Colin Badger - Class 2: Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

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   This is Silver Star Bible School, 1987, August the 11th, session 3. Our speaker is our brother Colin Badger. His general theme is, The Effectual Fervent Prayer of a Righteous Man Availeth Much. And the title of this class is, Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem, taken from Daniel 9. Pray for the Colin, please.

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   Brothers and sisters, that by exciting our minds and stimulating our imaginations in the right godly way, as we concentrate on this manner of prayer, we will be exercised and caused to be alert, as Daniel was alert when he considered spiritual things. We considered yesterday only one portion of Daniel 9, but we believe that it was a very important and justifiable portion of that prayer.

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   It strikes not the only theme, but a very important theme. And we noticed yesterday, didn't we, not just the contents of that prayer are important, but the attitude of mind that expressed it. There is something, of course, that needs to be said by way of review from yesterday and by way of introduction today.

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   Brothers and sisters, none of us are perfectly balanced. It is not in man that walketh to really understand how he should walk in the most balanced way. We have instincts within us. We have interests. We have areas of study that we prefer above others. We have areas of scripture. We have characters of the Bible.

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   We have books of the Bible that we prefer above others. We like to do certain tasks in the ecclesia and at this Bible school that perhaps are more savory and appealing to us than others. It's likewise in our own spiritual characters. We tend to be lopsided at times. There are some brethren in our community, and perhaps all of us at times have sensed this in our own walk, in ourselves, where we gravitate to a certain area of exhortation and not so much to another area.

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   Brother Roberts, in one of his articles, in Seasons of Comfort, pictures the brother who is imbalanced in his spiritual development, who has a greater love for judgment and severity than he does for compassion and forgiveness and patience. But in the same article, Brother Roberts also displays and portrays the brother or sister who has the opposite, who is equally as dangerous, who in the name of love and tolerance and forbearance steps over judgment and discernment, who closes his eyes to the reality of difficulties and problems around him, all supposedly in the name of love and tolerance and patience.

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   The problem, of course, is spiritual balance. We need to strive for that. We need to ask ourselves, knowing ourselves as well as we do, what aspects of spirituality do we gravitate to most individually? And to be constantly on our guard that we don't over-emphasize and perhaps over-study that aspect to the neglect of others.

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   Yesterday, we noticed the exhortation to patience, the exhortation concerning the doctrine of the one body, the stress on unity. But that's not to neglect, of course, very importantly, the need for and the striving for purity, for godliness, for discernment. After all, brothers and sisters, in praying for mercy, in begging for forgiveness, who was praying?

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   Daniel. Daniel. And what does Daniel's name mean? God is judge. And what is it that Daniel spells out in the context of that very prayer that begs for mercy, that identifies with the whole body so well, that shows patience and kindness and asks for that? It's one whose name means God is judge.

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    And the very content show that God has judged. After all, why is Daniel in Babylon? Why are the Israelites in Babylon? Because God has judged. There did come a time when that was needed. And what has he done with his people? He has not shaken them off, totally, but he has taken them out of their land.

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    He has punished them severely. He has done that. He did have to do that at a certain point. But in balance, let us remember how long it took him to do that in the case with Israel. And let us remember, of course, how much he sought for restoration once he had shown that he was judge.

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    So that balance is important, isn't it, by way of perspective. It's not something we're very good at. And it is something which we must cultivate and strive for, making sure we don't favor one aspect more than the other, that we don't crave for judgment and severity and neglect the other aspects of mercy and patience.

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    In God's character, we find both. In the Lord Jesus Christ, we find both. And, of course, that is the great feat of divine wisdom and the essence of God's manifestation and the very heart of God's atoning work, where he extended mercy but did not sacrifice to his justice and his truth. Something else needs to be said also, by way of stress from yesterday.

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    Here was a man who prayed for the healing of the body. Perhaps, brothers and sisters, we need to consider that as a theme, not only in our own prayers privately, but perhaps as we gather together as a large body this week, our praying brethren will give attention by way of suggestion and by way of example from Daniel to pray for and earnestly desire and to work positively towards the healing of the wounds that are in our body, that we will pray for and earnestly work towards those difficulties within our body that we face in these last days prior to Christ's return.

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    If Daniel prayed for the healing of the body, we need to too. Part of the theme of Daniel chapter 9, by way of contents in his prayer, apart from attitude, is his concern for Jerusalem. Daniel chapter 9, verse 2, touches that note immediately, doesn't it?

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    For it was in the studying and the agonizing to understand from Jeremiah's prophecy in verse 2. But Daniel wished to find when the 70 years of desolations would be accomplished. He yearned to go back to the object of his faith, to the symbol of his hope, to Jerusalem. This relates to us and not only to the contents of our prayer day by day, but to the way we live in relationship to that hope.

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    For we too hope to go back to Jerusalem. We hope to see Jerusalem become a rejoicing in the earth. And it is by striving towards that objective and keeping that future vision in mind that we shall be enabled by faith to get there and to find our feet in that land with those whom we have strived to follow.

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    Notice, as we go through Daniel chapter 9, how obviously important his people are to him and the city itself. For in verse 12, he returns in part to the subject of Jerusalem. Verse 12 of Daniel 9, And he hath confirmed his words which he spake against us and against our judges that judged us by bringing upon us a great evil for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.

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    Jerusalem, the object of his hope. Verse 16, the subject of his concern, O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain, because for our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.

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    And then finally, in verse 20, whilst I was praying, he says, speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sins of my people Israel and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God, for what? For the holy mountain of my God. How much do we pray for that holy mountain, for that city, for its peace, and not only so, that we might be there.

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    There's a psalm that celebrates part of the sentiments of Daniel and expands upon these thoughts. And I'd like you to turn there with me. For it was composed while Daniel was in Babylon. And its subject is really parallel with the sentiments of Daniel's prayer. It expands many of his sentiments. Psalm 137, you're familiar with it, no doubt.

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    It's short enough that we can quickly read it and then consider how its expressions parallel that of Daniel's prayer. By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For they, for there, they that carried us away captive required of us a song.

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    And they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. But the psalmist returned in verse 4 is, How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? But then he breaks forth into a song or a prayer, not one of great mirth, though, one of lamentation and yearning.

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    Here it is. If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth. If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy, remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem who said, Raise it!

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    Raise it! Even to the foundation thereof. O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed, happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us. Happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.

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    The intensity of this prayer is like that of Daniel's. Like Daniel, the writer of this psalm, could have been Daniel for that matter, is in Babylon. The link with the time of Daniel is interesting. In the Septuagint, the superscription for Psalm 137 reads that it is a psalm for David, a psalm of Jeremiah.

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    Whether it was written for Jeremiah, or at the time of Jeremiah, or whether it was written by Jeremiah, we know that it also has David in mind in a certain sense. That deserves a separate consideration. We now know from that superscription, and assuming that it's fairly reliable, as many of the superscriptions are, that it was written indeed at a time contemporary with Daniel.

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    That it had Jeremiah in mind. That it had, in fact, the very subject matter that Daniel commiserated over at the beginning of Daniel 9, for he was reading Jeremiah. And he was yearning about the captivity in Babylon. And he wore sackcloth and ashes, and he tore those garments as one who was in mourning for the city of his solemnities.

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    Let's look carefully at some of the sentiments expressed in this psalm. See the application to ourselves. It's the life of an exile here that's being expressed in lamentation. The psalmist thought it better like Daniel to remember Zion and to weep than to feel settled in Gentile society. Now that's the point, isn't it?

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    We too are strangers and sojourners, brothers and sisters. We have not yet found the city of the object of our hopes. We are not in Jerusalem. Its day of glory has not yet dawned. We find ourselves dominated by a society that is associated with Babylon. But, like the psalmist, do we weep and lament our condition?

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    Do our prayers, does our lifestyle, do our values reflect that reality? Now how is it reflected? How do we hang our harps in lamentation? How do we yearn and show that that yearning is genuine to be in Jerusalem rather than in Babylon? Well, here we can see that he, the psalmist, would not respond to the request that they should sing the songs of Zion as though there was joy.

