January 19, 2025 – Confession

Principle Topic – Daniel's Prayer of Confession on Behalf of the People

Focus Verses (KJV)- Daniel 9:1-7, 17-19 KJV

Focus Verses (NLT)-Daniel 9:1-7, 17-19 NLT

(Pop-up references come from courtesy of Faithlife

 

 

The Key Verse -

(In King James Version):

"Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old; (Daniel 9:1-7, 17-19 KJV)


The Key Verse -

(In New Living Translation):

What shall we learn from this lesson :

Chapter 9 is the primary container for Daniel's prayer. In it he humbly confesses the sins of the Jewish people, seeks God's forgiveness, and pleads for the fulfillment of God's promises regarding the restoration of Jerusalem and the return of the exiles

Daniel's Prayer - There are three points of emphasis to glean from Daniel's prayer:

1. Point one: Daniel learns from the Scriptures that Jerusalem will be desolate for 70 years. Daniel's prayer: Daniel turns to God for mercy by prayer, fasting, and sackcloth and ashes.
   
   
2. Point two: Daniel's confession: Daniel confesses the sins of the nation in the form of a prayer of intercession (praying to God on behalf of another. He prayed for the forgiveness of their sinfulness in general by classifying their sins harshly, "as iniquity and wicked." (Daniel 9:5 KJV).
   
   
3. Point three: Daniel admits that they are deserving of punishment but he asks for God's mercy (Daniel 9:19 NLT). He asks for God's forgiveness for the people in general and the nation specifically collectively.

God is a merciful God and when we have done wrong, we can ask for Him to have mercy on us and forgive us.

In other words, even though we have done wrong and deserve punishment or discipline, God can forgive the misstep by showing mercy. In fact, this is the definition of mercy.

In Christianity, a lot of emphasis is placed on forgiveness and mercy. All Christians are encouraged to have mercy and forgiveness. Christ asked the Father to forgive those who were crucifying Him ... while He was still on the cross. "He said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” ("Luke 23:34" NLT).

We cannot expect to receive forgiveness if we do not forgive others. In fact this principle is a part of the "Lord's Prayer: "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." (Matthew 6:15" NLT)

Daniel didn't try to put the blame on any particular group and he included himself in those that were guilty. Read (Daniel 9:5-7 NLT) You will see how he referred to the guilty ones as "we," and not as "they".

 

 

January 19, 2025 – Commitment

Principle Topic – God's Commitment to an Unfaithful Bride

Focus Verses (KJV)-Hosea 1:1-11KJV

Focus Verses (NLT)-Hosea 1:1-111NLT

(Pop-up references come from courtesy of Faithlife

 

 

The Key Verse -

(In King James Version):

"Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old; (Hosea 1:2 KJV)


The Key Verse -

(In New Living Translation):

What shall we learn from this lesson :

God's judgment is a necessary part of his covenant with his people. God will not ignore wickedness, but He will also restore his people.

The book of Hosea in the Bible emphasizes that God's relationship with humans includes judgment, but also restoration and forgiveness. Hosea's message is that God's purpose is to heal and save, and that God loves His people and will always want to bring His people back to Himself.

Homer's unfaithfulness is metaphorically compared to a man's wife being unfaithful to her husband. The men that she is unfaithful with is metaphorically compared to Israel seeking idol gods to worship rather than the only true God,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For access to all chapters of the King James Version Bible in audio and visual formats, visit the Audio-Bible.com web site.

For other versions (NIV, New Living Translation, etc.) of the Bible in audio and visual formats, visit the World Wide Study Bible page of Christian Classics Eternal Library site. Also visit the New Living Translation web site.

Some information on this page may be referenced from the NLT Study Bible, the Standard Lesson Commentary, Precepts for Living, Commentary by David Guzik, and gotquestions.org. Frederick L. Marsh is the commentary author of the information contained in the Sunday school segment of this website. He is the author of the book: "The Book of the Holy Spirit: Joyful living." The opinions expressed in the Sunday school segment of this site are his alone.