Daniel 9:17-18

“Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant, and to his supplications, and cause your face to shine on your sanctuary which is desolate, for the Lord's sake (or ‘which is desolate because of the Lord'). O my God, incline your ear and hear, open your eyes, and behold our desolations and the city which is called by your name. For we do not present our supplications before you for our righteousnesses, but for your great mercies.”

Daniel's prayer bring out the feelings of the faithful among the exiles about Jerusalem and the Sanctuary. All their thoughts were centred on them, and their restoration, as though God's purposes could not go on without them. They felt that until Jerusalem and the Sanctuary were restored God's name would not be vindicated, nor would Israel be able to rise again, and the thought tore at their hearts. They had not heeded the message of Ezekiel which turned their thoughts away from Jerusalem to the presence of God in His heavenly temple on ‘a high mountain' away from Jerusalem in a portion which was ‘very holy', far holier than Jerusalem (Ezekiel 40:2 with Ezekiel 45:2). See our commentary on   Ezekiel.

Gabriel would also seek to turn his thoughts away from Jerusalem to the fuller purposes of God. True it would be rebuilt, but then both city and sanctuary would be destroyed before God's final purposes came to fruition. He was pointing out that they were only secondary in the purposes of God for Israel and the world.

Now, however, Daniel pleads with God on behalf of the sanctuary and the city. And he does it, not on the basis of the people's deserving, but on the basis of His mercy. He asks Him to hear his pleading and let His face shine on the sanctuary which was desolate, and to turn His eyes on the situation of Jerusalem. To ‘let His face shine on' means to again accept it and restore it and make it His earthly dwellingplace (Numbers 6:25; Psalms 80:3), and he is sure that once God takes a good look at Jerusalem and its devastation He will be moved for His own name's sake to act on its behalf. His hope lies fully in the mercy of God.

‘For the Lord's sake.' A difficult expression in the context. Some see it as the equivalent of ‘For your sake, O Lord.' Others as ‘desolate because of the Lord'. The latter may have been a well known saying, repeated here by Daniel verbatim.

‘The city which is called by your name', or ‘on which your name is called'. Such a city was one over which the one named had exercised his sovereignty by conquest or restoration, or by virtue of great and memorable things done in it. The result was that men connected the name with the city. Thus Jerusalem was connected with the Name of YHWH.

‘For we do not present our supplications before you for our righteousnesses, but for your great mercies.' He makes clear that that he recognises that if mercy is to be shown it will only be because God is merciful. There is no question of it being deserved in any way.