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Day 244: Susanna's Righteousness
Jeremiah 30
Chapters 30-31: Jeremiah's Book of Consolation
Chapters 30:1-31:40 is a poetic composition called "Jeremiah's Book of Consolation." It is a message that gives comfort to the exiles by looking forward to their return to the land and to the good things God promises His people (Jer 29:11-14). There is no apparent date for the composition. The composition contains ten oracles and four of Jeremiah's ten Messianic prophecies numbers:
| Prophecy | Scripture | New Testament Fulfillment |
| 4. The Messiah will be born a king and descendant of David | Jer 30:9 | Lk 1:32-33; Jn 18:37; Rev 1:5 |
| 5. The massacre of infants | Jer 31:15 | Mt 2:17-18 |
| 6. The Incarnation: "something new on earth" | Jer 31:22b | Mt 1:20; Lk 1:35 |
| 7. A New Covenant | Jer 31:31-33 | Mt 26:27-29; Mk 14:22-24; Lk 22:15-20; 1 Cor 11:25; Heb 8:8-12; 10:15-17; 12:24; 13:20 |
| 8. The Gospel of salvation and the forgiveness of sins | Jer 31:34 | Mt 26:26-28; Heb 10:16-18; 1 Jn 2:27 |
Jeremiah 30:1-3 ~ Oracle 1: The Command to Record all Yahweh's Words in a Book
Verses 1-2 begin with the typical prophetic word formula, "The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh," as an introduction to the document. However, the repeated prophetic messenger formula of "Yahweh, God of Israel, says this/Yahweh says this," is used ten times (30:2, 5, 12, 18; 31:2, 7, 15, 16, 23, 37), marking the individual oracles which comprise the complete text of Jeremiah's Book of Consolation.
There are two different interpretations concerning God's command to write down all His words in a book/scroll in verse 2:
- All the oracles recorded since the beginning of Jeremiah's ministry should be collected into one book.
- In addition to the past oracles, these new oracles should be collected in a separate book or booklet.
In either interpretation, the ultimate purpose is to fully vindicate Jeremiah's role as a true prophet when his prophetic words are fulfilled at some future date (28:9).
Jeremiah 30:4-11 ~ Oracle 2: The Promise of Reunification for Israel and the 4th Messianic Promise
The poetry section begins with verse 5; then there is a break in verses 8-9 before the poetic oracle continues until the end of the chapter. 31:1 begins with a prose statement, and then the poetic narrative begins again in 31:2 and continues until 31:22. Jacob was the name of Isaac's son through whom the Abrahamic covenant continued and to whom God gave the name Israel. The use of "Jacob" can refer to the entire covenant people, while "Israel" often refers to the Northern Kingdom that took the name "Israel" when they split off from the two southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
Jeremiah 30:12-17 ~ Oracle 3: The Incurable Wound Healed
What is incurable and cannot be undone is the judgment against Judah and Jerusalem to become captives of the Babylonians. Judah's former "lovers" are the false gods she worshipped instead of Yahweh.
Jeremiah 30:18-31:1 ~ Oracle 4: The Restoration
"Restoring the tents" in verse 18 is symbolic language for rebuilding the homes and towns of the covenant people. The blessings of the restoration for which they will give thanks include:
- Their towns will be rebuilt.
- Their population will increase.
- They will be united as a people.
- Their enemies will be diminished.
- A prince from their people will rule over them.
Their "prince" who is "one of their own" and will rule over them means a foreigner will not rule over them as the representative of the governing power. It may be a reference to Zerubbabel, the Persian governor of Judah after the return from exile (Ezra 2:2). He was a descendant of King David and the grandson of exiled King Jehoiachin (Ezra 3:2; Hag 1:1; Mt 1:12).
Daniel 12 - 13
Chapter 12
| The Vision | Book of Daniel | Book of Revelation |
| 1. The worship of the Beast's 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, 2 times and half a time) | Chapter 7:25; 12:7 | Chapter 11:9, 11 |
| 8. The scroll | Chapter 12:4 | Chapter 10:1-11 |
Daniel 12:1-4 ~ Resurrection and Retribution
Michael, the Prince of angels and defender of Israel, will arise to aid the covenant people. This prediction may refer to the end of Syrian persecution and the Maccabees' successful revolt against the Seleucid Empire in 164 BC when Judah became an independent nation for the first time in centuries.
