Our Duty

On reading Daniel 9 there are a number of good lessons we learn. One of these is the humility portrayed by Daniel himself and I am sure we can take this as a good example. He says in verses 4-5, “Oh Lord, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled, we have turned away from your commands and laws.” He acknowledges the greatness of God and his faithfulness and contrasts that with the wickedness and sinfulness of himself and those on whose behalf he is praying, and consequently realizes how desperate they are for His mercy.

Now Daniel himself, as we know him, was not a bad man yet he speaks subjectively of Israel’s wickedness. This means he is aware that nothing good lives in his sinful flesh (Rom. 7:18). Unlike the Pharisee he does not consider himself holier than the rest. Instead he realizes that there’s no difference, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). But perhaps the most beautiful verse in Daniel 9 is verse 18; “We do not make requests of you because we are righteous but because of your mercy.” Is this sincerely the spirit in which we pray? If it is not, then may I suggest some introspection here?

You see, if we fail to realize the simple truth that we are not necessarily entitled to what we request, then we are not only self-righteous but we are also effectively commending ourselves. It means that we are saying, “Why have we fasted and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves and you have not noticed?” (Is. 58:3). And the apostle Paul says, “It is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” (2 Cor. 10:18).

Many will agree that often we request something from God and when we don’t receive it, we are upset. Why? Could this be because, in our self-righteousness, we feel that we are doing so much for God that it is unfair for him to deny us this little thing that we are asking for? If so, our sense of duty is suspect! The Lord Jesus Christ says, “So when you have done everything you were told to do, say we are unworthy servants, we have only done our duty” (Lk. 17:10). Against this background Daniel is a good example in that, although it was said of him, “You are highly esteemed”, he did not see this as any ground for selfrighteousness. Let us take his example. When we make requests let us not be presumptuous, because we don’t know for sure what is good for us and what is not. You see, “a man’s life is not his own, it is not for man to direct his steps” (Jer. 10:23). Let us therefore trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not on our understanding. In all our ways let us acknowledge him and he will make our paths straight (Prov. 3:5-7).

Daniel prays in sackcloth and ashes (Dan 9:3)

One thing is needful

Many of us run energetically around, almost grimly determined to serve Him, growing weary in our labour and perhaps a little angry with our brethren. Let us learn the lesson that Jesus taught Martha, that our service is not a self-inspired attempt to minister to Him. It is for us to resort to Him, allowing Him to feed us, so that we can rise in quietness of spirit and deep humility of mind to minister to His needs.

Melva Purkis “A Life of Jesus”

Bro Obed Mafifi (Kempton Park, South Africa)