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    The psalmist genuinely responded with sadness. It speaks for an attitude of mind like that of Daniel who yearned in that prayer that we just looked at for the glorification of his city and the return and restoration of his land. For if we are in Babylon and we yearn to go to Jerusalem, we will not be found spending all of our time and our money and our energy the way the Gentiles do in the times of the Gentiles.

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    We will not share their values. We will not spend all our Saturdays fussing over the car and becoming house proud, using our money to the inch degree to buy a new carpet and replace this and replace that. We will be people who use our money as much as we can for the truth's sake.

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    We will not be people who sit in front of the television for hours and hours and watch the entertainment of Babylon for our minds are set on Jerusalem on things that are above not on things that are on the earth. The way we spend our time and our money and our energies are the best barometer of where our heart is.

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    Whether it's in Jerusalem, whether we look for the future, whether we look to that heavenly Jerusalem in particular, the glorification of Christ's bride, or whether in fact like another man in Joshua, we have a Babylonian garment and a wedge of gold. hidden under our house. There was a man in Israel once, long before Babylon became prominent in Bible history, who thought he was in the land, who thought he was attached to the conquest of Joshua, who claimed, at least, to be a true Jew.

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    But under his tent floor, there was a wedge of gold in a Babylonian garment. It betrayed, brothers and sisters, a confusion of values, there was a tension in that tent. It was a Jewish tent, and he was a Jew, and his family were Jews, and he was walking under Joshua's banner, and they were in the midst of destroying the enemies of God.

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    It looked as though he was part of the ecclesia, but behind closed doors, under the shrouds of his tent, was a Babylonian garment, which he coveted, and a wedge of gold. Gold. That's interesting, isn't it? As it does tend to have its links with Babylon, with a Babylonian head. Now that, brothers and sisters, is the warning from this psalm, that in Babylon, we must make sure we do not rejoice with the world in the sense that they rejoice, that we're not attached to their values and to their sense of joy and entertainment, although some of it is innocent, most of it is not.

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    We must make sure that we live the life of a pilgrim and a sojourner. Brother Sargent, in his book, entitled, The Teachings of the Master, said it well, and I'm partly paraphrasing him, when he said that striving for the kingdom of God to come makes those who are attached to it tent dwellers in the life of today.

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    That's the truth of it, isn't it? If we truly yearn for the glorification of Jerusalem, if that's where our heart is set, then in the meantime, we live now as the lifestyle of a patriarch. Not that our house moves. That really isn't the true indication. Not that we're shifting from place to place, although some of us seem to manage to do that easy enough.

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    It's not that at all. It's that in living our lives from day to day in Babylon, we live with the disposition of being an exile, an alien. Look at Hebrews chapter 11. There's a lot of appropriateness in the sentiments expressed there as they relate to Daniel's lamentation and to that of the psalmist.

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    Perhaps we haven't considered how appropriate Hebrews 11 is in part to these sentiments. Do you know of any exiles from Jerusalem in Hebrews chapter 11? Are there any in Hebrews chapter 11 that were seeking for Jerusalem but didn't quite enjoy yet its pleasures and its glory? Are there any here in Hebrews chapter 11 that are in some way related to Babylon, at least as a place?

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    Well, it touches on Abraham, doesn't it? For where was it that Abraham was called from? He was called from Ur of the Chaldees. Abraham was in Babylon, right? And he was called to come out of Babylon and to attach himself, although he never had one foot of it, to the land and to the place of hope like you and I.

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    He was brought out of Babylon to that place where in Hebrew in Genesis 10 and 11 a great city had been built that was the pride of flesh. So we read in verse 9 of this man who came out of Babylon. For by faith he sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange country dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.

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    For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. What a contrast to Genesis 11. The first kingdom mentioned in the Bible is in Genesis chapters 10 and 11 and it's a Gentile kingdom and the first city ever mentioned in the Bible is in conjunction with Babel. First kingdom, first city.

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    And they were both built by man and they were both objects of his pride and they were built in such a way that they would stretch to heaven and symbolize eternity. And yet, this great man of faith who is really the symbol of our way of life as disciples amidst Babylon is one who was called out of Babylon and who sojourned as a pilgrim and a stranger and who looked not for Babel, who put his faith and his energies not in the city and the foundations that flesh has built but verse 10 he strove for that future city that Jerusalem that the psalmist prayed for whose builder and maker is God.

