For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
Wicked rulers are as dangerous to the poor as a wild predator. They are unpredictable and difficult to defend against. Rulers who oppress the people lack understanding and wisdom. Those rulers who hate corruption will have long and prosperous lives.
A government which treats its people well will be strong and last for many years. A government which treats its people as sheep to be fleeced will soon fall.
We may be worn out from waiting for God to relieve us from our misery, yet if we continue to keep His commands He will rescue us. No matter how dire our situation may appear, let us remain faithful to God for He will remain faithful to us. His regulations are as true today as when He first spoke them. Things may seem bad today, but we can rest assured that everything serves God’s plans and He will reward our faithfulness in ways we cannot imagine.
Peter gives us a series of instructions that are related. However, before he does that, he reminds us that this world will be coming to an end in the near future. Therefore we should be planning for what comes after this world, by being earnest and disciplined in our prayers (there’s that emphasis on prayer again). The most important thing that we can do is show love for one another. We have each been given gifts from God, let us use them with all of our strength to serve one another. In this way we will bring glory to God.
We should not only be prepared to face suffering, but rejoice when we do. Because when we have such experiences we become partners with Christ in His suffering. Let us just make sure that what suffering we experience is not a result of our own wrongdoing. There is no shame in suffering for following Christ, but we should not do things which will make us deserve suffering. We will find that we can continue to do what is right in the face of suffering if we put our complete trust in God.
Peter concludes his teaching in this letter by telling the elders in the Church (in this case, I think he is referring both to those who are in official positions of authority AND those who are more mature Christians) to lead by example. They should not lord it over the rest of the Church, seeking what they can get out of it for themselves. They should care for the other members of the Church because they are eager to serve God. Those who are younger should accept the authority of their elders. Sometimes those who are older than ourselves know that something is a mistake, even if they cannot explain to us why that is the case. And all of us, older or younger, should deal with each other from a position of humility.
There are two personality traits which Peter tells us to value highly: love and humility. If we can master these two things, we will never go far wrong.
The dream which Daniel interprets for Nebuchadnezzar resembles the Greek “Ages of Man”. It starts with the Golden Age, followed by the silver, bronze, and, finally, the iron age. Each of these ages (or, in this dream and interpretation, kingdoms) is inferior to the one which preceded it. However, unlike the Greek “Ages of Man”, it is the current age, or kingdom, which is the golden age. While it is likely that this dream and its interpretation were influenced by the Greek stories and myths of the Ages of Man, it is clearly using those concepts to tell a different story. The Greek stories and myths about the Ages of Man show man’s influence over the universe increasing and that of the divine decreasing. However, this dream shows the divine completely overwhelming the power and influence of man over the universe.
We transition from Nebuchadnezzar praising God for giving Daniel the interpretation of his dream to Nebuchadnezzar setting up a golden statue which he required everyone to worship. However, Daniel’s friends, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego, refuse to do so. Some of the courtiers reported them to Nebuchadnezzar for this. We do not know why Daniel is not part of this story, perhaps he was elsewhere at the time.
When the three young men are brought before Nebuchadnezzar they give a testimony that should be something we take to close heart. They tell Nebuchadnezzar that God is perfectly capable of saving them from whatever danger they may be put into, including any which the king might choose to inflict upon them. However, their affirmation of faith does not stop there. They testify that even if God does not save them, they will not be unfaithful to Him and go against His will. Are we willing to make a similar stand? When we call upon God’s miraculous power are we willing to state that even if God chooses not to give us our request we will remain faithful to Him?