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Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 267

Sep24

Day 267 – Reading – Esther 6 – 10

Yesterday, we began the story of Queen Esther. 

A lot of intrigue and emotions have happened. (Read it HERE if you haven’t already.)  We left off after Esther invited the King and Haman to a second banquet.  Haman felt on top of the world UNTIL he passed by Mordecai sitting at the gate. The old Jew did not acknowledge the Prime Minister in any way, and that really infuriated Haman.  At home, he told his friends about the second invite and about Mordecai.  They suggested he get rid of Mordecai so he could enjoy the Queen’s party.  The master villain quickly built a 75-foot-tall gallows.

The next day, Haman would get the King to okay THE JEW’S HANGING!  Then he could go to the Queen’s party as a happy man. Haman went to bed and slept soundly.

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Esther 6.

But … that night, the king could not sleep.  He ordered some chronicles of the kingdom to be read and put him to sleep. The servant brought him the records from many months earlier. A passage recounted the incident where Mordecai had saved the King’s life by exposing an assassination plot.

“Was this man ever rewarded for saving my life?” the king wanted to know.

“No, my lord.“

At that moment, the king heard the determined footfalls of a man approaching across the marble tiles. “Who is in the court?” he asked.

When the King heard it was his Prime Minister, he called him to approach.  “Haman, what should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?”

Thinking the king was speaking about honoring HIM, Haman gazed into the distance and said, “Let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, and the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown is set. And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials.  Let them dress the man and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, proclaiming, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.” 

(Me thinks Haman had visions of becoming king himself!)

While Haman was in that dreamland, the king said, “Hurry, take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.”

MORDECAI???  (Gag, choke)

Haman obeyed the king’s orders, cringing and fuming all the way.  Afterward, he hurried home with his head covered and told what had happened. This time, his friends shook their heads at the “karma” and said, “If this Mordecai – before whom you have begun to fall – is a Jew, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him.”

At that moment, the king’s coach came for Haman to take him to Esther’s banquet. 

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Esther 7.

Maybe by the third round of wine, Haman began to forget the humiliation of the day.  The food was great, and the Queen was beautiful. Perhaps it would work out… 

While they were sitting around, the King again asked Esther, “What is your wish? What is your request?  It shall be granted to you. Even to half my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.”

“If I have found favor in your sight, O king,” began Queen Esther, “and if it please the king, (a strengthening breath), let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. For we have been SOLD, I and my people, “to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated.”  (the very words of the decree)

WHAT!!  “Who is he, and where is he, who has dared to do this?  roared the king. 

The Queen turns to Haman.  “A foe and enemy!” she says, and points. “This wicked Haman!”

The Agagite is horror-stricken and speechless!

The enraged and half-drunk king charges out into the palace garden for air.

Haman stays to beg for his life, trips and falls onto Queen Esther on the couch.

The king returns and sees Haman on top of his wife and roars, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house??”

The attending eunuchs step forward and cover Haman’s face.  Before leading him away, the eunuch named Harbona says, “Moreover, the gallows that Haman had prepared for Mordecai — whose word saved the king — is standing at Haman’s house.”

“HANG HIM ON THAT,” decreed the king.

So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.  And on that day, King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. 

 

King Saul, a Benjamite, failed to annihilate the Amalekites, and their King Agag and his family, as God commanded. 

Deuteronomy 25:17-19

Centuries later, a descendant of that evil king, Haman, the Agagite, coerced a Persian King into signing a decree to kill, destroy, and annihilate all the Jews.

Queen Esther, a woman also from the line of Benjamin, succeeded in obeying God’s command. 

Who knows if the beautiful Hadassah had not been placed into the kingdom, for just that purpose?

 

King Ahasuerus also made Mordecai his new Prime Minister and gave him the royal signet ring.  He had work to do.  Something had to be done to save all the Jews!

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Esther 8.

Again, Queen Esther braved the King’s courtroom and received the raised golden scepter.   “If it please the king and I have found favor in his sight… and if the thing seems right before the king… and I am pleasing to  his eyes… let an order be written to revoke the letters sent to destroy the Jews in all the provinces!”

The King answered her (and Mordecai too). “It can’t be done. A king’s decree in Persia cannot be revoked.  BUT…. you may write anything you wish – in my name using my seal – to the provinces about the Jews.”

So Mordecai wrote an edict (translated into Persian by the king’s scribes) to the 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia, and sent it by swift, mounted couriers in the king’s service.

It said that the king allowed the Jews to gather and defend their lives… and to kill, destroy, and annihilate any armed force of any people that might attack them … and to plunder THEIR goods. This could happen on ONE day (which Haman had chosen for the attack by using lots (Purim). 

Mordecai went out – in fine royal robes and a crown – to announce it to the Jews in Susa.  And the city rejoiced. The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor, a feast and a holiday.

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Esther 9.

The day came, and the Jews defended their lives, families, and homes.  A strange fear of them came upon all the people who would have been killing and plundering them.  

“The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them.  In Susa alone, they killed 500 men, plus the ten sons of Haman, the enemy of the Jews.  But they did NOT plunder them.

Mordecai recorded these things and ordered that the month and days be kept as a holiday, a day of feasting and gladness and sending gifts of food to one another and to the poor.  And they called these days Purim, after the casting of Pur (cast lots).  And Queen Esther confirmed the practices of Purim. 

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Esther 10.

Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers… for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.

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NOTE: Purim became one of the two festivals given “outside the Mosaic law”  to be celebrated in Israel. (Hanukkah, or the Festival of Lights, is the other. see John 10:22) 

 

(****LORD, thank You, for Your sovereignty and providence in the lives of Your people. We KNOW you are at work in all things, for our good, and for Your glory. We honor and praise You!)

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 266

Sep23

Day 266 – Reading – Esther 1 – 5

Have you ever read the book of Esther straight through?

Jews read it (and sometimes play-act it) every spring on the holiday of Purim.  There are costumes, cheering and “booing,” ironic twists, and high drama. And special yummy foods to munch while you listen or watch.  Read it, and you will see why it’s a fun, but important, celebration.  And notice… the mention of God is no where seen in the pages. Hmmm.

