Confessing All

Read: Daniel 9:1-17

We have sinned and are full of wickedness. Daniel 9:15

IN WORD

Daniel was one of the most righteous people of his generation. He had refused to be defiled by Babylonian food, and he had chosen near-certain death in a lions’ den over compromise in his worship. If anyone could claim to have had none of the guilt that brought Judah to Babylon, it was Daniel. The nation was by no means in exile because of him.

Even so, Daniel prayed for forgiveness. He knew the corporate nature of sin, that no one is only an individual. The righteousness (or lack thereof) of any person has consequences in the community as a whole, and repentance on the part of a few can speak for the many. Daniel understood that God looks for representatives of a nation or a people. Just as God would later let His Son die on behalf of the world, Daniel let his own repentance plead for the exiles. He mourned the nation’s sin because he was part of the nation.

We have a hard time understanding that, as individualistic as Western culture can be. We emphasize individual rights to the point that we hardly see the effects of a few on society as a whole. We have a mind-your-own-business philosophy that inhibits corporate confession and repentance. So when God looks for someone to represent a people, we point to those most responsible.

IN DEED

According to God, we are the ones responsible. We are like society’s leaven or the salt of the earth, having both the opportunity and the obligation to live as priests before God. Both our sins and our faith can stand on behalf of others. So when God is looking for repentance, we qualify. Even if we’re as righteous as Daniel.

In fact, those who are righteous are more likely to repent for the nation than those who are not. That means that when a church needs to heal, you can repent for those who have injured it. When social sins rip the culture apart, you can confess them and ask for forgiveness. When God looks to a group, represent the group. Pray “we” more often than “I.”

ADDITIONAL READING: Joshua 7:1

Plenteous grace with Thee is found . . . let the healing streams abound.

CHARLES WESLEY