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NOVEMBER 27
Daniel
4
This chapter is one
surprising, amazing chapter. Who says there is no love and grace in the Old
Testament? We get to see God conclude His education of Nebuchadnezzar. Not only
was this God’s mercy to Neb, but in it, though it is still years away, God is
paving the way for His people to return to Jerusalem by preparing the nations.
That was also love and mercy for Israel. What we will read today was world
news.
Vs. 1-3 So, to whom is this
letter written? Since the reference to the peoples of the earth is general, it
looks like Nebuchadnezzar is writing this to everyone. There were lots of
nations outside of his control to the north, west, and east. It is very likely
that there were trade and diplomatic relationships with some of these
countries, like India, for example. Notice how the scope of the event and the
communication of the event have increased in these past three chapters.
V. 3 We have the same
question reading this that the original readers would have had, “What in the
world happened to Neb?” And you and I would have another question, “Did he
become a believer?”
Vs. 4-9 Nebuchadnezzar was
having another bad dream and personal crisis, compliments of God. Notice that
although Daniel doesn’t show up right away, he was still the head of magicians
and wise guys. Either Daniel wasn’t on duty, or Neb didn’t think he needed
Daniel for this “run-of-the-mill” malfunction.
Vs. 8-9 We’ll have to compare
these words with Neb’s final words.
Vs. 10-26 This is the dream
and its interpretation and it is pretty straightforward. I just have three
comments. First, the seven periods were seven years. Second, the goal of this
discipline on Neb is clearly stated in v. 25. Third, it is interesting that God
is taking this kind of care to mold and teach Nebuchadnezzar. This isn’t to say
that God didn’t give other kings lots of lessons and signs to get their
attention. The kings of the northern kingdom of Israel saw miracles like crazy
from Elijah and Elisha. So what is the difference? Besides the fact that Neb
was a Gentile, he responded positively to God.
V. 27 If Nebuchadnezzar had
listened, he could have avoided this.
Vs. 28-33 God gave Neb time
to repent, an entire year.
Nebuchadnezzar ruled for 43
years and, like Solomon, did a lot of building. Apparently he was finished. One
of those things he built was a wonder of the world. Since he will be out of it
for seven years, I’d suggest this happened sometime around the 30th
year of his reign.
Notice that the words were
not yet out of his mouth. Notice too that vs. 28-33 are now in the third
person. This would have been Daniel’s account of what happened. And remember,
this is all written in Aramaic. All nations could and would have read this.
What an incredible way to
humble the ultimate human ruler. One minute you’re admiring your world wonder,
and the next, you’re out on the front lawn eating grass. Now, there are Bible
expositors who have found a human ailment that looks like this condition, as if
to prove it is possible that this happened to Neb. So what did God do? Make him
crazy? I wonder if God simply pulled away the image of God. We all take the
spiritual for granted, that we are made in the image of God. This isn’t
intelligence or IQ or awareness. It is something the animals don’t have,
regardless of how much intelligence they show. We are spiritual and have the
characteristics of God. We are not God, but He has shared with us His own
attributes of personality and understanding. The image of God is an incredible
gift, and no one really thanks Him for it. In fact, we use it to dishonor Him
and claim He doesn’t exist. That’s ironic. Here is an example of what would
happen if God ever took it away from us.
Vs. 34-37 This is
Nebuchadnezzar’s testimony and worship of Yahweh before the world. There is a lot
to observe here, but most significant is v. 37. The now goes hand in hand with praise
and extol and honor. These last three actions of worship are written in a
way that suggests that Neb would continue to do this.
So then, what happened here?
What would this have meant for the kingdom? Why didn’t they appoint a new king?
The fact that they waited for Neb to regain his “mind” meant that they believed
Daniel. It is very possible that Daniel was in control of the government during
this time. It was because of Daniel that when Neb's understanding returned, the
government was peacefully handed back to him. Because of Daniel, they could
have all had this date set on their iPhones. Maybe they had a countdown clock
app.
Wouldn’t this have become
world news? Information flow was slower than today, but it flowed. Not only
would this have been news in the empire, but everywhere that people knew of
Nebuchadnezzar, there would have been interest. Imagine if this happened to the
President of the United States and he grazed daily on the White House lawn. Some famous news personality would be out there feeding him a carrot on national TV. It
would be the top story in the news every day. And this lasted for seven years.
Note, too, that Cyrus, the
future king of Persia, was probably alive, but young, when this happened; and
Darius the Mede was already officially serving his country. They would have
known about this.
So the burning question
around the world was what had caused this. Surely the word got out that it was
Yahweh, if only as a rumor. Now, with this letter, the official word had been
heard and Nebuchadnezzar was a worshiper of Yahweh, the God of the Jews, the
King of heaven. And, for the remainder of Neb’s reign, he would have given
testimony to the greatness of God.
Can you see how God was
preparing the nations for the return of the exiles to Israel? Can you see that
Cyrus' decision to send Israel back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple has a
connection to the work God was doing as the people were in Babylon, being
punished? Daniel is an amazing book, and in the next chapters, we'll see how
God used Daniel personally.
It was a long education, but
I think that as a result of this letter, Nebuchadnezzar received an “A+” as his
final grade from God.
2
Peter 1
It is thought that this letter was written close to Peter’s death in
Rome. Peter apparently lived his final ten years in Rome, though never
as the pope. The focus of this letter is not only encouragement for those who
were facing suffering, but the churches were encountering more and more false
teaching. Someone has said that one recognizes the miracle of the apostolic age
in noticing how quickly error came into the church once the apostles were gone.
Actually, we’ve seen error being countered in all of the letters of Paul. Even in
Acts 20, Paul warned the elders in Ephesus that ravenous wolves would come from
within that church, not sparing the flock. The next thing you know, after the
history recorded in Acts, Paul sent Timothy (in 1 Tim.) to Ephesus. He was to
stop false teaching and rebuild the church. Apparently something happened to
the church in Ephesus. This letter from Peter is also written around that same
time.
V. 1 Notice the faith of equal
standing. It seems that this might have been said to counter some teachers who
were saying there were different levels of perception or of belonging to God.
Vs. 3-4 These are two packed verses. Simply put, we are born again by His divine power. Notice that granted is used twice and each time the
word refers to something else. The first has to do with God's divine power
granting us life in Christ, as seen in knowing Him. The second has to do with
the knowledge of Christ granting us the benefits of belonging to Him, or as
Paul said in Philippians 3, the
surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Do you see how these
things build on one another?
Vs. 5-9 Faith should automatically launch us into a process of growth,
change and understanding. Being a child of God should change our lives and our
conduct. Apparently there were teachers saying that the spirit of man was good;
therefore, whatever you did now, in the body, didn’t count, so you could do
anything. Peter is saying that conduct is important because it reveals your
knowledge of Jesus and your understanding of what He has done. A person who
knows Christ becomes like Him and becomes engaged in His mission as a
fruit-bearing branch.
Vs. 10-11 Being diligent to confirm our calling and election is based
on our gratitude to the Lord and our understanding of what He has done for us
and for all of mankind. Knowing Him and knowing what is happening on this
earth, how could we treat this lightly? This entrance into heaven is as someone
who has worked hard in the harvest and honored God on earth, as opposed to
someone who lived a life of hiding, gratifying their desires and dishonoring
Christ. To put it another way, it is the difference between the gold, silver, precious stones, and wood,
hay, straw. The Lord welcomes these people differently.
Vs. 12-15 This is Peter, the proven disciple and shepherd, making
disciples right up to the end of his life.
Vs. 16-21 Peter is asking them to submit, to commit themselves to the
Word and to the apostles’ teaching. Peter begins with the eyewitness account of
the apostles. Peter was on the mountain with Jesus when Jesus was transfigured.
He saw His future glory, as we'll see Jesus described in Revelation, and as He
is in heaven right now.
V. 19 More sure than their testimony of the Transfiguration was the
prophetic Word (the Scriptures) the apostles and prophets were now sharing with
them. And even more sure than the
prophetic word is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who was producing new
Scripture by supernatural inspiration (through the apostles and prophets, Eph.
3:5), and, according to John 14-16, the Spirit was teaching it to them.
Remember, the Spirit's ministry is to reveal Christ.
The focus of all of this is the Lord Himself, and all of this goes back
to v. 3 and the knowledge of Jesus. Notice that in Ephesians 4:14, Paul talks
about the equipping ministry of the leaders as protecting the people against
false teachers by bringing them to maturity in knowing Christ.
What Peter is saying here is exactly why we are in the Word. To make disciples,
who are able to handle the Word and grow in the Word, we ourselves need to be
in the Word, growing in our Lord and following Him. A disciple is not above his
teacher. We need to know Christ fully so that the disciples we make will be
like Him, not simply like us.
Psalm
119:97-112
And David will tell us how
the Word protects and matures us.
Vs. 97-104 This reminds me of the comment of the Pharisees
regarding Peter and John: Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and
John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were
astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). And Jesus was the Word made
flesh. Again, the disciple is supposed to be like his teacher.
Since the Word is from God, anyone who loves the Word and
abides in it will have access to wisdom and understanding that are eternal and
far above human achievement.
Vs. 105-112 Verse 105 is a famous verse, but notice the
context of affliction. Emotional distress is almost blinding. It is hard to
think straight or concentrate. It is hard not to react instinctively with anger
or despair so quickly that it defies the ability to control ourselves. This was
hard work, but this is what saved David. This is what God wants us, as
disciples, to learn also. It is the Spirit, working through the Word that gives
us control, leads us to safety and gives us an undivided heart in following
Jesus.
V. 108 Notice too that David not only read God's Word, but
he praised God, even in the storm.
V. 111 At this point David didn't have the promise of a
continued throne, yet he considered his heritage and inheritance from God to be
God's Word.
Proverbs
28:17-18
V. 17 That burden can be removed before God and before men, but that
person has to be totally remade by God and be in submission to the Word.
V. 18 Amen.
Please Read
the Following Disclaimer
I'm writing the Reading Notes to and
for those who are following a One Year Bible and are interested in growing
deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the
growth of a discipleship culture in the church, that is, groups of 3-4
disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to
reach out and make disciples, who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most
universal and important discipleship manual we have and it is the key to our
growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here,
or what we are to be doing, or whom we are to be following. My comments are
only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of
God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are
designed to keep us, as disciples, focused on Christ and our role in His
harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be
willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their
growth as disciples, making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive
commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC).
I read the BKC in doing background for the Reading Notes and refer to it quite
often. I also make reference to maps or charts in the BKC, though I will only
note where those resources can be found. Often you can do a search for these
and find them in Google books. Buying both volumes of the Bible Knowledge
Commentary would be a good idea.
I am not endorsing any particular
One Year Bible translation; in fact, I read something you probably don't, Die
Revidierte Lutherbibel, 1984. Unless noted, all Scripture quotes are from the
ESV Bible.
Anyone reading along with us is
welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own
observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition
or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any
point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as
I understand it. Often there is a breadth of opinion on certain events, both
historical and prophetic. Many of my views come from my church background,
theological training and my personal study.
I'm
doing this with discipleship in mind, meaning, I'm writing out thoughts that
will keep discipleship and our growth as disciples applied to what we are
reading. Remember, the real focus of the Reading Notes is to be a
supplement, a disciple’s commentary, giving motivation and insight so that we
will keep following our Lord in the harvest, reaching the lost and making
disciples, who make disciples. Being in
the Word every day, sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning directly from Him, is the
essential essence of being and making disciples.
May the Lord bless you as you follow Him in the
harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Dan
If you would like documents
containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
If you would like a full
presentation of discipleship read Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples.
Or if you are struggling with
insomnia and would like a long boring dissertation on disciple making, these
can both be found on https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
Reading Notes ©, Dan Kachikis
2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
The One Year Bible © by
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton Illinois 60189
The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.
All charts/graphics/outlines
from the Bible Knowledge Commentary are used with the permission of David C.
Cook.
© 1983, 2001 John F Walvoord and Roy B Zuck.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary is published by David C Cook.
All rights reserved. Publisher permission
required to reproduce.
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