Esther 1.

This Book takes place in Susa, the winter capital of Persia, sometime after Cyrus said the Jews could return to Israel to rebuild their Temple.  Thousands returned, but many did not. They continued to live in the 127 provinces.

This story takes place during the time of King Ahasuerus (or Xerxes in Greek) who followed King Cyrus.

The first section tells about his great party – 180 days long!!! (That’s six months!)  He showed off all his riches, royal glory, splendor, and pomp of his greatness. 

Take a look at the furnishings of the palace: white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of purple to silver rods. There were marble pillars, couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones. Drinks were served in golden vessels of many kinds, although no one was required to drink. (Huh!) 

One thing remained for the king to show off – his uber beautiful Queen Vashti in her royal crown (and nothing else?).  She was giving a party for the women, and for probably many reasons she did not want to visit the king’s celebration.  She said, “no.”

WHAT!!  No one said “no” to the king of Persia.  After talking to the men (who now feared all their wives would begin to say “no” to them), it was decided that Vashti would be “fired” as Queen.  That would teach her, right?

But now, King Ahasuerus…. missed her.

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Esther 2.

So… he held a beauty contest. He gathered all the beautiful young virgins to his harem in Susa.  He had them prepared with treatments (diets?), and beauty agents FOR A YEAR!  Then he would “try them out” to see which one pleased him most.  That one would become the next Queen.

Now in Susa, there was a Benjamite Jew named Mordecai, who had been carried away captive from Jerusalem in the second deportation (same as Ezekiel) and he had an orphan niece he was caring for.  Her name was Hadassah, and she was beautiful.  She was taken in the king’s “cattle call” for lovely young virgins. Mordecai told his niece to “keep secret” the fact that she was Jewish.  No use having one strike against her.

The man in charge of the women took a liking to Esther (her Persian name) and gave her special treatments and instructions.  And so, when it was time for her to “see the king,” Ahasuerus was “wowed” by her and took her as his next Queen.

He gave another great feast, and even gave a remission of taxes, so all the people would be sure to rejoice with him over his new queen. (He did not make a mistake of inviting Esther to make an appearance in only her crown!) 

Oh, and as an aside, there was a small incident where two of the king’s eunuchs became angry with the king (wanted more pay or recognition??), and attempted to assassinate him. Mordecai heard of it, and warned the king.  The two were caught and hung.  The incident was recorded in “the book of the chronicles of Persia”  in the presence of the king. And then forgotten.

(Put a pin in that incident.)

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Esther 3.

Things settle down, and Esther gets used to living in the harem and only occasionally seeing the king. Meanwhile, we meet a man in the court that the king liked. He promoted him to second highest in the kingdom. (Think of Joseph with Pharaoh, or even Daniel with Nebuchadnezzar.)  He was a pompous, egotistical man.  His name was Haman (Boo-o-o-o!).  He was an Agagite.  (So what? you say, but oh, there is a reason his heritage is mentioned.)

You see, way back in the history of Israel when Saul was king, God gave him the task of KILLING ALL the Amalekites. (The reason why, is told way back when the Israelites were still in the wilderness. Check it out in Deuteronomy 25:17-19).  Saul’s army killed most of them, but he “kept” King Agag”(and probably some of the royal family) as a “prize for the LORD.” 

The prophet Samuel was furious with him, and ended up hacking King Agag to pieces himself. And the kingdom was torn from Saul’s lineage.  HAMAN (Boo-o-o) was a descendant of that Agag. So, the serious problem the Jews were going to have now in Persia – a chance to be wiped out – was because of Saul’s disobedience.

ANYWAY, when Haman (Boo-o-o) walked or rode through the streets of Susa, old Mordecai, who sat by the gate, in case any news came from Esther, sat on his bottom as he passed.  Mordecai (a Benjamite like King Saul) refused to acknowledge the Agagite.  This made Haman FURIOUS. He decided to kill NOT ONLY Mordecai, but ALL his people – the Jews – as well.  

Haman (Boo-o-o) drew lots to determine the day it would happen (“pur” means one lot, “purim” means lots).  Then he went to the king and set it all up, even offering to put 10,000 talents of his own silver in the King’s coffer to pay for the “destroying, killing and annihilating” of all Jews, young and old, women and children …. and plundering of all their goods.

Wow. This sounds like those plans to kill Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego, as well as Daniel by decree because jealous provincial governors hated them.

WELL, as you might expect, the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.  The king and Haman? Well, they sat back with a drink and waited.  

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Esther 4.

Mordecai, with his ear always to the news of Susa, heard the king’s decree.  He tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes (a sign of great distress and mourning).  He joined all the Jews in every province with loud and bitter cries.

Deep in the palace, Esther’s young servants and the eunuchs told her about Mordecai.  She sent clothes for him so he could take off the sackcloth and ashes.  He would not. Then she sent one of the eunuchs to go to Mordecai and find out why he was doing this.

Mordecai told the eunuch what had happened and the exact amount of money that Haman (Boo-o-o) had promised the king for the destruction of the Jews.  Mordecai also gave the eunuch a copy of the decree to take back to Esther.  And he commanded Esther to go to the king and beg his favor on behalf of the Jews.

The eunuch reported what Mordecai said and showed her the edict.

“Oh!” she cried and sent back this message.  “All the king’s servants and people in the provinces KNOW that no one goes before the king without being called, except the one to whom the king holds out his golden scepter.  Or else… that person will DIE.   And as for me… he has not called me to come in the last 30 days!”

Mordecai sternly told Esther, “Do not think that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews.  For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish.  And who knows WHETHER YOU HAVE NOT COME TO THE KINGDOM FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS.”

Esther sent back a message for Mordecai to gather all the Jews in Susa. “Hold a fast on my behalf for three days (I and my servants will too). Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” 

Mordecai did all she asked.

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Esther 5.

After three days, Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, in front of the king’s quarters, while he was sitting on his royal throne in the throne room, opposite the entrance. 

She stood silent.  The king raised his eyes. And …. he smiled. He raised the scepter that was in his hand.  Esther went close and touched the tip of the scepter.

“What is it, Queen Esther?  What is your request? It shall be given to you, even to half my kingdom.”

