4 And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments,…
7 O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You.
9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him.
14 Therefore the Lord has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice.
The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Da 9:4,7,9,14.
Daniel was clear about the contrast between God and the people of Israel. God is awesome (v4), faithful (v4), merciful (v4), righteous (v5), forgiving (v9), and more. The nation of Israel is ashamed (v7), unfaithful (v7), rebellious (v9), and disobedient (v14) just for starters.
Because of their disobedience and unfaithfulness to God, He has judged them. Disaster is coming and because God is faithful in all things it means certain destruction. However, God is a merciful God. There is hope.
God’s character is timeless. Even today He tells us through His word that we must confess our sins and repent. When this happens in a true spirit of repentance God forgives us out of His generosity, love and mercy. He will relent of His plans to bring disaster when we once again align with His will.