…we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Daniel 9:5

The people of Israel were carried away to Babylon for seventy years of “discipline.” Talk about a “time out!” Why? Because they had repeatedly sinned against the Lord by not obeying His precepts and judgments.

What makes us think we in the U.S. can continue to sin against the Lord and escape His discipline?

Daniel cried out to God pleading for mercy because the seventy years prophesied by Jeremiah were almost completed. He did not demand release simply because God promised to restore them to their land. Instead, He employed the correct tactic of confessing Israel’s national sin (even though he was not personally guilty, he owned a portion of Israel’s corporate guilt, just as the godly in America do).

Daniel also celebrated the fact that though God’s judgments may be strong, though never overly harsh, God is merciful. God does forgive sins, even the sin of rebellion by an entire nation.

Let us learn from Israel and Daniel.

Our nation cannot rebel against God and escape the lash.
If our nation would experience His mercy, we must humble ourselves, confess our sins, repent, and cry out for mercy (instead of proudly claiming our rights in the political arena).
Let us celebrate God’s merciful character—even if we are like those who died in Babylon before deliverance arrived.