“It it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.”

“Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther has asked.”

Wow.

So, the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared.  As they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther, “What is your wish? It shall be granted to you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.”

Esther answered, “My wish and my request is…. if I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king, let the King and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king said. (reveal her wish).”

So it was arranged.

And Haman (Boo-o-o) went out “joyful and glad of heart.” 

BUT… when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate, neither rising nor trembling before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai.   But… he restrained himself, thinking of the Queen’s private party that night, and another the next night.  At home, he bragged about it to all his friends. 

But his friends saw the bitter cloud over him. “Grrr, yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

Then his wife and friends suggested he play “hangman.” 

“Build a gallows 50 cubits high (75 feet), and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then you can go to the Queen’s feast without a worry.”

Haman (Boo-o-o) had the gallows made.

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TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW.  Can you wait?

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 265

Sep22

Sunday and Monday studies are (usually, but not this week) posted together on Mondays

Day 265 – Reading Zechariah 9 – 14.

Read the Scriptures first. Look for HOPE!  

In the two “oracles” (prophetic sections) in the last five chapters, Zechariah deals with the future. (Look for the phrase “in that day.”  He speaks of 1) the downfall of the nation, 2) the salvation of Israel, and 3) the Messiah, as king. 

In chapters 9-11, Zechariah deals with #1 and #3, and ends with the rejection of Christ as their Messiah at His first coming.  In chapters 12-14, he covers the #2 and #3 aspects of the future, and ends with the millennial kingdom of Messiah Christ.

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Zechariah 9.

First, here is a judgment on the nations surrounding Israel.  They cover Greece (Alexander the Great), who conquered  Assyria, Medo-Persia, Tyre and Sidon, and Philistia. God promised to protect Jerusalem from him. 

Next, Zechariah covers the two comings of Christ compressed together.  Old Testament prophets didn’t see the time between the to comings of Christ as the church age.  It was a mystery to them. (See Ephesians 3:1-9 and Colossians 1:27)

Verse 9 speaks of the well-known event of Jesus coming into Jerusalem a week before Passover.  “Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is He, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Verse 10 speaks of Christ’s rule in the Millennium.  “…He shall speak peace to the nations; His rule shall be from sea to sea…”.

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Zechariah 10.

Judah and Israel is restored by the LORD.  They will become like a war-horse instead of sheep. And from Israel shall come “the Cornerstone.” (Jesus)  See Ephesians 2:20 and 1 Peter 2:6-8.

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Zechariah 11.

The flock of Israel seems doomed to Slaughter.  The sheep reject their True Shepherd, the Messiah at His first coming. And the people are judged for it, like trees in a sweeping fire.  God uses Zechariah, acting as a shepherd, giving up on his disobedient sheep (breaking his staffs and walking away from them without even getting his paycheck).

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Zechariah 12,

Zechariah now encourages the people with a description of restoration and blessing.  God will defend them from their enemies and strengthen them to fight as well.  The LORD will give salvation to the “tents of Judah first. He will protect Jerusalem, and the house of David shall be like the angel of the Lord. 

“I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirt of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on Me, on Him who they have pierced, they shall MOURN, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over Him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”

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Zechariah 13.

“And on that day, there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the in habitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.”

How was this to happen?  The True Shepherd will be killed as an atonement for the sheep. “Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.”  Only 2/3 of Jews will believe, and those, God says, “I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people.” and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’

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Zechariah 14.

“Behold, a day is coming for the LORD.  

“On that day, the LORD will go out and fight for Israel.  His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives… and it shall be split in two, and You shall flee to the mountains…. And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day, the LORD will be one and His Name One.

“Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to WORSHIP the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.”

“And there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts … on that day.”

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Wow, such promises and pictures, and warnings. So hard to understand. Zechariah spoke as the LORD told him, but even he did not understand the prophesies. Today, we see Jesus, as Messiah and Savior. But we also see Jews – for the most part – not identifying Him as their Lord. But praise God for the promise in chapter 12, that when He returns, they will LOOK on Him and mourn. They will finally believe.

Oh, God of heaven, thank You for Your so great SALVATION!

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Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 264

Sep22

Sunday and Monday studies are (usually, but not this week) posted together on Mondays

Day 264 – Reading Zechariah 5 – 8

Read the Scriptures first. What catches your attention?  

Day 264 – Zechariah 5.

The LORD gives Zechariah two more “visions in this short chapter: 1) a giant, flying scroll, and 2) a woman in a basket, which is very like the woman in the basket in Revelation. Are they the same?

First, Zechariah sees a flying scroll (it reminded me of the skyward advertisements you sometimes see, pulled by a small aircraft.  This scroll was the same size as the Holy Place of the Temple (30’x15′).  It was written on both the front and the back sides, condemning all who STEAL and all who SWEAR FALSELY.  These could be representative of both tablets of the law, concerning sins against each other, and sins against God Himself. Israel has been guilty of both, especially in the time right before their exile in Babylon. God’s harsh judgment follows.

Then Zechariah is shown a woman in a basket.  The angel who talked to Zechariah showed him the woman and called her “Wickedness.” She is kept imprisoned for a while with a lead weight on the opening.  She is being taken to “the Land of Shinar,” which is the old name for Babylon.  It also represents the empire of Babel, which God had to judge because of the people’s extreme wickedness. 

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Zechariah 6.

Next, Zechariah saw four chariots with different colored horses (again similar to Revelation).  The angel explained these chariots were going to patrol the earth (execute judgment on behalf of the LORD of all the earth – a Messianic title).  Compare them to the four horsemen of the apocalypse in Rev. 6:1-8.

These are to patrol the north and the south, the directions from which all Israel’s enemies come. (Assyria, Babylon, Seleucids, Romans, and from the south, the Egyptians.)

Then Zechariah is told to do an unusual thing. He is to see that a gold crown is made from Jeshua/Joshua, the High Priest.  This again symbolizes the dual rule that the Messiah, the “Branch,” is to have. He will be the “priest on the throne.”  A priest and king.

“And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.”

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Zechariah 7.

