2435.) Psalm 67

Psalm 67   (NRSV)

The Nations Called to Praise God

¹May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us,

Selah

²that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.

Of all of the ways of God, this is the most precious and needful. We should see a perishing world and long for God’s salvation among all nations. This is the reason for blessing. Are you a member of the “bless me” club? Always crying out to God, “Bless me, bless me, bless me!” But your cry is essentially a selfish one, the kind of cry a self-interested child makes. Yes, we unashamedly ask God to bless us – but not only for ourselves, but so His way will be made known on all the earth, and His salvation among all nations!

–David Guzik

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

³Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

⁴Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth.

Selah

⁵Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

⁶The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us.

⁷May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.

_________________________

The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

Images courtesy of:

world map.    https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/worldmap.gif

urban scene.    http://hilldaleworship.blogspot.com/2012/03/150-days-of-psalms-psalm-67.html

rural scene.   http://www.kohsamuichurch.com/psalm-challenge-day-19.html

2434.) 2 Thessalonians 3

“Consider the ant, you lazy bum. Watch its ways, and become wise.” — Proverbs 6:6.     (GOD’S WORD Translation, 1995)

2 Thessalonians 3 (English Standard Version)

Pray for Us

¹Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you,

Paul asked for prayer so that the word can run freely, without any hindrance. Paul’s prayer request makes us wonder how often the work of God’s word is hindered by our prayerlessness. God has promised that His word would be free and perform its work: It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it  (Isaiah 55:11). But as with many of God’s promises, we are expected to take this promise in faith, in prayer asking God to perform it for His glory.

–David Guzik

²and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. ³But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. ⁴And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. ⁵May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

Warning Against Idleness

⁶Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.

The purpose in withdrawing from these disobedient was not so much punishment, but more so simply to deny these disobedient ones the aid and comfort of the fellowship of the body of Christ until they repented. It put them out of the church into the “domain” of Satan (the world), in hope that they might miss the fellowship of the church so much they would repent of their disobedience.

–David Guzik

⁷For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, ⁸nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. ⁹It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. ¹⁰For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. ¹¹For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.

There is a play on words between the ancient Greek phrasing in the lines not working at all and but are busybodies. The idea is something like “busybodies who do no business.”

–David Guzik

¹²Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

WORK

I slept and dreamed that life was joy.
I awoke and saw that life was duty.
I acted, and behold, duty was joy.
–Rabindranath Tagore,  winner of the 1913 Nobel Prize for Literature.

The works of a Christian ought to be regarded in the same light as would have been those of Adam and Eve in paradise… “The Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” (He) could not have needed to be justified and made righteous by keeping the garden and working in it; but, that he might not be unemployed.
–from Luther’s On Christian Freedom

By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day.
–Robert Frost

Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.
–Theodore Roosevelt

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.
–Henry Ford

Find something you love to do and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.
–Harvey McKay

“Thank You, Lord, for work to do and strength with which to do it.”
–my mother’s daily prayer (her mother had been an invalid)

¹³As for you, brothers (and sisters), do not grow weary in doing good.

Here are two good things I think can be hard work!

.

.

¹⁴If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. ¹⁵ Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

Benediction

¹⁶Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

¹⁷I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. ¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

_________________________

Music:

HERE  is an old hymn, sung in Tamil by a choir from South India. The pictures of life and work in India are quite interesting. “Work, for the night is coming.”

Work, for the night is coming,
Work through the morning hours;
Work while the dew is sparkling,
Work ’mid springing flowers;
Work when the day grows brighter,
Work in the glowing sun;
Work, for the night is coming,
When man’s work is done.

Work, for the night is coming,
Work through the sunny noon;
Fill brightest hours with labor,
Rest comes sure and soon.
Give every flying minute,
Something to keep in store;
Work, for the night is coming,
When man works no more.

Work, for the night is coming,
Under the sunset skies;
While their bright tints are glowing,
Work, for daylight flies.
Work till the last beam fadeth,
Fadeth to shine no more;
Work, while the night is darkening,
When man’s work is o’er.

_________________________

English Standard Version (ESV)   The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Images courtesy of:

ant.   http://boldandfab.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/hard-work-ant.jpg

squirrel.  https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/imagescayxbod2.jpg

lazy.     https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/lazy.jpg

tending babies.    https://saramorris.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/overwhelmed-mom-holding-babies-0-280×280.jpg

shoveling snow.    http://www.bonnersprings.com/users/photos/2010/jan/13/34089/

2433.) 2 Thessalonians 2

Let no one deceive you.

2 Thessalonians 2 (English Standard Version)

The Man of Lawlessness

¹Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, ²not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

It seems the Thessalonian Christians were being victimized by false teachers who did not understand prophecy. Apparently, a misunderstanding of Paul’s teaching (or an incorrect application of it) had caused the Thessalonians to be shaken in mind and troubled. Their fears centered on the idea that the day of Christ had perhaps already come.

³ Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, ⁴who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

The specific ancient Greek word for temple indicates the most holy place and not the temple as a whole. “It is not that he (“the man of lawlessness,” or in other translations, “the man of sin”) enters the temple precincts: he invades the most sacred place and there takes his seat. His action is itself a claim to deity.” (Morris) This is the ultimate blasphemy that results in certain judgment, the abomination of desolation spoken of by both Daniel and Jesus.

–David Guzik

One idea for building the “Third Temple” on top of Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

The coming of the day of the Lord will be marked by these two things:  1) the “rebellion” (apostasy) will come first — people will turn away from Christ and the truth of the Word of God — and 2) “the man of lawlessness” (the Antichrist) will appear. 

