耶二五11~12 这全地必然荒凉旷废；这些国民要服事巴比伦王七十年。七十年满了以后，我必因巴比伦王和那国民的罪孽惩罚他们，并惩罚迦勒底人之地，使那地永远荒凉；这是耶和华说的。

　　以色列人进入美地以后，他们对神不忠信。……他们离弃神，并在耶路撒冷独一的中心以外另立敬拜中心。后来以色列国被亚述人所掳，接着犹大国也被巴比伦人所掳。耶路撒冷城被占据，直到一九六七年才归还以色列。

　　在历代志下末了，在神眼中，以色列人的光景和情形是悲惨的。那地被异教徒霸占并接管，神将以色列人交给外邦人作俘虏。不但如此，圣殿被焚烧，耶路撒冷的墙被拆毁。整个美地，……都被摧毁殆尽。

　　耶利米看见这一切，他坐在锡安山顶，俯视耶路撒冷就痛哭。他同胞中所有领头的人，所有尊贵的人，都被掳到巴比伦。……至终，他自己也被掳到埃及，在那里被杀害。何等可怜的情形！

　　耶利米哀哭时，神进来安慰他，告诉他被掳不会到永远，只持续七十年（耶二五11）（以斯拉记生命读经，二至三页）。

　　Jer. 25:11-12 And this whole land will become a desolation and a waste, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Then after the seventy years have been fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation for their iniquity, declares Jehovah, as well as the land of the Chaldeans, and I will make it an eternal desolation.

　　After Israel entered into the good land, they were not faithful to God….They forsook God and set up other worship centers in addition to the unique center at Jerusalem. The kingdom of Israel was captured by the Assyrians, and later the kingdom of Judah was captured by the Babylonians. At that time the city of Jerusalem was captured and was not returned to Israel until 1967.

　　At the end of 2 Chronicles, in God’s eyes the condition and situation of Israel were miserable. The land was usurped and taken over by pagans, and the people of Israel were given by God as captives to the heathens. Furthermore, the temple was burned and the wall of Jerusalem was torn down. The entire good land …was devastated.

　　When Jeremiah saw all this, sitting on the top of Mount Zion and looking down at Jerusalem, he lamented bitterly. All the leading ones and all the noble ones of his countrymen had been taken away to captivity in Babylon….Eventually, he himself was taken captive to Egypt and there he was put to death. What a pitiful situation!

　　While Jeremiah was lamenting, God came in to comfort him with the word that the captivity would not be forever but would last only seventy years (Jer. 25:11). (Life-study of Ezra, pp. 2-3)

　　神向他保证，他的国、他的民、殿和城悲惨的情形只会持续七十年。有些被掳的人，如但以理，在七十年满时仍要活着。……所以，神安慰耶利米，向他保证，祂怎样任凭百姓被掳，也要怎样将他们从被掳中带回。神要将他们带回，不是像俘虏，乃是像得胜的战士（以斯拉记生命读经，三至四页）。

　　〔按照但以理九章二节下半至四节，〕但以理从神的话，得知神对耶路撒冷的旨意，就根据神的话为这事祷告。但以理实在会祷告，因为他懂得亲近神，接触神，吸取神，也让神发表祂自己。但以理的分量不重在会说预言，乃重在会祷告。他所以能说预言，是因为他会祷告。他的祷告摸着神，接触神，吸取神，也让神从他里面发表出来。

　　但以理是神在地上的同工。他体贴神的心肠，接触神。他活在神里头，也让神活在他里头；他是个与神联合的人。所以当地上有大波动，神在地上有大举动时，但以理能与神同工，作神的发表，给神一个配合。他从神的话，得知以色列人要荒凉七十年，七十年期满，神就要把他们从被掳之地带回以色列地，重新建造耶路撒冷。他知道了神这个心意，知道神所要作的这件事，就禁食为这事祷告。他知道神在地上要有一个大举动，他就作神的发表，与神配合，为这事向神祷告。所以，他祷告到哪里，神就作到哪里；他祷告什么，神就作什么。以后以色列人归回耶路撒冷，就是神成全了但以理的祷告。以色列人的归回，是但以理祷告的结果。所以但以理的祷告是与神同工，领导神的工作，带着神作工，为神的工作开路（祷告的意义与目的，三六至三七页）。

　　参读：以斯拉记生命读经，第一篇；但以理书生命读经，第十五篇；祷告的意义与目的，第三篇。

　　God assured Jeremiah that the miserable situation of his country and his people, of the temple and the city, would last for just seventy years. Some of the captured ones, such as Daniel, would still be alive at the expiration of the seventy years….Therefore, God comforted Jeremiah by assuring him that just as He gave the people up to captivity, He would also bring them back from their captivity. God would bring them back, not as captives but as triumphant warriors. (Life-study of Ezra, p. 3)

　　[According to Daniel 9:2-4] Daniel understood God’s will for Jerusalem from the Scriptures and prayed for God’s will according to the Scriptures. Daniel knew how to pray because he knew how to draw near to God, to contact God, to absorb God, and to let God express Himself. Daniel’s preciousness was not related to his prophesying but to his ability to pray. He could prophesy because he knew how to pray. His prayers touched, contacted, absorbed, and expressed God.

　　Daniel was God’s co-worker on earth. He was considerate of God’s heart and contacted God. He lived in God and let God live in him. Daniel was a person in union with God. As a result, Daniel could co-work with God, coordinate with God, and be God’s expression when there was a great turn of events on earth. Daniel understood from God’s Word that the desolation of the children of Israel would last seventy years and that at the conclusion of the seventy years God would bring the children of Israel from the land of their captivity to the land of Israel for them to rebuild Jerusalem. He knew God’s intention and prayed for it with fasting. He knew God was about to move on earth, so he became God’s expression in order to coordinate with God through prayer. The extent to which Daniel prayed was the extent to which God worked. God did what Daniel prayed for. The return of the children of Israel to Jerusalem was God’s fulfilling of Daniel’s prayer. The children of Israel’s return from captivity was the issue of Daniel’s prayer. Hence, Daniel’s prayer co-worked with God, opened a way for God’s work, caused God to work, and led God’s work. (CWWL, 1956, vol. 3, “The Meaning and Purpose of Prayer,” pp. 244-245)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Ezra, msg. 1; Life-study of Daniel, msg. 15; CWWL, 1956, vol. 3, “The Meaning and Purpose of Prayer,” ch. 3