“Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.”
My Notes
What Does Daniel 9:14 Mean?
Daniel makes a statement that combines honesty and worship: "the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works." God watched — carefully, deliberately — and then brought the evil. And in the same breath: God is righteous. The judgment is just. We deserved it.
The word "watched" (shaqad) is the same word used for the almond tree in Jeremiah 1:12 — God watching, alert, hastening to perform his word. The same vigilance that earlier described God's eagerness to fulfill promises now describes his precision in executing judgment. God watches just as carefully over his warnings as over his promises.
The confession that "we obeyed not his voice" is the simple, devastating explanation. No complex theological reasoning. No mysterious divine purpose. We disobeyed. He judged. He was right to do so. The exile is explained in one sentence.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Can you say 'God is righteous' about a judgment you're currently living inside?
- 2.What does it mean that God 'watched' for the right moment to bring judgment — not impulsively but deliberately?
- 3.How does the simplicity of 'we obeyed not his voice' compare to how we usually explain our suffering?
- 4.What would it look like to confess with Daniel's maturity — acknowledging both your disobedience and God's justice?
Devotional
God watched. And then brought it. The exile, the destruction, the suffering — God was watching for the right moment and then delivered exactly what the situation called for. And Daniel says: he was right.
This is one of the most mature confessions in Scripture. Daniel doesn't argue that the exile was too severe. He doesn't plead mitigating circumstances. He doesn't suggest that God overreacted. He says: the LORD is righteous in all his works. All of them. Including this one. Including the one that put me in Babylon.
The ability to say "God was right to judge us" while still living inside the consequences of that judgment is extraordinary faith. Most of us, when we're suffering, either blame God (it's not fair) or excuse ourselves (it's not my fault). Daniel does neither. He holds both truths: we disobeyed, and God's response was just. The suffering is real and the justice is real.
"We obeyed not his voice" — the confession is almost too simple. After sixty-six years of exile, after the destruction of the temple, after the displacement of an entire nation, the explanation is: we didn't obey. Not a complex geopolitical analysis. Not a theological treatise on suffering. We didn't listen. God judged. He was right.
Can you hold your suffering and God's righteousness in the same hand? Can you say, in the middle of consequences, "He is right"?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us,.... The evil of punishment; he watched the fit…
Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil - The word here used and rendered watched - שׁקד shâqad - means,…
The Lord watched upon the evil - In consequence of our manifold rebellions he hath now watched for an opportunity to…
We have here Daniel's prayer to God as his God, and the confession which he joined with that prayer: I prayed, and made…
And (so) Jehovah hath watched over] The same expression in Jer 1:12; Jer 31:28; Jer 44:27 (-I watch over them for evil…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture