Bible In One Year Day 240 (Jeremiah 23, Daniel 4-5, Proverbs 16:1-4)

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Day 240: Remaining Humble

Agape Bible Study 
Jeremiah 23 

Jeremiah 23:1-8 ~ Oracle on the Future Messianic Davidic King and the Life of the Nation

Verses 1-4 and 7-8 are in prose, and verses 5-6 are in poetry. This is the conclusion of the "King Oracles" that began in chapter 21. The oracle in verses 1-8 can be divided into three parts:

1. Judgment against Judah's failed shepherds/rulers in verses 1-2.
2. The promise of restoration for a remnant of Israel in verse 3-4.
3. The promise of the coming Davidic Messiah and a new liberation in verses 5-8.

Yahweh ordains judgment on the rulers of Judah who are responsible for the Babylonian exile. That Yahweh is personally coming against Judah's "failed shepherds" is repeated by the prophet Ezekiel (see Ez 34:1-10). However, God also promises that He will preserve a remnant of the covenant people, and He will take care of His flock and will regather them through "shepherds"/rulers of His choosing (also see Ez 34:11-16). He will also send a descendant of the great King David, a Davidic Messiah, to reign over His covenant people in fulfillment of the promises of the Davidic Covenant (see Ex 34:23-31).

This oracle is the third Messianic prophecy in the Book of Jeremiah, and it is repeated in the prophecy of Ezekiel 34:10-24 where Yahweh promises "I Myself" will restore the people.

The Third of the Ten Messianic Prophecies in the Book of Jeremiah

Prophecy	Scripture reference	New Testament Fulfillment
1.The Church in the Messianic Age	Jer 3:14-17	Mt 16:18-19; Acts 2:1-12
2.The death of Christ, the Lamb of sacrifice, and the Eucharist	Jer 11:19	Jn 1:29, 36; Acts 8:32; 1 Pt 1:19; Rev 5:6, 12-13
3.The Davidic "Branch" and "Yahweh-is-our-Saving-Justice"/ "Lord of Righteousness"	Jer 23:5-6 (Is 4:2; 9:5-6; 11:1, 10-12; Ez 34:23; 37:25-28; Zec 3:8; 6:12)	Jn 2:19-21; Rom 1:3-4; Eph 2:20-21; 1 Pt 2:5

Jeremiah 23:9-12 ~ Yahweh Condemns the False Prophets and Priests in Judah

"On the Prophets" is the title of the section from 23:9-40. It is one of the few times in Scripture that a series of oracles receives a separate title from the rest of the book. The oracles are in the poetic form in verses 9-17, with the division of verse 18 in prose before the section returns to poetry in verses 19-24. Verses 25-40 are in prose except for the short poem in verse 28b-29. Jeremiah is the speaker in verse 9 but Yahweh is the speaker through Jeremiah in verses 10-12.

My heart is broken within me, I tremble in all my bones; I am like a drunken man, like a man overcome with wine, because of Yahweh and his holy words...
Once again Jeremiah describes the force of God's holy words within him that he cannot resist. He compares his condition to someone reduced to physical, mental, and emotional weakness by consuming too much wine.

Jeremiah 23:13-15 ~ Yahweh Judgment on the False Prophets of Jerusalem

The passage in verses 13-15 contains two poetic oracles spoken by Yahweh: verses 13-14 and the second in verse 15. These oracles can be dated early in the reign of Judah's last king, King Zedekiah in the years following the exile of 597 BC. Jeremiah was frequently in conflict with other prophets concerning the future of the nation and the covenant people (see chapters 20; 27-28). This conflict between prophets was not new to Jeremiah. Other conflicts occurred over competing claims of authority in speaking the word of God in 1 Kings Chapters 13, 18 and 22. Deuteronomy warns that one may only know a true or false prophet by whether the prophet's words come true (Dt 18:21-22).

There were a large number of prophets of Baal in the Northern Kingdom sponsored by Queen Jezebel, during the reign of her husband, King Ahab (874-853 BC). Yahweh compares the current abuses of the prophets of Jerusalem with the prophets of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in their capital city of Samaria.

Jeremiah 23:16-18 ~ Yahweh's Warning Against Listening to the False Prophets

These verses are in the poetic form until verse 18 and can be dated to early in King Zedekiah's reign, in about 594/3 BC, at which time there is talk of rebellion against Babylon is taking hold in Judah. The lying prophets were selling visions of their own by telling the people not to submit to Nebuchadnezzar and that Yahweh will not let any no harm come to them. Jeremiah is commanded to tell the people not to listen to the lying prophets who preach peace and safety.

18 But who has been present [stood] in Yahweh's council and seen, and heard this word? Who has paid attention to his word and listened to it?
Yahweh asks two questions:

1. Who has stood in the heavenly council?
2. If someone has stood in the council, has he heard Yahweh's word?

To "stand" before Yahweh is to be in His service, and to "stand in Yahweh's council" is to act as God's royal messenger in delivering His words and judgments to the people. Only a true prophet stands in the Council of Yahweh where he hears the divine word. This unique privilege, along with the truth of the word he speaks, is proof that he is a true prophet (cf. 1 Kng 22:19-23; Is 6; Ps 82).

Jeremiah 23:19-24 ~ Yahweh Renounces the False Prophets

Yahweh's oracles of denunciation for the false prophets continue in the poetic form. Here Jeremiah is the speaker. Strong winds and storms are metaphors for coming destruction or judgment (Jer 25:32; Ez 13:13-14; Amos 1:14). Storm imagery can also portray the theophoric experience of Yahweh in which storm, clouds, lightning, thunder, etc. depict divine power (see for example Ex 19:16-19; Job 38:1/40:1; 40:6/40:1; Hab 3:9b-11; Ps 68).

It is not that Yahweh's anger cannot be averted, because it can, as God promised when He offered to withdraw His anger if the people and their leaders repented (see 18:7-8; 26:3). However, when there is no repentance, and God releases His wrath in divine judgment, it will accomplish what He said He would do.

The point is that after these things Jeremiah has foretold come to pass, then the people will understanding the meaning and consequences of this divine judgment. It is a condition of human nature that often people engaged in wrong-doing do not consider the consequences of their actions at the time. It is only later, after they have experienced suffering or hardships because of their actions, that they can look back and understand what led them to their present hardship. The truth is all actions have consequences for the good and for the bad.

Jeremiah 23:25-32 ~ Prophets and Their Dreams

In this prose section, Yahweh condemns the prophets who lie in saying Yahweh has given them dreams. Verses 25-28a are a polemic against lying dreams and is followed by six brief oracles: two contrasting these dreams with God's true word (verses 28b-29) and four oracles pronouncing judgment on lying prophets who do not possess Yahweh's word (verses 30-32).

The Bible does not condemn dreams as a means of divine revelation, especially in the Book of Genesis. Examples of Old Testament God-inspired dreams:

1. God told the Pharaoh in a dream to return Sarah to Abraham (Gen 20:3).
2. Jacob had a dream of a ladder reaching to Heaven with angels ascending and descending (Gen 28:10-17).
3. God warned Laban in a dream not to harm Jacob (Gen 31:24).
4. Joseph son of Jacob received prophetic dreams (Gen 37:5-10).
Joseph had the gift of interpreting dreams (Gen 40:5-19).
5. Yahweh said He speaks to prophets in dreams (Num 12:6).
6. Yahweh appeared to King Solomon in a dream (1 Kng 3:5).

7. The prophet Daniel had the gift of interpreting dreams (Dan 2:19).

There are also examples of God-inspired dreams in the New Testament:

1. Joseph had a dream where an angel told him to take Mary as his wife (Mt 1:19-20).
2. The Magi were warned in a dream not to return to Herod (Mt 2:12).
3. Joseph had a dream warning him to take the Holy Family into Egypt (Mt 1:13).
4. Joseph had a dream telling him to take the Holy Family back to the land of Israel (Mt 2:19).
5. Joseph was warned in a dream to take the Holy Family to the Galilee (Mt 2:22).
6. Pilate's wife had a dream about Jesus (Mt 27:19).

Jeremiah 23:33-40 ~ Dreams and Burdens

The second part of the oracle is in prose and focuses on the technical expression, masa, which means "burden" or "pronouncement." The English translation "burden" can mean both a literal load that one carries, or it can be used figuratively for the burden of the responsibility of a prophetic oracle, as in Jeremiah's case and in the case of every true prophet (see Jer 1:6-8; 20:8-9). In this passage, Yahweh is speaking to Jeremiah.

Agape Bible Study 

Daniel 4 - 5 

Chapter 4: Nebuchadnezzar's Dream of the Great Tree

 

Chapter 4 like Chapter 1 concerns a dream of King Nebuchadnezzar and divides into three parts:

1. King Nebuchadnezzar's testimony concerning his dream of the Great Tree (4:1-15).
2. Daniel's interpretation of the dream (4:16-24).
3. Nebuchadnezzar's dream comes true (4:25-34).

