What is the meaning of Daniel 9:6? We have not listened Daniel confesses that Israel’s basic failure was a refusal to hear. “We have not listened” pinpoints willful deafness, not mere misunderstanding. • This is the same charge God leveled in 2 Chronicles 36:15-16, where the people “mocked His messengers” until “there was no remedy.” • Jeremiah 7:13 echoes, “I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen.” Hard hearts chose rebellion; exile proved God’s warnings were neither empty nor optional. to Your servants the prophets The prophets did not speak on their own initiative; they were God’s authorized servants. Ignoring them meant ignoring God Himself. • 2 Kings 17:13 recalls that the LORD “warned Israel and Judah through every prophet.” • Amos 3:7 assures that “the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.” Rejecting the servants was an act of defiance against the Master they represented. who spoke in Your name These messages carried divine authority. A prophet began, “Thus says the LORD,” because the words originated with Him. • Deuteronomy 18:18-19 makes God’s expectation clear: “You must listen to him.” • Jesus affirmed this pattern in John 12:49, “The Father who sent Me commanded Me what to say.” To disregard words “in Your name” is to treat God’s own voice as irrelevant. to our kings, leaders, fathers Daniel highlights every level of leadership—political, civic, and ancestral. They were meant to model obedience but instead modeled resistance. • 1 Samuel 12:14-15 shows how a nation’s destiny hinges on whether its rulers fear the LORD. • Nathan’s rebuke of David in 2 Samuel 12:1-7 proves even kings stand under prophetic authority. When leaders turn a deaf ear, an entire society drifts. and all the people of the land Accountability was nationwide. Ordinary citizens could not claim ignorance once God spoke. • Jeremiah 25:4-6 reveals that “all the people” were repeatedly warned. • Ezra 9:7 admits, “From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt.” Personal responsibility and collective responsibility intertwine; everyone shares in the blessing of obedience or the consequences of rebellion. summary Daniel 9:6 is a sweeping confession: Israel stubbornly refused to heed God’s prophetic Word, spurning authoritative messages directed at every segment of society. By acknowledging universal guilt—from monarchs to commoners—Daniel affirms God’s justice in sending exile and opens the door for the nation’s restoration through humble repentance and renewed obedience to His infallible Word. |
    |