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    How interesting that one of the greatest examples of faith one who was often referred to as providing the lifestyle for disciples a stranger and sojourner was one who came out of Babylon. See how far back the pattern goes. That right in the very beginning in the Genesis record the principles of discipleship are spelled out in relationship and in contrast to Babylon and yet in contrast from that to the disciples hope of the future city.

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    All of that is worked out like a blueprint in the first book of the Bible. In the earliest chapters those principles are laid down. Babylon versus Jerusalem. Man's city versus the city of promise that we look forward to. Go back to Psalm 137 if you will.

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    And I'd like you to look at the very end of that psalm for it expresses some thoughts that perhaps leave us uncomfortable. verse 8 O daughter of Babylon who art to be destroyed happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast rewarded us or served us happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones that is sometimes described as being imprecatory pleading and asking for God's judgments and a number of people have troubles with those kind of sentiments.

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    Do you have troubles with Daniel chapter 2 brothers and sisters? Do you feel rather squirmish when you read Daniel chapter 7? Probably not because the sentiments in Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 are not expressed in such very concrete terms as verse 8 and 9. if we pray as the Lord prayed in his prayer thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven we are praying for Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 to be fulfilled that's what really we are praying for we are praying that that great image might be crushed we are praying that the powers of sin might be destroyed to prepare for thy kingdom to come for that's what Daniel 2 is all about isn't it the stone comes the nations of men and the opponents of God are destroyed and crushed and blown like the chaff of the wind and the kingdom of God is set up in replacement that's the Lord's prayer Daniel chapter 7 shows the fourth beast and the system he represents destroyed by flaming fire from the presence of the sun in judgment now in concrete terms that's verse 8 and 9 expressed in a different way it's praying for the destruction of Babylon and for the nations of men who are opponents of righteousness hard as those thoughts are in verse 8 and 9 there is in a certain disciplined sense a joy and a happiness that looks forward to that not to see innocent people destroyed but to see the powers of wickedness destroyed not wishing in a morbid way for people to be under pain and distress and to lose their

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    lives but that is a necessary condition to prepare for the kingdoms of God what was the condition necessary to establish Jerusalem anyways in the first place under David Jabus had to be taken lives were lost before Zion was set up how was Canaan prepared for the tribes that were to enter under Joshua's banner the sword was drawn first lives were lost and people who opposed died unsavory as that is and unpleasant as it was that is the necessary condition I'd like for you to notice in Isaiah chapter 13 in a context from which this psalm is possibly drawn the following parallel thoughts and I have a suspicion that either the psalmist is drawing from Isaiah or Isaiah is drawing from the psalmist here probably it's Isaiah drawing from the psalmist but just notice Isaiah chapter 13 Isaiah chapter 13 look at the sources here in this parallel thoughts Isaiah 13 verse 15 and 16 everyone that is found shall be thrust through and everyone that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes their houses shall be spoiled and their wives ravished who is they who is it that will have their children dashed to pieces before their eyes in the calamity who will have their houses spoiled and their wives ravished against whom is the sword going to fall slip back to the beginning of verse one isn't this interesting isn't this psalm 137 it's the burden of Babylon which isaiah the son of amos did see it's god's judgments poured out on babylon and the story conditions of calamities falling upon

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    the children and the people and the city the children dashed and the sword raised here in isaiah 13 are exactly the sentiments of psalm 137 and and here in 13 in an apocalyptic section in part a kind of little apocalypse in this prophecy in the burden against babylon the same sentiments are expressed and who is it in this case that exercises those judgments verse 17 behold here are the ones that will be the sword here are the ones that will do this task against babylon ancient i will stir up verse 17 the medes against them which shall not regard silver as for gold they shall not delight in it their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces they shall have their eyes shall not spare children and babylon the glory of kingdoms the beauty of the chaldees excellency shall be as when god overthrew sodom and gomorrah remarkable parallels between the psalm and isaiah chapter 13 but what of daniel that is daniel chapter two in part as well that is daniel chapter seven those necessary conditions that will happen sadly but one which we should all be warned of we don't want to be part of that destruction we don't want to be standing against god's judgments we've got to make sure we have the right attitude and the right sentiments to that system of men that opposes god and see ourselves in the right relationship to the world now turn to revelation if you will brothers and sisters see how these sentiments are just as strongly expressed in the fall of Babylon in revelation this is the necessary condition for the