Daniel 4:1-15 ~ Nebuchadnezzar Describes His Dream

Nebuchadnezzar has another dream, but this time he remembers enough of the dream to tell it to the four groups of wise men, the magicians, soothsayers, Chaldaeans and exorcists. They cannot interpret the dream, and so the king sends for Daniel.

Daniel ("God judges) was renamed Belteshazzar by the king's orders, an Akkadian name meaning "(the god) Bel guard his life" (Dan 1:7). The name was an abbreviation for Bel-balatsu-ussur and was an appeal to the god Bel. Bel was originally the name of the city god of Nippur (an ancient city in central Babylonia) and was later identified with the chief god of Babylon, Marduk (Is 46:1; Jer 50:2; 51:44; Dan 14:2-22).

In the dream the king saw:

1. A tall tree in the middle of the world observed from the "ends of the earth."
2. The tree had beautiful foliage and abundant fruit.
3. It provided shade, refuge, and food for all living creatures.

Next, a "watchful One" or "holy sentinel," an angel from Heaven, orders the cutting down of the great tree that can no longer be a place of food and refuge.

In this verse, the description passes from a metaphor to reality, and the reader realizes that the tree that becomes a beast is Nebuchadnezzar (see verse 19). The "seven times" represents fullness or completion in the sense of the time ordained by God: the Most High rules over human sovereignty; he confers it on whom he pleases, and raises the lowest of humankind.

Daniel 4:16-24 ~ Daniel Interprets the Dream
Daniel was probably confused and upset because he feared that the meaning of the dream is not going to please the king, but the king assures Daniel that he will not penalize his chief minister for revealing the true meaning of the dream. Nevertheless, Daniel expresses the desire that the meaning of the dream should apply to the king's enemies rather than to the king (verse 16).

The dream revealed:

1. The Great Tree represents the king (verses 17-19).
2. The Watchful One is an angel from Heaven who gave the order for the king to be "cut down" from his lofty height as ruler of such a vast empire (20a).
3. A stump of the tree, a remnant of the king's power, is to remain until "seven times" pass (20b).

In verses 21-24, Daniel gave Yahweh's verdict for Nebuchadnezzar in judgment for his arrogance and pride:

1. Nebuchadnezzar will suffer a form of insanity in which a person acts like a wild animal (like lycanthropy in which the person believes he is a wolf).
2. The remaining stump and roots mean his kingdom will be preserved once he has learned that the God of Israel controls the destinies of men and their empires.

Question: What advice does Daniel give the king in verse 24?
Answer: The king should atone for his sins by good deeds and for his misdeeds by kindness to the poor.

The story of the Great Tree recalls the allegory of Ezekiel's cedar of Lebanon that applied to the Pharaoh/king of Egypt (Ez 31:1-18). Like Nebuchadnezzar's tree, it was beautiful and lifted up to the clouds (31:3); in its boughs, all the birds of the air nested, and under its branches, all the beasts of the field gave birth (31:6). However, because it became proud of heart, God let it be cut down (31:11ff). It is another example that God takes a dim view of human beings taking credit for their destiny and their control over the destinies of other humans that are in the hands of God.

Daniel 4:25-34 ~ The Dream Comes True

After a year passed, the king forgot the warning of the dream. A third person account in verses 25-30 records that he boasted aloud, taking credit for the building of his royal palace and the success of his empire that he believed reflects his glory. In his pride, the king was taking the place of God who alone sustains life and gives lasting honor and glory. As soon as he made the claim, a voice from heaven pronounced the sentence of judgment from the dream (verses 25-30).

There is no historical evidence for Nebuchadnezzar's period of insanity discovered in the Babylonian archives. However, Babylon was one of the most magnificent and largest cities in the ancient world due to the efforts of Nebuchadnezzar, and there are several cuneiform inscriptions in which he boasts extravagantly of his achievements. Also, Babylonian documents suggest that Nebuchadnezzar's fourth successor, Nabonidus (556-539 BC), may have been mentally ill for several years which accounted for his prolonged stays in a remote oasis and making his son, Belshazzar, a co-ruler (Ancient Near Eastern Texts, pages 312-315). Some Biblical scholars suggest the king in Chapter 4 should be Nabonidus.

As we continue the study of the Book of Daniel, you should be aware that there are seven parallels between Daniel's visions and the visions of St. John in the Book of Revelation. Daniel's vision of the statue in Chapter 3 is the first of the seven parallels:

Parallels Between Daniel's Visions and St. John's Visions in the Book of Revelation

The Vision	Book of Daniel	Book of Revelation
1. The worshiping the statue	Chapter 3:5-7, 15	Chapter 13:15
2. The Leopard, the Bear, and the Lion	Chapter 7:4-6	Chapter 13:2
3. The ten horns	Chapter 7:8	Chapters 12:3, 13:1; 17:3, 8
4. The Beast mouthing boasting and blasphemies	Chapter 7:8, 11	Chapter 13:5
5. The Son of Man coming on the Glory-Cloud	Chapter 7:13	Chapter 1:7 & 14:14
6. The war against the Saints	Chapter 7:21	Chapter 13:7
7. Three-and-a-half-time period (a time, two times and half a time)	Chapter 12:7	Chapter 11:9, 11
Michal E. Hunt Copyright © 1993; revised 2018

John Martin, Belshazzar's Feast

Chapter 5

Daniel 5:1-4 ~ Belshazzar's Feast

The events in Chapter 5 unfold in three parts:

1. Belshazzar witnesses a vision during a royal feast (verses 1-12).
2. He summons Daniel to interpret the written evidence of the vision (verses 13-28).
3. Belshazzar reacts to Daniel's interpretation, and the events that prove Daniel's interpretation is right (verses 29-6:1).

The story begins at a great feast in the royal banquet hall of Babylon. The scene is historically accurate. The Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian kings held magnificent royal banquets. Archaeology reveals that in the palaces of these kings there were halls where a large crowd of people could assemble for a royal feast. The king would sit at one end with his back to a wall, and his nobles faced him, offering him some protection from assassination. Therefore, our story is accurate in depicting Belshazzar as drinking wine "before" his guests (also see Jer 52:33).

Belshazzar was the eldest son of Nabonidus, an Aramean or Assyrian commoner from Haran in northwestern Mesopotamia who seized power by murdering the weak grandson of Nebuchadnezzar II and assumed the throne of the Babylonian Empire in 556 BC. Some historians credit Nabonidus as the first archaeologist for his work in restoring ancient monuments. He deserted Babylon for years at a time to build and repair various temples in Mesopotamia, especially to the moon god, Sin, the chief god of Haran in whose temple his mother was a priestess.

In the third year of his seventeen-year reign, Nabonidus made his son, the crown prince Belshazzar, his co-ruler or vice-regent. For the long periods when he was absent from the capital, Belshazzar was the ruler of the Neo-Babylonian empire (Persian chroniclers accuse Nabonidus of suffering from mental illness during much of his reign). It is historically accurate that Belshazzar was serving in this position when the Medo-Persians captured the city of Babylon. In 539 BC. Nabonidus' neglect of the capital city of Babylon and his actions in neglecting the city's chief god, Marduk, to elevate the moon god, Sin, angered the people of Babylon and weakened his relationship with the Babylonians who did not rally to his defense when threatened by the Medo-Persians.

At a banquet for his retainers and his wives, Belshazzar ordered his servants to bring the vessels Nebuchadnezzar confiscated from the Temple in Jerusalem so that they could drink from them (2 Kng 24:8-13; 25:1, 13-17; 2 Chr 36:7, 18). He not only used the sacred vessels in a profane way, but he added sacrilege to profanation by "praising" his pagan gods in what was a cultic act as he and the guests consumed the wine in Yahweh's sacred vessels. This sacrilege resulted in an immediate response from Yahweh.

These vessels would have included the sacred chalices used to collect the blood from the animal victims which the priests of Yahweh poured out against the altar of Sacrifice in the twice-daily liturgical worship service. Nebuchadnezzar was not Belshazzar's father, nor was there any familial link to Nebuchadnezzar, but rulers, especially those without a royal lineage of their own, often claimed descent (spiritually or physically) from a former illustrious ruler.

Daniel 5:5-12 ~ The Handwriting on the Wall

It was a common practice for ancient rulers to entertain the royal court at banquets in which the king sat at the head of the table with his back to a wall (a precaution against assassination). As Belshazzar set at the banquet table, a phantom hand began to write on the wall behind him. The Aramaic word translates "the palm of the hand" but refers to the hand from the wrist to the tips of the fingers (The Book of Daniel, Hartman and Di Lella, page 184). Terrified, he called for his soothsayers to interpret the writing, promising royal garments ("purple" is what we would call crimson), a gold collar as a symbol of high nobility, and an appointment as chief minister. However, no one could discern its meaning. It is likely that everyone could read the words illuminated by the lampstand (verse 5) but could not interpret the message.