Concerning the resurrection, the Catechism tells us: "God revealed the resurrection of the dead to his people progressively. Hope in the bodily resurrection of the dead established itself as a consequence intrinsic to faith in God as the creator of the whole man, soul and body. The creator of heaven and earth is also the one who faithfully maintains his covenant with Abraham and his posterity. It was in this double perspective that faith in the resurrection came to be expressed. In their trials, the Maccabean martyrs confessed: The King of the universe will raise us from death to an everlasting renewal of life because we have died for his laws. One cannot but choose to die at the hands of men and to cherish the hope that God gives of being raised again by him'" (CCC 992 quoting 2 Macc 7:14). Concerning the resurrection also see CCC 993-1003.
Daniel 12:5-13 ~ The Sealed Prophecy
Daniel sees two figures standing on either side of the river that may represent the great divide between life and death. If the man dressed in linen is the pre-Incarnate Christ, is it possible that the other two beings Daniel sees are the other two persons of the Trinity, or it is possible that they are Gabriel and Michael? The question one of the divine beings asks is, "How long until these wonders take place?"
The perpetual sacrifice in verse 11 is the daily liturgy of the Tamid sacrifice. It was the first sacrifice ordained at the covenant ratification at Mt. Sinai and was the most important of all the sacrifices. Two lambs were offered as a single sacrifice daily for the people in the Temple in a morning and afternoon liturgical worship service along with unleavened bread and red wine (Ex 29:36-42). The whole daily prayer life of the covenant people revolved around this sacrifice. See the e-Book "Jesus and the Mystery of the Tamid Sacrifice."
In the New Testament Book of Revelation 10:7, the prophet John receives the revelation that the time of waiting is over! In Revelation 5:5, John hears that the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David has triumphed and so He will open the scroll. Daniel 7:25 mentions the same three-and-a-half length of time in association with a period of intense persecution. Another link between the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation is where the same numbers appear in Revelation 11:9-12 associated with a period of persecution lasting days and the murder and resurrection of God's holy messengers. An angel tells St. John: People of every race, tribe, language and nation stare at their corpses, for three-and-a-half days, not letting them be buried, and the people of the world are glad about it and celebrate the event by giving presents to each other, because these two prophets have been a plague to the people of the world. After the three-and-a-half days, God breathed life into them and they stood up on their feet, and everybody who saw it happen was terrified; then I heard a loud voice from heaven say to them, "Come up here," and while their enemies were watching, they went up to heaven in a cloud.
Daniel's secret may concern the revelations Jesus will make concerning the great tribulation and end of the Old Covenant in Matthew Chapter 24. In AD 70, when the Romans destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem, the daily Tamid sacrifice, ordained by God to last for long as the Sinai Covenant endured, ended for all time. It was what the writer of the Book of Hebrews wrote in 9:8-9 testifying that to the destruction of the Temple by the Romans: By this, the Holy Spirit means us to see that as long as the old tent [Tabernacle/Temple] stands, the way into the holy place is not opened up; it is a symbol for this present time. The point was that the New Covenant could not be fully in place until the Old Covenant animal sacrifices ended in the destruction of the earthly Temple.
In Daniel 12:11-13, the archangel Michel tells Daniel from the time of his revelation until the coming of the period of oppression when the perpetual Tamid sacrifice ends and the "appalling abomination" is set up in the sanctuary will be 1,290 days but blessed is he who perseveres and attains 1,335 days. The "appalling abomination" is fulfilled by the Roman general, Titus, when he profanes the Temple with pagan images and offers sacrifices to them (Josephus, War of the Jews, 6.6.1 [316]).
Daniel intervenes and saves Susanna François-Guillaume Méneageot
Chapter 13: Susanna and the Judgement of Daniel
A single witness will not suffice to convict anyone of a crime or offense of any kind; whatever the misdemeanor, the evidence of two witnesses or three is required to sustain the charge. If someone gives false evidence against anyone, laying a charge of apostasy, both parties to this dispute before Yahweh must appear before the priests and judges then in office. The judges will make a careful inquiry, and if it turns out that the witness is a liar and has made a false accusation against his brother, you must treat the witness as he would have treated his brother. You must banish this evil from among you.
Deuteronomy 19:15-21
Daniel 13:1-14 ~ The Righteous Susanna and the Wicked Plan of Two Jewish Elders
Question: How does the narrative describe Susanna in verses 1-4a?
Answer:
- Susanna is a woman of great beauty married to a wealthy man.
- Her parents raised her to be God-fearing and versed in the Law of Moses.