Some scholars believe that the reference to him taking “his seat in the temple of God” means that a new Jewish temple will be built in Jerusalem. Indeed, there is an organization in Israel dedicated to this project. The Temple Institute’s ultimate goal is to see Israel rebuild the Holy Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, in accord with the Biblical commandments. To read more about their interesting plans, click  HERE.

Other scholars believe that the New Covenant, brought by Jesus and marked by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believer, means that the body is the temple, or that the temple has been superseded. Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians may suggest this: 

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?

This idea is related to the belief that Christ himself, having claimed to be and do what the temple was and did, is the new temple (John 2:19), and that his people, as a part of the “body of Christ” (meaning the church), are part of this temple as well (2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-5).

I have given you a couple ways of looking at these verses. Know that there are many other interpretations of these ideas as well, within Christian circles.

⁵Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? ⁶And you know what is restraining him (back to the man of lawlessness) now so that he may be revealed in his time. ⁷For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. ⁸And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.

Whoever the man of lawlessness is, he has not had his career yet. We know this because at the end of his career, he is destroyed by Jesus Christ Himself.

⁹The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,

The Antichrist will come with power, with signs and with lying wonders. But all of this is according to the working of Satan, as described in Revelation 13:13-17. If someone has spiritual power, signs, or wonders, those are not enough to prove they are from God. Satan can perform his own powerful works, either through deception or through his own resources of power.

–David Guzik

“He is Satan’s messiah, an infernal caricature of the true messiah.”

–James Moffatt

¹⁰and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. ¹¹Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, ¹²in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Stand Firm

¹³But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. ¹⁴To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Notice the contrast. Those who reject God (verses 9-12) will be condemned, but those who have been sanctified in the Spirit and living in the truth of God will gain everlasting glory with Jesus Christ (verses 13-14). This is what matters — that we are found in Christ, and that we live our lives in service to the Lord as a thank offering for what his death and resurrection has obtained for us.

¹⁵So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

¹⁶Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, ¹⁷comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

This is a prayer full of useful and important suggestions:

· Jesus is ours.

· God is our Father.

· God has loved us.

· God has given us much.

· We have everlasting consolation.

· It is all through grace.

_________________________

Music:

“May Jesus . . . and God . . . strengthen you in every good deed and word” (verses 16-17).

“Take My Life and Let It Be” consecrated, Lord, to Thee . . . was written by Frances Havergal in 1874.

Frances had begun reading and memorizing the Bible at the age of four (eventually memorizing The Psalms, Isaiah and most of the New Testament). At seven she wrote her first poems. Several of her mature verses became hymns. In addition to “Take My Life,” she wrote such favorites as “I Gave My Life for Thee,” “Like a River Glorious,” and “Who Is on the Lord’s Side?”

Because her voice was lovely, Frances was in demand as a concert soloist. She also was a brilliant pianist and learned several modern languages as well as Greek and Hebrew. With all her education, however, Frances Havergal maintained a simple faith and confidence in her Lord. She never wrote a line of poetry without praying over it.

One of the lines of this hymn says, “Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.” In 1878, four years after writing the hymn, Miss Havergal wrote a friend, “The Lord has shown me another little step, and, of course, I have taken it with extreme delight. ‘Take my silver and my gold’ now means shipping off all my ornaments to the Church Missionary House, including a jewel cabinet that is really fit for a countess, where all will be accepted and disposed of for me…Nearly fifty articles are being packed up. I don’t think I ever packed a box with such pleasure.”

HERE  is a beautiful arrangement of her song.

_________________________

English Standard Version (ESV)   The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Images courtesy of:

wolf in sheep’s clothing.    https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/false-prophet1.jpg

Third Temple.   http://dschondog.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/thirdtemplea.jpg

Stand firm.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/stand-firm1.gif

2432.) 2 Thessalonians 1

2 Thessalonians 1 (English Standard Version)

Greeting

¹Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

Paul traveled with these men and together they contributed to this letter. Though the name Paul is listed first, both Silvanus and Timothy were his trusted companions.

Silvanus (also known as Silas) was a long and experienced companion of Paul. He traveled with Paul on his second missionary journey and was imprisoned and set free with Paul in the Philippian jail (Acts 16:19-27). When Paul first came to Thessalonica, Silas came with him (Acts 17:1-9), so the Thessalonians knew Silvanus well. He also collaborated with Paul on the first letter to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 1:1).

Timothy was a resident of Lystra, a city in the province of Galatia (Acts 16:1-3). He was the son of a Greek father (Acts 16:1), and a Jewish mother named Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5). From his youth, he had been taught in the Scriptures by his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15). Timothy was a trusted companion and associate of Paul, and he accompanied Paul on many of his missionary journeys. Paul sent Timothy to the Thessalonians on a previous occasion (1 Thessalonians 3:2). With Silvanus, Timothy was also a collaborator on Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 1:1).

–David Guzik

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

²Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving

³ We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. ⁴Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

“By these words Paul shows us that we are under an obligation to give thanks to God not only when He does us a kindness, but also when we consider the kindness which He has shown towards our brethren.”

–John Calvin

The Judgment at Christ’s Coming

⁵This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—

We usually think that God is absent when we suffer, and that our suffering calls God’s righteous judgment into question. Paul took the exact opposite position and insisted that their suffering was evidence of the righteous judgment of God. Where suffering is coupled with righteous endurance, God’s work is done. The fires of persecution and tribulation were like the purifying fires of a refiner, burning away the dross from the gold, bringing forth a pure, precious metal.