As a result of these visions, which described the future of Israel, and the coming Messiah and His Kingdom, the people were greatly encouraged.  And all was going well with the rebuilding of the Temple. 

Then a delegation from Bethel came with a question. The nation had been fasting in the fifth month to mourn the fall of Jerusalem.  Should they continue now that they are in the land again, even though the walls of the city still remain in ruins?

Even though their fasting sounded “religious,” God (as always) sees the heart.  They were not fasting for HIM, for repentance of their sin that caused the city’s fall, but for their own misery of a lost home and nation, and for being in exile.  And God gave them harsh words of truth.

“Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your HEART.”

But those “ingrates” reacted 70 years ago with malice.  “But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words from the LORD of hosts.  

Therefore, great anger came from the LORD of hosts. “As I called and THEY would not hear, so THEY called and I would not hear… and the pleasant land was made desolate.”  So have they changed?

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Zechariah 8.

Still talking to those from Bethel, God gives them encouraging words through Zechariah, contrasting their past judgment of Jerusalem’s fall with the promise of future restoration (if they will repent and live righteously). 

  • “I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.  It shall be called, “the faithful city,” and the mountain of the LORD will be called, “the holy mountain.”
  • “Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets.” 

(I LOVE that passage!)

  • “I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.  They shall be MY people and I will be THEIR God, in faithfulness and righteousness.”
  • “There will be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit. The ground shall give its produce. The heavens shall give its dew.  And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah, and house of Israel … so will I SAVE you, and you shall be a BLESSING.”

And concerning the question of their fasting on the day commemorating Jerusalem’s fall?  The fast days are to be turned to FEAST days, seasons of joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts.

  • “Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD.
  • Ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that GOD IS WITH YOU!”

Wow. What encouragement!  It is all far in the future, but what a HOPE. (The title of the Jewish State’s national anthem today is ‘The Hope.”)  

(****O LORD, thank you for your word and its promises and hope for the future of Israel, and for believers living today.  We trust in You, in Your Goodness and Truth.  You are merciful, forgiving, and gracious. O THANK YOU!) 

(Monday’s study will be posted separately.) 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 263

Sep20

Day 263 – Reading – Zechariah 1 – 4.

Read the Scriptures first. Do you like reading prophetic visions?  

Today begins three days in the book of Zechariah.  Remember in Ezra 5:1-2, God sent two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, to get the Jews off their recliners and back to work to finish rebuilding the Temple. He was in a priestly line, born in Babylon and raised by his priest-grandfather, Iddo. He’s described as a “young man” in Zechariah 2:4, so he was probably younger than Haggai and hadn’t begun his priestly duties (age 30).  According to Matthew 23:35, he was murdered between the temple and the altar!

Not only did Zechariah challenge the Jews to complete the Temple rebuild, but he went on to encourage them concerning their Messiah and His glorious kingdom and new Temple in the future. 

In each of his three main prophesies, Zechariah begins with the present situation in Judah and goes forward to the exaltation of the Messiah’s reign.  It is sometimes called “the apocalypse of the Old Testament.”

God used Zechariah to bring an outburst of promise for the future to sustain the faithful remnant through the coming 400 “silent years” when no word from God was heard until John the Baptist’s words announcing “the Lamb of God.”

(I think it’s cool that Israel was in Egypt for 400 years, until they killed the Passover Lamb.  And soon there would be another 400 dark years until they heard the announcement of (and killed) Jesus, “the Lamb of God.”  See Mark 1:1-11)

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Zechariah 1.

“‘Return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the LORD.” were Zechariah’s first words. And the people repented. Then Zechariah gave these two visions for the comfort of the exiles.

  • 1.)  In the night, Zechariah “saw” a Man/angel among the myrtle trees, and 3 other riders of colored horses.  These men on horses patrolled the earth, and discovered all the nations (Gentiles) were at ease/rest, while Jerusalem & Zion lay in disaster.
  • The Man/angel then told Zechariah and the Jews these gracious and comforting words from the LORD.
  • “I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem (the walls were finished 75 years later).  My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again “choose Jerusalem.” (during the Millennial Kingdom.)

 

  • 2.) Next, Zechariah “saw” four horns! He asked what they represented. 
  • The angel said they were “the horns (or powers) that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” (Maybe the four who attacked Israel: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, and Persia, but most likely the four world empires of Daniel 2:7: Babylon, Persia, Greece & Rome.)
  • Then Zechariah “saw” four craftsmen (“hammers”), and asked the angel/man what these were coming to do.
  • The angel said, “These have come to terrify the “horns” that scattered Judah. The craftsmen will terrify them and cast them down.“

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Zechariah 2.

  • 3.)  Next, the prophet “sees” a man with a measuring line, and he asks the man where he’s going and what he’s planning to do.
  • “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and length.”  The angel/man then sends a runner after the measuring man to tell him that the future Jerusalem will have NO WALL. The LORD will be a “wall of fire” all around the city, AND He will also be the Glory in her midst.

Then Zechariah comes back to the present with a message to the Jews still remaining in Babylon.  “Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north, declares the LORD.  Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon, who plundered you.  For he who touches you touches the apple of His (God’s) eye. I will shake my hand over them, and they (captors) shall become the plunder for those who served them.”

  • Then Zechariah again resorts to the distant future when the LORD will dwell in Zion, and many nations shall join themselves to the LORD and also be His people.  He will dwell in their midst, in “the holy land.”  He will again “choose Jerusalem.”  So, “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion!”

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Zechariah 3.

This next vision reveals the need for Israel’s cleansing and restoration as a priestly nation.

  • 4.)  The LORD showed Zechariah the High Priest Jeshua, standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand (God’s or Jeshua’s?) to ACCUSE HIM.  This is symbolic. Jeshua stands in for Israel as a whole. Will he be rejected or accepted? 
  • The LORD rebukes Satan for his accusation. He tells the enemy that He has snatched him (Jeshua/Israel) out of the fire of destruction/exile, like a stick about to burn. 
  • Satan fires back, pointing out Jeshua’s filthy garments (Israel’s sin). 
  • The LORD commands that the filthy garments be removed from Jeshua. Then He says to the priest representing all of Israel, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”

(This is righteousness imputed, as God does to those who believe in Jesus, the Christ.  Nothing that they/we do can make us clean. God changes our filthiness to purity and glory, and the ability now to serve Him.)

  • Then, Zechariah joins the scene and reminds them to put a clean turban on Jeshua’s head.  The priestly turban, inscribed “Holy to the LORD,” is placed on Jeshua’s head.
  • The LORD of Hosts then charges Jeshua, “If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access with those who stand here.” (Access to God’s throne room through offerings and prayer.)  “And behold, I will bring my servant, “the Branch.” (Jeremiah 23:5-6)  I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. “

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Zechariah 4.

  • 5.) The angel/man came again to Zechariah and showed him a lampstand, all of gold. It had a bowl on top and seven lamps.  There were two olive trees by it, on the right and left, which supplied a continual flow of oil to burn.
  • Then the angel/man gave a message from the LORD to Zerubbabel. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.” He was speaking of the task of finishing the rebuilding of the Temple. 
  • “Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain.  And he shall bring forward the “top stone” (finishing stone of the temple) amid shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall complete it!”

(And it WAS completed 6 years later.)

  • Zechariah asked about the two olive trees on either side of the lampstand with pipes to pour in the oil.
  • “Do you know what these represent?” asked the angel/man.
  • “No, my lord,” said Zechariah.
  • “These are the “anointed ones” who stand by the LORD of the whole earth.” 

Who were anointed to serve in Israel?  The king and the priest.  Representing these two offices (for the returned exiles) through which the blessing of God would flow were Zerubbabel, descended from the royal line, and Jeshua, from the priestly line.  Both together foreshadowed the Messiah, as priest and king.

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****LORD, thank you for all the imagery in this section, especially the courtroom scene where Jeshua stood before You, clothed in filthy garments.  This is like all the people of the world, sinners in need of cleansing.  Then YOU took off the dirty clothes and put on clean ones. YOU, not Jeshua. And you gave him access to YOU! 

 This is such a beautiful picture of what Jesus did for all who believe in Him.  Just like 2 Corinthians 5:21 says. “For our sake, He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him, we might become the righteousness of God.”  Thank you, oh, thank you!

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 262

Sep19

Day 262 – Reading – Haggai 1 – 2

Read the Scriptures first. What catches your attention?  

Haggai 1.

(Remember back in Ezra, when the Samaritan adversaries had caused the rebuilding of the Temple to be stopped for many years? Ezra said God sent two prophets to encourage them.  We’ll study them today and over the weekend.  (“Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. Then Zerubbabel and Jeshua the high priest arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.” Ezra 5:1-2)  Today we’ll read Haggai’s message.)

During the time when they were “forbidden” to work on the Temple, the people had begun building and remodeling their own houses, and planting crops and weaving material for new clothes.  But… the harvests were nothing, and the people were hungry and cold.  There was no money to furnish their homes.  WHY?

The prophet Haggai said why.  Because the Temple lay unfinished, with only the foundation built.  Now that Darius had given the green light, they were to “go up to the hills and bring wood and build the House, that I (God) may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified.”

Then Zerubbabel and Jeshua the high priest, with all the remnant of people feared the Lord and obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the words of Haggai the prophet.

“I am with you,” declared the LORD.

And they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God. 

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Haggai 2.

As the people worked on the rebuilding, they couldn’t help but see (or remember hearing of) the difference between what they were doing, and the great Temple that Solomon build. 

“Who of you saw this House in its former glory?” asked Haggai. “How do you see it now?  Is it not as nothing in your eyes?  But be strong O Zerubbabel and O Jeshua.  Be strong, all you people of the land, for the LORD says,

  • ‘Work, for I am with you. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.  I will shake the heavens and the earth, the see and dry land, and all the nations, so the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I WILL FILL THIS HOUSE WITH MY GLORY.  THE LATTER GLORY OF THIS HOUSE SHALL BE GREATER THAN THE FORMER.  AND IN THIS PLACE I WILL GIVE PEACE.'”

(NOTE: God, of course was referring to the glorious Millennial Kingdom and Temple.  The Jews viewed the Temple as one continual building, existing in different forms at different times.  Solomon’s until now. And then Herod’s great renovated one in Jesus’ time which would be again destroyed.  And then, perhaps a rebuilt one in time of Antichrist, but then … the final one in which God would dwell among them for 1,000 years.)

Haggai reminds the people how nothing went right for them when the neglected the rebuilding. But now, since they had begun, God promises to bless them.

 Then, Haggai was spoke God’s words to Zerubbabel the governor of Judah, about the future of the nations.  And “I will take you, O Zerubbabel, my servant, and make you like a signet ring, for I HAVE CHOSEN YOU.”

Zerubbabel was in the royal line of King David.  He was also in the line of both Joseph (Jesus’s step father) and Mary (Jesus’s own flesh & blood mother). See Matthew 1:12-13 and Luke 3:27.

A signet ring was a symbol of honor, authority and power.  It responded to a king’s scepter.  Zerubbabel represents the Davidic dynasty and resumes the Messianic line disrupted by the exile.

(Zerubbabel was the grandson of King Jehoiachin, who gave himself up to Nebuchadnezzar in the second deportation, and years later was brought from prison and honored all the rest of his life by a later king of Babylon.)

(God is so faithful to accomplish all He promises. Hallelujah!  I can trust Him explicitly to do as He says. Thank YOU!!)

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 261

Sep18

Day 260 – Reading – Ezra 4 – 6,  Psalm 137.

Read the Scriptures first. 

Again, a little background reading would be helpful.  Who are the people living in the land of Israel who were adversaries of the newly returned Jews?  Read 2 Kings 17:24-41 for background. 

When the Assyrians deported the people of the northern kingdom, whose capital was Samaria, they brought back people from all their other conquered nations to mix and marry with the remaining “low” Jews who were left and keep the land. These people brought their own worship of pagan gods, and God sent lions among them. Then the Assyrian king sent a Jewish priest back to teach (also) the ways of the LORD.  And so the people who settled there had a religion made up of worship of the LORD plus all the other despicable pagan gods. They became known as the Samaritans, whom, still in Jesus’ time, the Jews hated.