Daniel is no longer the chief consular of the reigning king. The queen who suggested that Belshazzar consult Daniel was probably not Belshazzar's wife but the queen mother or grandmother. Like the Gebira (queen mother) of the Davidic kings of Judah, the queen mothers of Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian kings were influential figures in their sons' kingdoms. This queen remembered the prophecies of Daniel from the time of Nebuchadnezzar who died twenty-three years earlier. At this time, Daniel was in his late seventies, assuming he was born in c. 617 BC and taken captive when he was about 12 years old in 605 BC (Ps 90:10 says the strong should expect a life expectancy of 80).

Daniel 5:13-21 ~ Daniel's Meeting with Belshazzar
Belshazzar recounts what the queen told him about Daniel and offers a great reward if Daniel can reveal the meaning of the message on the wall.

Question: How is this event different from the other times a king has requested Daniel's intervention and interpretation?
Answer: The other times concerned dreams of a king, but this time a ruler asks Daniel to interpret a vision that leaves behind a physical sign.

Question: What is Daniel's reply to Belshazzar in verse 17?
Answer: Daniel refuses the reward because he has never intentionally profited or taken credit for a work of God in revealing the meaning of events beyond human knowledge.

In verses 18-21, Daniel gives a summary of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, mentioning his accomplishments and his failures to make the point that Daniel's God, the Most High rules over human sovereignty and appoints whom he pleases to rule it, a lesson his God taught Nebuchadnezzar. Notice that Daniel begins by flattering Belshazzar by referring to King Nebuchadnezzar as "your father" (verse 18).

Dan 5:22-6:1 ~Daniel Confronts Belshazzar and Interprets the Meaning of the Handwriting

24c but you have given no glory to the God in whose hands are your breath itself and all your fortunes.
Daniel accuses Belshazzar, the son of the usurper of Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom, of not following the example of the great king he claims as his "father" who God restored to his throne after acknowledging God's power and sovereignty over all human beings including kings and their kingdoms (Dan 4:33-34).

Daniel writes that Darius was 62 years old when he conquered the Babylonians. Cyrus was born in 600 BC and defeated the Babylonians in 539 BC which makes Darius' age in 6:1 agree with Cyrus' age when he conquered Babylon. Counting as Daniel would have counted the years without the concept of a zero place-value, Cyrus conquered Babylon when he was 62 years old.

The story in Chapter 5 proves that what was said of Daniel as a youth in 1:17 is still true of Daniel in his old age: To these four boys God gave knowledge and skill in every aspect of literature and learning; Daniel also had the gift of interpreting every kind of vision and dream.

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A Daily Defense
DAY 240 The Church’s “Obsession” with Sex

CHALLENGE: “The Church is obsessed with sex—premarital sex, divorce, contraception , homosexuality. Why can’t it shut up about this subject?”

DEFENSE:The Church isn’t obsessed with sex. Our culture is.

The Church has remained constant in its teachings on sexuality. It proposes the simple and beautiful understanding that God designed humans to express their sexuality in marriage—the lifelong partnership of man and woman, oriented to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of children.

But our culture has undergone dramatic changes. The last hundred years have seen a huge rise in divorces and unwed motherhood, the “sexual revolution” of the 1960s, widespread use of contraception and abortion, the explosive growth of pornography due to the Internet, and homosexual “marriage.”

What changed was not the Church, but society, which became obsessed with sex and sexual license.

This would be a good reason for the Church to ramp up its discussion of sex—to speak about the problems of the day and help society find the healing it needs. Yet anyone who attends Catholic services knows one only rarely hears sex discussed from the pulpit. At most, there are only occasional brief comments and allusions.

This suggests the charge of the Church being “obsessed” is due to something else: the uneasy conscience of those taking sexual license. Proverbs says the guilty “flee when no one pursues” (Prov. 28:1), and that is happening here. Those who engage in sexual sin know they are violating the Christian vision of human sexuality and suppose that in church there must be constant, thunderous condemnations of what they are doing. This is not the case. The Church’s message is far broader, but this one area can seem disproportionately emphasized if it is where a person is in conflict with the Christian vision.

This creates a risk of missing the Church’s message altogether. The Church is not interested in telling people “no,” but in helping them find happiness. The truth is that living according to God’s design for human sexuality will let us find long-term happiness in a way that living for momentary pleasures will not. It is from love and concern that the Church proclaims the truth about sexuality.

Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist