So yesterday morning I commented about the passage in the CLP Sunday School lesson (on the subject of forgiveness!). This morning, in my curiosity, I checked to see what the International Sunday School lesson for tomorrow is about. Imagine my surprise. Since September 2017, I’ve thought more than usual about Daniel’s prayer (and one of Ezekiel’s). So here I am, commenting on the passage for this lesson as well…

Is Daniel’s confession a model for leaders to follow? Should a father pray this way about the sins of his ancestors or of his own present family? Should the chairman of the board pray thus concerning the errors and outright sins of the entity he leads?

Was Daniel’s prayer of confession a public prayer? We aren’t told clearly, but the setting hinted at seems more in line with his practice of praying to God in his own house (Daniel 6:10). I’m certain it was a personal prayer to God, not a public confession to an assembly. I doubt Daniel prayed as he did in the presence of the sinners he had in mind, genuinely attempting to take on their sins as his own or pretending to do so under false pretense.

Did Daniel pray out of a sense of personal guilt for the specific sins he mentioned? I’m inclined to doubt it. I suspect his confession was closely tied to his personal identity with Israel and his forefathers. I also suspect a strong linkage between his prayer, his calling as an Old Testament prophet, and his role among God’s people in captivity. I don’t think fathers or chairmen in our day have that kind of identity or linkage.

So what should I Continue reading →