly: “They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 1:4). • Daniel acknowledges that exile is not simply geopolitical tragedy; it is the predictable outcome of disregarding the clear, literal commands of God (2 Chronicles 36:15-17). summary Daniel 9:5 is a model of honest, covenant-based confession. He names sin (missing God’s mark), wicked actions (willful wrongdoing), rebellious hearts (treason against God’s rule), and the practical outworking—turning from God’s Word. By taking Scripture’s verdicts literally, Daniel shows us how to seek mercy: agree with God about our sin, reject all excuses, and return wholeheartedly to the commandments we have neglected. |
    |