I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

In the year 2000, on the 23rd day of this month, my wife married me.  So here we are on day 14 of the 20 days that I am going to wish her Happy Anniversary for 20 years of marriage.  Happy Anniversary Darling!

Today, I am reading and commenting on Daniel 7-8.

Every time I read this I try to understand how the four beasts of the first vision and the ram and the goat in the second vision relate to us, or exactly how they fit with history as we know it.  I have never been able to accomplish either.  I know from the passage that the ram in the second vision is the Persian Empire and the goat is the Greek Empire founded by Alexander the Great.  I understand that the small horn which grew out of one of the four larger horns represent Antiochus Euripides, who tried to eliminate Judaism during his reign.  I see the similarities between the account of the fourth beast in the first vision and the one representing Antiochus Euripides in the second vision, but there are also inconsistencies between the two visions.  There are elements of the first vision which suggest that the fourth beast is the Roman Empire, which would resolve the inconsistencies and suggest that one of the Roman Emperors behaved similarly to Antiochus Euripides.  You can certainly make a case for that interpretation of the first vision.  In any event, the key element of the first vision is that the four beast kingdoms will be overthrown and replaced by the Kingdom of God.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

In the year 2000, on the 23rd day of this month, my wife married me.  So here we are on day 13 of the 20 days that I am going to wish her Happy Anniversary for 20 years of marriage.  Happy Anniversary Darling!

Today, I am reading and commenting on Daniel 5-6.

This passage is the origin of the phrase “read the writing on the wall.”  Every time I read this passage I am struck by the fact that by the time the writing is on the wall to read, it is too late to do anything; there is not even time to flee.  As I wrote the above it occurred to me that perhaps I should spend some time considering the message on the wall, “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin.”  The passage tells us that “Mene” means “numbered”, as in the days of the person to whom the message was sent are numbered.  No explanation is given for why “Mene” appears twice.  Technically, the word “Mene” is a specific weight, so perhaps it appearing twice is what makes it mean “numbered”.  Or perhaps, “Mene” appears twice to indicate that the number has been reached.  In any case, the first two parts of this message applies to all of us.  Our days are numbered, and our actions will be weighed and they do not measure up.  We need to recognize that we cannot measure up.  We also need to recognize that the point I made at the beginning is true: when the writing on the wall appears it is too late to turn to God.

The story of Daniel in the lions’ den is another one of those stories which I have always loved.  As a child I learned to story as a lesson on God’s ability to protect us in even the most dangerous situation.  Today I want to focus on what Daniel did in the face of a government edict forbidding him to worship God.  He ignored it.  When he learned of the edict forbidding prayer to anything or anyone other than the king, he did not change his routine in any way.  He did not stage a protest, but he also made no attempt to hide what he was doing.  He neither prayed in a way to draw attention to the fact that he was defying the edict, nor in a way which would make it difficult for anyone to discover what he was doing.  He was not ashamed, nor afraid, to do what he had always done.  He felt no need to make a statement opposing the law.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

In the year 2000, on the 23rd day of this month, my wife married me.  So here we are on day 12 of the 20 days that I am going to wish her Happy Anniversary for 20 years of marriage.  Happy Anniversary Darling!

Today, I am reading and commenting on Daniel 3-4.

I have always loved the story of Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace.  As a child I was taught that this account reveals how God can save us from even the most terrible danger if we faithfully serve Him.  Actually, the lesson I learned was that God will save us from such dangers if we are faithful.  However, a few years ago I was struck by our heroes’ response to King Nebuchadnezzar before they were thrown into the fire.  It comes in two parts.  The first part has been emphasized in most of the exposition I have seen on this passage: ” the God whom we serve is able to save us.”  That emphasis is good.  The God whom I serve (and whom I hope that you serve) is able to save us from even the most dangerous situation.  However, the second part is one to which we need to give more thought: “But even if he doesn’t, … we will never serve your gods.”  God is able to save us from whatever danger we may face, but we must be ready to face that danger even if His plan calls for us to suffer from it.  If we willingly experience whatever suffering comes out way as a result of serving God, He will reward us.  If we bravely stand our ground in faithful service to Him, God may save us from the threats we face, but we should stand our ground even if He does not.  I believe that most of the time God will indeed save us, but if we follow the example of these three men, we will certainly experience a reward and a joy which will make the pain worthwhile.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

In the year 2000, on the 23rd day of this month, my wife married me.  So here we are on day 11 of the 20 days that I am going to wish her Happy Anniversary for 20 years of marriage.  Happy Anniversary Darling!