Now these “Samaritans” were objecting to the influx of thousands of pure Jews who were settling in the land and rebuilding the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem.

Ezra 4

These Samaritans approached the heads of the Jews and offered to “help” them rebuild the Temple, since they’d been worshiping this God too, since King Esarhaddon (Assyria) brought them there. 

Zerubbabel and Jeshua, the high priest, said, “No way!  We alone are building a house for OUR God, as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us.” (They could throw around a royal name, too!)

So the Samaritans resorted to discouraging and threatening the Jews, and bribing the contractors to slow the work.  They did this for SIXTEEN YEARS, through three Persian kings, until the time of King Darius! 

Whoa! 

During the reign of King Ahasuerus (after Cyrus), these Samaritans wrote an accusation against the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem. (No response, maybe because the king was busy with his new Queen Esther, Mordecai, and his wicked prime minister, Haman.)

Then, during the reign of King Artaxerxes, they wrote another letter against Jerusalem. The exact letter is shown in Ezra 4:11-16. It ends with a threat, “…if the city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have NO possession in the province beyond the river!”  The Samaritans asked him to search the records and see if this city is not as rebellious and seditious as they claim!

This king listened to the Samaritans this time and sent a decree that all the work in Jerusalem was to “cease and desist.”   And so “the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem STOPPED and it CEASED until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia.”

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Ezra 5.

After the prophets of God, Haggai and Zechariah, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the LORD, Zerubbabel and Jeshua, the high priest, were encouraged and arose to begin rebuilding the Temple of the Lord. 

Once again, the opposition arose. The governor of the province and his associates came to them, demanding to see any new decree that allowed them to start building again.  They also demanded the names of all the workers.  (Sounds like Communism!)  The Jews ignored them… until a report could be sent to King Darius, and an answer returned.

Again, a copy of the letter the Governor sent to King Darius is included in Ezra 5:5b-17.  This letter is humorous to read because the Samaritans quote Zerubbabel, who explained how they were obeying the God of heaven and earth. They also quote him saying that King Cyrus had commanded them to rebuild it and had sent much money to make sure it was done.  

The Samaritans again ask the Persian king to “search the royal archives of Babylon” to see if such a decree WAS issued by Cyrus.   

(They had requested this of Artaxerxes, but he’d just given the decree WITHOUT searching the records!  But this king was actually going to do it.)

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Ezra 6.

King Darius DID make a search of the archives, and a scroll was found on which was written a decree by Cyrus, the king.  “Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices were offered, and let its foundations be retained. Its height and breadth shall be 60 cubits each, with three layers of great stones and one layer of timber. LET THE COST BE PAID FROM THE ROYAL TREASURY. And let the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar took be brought back to the temple of God.”

Ha!  Well, that serves those Samaritans right.  But wait!  King Darius continues,

  • “Now, therefore, let the Governor and his associates keep away and let the work on the house of God alone.  Let the Jews rebuild the house of God on its site. 
  • MOREOVER … I make a decree that the cost of rebuilding the house of the God of the Jews IS TO BE PAID IN FULL AND WITHOUT DELAY from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province (Samaritans).
  • AND, whatever is needed — bulls, rams, sheep for the burn offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine, or oil as the priests at Jerusalem require — let that be given to them day by day WITHOUT FAIL, that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven (and pray for the life of the king and his sons.)
  • ALSO, I decree that anyone who alters this edict, that a beam shall be pulled out of his house and he be impaled on it, and the house be made a dunghill.  WHOA!!
  • May the God who has caused His name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who shall put out a hand to alter this, or to destroy this house of God that is in Jerusalem.
  • I, Darius, make a decree; let it be done with all diligence!  (And I imagine a swirling signature… or maybe the imprint of the royal ring in the clay.)

And according to the word sent by Darius, the Governor and his associates did with all diligence what the king ordered.  The Jews finished their building by decree  of the God of Israel, and by decree of Cyrus and Darius of Persia.  It had been 20 years since the foundation was laid.

The priests, Levites, and the returned exiles celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.  And they set up everything as it was written in the Book of Moses.

Then the returned exiles kept the Passover.  And the kept the feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days, with joy for the LORD had made them joyful.  

And so ended the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

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(Praise God!  He always keeps his promises.  He supplies, encourages, protects and helps those who obey Him.  Thank You, LORD, for doing those things for us today as well.  YOU are the God we serve, and love, and obey. You gave us salvation through Jesus… an even greater gift than the rebuilt temple. Thank You!)

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 260

Sep17

Day 260 – Reading – Ezra 1 – 3

Read the Scriptures listed.

Read 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 first. (It’s the book just before Ezra.)  Also read Isaiah 44:8 and 45:1-4,  Jeremiah 29:10-15, and Daniel 9:2.

This stirring up of Cyrus, king of Persia, was not just a random thing, but had been foretold by the prophets in detail.  Seventy years. Cyrus, king of Persia.  Return to rebuild the “House of the LORD”

Ezra 1.

The way the LORD changes people’s minds is by stirring up their spirits.  Perhaps Daniel, his prime minister, showed him his own name – Cyrus – in the ancient Hebrew prophet of Isaiah. Regardless, Cyrus proclaimed throughout his kingdom that the LORD, God of heaven, had charged him to rebuild HIS house at Jerusalem.  Then an open invitation.  “Whoever is among you of all His people, may his God be with him, AND LET HIM GO UP TO JERUSALEM AND REBUILD THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, THE GOD OF ISRAEL.”

The beginning of the returned Israel must begin with their God, and His house of worship.  Then they can see to themselves.  It’s like our own lives.  If God is honored at the center, then the rest will fall into place.

Cyrus also called for the people who remained (Jew or Babylonian) to assist those who were going by giving them silver, gold, goods, and beasts, and freewill offerings for the new Temple.  (Does this remind you of the night of Passover in Egypt?  The Egyptians then had loaded the Israelites with goods and beautiful ornaments, jewelry, vessels, and clothing. 

And so the priests, Levites, and the “leaders” of Judah and Benjamin rose up and made ready to go the 800 miles back to Judah and Jerusalem to rebuild the House of the LORD in Jerusalem. Cyrus brought out the gold and silver vessels from Solomon’s Temple (that Nebuchadnezzar had stolen, and Belshazzar had wickedly used). There were 5,400 articles!! WOW!   Cyrus gave them to Sheshbazzar, the treasurer, for safekeeping as they traveled and while the Temple building progressed. 

(There is no mention of the Ark of the Covenant with them.)

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Ezra 2.

This chapter lists by name and family those who returned in the first wave.  They returned each to his own town.

(Wow, what a sight it must have been! How many changes had there been in 70 years, with the crops, orchards, and vineyards barely kept going by the unskilled farmers who had been left behind?  Did the returnees “itch” to get things in order and fix up or rebuild their houses and barns?  BUT, the Temple was first.)

Those who led this group of 50,000 were Zerubbabel (in the line of Christ, see Matthew 1:13), Jeshua/Joshua (the high priest of the first return, in the line of Aaron), Nehemiah (not the same as the Book), Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai (not Esther’s uncle), Belshan, Mispar, Bigval, Rehum, Baanah, and the king’s appointed treasurer, Sheshbazzar.  Twelve men.  

The returnees were divided into these categories: The (general) people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants (singers, gatekeepers, etc.), the sons of Solomon’s servants, and those who could not prove (lost their lineage) that they belonged to Israel.  (They were only excluded from the priesthood.)

Some of the heads of families donated thousands of gold and silver coins to the project. They also gave 100 priests’ garments! 

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Ezra 3.

The returnees actually took seven months to fix up their own dwellings.  Then they built the altar of the God of Israel and sacrificed burnt offerings on it as was written in the Law of Moses. Morning and evening, they offered burnt offerings on it. There were also freewill offerings, offerings at the new moon, and at the feasts.  The first they kept was the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles).

Then they got to work on the foundation of the new temple.  They hired (with the money King Cyrus gave) Sidonians and Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon via the sea to Joppa.

Seven months later. Zerubbabel and the others made a beginning. Jeshua, the priests, and the Levites supervised the work and the workmen.  When the foundation was laid, the priests in their vestments came out blowing trumpets and praising the LORD, according to the directions of David, the king of Israel.  And they sang the songs he had written and thanked the LORD.

  • “For He is good, His mercy endures forever toward Israel.”

All the people shouted and praised the LORD because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. Many shouted for joy, but there were those–old men–who had seen the former Temple.  They wept with equally loud voices.

And the sound of rejoicing and weeping was heard far away.  (Ah-oh!)

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(How wonderful that the Temple was the first thing to be built. It would be the place where their God would live among them, as before. Yet it wasn’t exactly like before.   Things were not so lavish in gold. There was no palace or king. And for the most part, the city and the great walls were rubble.  But the Temple would stand again!!

O LORD, help me to make sure YOU are at the center of my heart and my life.  May I not stray from worship, praise and thanksgiving to You, oh, precious Lord.)

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 259

Sep16

Day 259 – Reading – Daniel 10 – 12

Read the Scriptures.  

Daniel 10.

Here is another of the “end-time” prophesies that is hard to understand.  At least it seemed that Daniel understood some of it.

“In the third year of Cyrus, King of Persia, a word was REVEALED to Daniel.  And the word was true, and it was a great conflict.  And he UNDERSTOOD the word and had understanding of the vision.”

(This is now two years after the first decree was made to let Israel return to their land.)  Daniel had been mourning and waiting for three weeks concerning the visions he’d already seen. He was on the beach of the Tigris River when he saw a man (a vision?)  He describes this man much the way John described the risen/exalted Jesus in Revelation 1:13-14. Could this have been a Pre-Christ “Christophany?”  Also, Daniel’s reaction (He fell to the ground with no strength) was like John’s. Rev. 1:17.

(HOWEVER, many believe this “being” was again the angel Gabriel.)

A hand touched Daniel and “set him trembling on his hands and knees,” and the being said the sweetest words. “O Daniel, man much loved…”  Daniel stood, still trembling to hear the words, “From the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of them.”

Then the holy being explained a bit of invisible warfare that you and I are mostly unaware of. “The prince (demonic ruler) of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me.”

He now tells Daniel why he is there.  He has come to “make Daniel understand what is to happen to Israel in the latter days.”  At this, the being had to once again strengthen Daniel,

“O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage. 

I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth.”

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Daniel 11.

The being first confirms that Darius has been tasked to show kindness towards Israel in helping them return to their land.

Then, as in chapter 8:3-26, “a great huge chunk” of future events is retold. There will be conflict among the world nations, which will follow each other in conquest and power up to Antiochus Epiphanes and the desecration of the Temple. (Only a preview of what will happen later with the Antichrist. see Dan. 11:36) 

(This account is so accurate in history that critics think that it was written 400 years AFTER Daniel.  But, hey, we know that GOD knows all things from eternity past to eternity future, and He simply let Daniel in on a few items.)

The account continues with great persecution for the Jews until the “time of the end.”  The evil antichrist will reign until the Lord Jesus Christ returns in power and defeats him once and for all.  “He shall come to his end, with none to help him.”

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Daniel 12.

Encouragement is now given to Daniel and Daniel’s people, Israel. When that great evil antichrist is in power, the archangel Michael (keeper of Israel) will arise to help.

“And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people (Israel) SHALL BE DELIVERED, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.  MANY of those who sleep … shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.  And THOSE who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above.  THOSE who turn many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.”

Then, Daniel is told to “shut of the words and seal the book” until the time of the end, when many will run to and fro and knowledge shall increase.  (WOW, DOESN’T THAT SEEM LIKE THESE DAYS, TODAY?)

Then Daniel looked and heard someone call out, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?”

And the being (Christ?) who was above the waters of the stream (Tigris) raised both hands to heaven, and swore, cryptically … “It will be for a time…times…and half a time. When the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end … all these things will be FINISHED.

Daniel: “I heard, but I did not understand.”  (You are not alone, Daniel.)

The being said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and “the abomination” that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days.  Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days.”

Then He assures Daniel that he will “rest” (die) and “shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”   

(Oh, YES!  In eternity, Daniel will be there in his allotted place, and we will get to meet him.)

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(LORD, I surely do not understand much of this.  Like Daniel I have many questions. But I will trust YOU to put me where I’m to be, and at Your perfect time.  Oh, help me to be faithful!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 257

Sep15

Day 257 – Reading – Daniel 4 – 6

Read the Scriptures.  Meditate on what the prophet is saying.

Day 257.  Daniel 4. 

This is an interesting chapter. It’s told by Nebuchadnezzar himself.  It’s his “testimony.” He prefaces his story with praise to God, then, after telling the story of his sin of pride and its consequences, he ends the chapter praising the LORD God again.

So far, the Babylonian king has praised Daniel’s God only after seeing a couple of miracles.

  1. After Daniel revealed the king’s dream and it’s meaning, Nebuchadnezzar said to Daniel, “Truly YOUR God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mystery.”
  2. Then, after Daniel’s three friends thrived in the fiery furnace, Nebuchadnezzar proclaimed, “Blessed be THE GOD OF Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego…..”  “for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.”

Now the king praises God for what He has done for him, personally.  “It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done FOR ME.”

And he begins his story …

I was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace, when I saw a dream that made me afraid.

The king tells Belteshazzar (Daniel’s Babylonian name) the dream that scared him, and Daniel tells the meaning.

This is no golden statue with the king as the head.  It’s about a great fallen tree with only a stump left, and a man turned into a beast for seven years.  Daniel tells the king that he is BOTH. And this will happen to the king UNTIL HE KNOWS … that the LORD God is Sovereign over all the earth and the kings that rule there.

Daniel cautioned king Nebuchadnezzar to change his ways, that maybe God would delay the curse.

But no.  A year later, old Nebuchadnezzar was walking on the roof of his royal palace…

(Wow, don’t kings get into trouble by doing that! Think of David.)

… and he looked around at the great city of Babylon and said, “Is not THIS great Babylon, which I have built by MY mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of MY majesty?”

While he was speaking these words, a Voice from Heaven threw down that curse. He would become a beast out in the field. He will eat grass like an ox, “UNTIL YOU KNOW THAT THE MOST HIGH RULES THE KINGDOM OF MEN AND GIVES IT TO WHOM HE WILL.”

And for seven years, the great king Nebuchadnezzar was driven out of the dwelling of men and ate grass like an ox. His hair grew as long as eagle feathers, and his nails were like a bird’s claws.   YIKES!!

(Definitely, PRIDE goes before a FALL!)

Then King Nebuchadnezzar resumes his story….

“At the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned. I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored Him who lives forever…. for He does according to His will among the host of heaven AND among the inhabitants of the earth. And NONE can stay his hand or ask Him, ‘What have you done?'”

And, when his reason returned to him, so did the glory of his kingdom and his majesty and splendor. His counsellors and lords sought him as before, and his kingdom was established again.

But there was ONE difference.

“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the king of heaven, for all His works are right and His ways are just; and those who walk in pride, He is able to humble.”  (Just ask me!)

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Daniel 5.

This chapter takes place OVER 20 YEARS LATER, after King Nebuchadnezzar died.  His grandson, Belshazzar (similar to Daniel’s Babylonian name), is now king.  He has NOT learned the lesson of God’s sovereignty, but is about to.

The armies of the Medo-Persians have Babylon under siege. The Babylonian Empire (like Jerusalem long ago) is about to END.  Belshazzar is holding a great feast as a morale builder for a thousand of his lords (officials).  They are drinking wine as if there is no tomorrow … which there isn’t for them all.

Then, in his debauchery, Belshazzar calls for the holy gold and silver vessels that Nebuchadnezzar stole from the Temple of the LORD.  He passes them among all his officials, his wives, and his concubines to drink from. And as they drank from them, Belshazzar praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

Immediately, THE FINGERS OF A HUMAN HAND began writing on the plaster of the wall … right in front of the king.  “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.”

The king saw it!  The blood left his face.  His limbs gave way.  His knees knocked together.

‘BRING THE ENCHANTERS AND THE ASTROLOGERS,” he shouted. “I will reward greatly anyone who can read and interpret the writing.  But none could.

Then the queen reminded the king of Daniel, and Belshazzar called for him.

Daniel does not like this king. He doesn’t greet him with the normal “O King live forever.”  Instead, he abruptly says, “I don’t want your gifts. But I WILL read the writing and tell you what it means.”

But first, Daniel reminds him of Nebuchadnezzar’s pride and fall and eventual acknowledgment of the LORD Most High, which Belshazzar has NOT done.  Instead, this wicked king has praised false gods, and has not honored “the God in whose hand IS YOUR BREATH.”

“The words on the wall mean that God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end.  You have been “weighed in the balances” and found wanting.  Your kingdom now is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

THAT VERY NIGHT, October 16, 539 BC, Belshazzar was killed.

And Darius, the Mede, received the kingdom.

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Daniel 6. 

Darius arranged his kingdom, not with lords and wise men, but with three presidents (one was Daniel) and under them, 120 satraps to manage the kingdom, so the king would suffer no loss.

But the two presidents and the satraps were jealous of the Hebrew “exile” and sought ways to trap him and end his life. They convinced the king to make a law that people could only worship HIM for a month. The busy king agreed, not knowing this would endanger his favorite president.

The law went into force. Daniel continued to pray to God three times each day.  The satraps tattled on him.  The king was distressed, but his law was firm, and sadly, he allowed Daniel to be led to the LIONS’ DEN.

“May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” he called after Daniel.  Then the king went into his palace and FASTED all night.

At dawn, the king got up and rushed to the lions’ den.  “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions????”

“O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him. And  also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”

The king was exceedingly glad.  He took Daniel out, and threw those men who accused him into the den (with their wives and children!).  Before they reached the bottom, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones to pieces (eating them).

And Darius sent out a notice to “all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell on the earth.”  “Peace to you. I make a decree that in all my royal dominion, people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,

for He is the living God, enduring forever;

His kingdom shall never be destroyed,

And His dominion shall be to the end.

He delivers and rescues;

He works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth.”

So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius the Mede and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. 

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