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    peace of Jerusalem when we pray for it we are praying for this as well it is what is necessary first revelation chapter 18 look at how this parallels the psalm and Daniel verse 16 and saying alas alas that great city that was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls for in one hour so great riches is come to not and every ship master in all the company and ships and sailors and as many as trade by sea stood afar off and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning saying what city is like unto this great city now this is the city which did not have foundations in the language of Hebrews 11 this is the city that Abraham left in order to find Jerusalem you see why Hebrews 11 says that of the

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    Babylon it was a city that had foundations this Babylon does not have foundations because it will be destroyed by the spirit of God and notice they cast dust verse 19 on their heads and cried weeping and wailing saying alas alas that great city wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness for in one hour she is made desolate now notice verse 20 rejoice rejoice over her thou heaven and ye holy apostles and prophets for God hath avenged you on her what did the psalm say happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth by little ones against the stones sorry excuse me sorry as those conditions are there's no doubt brothers and sisters that what is said in the prophet daniel what is said in is is what is said in the psalm and now what is said here in revelation are all part of an important thread that runs right through the counsel of God going back not only to the days of Achan but right back to the days of Genesis 10 and 11 where the kingdoms of

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    the Amor and those who were in confederacy with Shinar and Babylon in the midst of that confederacy waged war against Abraham and his family and God worked with Abraham the first victory over Babylon and what had they done they had taken captive part of the family of God the ecclesia had been affected and partly seized through Lot and Abraham challenged Babylon and God wrought a great victory but a small portent of what the prophet would say that would happen to Isaiah would happen rather as Isaiah expressed it to Babylon in Isaiah 13 but a further pointer to what would happen finally in Revelation and in the person of Cyrus the old Babylon was destroyed by one who portrayed Messiah's work Isaiah chapter 44 and 45 picture the coming of the anointed one called Cyrus who would storm the gates of Babylon and would destroy it and thus Isaiah 13 says that in the dashing of the princes and the little ones of Babylon it would be done by the Medes and the Persians and thus it was in the person of Cyrus he portrayed brothers and sisters a greater anointed one who would come from the east when the river Euphrates had dried up and like Cyrus of old marched down through that course and stormed the gates of a much greater Babylon in order in order to prepare the way for the sun rising all there in the days of Daniel in Daniel's day his people in captivity and himself lamenting their plight yearning to go back and be restored he was part of a parable a cameo of something much greater for in

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    responding to Daniel's prayer God sent Cyrus one who acted out step by step in his siege of Babylon the assurance that one much greater in the future a greater Cyrus a greater anointed one would do just exactly that and that would prepare for the restoration of Jerusalem and it would prepare on a much greater scale than in Daniel's day for the captives for those who had been imprisoned and bound !

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    released it's a great theme brothers and sisters and it's one as we've seen that starts with Abraham one who too saw Babylon destroyed in part one who too faced the antagonism of Babylon's forces in confederacy with the nations of the world from that time in Abraham's life right straight through to the end of the last book the book of Revelation where are we though it's alright to pray for Jerusalem but if we pray for it and live in accordance with our prayers how do we view the world outside the error of the religious system how do we view the glitter and the gold that appeals to the nations of men are we part of that system without knowing it do we have like Achan the appearance of being a good faithful Jew in part of Joshua's campaign but back home in the privacy of our tents perhaps not so obvious to view do we have a Babylonian garment under the tent of our dwelling do we have a wedge of gold there only you know and only I know we have to make sure that we live in consistency with what we're praying for that's what it means to pray for the peace of Jerusalem let's go back to Daniel 9 and now look at another theme it's a theme which goes beyond the boundaries of Daniel chapter 9 when Daniel in verse 20 receives an answer to his petition notice when he receives the answer this deserves some attention verse 20 and whilst I was speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my supplication before

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    the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God and he stresses the point yea me about the time of the evening oblation now he was in Babylon there was no evening oblation then but why does it tell us that it was at the time of the evening oblation if the law of Moses had temporarily been suspended there's a parallel here Daniel prays in the evening at close to six o'clock that time of the day when when the law was in operation as we said yesterday the sacrificial burnt offering was prepared an animal chosen out of the flock cut open blood poured out the internal organs separated parts of the animal dissected and placed in total on the altar and simultaneously the priests were attending the altar of incense and as that burnt offering was consumed and went up as a sweet smelling savor to God so likewise the sweet incense was being burnt and prepared in fact also the lampstand was being readied for the evening burning all done simultaneously and at that time although it wasn't actually operating in Babylon in fact Daniel prays and Daniel receives an answer what a parallel Daniel praying and the ascending sacrifice and the ascending incense both brought to our minds as we see the man of God praying and lifting up his heart and his thoughts to the father in heaven do you know what it shows us about prayer I'm sure you do it shows us that prayer is likened to sacrifice to the sacrifice of incense to the sacrifice of the dedicated burnt offering and have you noticed how many times in scripture

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    prayer is associated with the time of incense and the time of the evening or the morning sacrifice just notice how many times we won't look at all of them these thoughts are brought together keep your place here in Daniel and let's just do a little exploring I want to start with first of Kings chapter 18 the association is strong in scripture prayer and sacrifice first of Kings chapter 18 to the time of Elijah verse 36 it's at the time of the challenge against Baal now that's appropriate when the enemies of God like Babylon Baal of old are being challenged and their impotency is being shown in contrast to the answer that comes from God look at the timing verse 36 it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice that Elijah the prophet came near and said like Daniel Yahweh God of Abraham Isaac and of Israel let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel that I am thy servant and that I have done all these things at thy word verse 38 Elijah's prayer is responded to when at the time of the evening oblation just as it was with Daniel now turn to the New Testament Luke chapter 1 we're not exhausting all the examples just shows us though that it's not coincidence that Daniel received his answer of prayer at that time Luke chapter 1 verse 9 before the time of the birth of John the Baptist to his parents Zacharias and Elizabeth verse 8 Luke 1 came to pass that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his

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    course according to the custom of the priest's office his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord now we know that was done of course in the evening in particular verse 10 and the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense and as in the case of Daniel chapter 9 there appeared unto this godly man an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense and look at how Zacharias is given the same assurance as Daniel the angel verse 13 said unto him fear not Zacharias for thy prayer is heard what did Daniel say yea whilst I was speaking in prayer even the man Gabriel whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning being caused to fly swiftly touched me about the time of the evening oblation later in Daniel chapter 10 Daniel is told in the language similar again to Zacharias his message Daniel 10 and 12 then said he unto me the angel fear not Daniel for from the first day that thou did set thine heart to understand and to chasten thyself before thy God thy words were heard fear not Zacharias thy prayer is heard and who was the angel in Luke chapter 1 no doubt Gabriel and who is the angel in Daniel 9 Gabriel Gabriel came to Daniel at the time of the offering of incense and the evening oblation and he was told that his prayer was heard and to fear not Zacharias at the same time in the same kind of place with the same symbols associated fear not

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    Zacharias thy prayer is heard and it was the same angel isn't that remarkable how appropriate to send Gabriel at that time one who was associated with such appropriate connections in the prophecies of Daniel what an assurance to you and I that our prayers are heard what a picture it is brothers and sisters of prayer itself being a sacrifice the language of the prophets and elsewhere in the Old Testament and the Psalms reinforce the same picture just sample a couple of locations I'd like you to look if you would please at Psalm 27 there is that psalm also of course Psalm 141 that says let the lifting up of my hands and the words of my mouth be as the offering of incense or the evening sacrifice this is one that perhaps we're not so familiar with Psalm 27 verse 6 and now says the psalmist and now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me just as Daniel was hoping for therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy I will sing yea I will sing praises unto Yahweh look at the association that praise and prayer has praise prayerful praise is being viewed here as a sacrifice called the sacrifice of joy what a marvelous expression that is that joy and happiness praise given to God is likened to the offering up of a sacrifice with its self less ness its desire to look Godward and not inward its willingness to cut off the flesh with its affections and its lusts and to set those affections on things that are heavenly namely the coming of Jerusalem and the

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    coming of the great king finally brothers and sisters I'd like you to turn back to Daniel's prophecy and just notice where most likely he had been praying in Daniel chapter 9 if his habit was regular then Daniel 6 and verse 10 discloses something as to the whereabouts Daniel 6 verse 10 no doubt his habit was regular as to where he prayed and notice how this complements Daniel 9 and its prayer verse 10 of Daniel 6 now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed he went into his house and his windows being opened in his chamber toward Jerusalem he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did aforetime now the word there for chamber and the location described speaks of the upper level of the house you know what those middle eastern houses look like I'm sure square box shapes with a flat roof and as we see also in the acts it was a place of prayer up he would go and open his window and in an exposure that faced Jerusalem he prayed as he kneeled gave thanks and petition for himself and his people and made his supplication before his God does your window face Jerusalem brothers and sisters does the window of your mind your heart does your house have a perspective and a prospect that points to Jerusalem not literally necessarily but in our homes and in our hearts and minds the windows must face Jerusalem where we look out from and what we look towards must not be Babylon which he could have seen down below in the

62. 48:24

    streets as he opened his window with face Jerusalem it's the sentiment of Hebrews chapter 11 for he looked for a city which had foundations he looked over Babylon and over the housetops and the streets and as he looked through the window he didn't see those he saw Jerusalem in his mind's eye that's how Daniel prayed that's where his house faced and that's where his mind and his heart and his values were directed in closing brothers and sisters something more about this house do you know that in the law of Moses there's an interesting point to the house construction in those days it may not have been true of all the houses in Babylon but in Israel a Jew was told in Deuteronomy 22 in verse 8 that at the top of his house he had to build a wall or a battlement right on top of the house Deuteronomy 22 we won't look there now in verse 8 a Jew was told he had to build a battlement on the top of the house so on the flat top there was a kind of small wall or fringe that went around the top now you look at Exodus please chapter 30 brethren concerning the altar of incense this marvelous parallel and on this we will finish as we think of Daniel on his housetop or as he at least looked out the top of his house and faced Jerusalem Exodus chapter 30 when the altar of incense is described in its construction it's described like a house you ever noticed this before verse 1 of Exodus 30 and thou shalt make an altar to burn

63. 50:28

    incense upon of shittim wood shalt thou make it this is the altar of incense a cubit shall be the length thereof and a cubit the breadth thereof four square like a housetop shall it be and two cubits shall be the height thereof the horns thereof shall be of the same and thou !

64. 50:50

    the top thereof now notice your margin the roof thereof and the sides look at your margin again walls margin look at how this is to read then thou shalt overlay it with pure gold and the roof thereof and the walls thereof round about and the horns thereof and thou shalt make it unto a crown of gold round about here was the square top of the altar of incense the top of it was a roof and around the four sides were walls it was like an Israelite home and the law said in Deuteronomy 22 their roofs were to have walls around the top battlements the godly home a place of prayer commonly for all Jews and the altar of incense like a rooftop and god says that he will make in the future a house of prayer for many nations and Daniel and all the Jewish homes were to have homes like that now perhaps Daniel's home in Babylon could have been perfectly able to simulate that what about your home brothers and sisters the connection between incense and prayer is reinforced in the law of Moses that way the home and prayer the altar of incense and the place where men went and women went to worship in the private and the peace of their own abode may it be brothers and sisters as we depart from this place and go back to the world to the world of Babylon that in the midst of that there will be homes of prayer there will be windows that open with their prospect to Jerusalem and there will be found chrysidelfians whose hearts and minds view Jerusalem

65. 52:47

    through the window of their mind and that that is the object of their affections and they turn their backs on Babylon because Thank you.