Today, I am reading and commenting on Daniel 1-2.

I have read many people who interpret the actions of Daniel and his three friends as dietary advice and there have been times I have looked at this passage to consider its practical application.  However, the point of the passage is that Daniel and his friends were healthier than the other young men because they were faithful to God’s commands.  Now, I find myself looking at what we can tell about the diet of Daniel and his friends versus that of the other young men.  The difference which tells us anything useful is that Daniel and his friends drank only water while the other young men drank wine.  To me, this right here explains the difference between them, both initially and at the end.  We have here a bunch of young men away from their parents for the first time in their life given lots of tasty food and as much wine as they can drink.  They would have drunk to excess and eaten way too much of food that was not particularly good for them (and very little of what was good for them).  That would have left their minds a bit muddled for their studies.  Whereas Daniel and his friends were drinking only water and eating food which was sustaining, but probably not tempting them to eat to excess.  Their heads would have been clearer when it came time to study and learn.

Then in chapter 2 we have the story of Daniel interpreting King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.  This bears a resemblance to Joseph interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams.  Just as with Joseph, Daniel refuses to take credit for providing the interpretation.  Daniel insisted that his ability to interpret the dream was no reflection of any special skill or merit on his own part.  God chose to reveal something about the future to Nebuchadnezzar through the dream and Daniel was merely the conduit for God sending him the message.  Daniel did everything in his power to make sure that the glory for the interpretation he provided went to God.  Daniel and his friends were not healthier and smarter than their fellows because any of them had special insights into the correct diet for young men.  They were healthier and smarter because they faithfully followed God’s commands.  Daniel did not obtain Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and its interpretation because he was smarter, wiser, or possessed arcane skills that others did not.  He did so because he asked God in fervent prayer for that answer and God provided it to him.  God could have used someone else to deliver the message.  Daniel was the one He chose because Daniel put his trust in God.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.  

Today, I am reading and commenting on Daniel 11-12.

The account which the messenger from yesterday’s passage gave Daniel matches up loosely to the interactions between the Ptolemaic and Seleucid empires.  I have read accounts which state that there are significant discrepancies between the historical record and what is recorded here.  However, every time I have tried to compare this with what happened as historians know it, I get lost in the weeds.  As part of my preparations for writing this I read a blog which compares the passage to history.  It does a good job of showing how this passage matches up with actual history.  I tend to believe that the linked blog reflects the conclusion I would reach from a closer examination because the things I have read which claim this account cannot be reconciled with history also hold that it was written after the events it purports to prophecy.  My personal belief is that there are probably discrepancies between this passage and the historical record which a historian would consider major, but which from the perspective of those living through it would be of no significance.  In fact, that those living through it would consider the historical record to miss the point of what was going on while this passage hit the mark.  

The most important part of this passage comes at the end.  The messenger tells Daniel that those whose names are written in the book will be rescued.  The wise will shine brightly and those who lead others to righteousness will shine like stars.  In troubled times let us seek to be wise and to lead others to righteousness.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Daniel 9-10.

When Daniel read that Jeremiah had prophesied that Jerusalem would lie in ruins for seventy years and that those seventy years were almost up, he began to fast and  pray for Jerusalem’s restoration.  In his prayer, Daniel focused on the sins of his people, on their failure to obey God’s commands.  However, he did not list specific sins of which they were guilty.  Instead, he prayed for God’s mercy despite their sins.  His prayer was an acknowledgement that Jerusalem’s restoration would not occur because the Jewish people deserved it, but rather would be because God was merciful.  God does not bless us because we deserve it.  He blesses us in order to bring honor to His name.  If we live our lives in order to bring glory to God, He will bless us.  That last statement is an absolute truth.  However, those blessings may not be the type which those who preach “prosperity gospel” would recognize.  As an example, Jim Elliot was blessed by God (if you do not know who Jim Elliot was, look him up).

When I read the portion of today’s passage about Daniel’s vision of the messenger I read the translation notes.  It strikes me that the attempt by the translators to make the passage make sense leads us to fail to realize just how confusing the entire vision really was.  In particular chapter 10 verse 13, which reads in the New Living Translation as:

But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia.

This is an example of where the King James Version actually contains a much better translation:

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

Notice how in the KJV it refers to the one who blocked the messenger merely as “the prince” of the kingdom of Persia, not the “spirit prince”.  It refers to Michael a “one of the chief princes”.  And finally, even after Michael arrived the messenger remained with the “kings of Persia”.  If the messenger remained with the kings of Persia, how did he come to speak with Daniel?  More importantly, the KJV translation allows us to see that Michael is a superior version of the same sort of being who initially blocked the messenger from coming to speak with Daniel.  There is another important fact we learn from the end of Chapter 10.  Michael, one of the chief princes, is prince of Israel in much the same way that there is a prince of Persian and prince of Greece.  All of this takes us into interpretations and ideas which go way beyond the scope of this daily Bible study.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Daniel 7-8.

I have from time to time tried to interpret what today’s passage means about the times which were the future for Daniel.  All but the end of the second vision is pretty clear because Gabriel’s explanation fits well into history as we know it.  The Persian Empire dominated that part of the world until the rise of Alexander the Great.  Alexander the Great replaced them and exerted even greater dominance.  Upon his sudden death, his empire was split into four parts.  Many of those who have read this vision have believed that the “small horn whose paoer grew very great” was Antiochus Epiphanes.  However, the record of his reign is not entirely consistent with the way I read the description given in this vision of that king.  And I have not heard any explanation which, in my mind, matches up the “2,300 evenings and mornings” described at the end of the vision.

I have even less understanding about how the first vision fits into history, but I do believe it represents events which happened between Daniel’s time and our own (although I would not be shocked to discover that I was mistaken).  Even the explanation of the vision which Daniel is given fails to add much clarity.  The four beasts represent four kingdoms, the last to arise being the most powerful.  Part of what makes it difficult for me to fit into history is that the first three kingdoms have their authority taken away, but remain alive after that for some amount of time.  The only part of the visions whose meaning is clear to me is that the “son of man” will be given authority over all of the nations of the world.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.  

Today, I am reading and commenting on Daniel 3-4.

The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery furnace is another one of my favorites.  One of the things I have wondered about this story for years; where was Daniel when this happened?  I do not have an answer to that question and it does not really matter to the story.  More interesting to me is the picture I always had of this, which I realized today does not actually reflect what is described.  I have always pictured this as a great plaza with the statue in the middle with a great crowd gathered around.  The musical instruments sound and everybody in the crowd bows down, except for three men who can be seen standing amongst all of the bowing people.  Except that is not what is described.  When I read it today, I realized that Daniel’s three friends probably avoided the gathering altogether.  They likely thought, “Who’s going to notice that we stayed away?”  So, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego may well have tried to be low key and not make a scene about their unwillingness to worship anyone but God, in fact I think it likely that they did.  But when they were called out on it, they stood up for their beliefs.  There is a time and a place to quietly keep your beliefs to yourself and there is a time and a place to clearly state them.

I really like the way in which these three men answered when threatened.  They clearly and unequivocally stated their belief that God could and would save them from the danger they faced.  But they went further than that, they stated that their faithfulness to God did not rest upon their confidence that He would save them.  They stated that even if they knew that God would allow them to suffer and die, they would not worship false gods.  Let us strive to have a similar attitude; bring your struggles and difficulties to God with the knowledge that He can resolve them, but determined to remain faithful to Him even if He chooses to allow our suffering to continue.