There are other heroines in the Bible also described as both beautiful and God-fearing:
- Judith (Jud 8:7-8)
- Sarah, the daughter of Raquel (Tobit 6:12; 3:13-15)
- Esther (Esth 2:7 and verse 20 in the Septuagint)
Notice that Susanna is "God-fearing" (verse 2), referring to her devotion to God and obedience to His laws. The story mentions or alludes to God fifteen times:
- The narrator in verses 5, 9, 44, and 45 (also verse 62 in the Septuagint)
- The righteous elders in verse 50
- Susanna's parents and relatives in verse 63
- The people of the Jewish community in verse 60
- Susanna in verses 2, 23, and 42
- Daniel in verses 53, 55, and 59
Only the wicked elders fail to mention God which is, after all, the core of their problem. They were not at all concerned about their accountability to God (cf. verse 9).
Daniel 13:15-23 ~ The Wicked Elders Accost Susanna
Question: What threat do they wicked elders make to try to force Susanna to give in to their demands, and why was she trapped? See Lev 20:10; Dt 22:22.
Answer: If she refused them, they threaten to accuse her of adultery for which death was the penalty under the Law of Moses.
Daniel 13:24-43 ~ The Elders Accuse Susanna of Adultery and Condemn Her to Death
Notice that, in violation of the Law, the elders were not only acting as witnesses against Susanna but also as her judges. In addition, there was no cross-examination of their testimony as required in Deuteronomy 19:15-20.
Daniel 13:44-64 ~ Susanna Cries Out to Heaven, and God Sends Daniel Defends Her
44 The Lord heard her cry 45 and, as she was being led away to die, he roused the holy spirit
Question: In what two ways does God send His Spirit to help Susanna?
Answer: The Spirit of God fills the boy Daniel with the confidence and wisdom to intervene on Susanna's behalf, and His Spirit moves the other elders and people to listen to Daniel.
The story of Daniel and Susanna presents a lesson in the necessity of upholding God's commandment concerning giving false evidence in the Ten Commandments listed in Exodus 20:16 and Deuteronomy 5:20 and the dire consequences for breaking that law.
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A Daily Defense
DAY 244 The Infancy Narratives
CHALLENGE:“The infancy narratives in Matthew and Luke contradict each other. For example, Luke has Mary living in Nazareth before going to Bethlehem, while in Matthew they don’t go to Nazareth until later.”
DEFENSE: The infancy narratives don’t contradict each other. In fact, they fit together very well. Here we provide an interwoven narrative.
Initially, Gabriel appears to Zechariah to announce the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5–25). A few months later, Gabriel appears to Mary in Nazareth to announce the birth of Jesus (Luke 1:26 38), and Mary goes to visit Elizabeth before returning to Nazareth (Luke 1:39–56). Then John the Baptist is born (Luke 1:57–80).
Around this time, Joseph is informed that Mary is pregnant. He plans to divorce her, but an angel tells him to continue the marriage (Matt. 1:18–23). The two begin cohabiting (Matt. 1:24). This would be in Nazareth, per Luke’s account.
Because of the enrollment announced by Caesar Augustus, the Holy Family travels to Bethlehem (Luke 2:1–5), where Jesus is born (Luke 2:7, Matt. 1:24a). That night, the shepherds visit them (Luke 2:8–20). Around the same time, the Magi observe the star in their homeland (cf. Matt. 2:2, 16).
Eight days after birth, Jesus is circumcised and named (Luke 2:21; Matt. 1:24b), and after forty days he is presented at the temple (Luke 2:22–38).
At this point, the Holy Family either returns to Nazareth or remains in Bethlehem (which is not clear). If they returned to Nazareth, they continued to visit Jerusalem and their relatives in Bethlehem multiple times every year for the three annual pilgrimage feasts (Exod. 23:14–17; cf. Luke 2:41).
Between one and two years after the birth (cf. Matt. 2:16), the Magi arrive and are directed to Bethlehem, where they find the Holy Family (Matt. 2:1–11). They are warned in a dream to return to their country by a different route (Matt. 2:12). Also warned in a dream, the Holy Family flees to Egypt (Matt. 2:13–15) to avoid the slaughter of the innocent (Matt. 2:16–18).
When Herod the Great dies, the Holy Family then returns to Israel (Matt. 2:19–21), but Joseph learns Herod Archelaus is ruling in Judea and so takes the family to Nazareth (Matt. 2:22–23).
Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist
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