–David Guzik

Top Ten Worst Countries for Christian Persecution

North Korea

Afghanistan

Somalia

Sudan

Pakistan

Libya

Iraq

Yemen

Iran

India

Pray for the persecuted church in these nations and around the world!

Pray they will stand firm in their faith (1 Pet 5:8-10). 

Pray they will not fear for themselves or their families; but trust God. (rev 2:10).

Pray they would not retaliate, but entrust themselves to our Righteous Judge and live in peace with everyone (Rom 12:17-21).

Pray they would rejoice, even in suffering (1 Peter 4:12-14).

Pray they would love and forgive those who persecute them (Mat 5:43,44; Luke 23:34, Col 3:13).

Pray they would keep their eyes on Jesus and not grow weary (Heb 12:1-3, 10:32-39).

Pray those who suffer great physical pain will be delivered by the Lord (2 Cor 1:9-11).

Pray they would proclaim the gospel, even when suffering ( 2 Tim 4:15-18).

Pray they would rely on the Lord’s strength and not their own (2 Cor 1:8-9).

Pray their oppressors will be saved, as Paul did (Acts 9:1-9).

Pray Bibles and Christian literature will reach needy areas (Ps 119:42-43).

Pray leaders of persecuted churches will continue to be faithful (2 Peter 5:1-4).

⁶since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, ⁷and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels ⁸ in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Paul is referring not to people who have never experienced the opportunity of hearing the gospel, but to those who have had the opportunity and did not respond. The fact is, some respond to God’s revelation and others do not. The latter must bear the consequences of their own choice.

–David J. Williams 

⁹They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, ¹⁰ when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

“A world in which justice was not done at last would not be God’s world at all.”

–D. Edmond Hiebert

¹¹To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, ¹²so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

“The Risen Christ” by He Qi

Colossians 1:25-27 (NIV)

I . . . present to you the word of God in its fullness —  the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

_________________________

Music:

I love verse 11 — every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power — everything for Christ, by Christ, through Christ!

HERE  is “Everything”  by Tim Hughes.

_________________________

English Standard Version (ESV)   The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Images courtesy of:

Live for Jesus.    https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/live-for-jesus.jpg

your faith is growing.    https://imgracemadewoman.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/images.jpg

map of countries which persecute Christianity.    https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2018/january/top-50-christian-persecution-open-doors-world-watch-list.html

to follow Jesus.    http://bereanbaskets.com/images/au_un98052.jpg

He Qi.    http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/he_qi_the_risen_christ.jpg

2431.) Psalm 40

Psalm 40 (NIV)

There are a number of psalms which speak of the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are called Messianic psalms since they speak of the Messiah. The question may be asked: “How can we recognize a Messianic psalm?” The answer would be:  where there is a reference to the Messiah in a psalm, and it is applied to Christ and expounded in the New Testament.

–The Messianic Psalms, by T. Ernest Wilson

¹ I waited patiently for the LORD;

“Think ye, brethren, might it not read — ‘I waited impatiently for the Lord,’ in the case of most of us?”

–Charles Haddon Spurgeon

he turned to me and heard my cry.

² He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

³ He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.

from The Message of the Psalms,
by Walter Brueggemann

The beginning of the psalm is a familiar phrase:  “I waited patiently.” This is a weak rendering. The text has an infinitive absolute which might better be translated, “I hope intensely for Yahweh.” Indeed all other hopes were exhausted. Verses 1-10 tell that this passionate hope was fulfilled and not disappointed. The hope was against all the evidence in the conviction that Yahweh could work a genuine newness. The hope was not disappointed.

The rescue that was hoped for was granted:  he inclined, he heard, he drew me up, he set my feet, he put a new song in my mouth. And the psalmist is eager to assert that this is not a private matter. The personal rescue is a matter of public interest and benefit, for Yahweh’s trustworthiness in this instance leads others to trust.

The verbs of thanksgiving are of interest. No doubt they refer to a personal experience, but the words have imaginative power because they also touch and allude to the primal memories of Egypt and the exodus. That God inclines and hears, brings up, and sets feet in new places is the experience of all of Israel (see Exodus 2:23-25; 3:7-15). The new song is enacted there in the Songs of Moses (Exodus 15:1-18) and Miriam (Exodus 15:21). When one uses this psalm, one stands in solidarity with, participates in, and relives the whole saving memory of Israel.

⁴ Blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.

⁵ Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.

John 21:25 (NLT)

Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.

And these next verses clearly point us to Jesus!

⁶ Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears you have pierced;
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require.

What did God desire instead of sacrifice? Obedience. This was true for David’s predecessor Saul. King Saul offered sacrifices just fine; what he didn’t do was obey God (1 Samuel 15:22-23). Ultimately this was fulfilled by the Son of David. Jesus came and was perfectly obedient, and His obedience is counted unto us.

⁷ Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.

⁸ I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”

John 4:34 (ESV)

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”

Hebrews 10:1-10   (NLT)

The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.

But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God,

“You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings.
    But you have given me a body to offer.
You were not pleased with burnt offerings
    or other offerings for sin.
Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God—
    as is written about me in the Scriptures.’”

First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.

⁹ I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips,
as you know, O LORD.

It was true of Jesus in His earthly ministry. “This is what Jesus can say. He was the Prince of open-air preachers the Great Itinerant, the President of the College of all preachers of the gospel.” (Spurgeon)

It is also true of Jesus in eternity come. Of Jesus it is true, in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You (Hebrews 2:12 as a fulfillment of Psalm 22:22). It’s a remarkable thing to think of Jesus leading the assembly of God’s people in praise to God the Father.

–David Guzik

¹⁰ I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth
from the great assembly.

¹¹ Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD;
may your love and your truth always protect me.

¹² For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.

¹³ Be pleased, O LORD, to save me;
O LORD, come quickly to help me.

my all-purpose prayer

¹⁴ May all who seek to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.

¹⁵ May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be appalled at their own shame.

¹⁶ But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
“The LORD be exalted!”

¹⁷ Yet I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.

“With such a Father and such a Friend, poverty becometh rich, and weakness itself is strong.”

–Thomas Hartwell Horne

You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, do not delay.

_________________________

Music:

HERE   is a beautiful harmonization of an ancient (5th century Greek) hymn — “Lord Jesus, Think on Me.”

_________________________

New International Version (NIV) Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica

Images courtesy of:

verse 16 and mountains.    http://wonders.wallpaperdave.com/ps40-16v.jpg

rescued.    https://guyanachronicle.com/2016/01/16/rescued

books on shelves.   https://www.argosybooks.com/browse-books.php

soup bowl.   https://redeeminggod.com/did-jesus-teach-social-justice/

Help!    http://strictlygospel.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/help.jpg

2430.) Daniel 12

Daniel 12   (NRSV)

The Resurrection of the Dead

“At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise.

The angel Michael is often associated with spiritual battle (Daniel 10:13, Daniel 10:21, Jude 1:9, and Revelation 12:7). Since Michael is called the archangel (Jude 1:9), he is Satan’s true opposite. Satan is not the opposite of Jesus; he is the opposite of Michael, this high-ranking angel. In addition to his role as a spiritual warrior, Michael has a special job in protecting Israel. God appointed Michael as a spiritual guardian over Israel.

–David Guzik (and all following in red)

There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence.

This refers to the time of persecution for Israel and world calamity known as the Great Tribulation. This period is also called the time of Jacob’s trouble in Jeremiah 30:7.

The Jewish people have known many a time of trouble through their history. From the horrors at the fall of Samaria and Jerusalem to the terrors wrought by Antiochus Epiphanes, to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, to the persecutions from the church during the Dark Ages, to the pogroms of Europe, to the 20th Century Holocaust, it often seems that all Israel’s history has been a time of trouble. Yet this time of trouble will be different. This will be a worse time of trouble than Israel has ever seen before.

Jesus quoted this passage in Matthew 24:21:  For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. With great sadness, we must say that the Bible teaches that the worst has yet to come.

But at that time your people shall be delivered,

Despite the terrors of that time, deliverance is assured. No matter how great the attack is against the Jewish people, God promises to preserve them. He will never break His promise to Abraham: And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you (Genesis 17:7).

everyone who is found written in the book. ² Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Here would be a good place to start a discussion about the existence and condition of hell. Increasingly, it seems to me, people are denying that hell exists at all. I went through a phase as a young adult when I didn’t believe in hell. No one, in the end, I thought, will be able to resist God’s love. As Madeleine L’Engle put in one of her poems, “And now do you hold Pharaoh in your arms?” (from the book The Irrational Season). I wouldn’t want relatives omitted from the best of all family reunions! Psalm 136 says over and over, “For his mercy endures forever.”

Then one Sunday morning in church we were proclaiming our faith in the words of the Apostles Creed, and I found myself saying, 

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

Suddenly it was clear to me. To call myself a Christian was not to cherry pick what I wanted, but to form my opinions from what Scripture teaches, as confirmed by long centuries of church teaching. I did some Scripture study. I read Dante’s Inferno and C. S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce. Now I do believe in hell, certainly for the devil and his demons, but also for those who choose to go there by not choosing God. For me, a big part of believing this is that I trust God; as Abraham said in Genesis 18:25 — “Will not the Judge of all the world do right?”

³ Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Philippians 2:14-16   (NIV)

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

⁴ But you, Daniel, keep the words secret and the book sealed until the time of the end. Many shall be running back and forth, and evil shall increase.”

⁵ Then I, Daniel, looked, and two others appeared, one standing on this bank of the stream and one on the other.

Vision on the Tigris. digital art by Ted Larson.

⁶ One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was upstream, “How long shall it be until the end of these wonders?” ⁷ The man clothed in linen, who was upstream, raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven. And I heard him swear by the one who lives forever that it would be for a time, two times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end, all these things would be accomplished.

⁸ I heard but could not understand; so I said, “My lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?”

⁹ He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are to remain secret and sealed until the time of the end. ¹⁰ Many shall be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked shall continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. ¹¹ From the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that desolates is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred ninety days. ¹² Happy are those who persevere and attain the thousand three hundred thirty-five days. ¹³ But you, go your way, and rest; you shall rise for your reward at the end of the days.”

Adam Clarke draws the following points from Daniel 12:13:

–Every man has his way to go.
–Every man has an end.
–There is a rest provided for the people of God.
–There is an inheritance for the people of God.

THE END of the book of Daniel

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Music:

“O Love that wilt not let me go” was written by the blind Scottish preacher George Matheson over 130 years ago. He believed, and so can we, that God’s love will not let us go –– that God’s light will follow us all our way –– that God’s joy will seek us through our pain –– and that our faith will make all the difference, because God is faithful! Daniel lived physically as a foreigner in a far-off land, but spiritually he was at home with God all his life long. What is pressing you now? Take courage today, and pray this song,  HERE.  You, too, will shine like the stars as you trust in the One who is Love!

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New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)   New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

stars.     http://oneyearbibleimages.com/daniel12_3.jpg

verse 2.   https://missionventureministries.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/daniel-12-vs-2-e.jpg

Larson.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/dan12-vision-on-the-tigris.jpg

2429.) Daniel 11:21-45

Daniel 11:21-45   (NRSV)

²¹ In his place shall arise a contemptible person on whom royal majesty had not been conferred; he shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom through intrigue.

This was fulfilled in the successor of Seleucis III, named Antiochus IV. He did not come to the throne legitimately because it was strongly suspected that he murdered his older brother, the previous king. The other potential heir (the son of Seleucus III) was imprisoned in Rome.

–David Guzik (and all further comments in red)

Antiochus IV took the name Epiphanes, which means “manifest.” The name suggests that he claimed to be the earthly manifestation of Zeus.  (The Archaeological Study Bible)

²² Armies shall be utterly swept away and broken before him, and the prince of the covenant as well. ²³ And after an alliance is made with him, he shall act deceitfully and become strong with a small party. ²⁴ Without warning he shall come into the richest parts of the province and do what none of his predecessors had ever done, lavishing plunder, spoil, and wealth on them. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time. ²⁵ He shall stir up his power and determination against the king of the south with a great army, and the king of the south shall wage war with a much greater and stronger army. But he shall not succeed,

This was fulfilled when Antiochus Epiphanes carried on the feud between the dynasties but pretended friendship and alliance to catch them off guard. Despite massive efforts and epic battles, Antiochus Epiphanes did not stand, and his army was swept away. The defeat of Antiochus Epiphanes at his second campaign against Egypt was important, because Egypt beat Antiochus with the help of Rome. At the end of it all, Antiochus Epiphanes and his kingdom were under the dominion of Rome.

In a famous battle, the Roman Navy defeated the navy of Antiochus Epiphanes. After the battle, a Roman general drew a circle around Antiochus in the dirt and demanded to know if he would surrender and pay tribute to Rome – and demanded to know before he stepped out of the circle. From that point on there was no doubt: Antiochus Epiphanes took his orders from Rome and was under Roman dominion. Hence the expression to draw a line in the sand.

for plots shall be devised against him ²⁶ by those who eat of the royal rations. They shall break him, his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall slain. ²⁷ The two kings, their minds bent on evil, shall sit at one table and exchange lies. But it shall not succeed, for there remains an end at the time appointed. ²⁸ He shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. He shall work his will, and return to his own land.

This was fulfilled when Antiochus Epiphanes returned from Egypt, bitter from defeat. He vented his anger against Jerusalem, which was already shaken because Antiochus sold the office of High Priest and persecuted the Jewish people to conform to Greek culture, forsaking the faith and traditions of their fathers.

²⁹ “At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but this time it shall not be as it was before. ³⁰ For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall lose heart and withdraw. He shall be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay heed to those who forsake the holy covenant. ³¹ Forces sent by him shall occupy and profane the temple and fortress. They shall abolish the regular burnt offering and set up the abomination that makes desolate.

Antiochus Epiphanes set up an image of Zeus at the temple altar. He demanded sacrifice to this image, and later desecrated the temple by sacrificing a pig on it.

“It was in truth an abomination, which brought a desolate condition to the Temple, for now no one would come to worship at all.”

–Leon Wood

³² He shall seduce with intrigue those who violate the covenant; but the people who are loyal to their God shall stand firm and take action. ³³ The wise among the people shall give understanding to many; for some days, however, they shall fall by sword and flame, and suffer captivity and plunder.

In his attack on Jerusalem Antiochus IV is said to have killed 80,000 Jews, taken 40,000 more as prisoners, and sold another 40,000 as slaves. He also plundered the temple, robbing it of approximately $1 billion by modern calculations.

³⁴ When they fall victim, they shall receive a little help, and many shall join them insincerely. ³⁵ Some of the wise shall fall, so that they may be refined, purified, and cleansed, until the time of the end, for there is still an interval until the time appointed.

Daniel concluded his predictions about Antiochus IV Epiphanes in verse 35 and now begins to prophesy concerning the more distant future. Daniel’s language in these verses seems larger than life and does not fit what is known from history about Antichus. Further, this prophecy refers to the “time of the end” (v. 40). At the conclusion of the conflict between the antichrist and his political enemies, he will meet his end at the “beautiful holy mountain” (v. 45), the temple mount of Jerusalem — perhaps in connection with the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:13-16).  (The Archaeological Study Bible)

³⁶ “The king shall act as he pleases. He shall exalt himself and consider himself greater than any god, and shall speak horrendous things against the God of gods. He shall prosper until the period of wrath is completed, for what is determined shall be done. ³⁷ He shall pay no respect to the gods of his ancestors, or to the one beloved by women; he shall pay no respect to any other god, for he shall consider himself greater than all. ³⁸ He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these; a god whom his ancestors did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. ³⁹ He shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall make more wealthy, and shall appoint them as rulers over many, and shall distribute the land for a price.

The Time of the End

The precise points may be cloudy, but the general idea is clear. The end will be marked by great conflict, culminating in the world’s armies gathering in the Promised Land to do final battle. Ultimately there is no hope for the Antichrist or for any of his followers.

⁴⁰ “At the time of the end the king of the south shall attack him. But the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. He shall advance against countries and pass through like a flood. ⁴¹ He shall come into the beautiful land, and tens of thousands shall fall victim, but Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites shall escape from his power. ⁴² He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. ⁴³ He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the riches of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall follow in his train. ⁴⁴ But reports from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to bring ruin and complete destruction to many. ⁴⁵ He shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with no one to help him.

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Music:

How wonderful to know that we come to the end of our time and death draws nigh — there is One to help us. He has gone before and prepared a place for us. We need not fear. Many of the great hymns of the faith spend their last stanza facing death in Jesus’ name, and what encouragement we can find there as we live through our troubles here on earth knowing that Jesus is preparing a place for us in heaven.  HERE  is one example:  “My Faith Looks Up to Thee.”

And here is the story of this hymn:

Ray Palmer wrote these lyr­ics up­on re­ceiv­ing a vi­sion of Christ short­ly af­ter his grad­u­a­tion from Yale Un­i­ver­si­ty, while work­ing as a tu­tor at a New York school. How­ev­er, he kept them to him­self un­til meet­ing Low­ell Ma­son in Bos­ton, Mas­sac­hu­setts. When Ma­son asked him to write some­thing for a new hymn­al, Palm­er dug out his old notes and pro­duced these lyr­ics, writ­ten two years ear­li­er. Af­ter tak­ing the lyr­ics home and read­ing them, Ma­son com­posed this tune. Sev­er­al days lat­er he saw Palm­er again and said:  “You may live ma­ny years and do ma­ny good things, but I think you will be best known to pos­ter­i­ty as the au­thor of ‘My Faith Looks Up to Thee.'”

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New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)   New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

Yes I am with you always.   http://locomotorastb.com/end-times-quotes/end-times-quotes-fresh-quotes-about-end-time-322-quotes/

line in the sand.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/dan11-line-in-the-sand.jpg

pig on the altar.   https://apologiaway1.wordpress.com/2014/11/22/antiochus-iv-epiphanes-antichrist-lite/#jp-carousel-14388

the time of the end.    http://www.joelstrumpet.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Time-of-the-End.jpg

2428.) Daniel 11:1-21

Daniel 11:1-21   (NRSV)

The Kings of the South and the North

I hope you were paying attention in your ancient history classes at school!

As for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to support and strengthen him.

² “Now I will announce the truth to you. Three more kings shall arise in Persia.

The Persian Empire tried to wipe out the Jewish people during the reign of the Persian King Xerxes, through the plot of Haman (as shown in the Book of Esther).

–David Guzik (and all following comments in red)

The fourth shall be far richer than all of them, and when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece.

The Greek Empire tried to wipe out the Jewish people during the reign of Antiochus IV, when he attempted to kill every Jew who did not renounce their commitment to God and embrace Greek culture.

³ Then a warrior king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and take action as he pleases.

This was fulfilled in Alexander the Great, who certainly was a “warrior king.”

⁴ And while still rising in power, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted and go to others besides these.

After Alexander’s death, none of his descendants succeeded him. Alexander left three possible heirs: a half brother named Philip, who was mentally deficient; a son who was born after Alexander died; and an illegitimate son named Hercules. The half-brother and the posthumous son were first designated co-monarchs, each with a regent. But fighting among the regents eventually resulted in the murder of all possible heirs.

After the death of all Alexander’s possible heirs, four generals controlled the Greek Empire.

⁵ “Then the king of the south shall grow strong, but one of his officers shall grow stronger than he and shall rule a realm greater than his own realm. 

This was fulfilled in Ptolemy I of Egypt, who exerted his control over the Holy Land. Soon after the division of Alexander’s Empire, the Ptolemies dominated this region. Ptolemy I had a prince named Seleucus, who rose to power and took dominion over the region of Syria. He became more powerful than his former Egyptian ruler. The Seleucids are identified with the Kings of the North, and the Ptolemies were the Kings of the South. The dynasties of the Seleucids and the Ptolemies fought for some 130 years. The stronger of the two always held dominion over the Holy Land.

⁶ After some years they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to ratify the agreement.

This was fulfilled in the marriage between Antiochus II (of the Seleucids) and Berenice (daughter of Ptolemy II). There was peace for a time because of this marriage, but it was upset when Ptolemy II died.

But she shall not retain her power,

Once Ptolemy II died, Antiochus II put away Berenice and took back his former wife, Laodice.

and his offspring shall not endure. She shall be given up, she and her attendants and her child and the one who supported her.

Laodice didn’t trust her husband Antiochus II; so she had him poisoned.

After the murder of Antiochus II, Laodice had Berenice, her infant son, and her attendants killed.  After this reign of terror, Laodice set her son (Selecus II) on the throne of the Syrian dominion.

“In those times ⁷ a branch from her roots shall rise up in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the fortress of the king of the north, and he shall take action against them and prevail.

This was fulfilled in the person of Ptolemy III, who was the brother of Berenice (the branch of her roots). Avenging the murder of his sister, Ptolemy III invaded Syria and humbled Selecus II.

⁸ Even their gods, with their idols and with their precious vessels of silver and gold, he shall carry off to Egypt as spoils of war. For some years he shall refrain from attacking the king of the north; ⁹ then the latter shall invade the realm of the king of the south, but will return to his own land.

¹⁰ “His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall advance like a flood and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his fortress.

This was fulfilled in Seleucus III and Antiochus III, the two sons of Seleucus II. Both were successful generals, but Seleucus III ruled only a short time and was succeeded by his brother. In a furious battle, Antiochus III took back the Holy Land from the dominion of the Ptolemies.

¹¹ Moved with rage, the king of the south shall go out and do battle against the king of the north, who shall muster a great multitude, which shall, however, be defeated by his enemy. ¹² When the multitude has been carried off, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall overthrow tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail.

This was fulfilled when Antiochus III was defeated at the battle of Raphia. Because of that loss he was forced to give back dominion over the Holy Land to Ptolemy IV.

¹³ For the king of the north shall again raise a multitude, larger than the former, and after some years he shall advance with a great army and abundant supplies.

¹⁴ “In those times many shall rise against the king of the south. The lawless among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they shall fail. ¹⁵ Then the king of the north shall come and throw up siegeworks, and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, not even his picked troops, for there shall be no strength to resist. ¹⁶ But he who comes against him shall take the actions he pleases, and no one shall withstand him. He shall take a position in the beautiful land, and all of it shall be in his power.

This was fulfilled when Antiochus III invaded Egypt again, gaining final control over the armies of Ptolemy V and over the Holy Land. Jews living in the Holy Land helped Antiochus III because the Jewish people resented the rule of the Egyptian Ptolemies. This decision later proved unwise.

¹⁷ He shall set his mind to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of peace and perform them. In order to destroy the kingdom, he shall give him a woman in marriage; but it shall not succeed or be to his advantage.

An extremely rare ancient gold coin was uncovered in 2010 in the excavations of the University of Michigan and University of Minnesota at Tell Kedesh in Israel near its Lebanese border. The coin is 2,200 years old and was minted in Alexandria, Egypt in 191 BCE. The Israel Antiquities Authority says the coin is the heaviest and has the highest contemporary value of any coin ever found in an excavation in Israel. The coin weighs almost one ounce (27.71 grams), while most ancient gold coins weighed 4.5 grams.
The denomination is called a mnaieion, meaning a one-mina coin, and is equivalent to 100 silver drachms, or a mina of silver. It is plausible that the second-century BCE mnaieia actually depict cryptic portraits of the reigning queens. Consequently, the queen represented on the Tell Kedesh mnaieion may actually be Cleopatra I, daughter of Antiochus III, whose marriage to Ptolemy V in 193 sealed the formal end of the Fifth Syrian War.

This was fulfilled when Antiochus III gave his daughter Cleopatra to Ptolemy V of Egypt. He did this hoping to gain permanent influence and eventually control in Egypt. To the great disappointment of Antiochus III, the plan did not succeed because Cleopatra wasn’t faithful to her Egyptian husband at all. (This is not the Cleopatra of Marc Anthony and Julius Caesar fame; she came 100 years later.)

¹⁸ Afterward he shall turn to the coastlands, and shall capture many. But a commander shall put an end to his insolence; indeed, he shall turn his insolence back upon him. ¹⁹ Then he shall turn back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found.

This was fulfilled when Antiochus III turned his attention towards the areas of Asia Minor and Greece. He was helped by Hannibal, the famous general from Carthage. But a Roman General, Lucius Cornelius Scipio, defeated Antiochus in Greece. Antiochus planned to humiliate Greece but was humiliated instead. He returned to his former regions, having lost all that he gained and died shortly after.

After this defeat Antiochus III had an inglorious end. Needing money badly for his treasury, he resorted to pillaging a Babylonian temple and was killed by enraged local citizens.

²⁰ “Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an official for the glory of the kingdom; but within a few days he shall be broken, though not in anger or in battle. ²¹ In his place shall arise a contemptible person on whom royal majesty had not been conferred; he shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom through intrigue.

After the inglorious end of the king of the North, his successor, Seleucus III, the eldest son of Antiochus III, would raise taxes and meet a soon end. Seleucus III was assassinated, probably by his brother Antiochus IV, a vile and contemptible person.

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Music:

All these ins and outs and ups and downs of history, of current events, of our own lives — all are safely in God’s hands.  HERE  is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.”

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New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)   New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

map.   http://kenraggio.com/Daniel-11-Prophecies.jpg

Alexander the Great.    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/BattleofIssus333BC-mosaic-detail1.jpg

map showing King of the North and King of the South.    http://endtimepilgrim.org/map-greek-emp-div.jpg

Danger.    http://wordofawoman.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/sid-logo-danger.jpg

Antiochus III (from The Louvre).  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/Antiochos_III.jpg/250px-Antiochos_III.jpg

gold coin.    https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/afabc-0101.png

2427.) Daniel 10

Daniel 10   (NRSV)

The prophet reveals a final vision concerning the future reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, but looking beyond his reign to another that culminates at the end of the age.  (The Reformation Bible)

Conflict of Nations and Heavenly Powers

In the third year of King Cyrus of Persia

By this time, the first wave of exiles had returned to Jerusalem under the leadership of Ezra (Ezra 1-2).

a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. The word was true, and it concerned a great conflict. He understood the word, having received understanding in the vision.

² At that time I, Daniel, had been mourning for three weeks. ³ I had eaten no rich food, no meat or wine had entered my mouth, and I had not anointed myself at all, for the full three weeks.

Some think that Daniel was in mourning because so few Jews had returned with Ezra from exile. Others believe it was because Ezra faced severe opposition in rebuilding the temple.

Daniel did not go back with Ezra’s group of exiles because he was about 84 years old at this time. Daniel could serve the exiles better from his high position in government than he could with them in Jerusalem.

–David Guzik (and all following comments in red)

⁴ On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river (that is, the Tigris), ⁵ I looked up and saw a man clothed in linen, with a belt of gold from Uphaz around his waist. ⁶ His body was like beryl, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the roar of a multitude.

The Man upon the Waters. digital art by Ted Larson.

The description of this angel carries with it much of the same glory as belonging to the Lord:

Revelation 1:12-16   (NIV)

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

⁷ I, Daniel, alone saw the vision; the people who were with me did not see the vision, though a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled and hid themselves. ⁸ So I was left alone to see this great vision. My strength left me, and my complexion grew deathly pale, and I retained no strength. ⁹ Then I heard the sound of his words; and when I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a trance, face to the ground.

Daniel was undone by the vision of this glorious man. As Hebrews 10:30 puts it, “It is a fearful (other translations say dreadful, or terrible) thing to fall into the hands of the living God!”

¹⁰ But then a hand touched me and roused me to my hands and knees. ¹¹ He said to me, “Daniel, greatly beloved, pay attention to the words that I am going to speak to you. Stand on your feet, for I have now been sent to you.” So while he was speaking this word to me, I stood up trembling. ¹² He said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.

We can’t pass this over lightly. An angel was dispatched because of Daniel’s prayer. This is another of many reminders in the Book of Daniel that prayer matters. It isn’t merely a therapeutic exercise for the one who prays.

¹³ But the prince of the kingdom of Persia

Since this prince was able to oppose the angelic messenger to Daniel, we know this was more than a man. This prince was some kind of angelic being, and we know he was an evil angelic being because he opposed the word of God coming to Daniel and stood against the angelic messenger.

Ephesians 6:12   (NIV)

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

opposed me twenty-one days. So Michael, one of the chief princes,

Michael is elsewhere in Scripture depicted as a commander of the holy angels (Jude 9; Revelation 12:7). Here is a glimpse of spiritual battles waged in heavenly places and affecting events on earth (cf. Ephesians 6:12; Revelation 12:7-9).  (The Reformation Bible)

came to help me, and I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia, ¹⁴ and have come to help you understand what is to happen to your people at the end of days. For there is a further vision for those days.”

¹⁵ While he was speaking these words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and was speechless. ¹⁶ Then one in human form touched my lips, and I opened my mouth to speak, and said to the one who stood before me, “My lord, because of the vision such pains have come upon me that I retain no strength. ¹⁷ How can my lord’s servant talk with my lord? For I am shaking, no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me.”

¹⁸ Again one in human form touched me and strengthened me. ¹⁹ He said, “Do not fear, greatly beloved, you are safe. Be strong and courageous!” When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”

SPIRITUAL STRENGTH

‘Peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.’

Daniel 10:19

The great question is—What is the secret of spiritual strength? How is it to be attained?

Notice the order of the words of the heavenly messenger when he spoke to Daniel. They are suggestive. He places ‘peace’ before ‘strength.’ ‘Strength’ must have a foundation. And as you feel quite at peace with God, you have a foundation. In this, as in everything else, pardon come first. Then you are upon a rock. There must be quietness: and there is no real quietness till the soul sits pardoned at the feet of Christ.

I. Therefore the beginning of ‘strength’ is to be at peace.—Do not doubt God’s love. Accept, as a sinner, the free grace of the sinner’s Friend. And do not be afraid to be happy.

Then, having Christ, you can fulfil the Apostle’s command to the Ephesians, ‘Be strong.’ But St. Paul does not only say ‘Be strong,’ for that would be mockery, but he adds that which makes it possible,—‘Be strong in the Lord.’ Now, what does that mean?

II. It is to have ‘the Word’ drawn upon, and its promises.—‘Be strong in the written Word.’ Work with the promises, and you will be ‘strong.’ No one who has not yet tried it can tell how the Bible, or even one verse of the Bible, can strengthen a man—his intellect, his will, his affections. If a man will but let God’s Word come in, and sink, and dwell in his heart, it will do its own work there of itself, and make you a strong character.

III. Then there is the Presence of Christ.—Think what it would be—if we could only realise it—if you had Christ always at your side. ‘Fear not! I am with you.’ How brave and strong a little child can be when it holds a hand it loves! Moses: ‘If Thy Presence go not with us, take us not up hence.’ ‘My Presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest,’ that is ‘strength.’ Christ with us.

IV. But you have more than that. You have Himself.—Himself in you, and you in Himself. Actual oneness; and by that oneness His strength runs into your weakness. The energy of that life and of that heart flows into you by virtue of mystical union. What a marvel! What an unfathomable fountain of infinite power! ‘What can I not do, if I am one with Christ?’ It ceases to be an hyperbole. It is a literal fact. ‘I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me.’

V. But there is a further secret of strength—exercise, the use, the faithful use of what you possess.—The agitation of the tree strengthens the branch, and makes the root firmer.

The limb I move most, and use most, is the limb which has the greater power. And the grace which is turned to best account in active service grows the fastest. If you were a busier Christian you would be a stronger Christian. God gives you many things which become paralysed by disuse! Partly by natural cause and effect, but still more by the supernatural grace which is added, ‘workers for God’ ‘grow strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.’

Here, then, are five great strengtheners; peace, the Word of Christ, the Presence of Christ, and union with Christ, and an active, useful life.

–James Nisbet

²⁰ Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Now I must return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I am through with him, the prince of Greece will come. ²¹ But I am to tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth. There is no one with me who contends against these princes except Michael, your prince..

a further thought on prayer–

I once thought it was the great preachers or those people who could give substantial sums of money who were the most effective Christians. I am convinced now that the most sacred and creative thing, the greatest work any person can ever do, is to thank God, to praise him, and to pray. The person sitting in a wheelchair in grateful praise and adoration may be of more value to God than anyone else in his kingdom. God does not play favorites, nor does he throw people away. No one need be useless. All of us can be thankful and pray. There is power in thankfulness and prayer.

–Dennis F. Kinlaw

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Music:

Prayer.  HERE  is Brian Johnson from his album “Undone” and “We Cry Out.”

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New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)   New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

verse 12.   https://i.pinimg.com/originals/dd/11/a5/dd11a56eeff07cfa13839f617df3b8d5.jpg

Larson.    https://dwellingintheword.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/1235-daniel-10/

God hears prayer.    https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/ed24f-god-hears-prayer.png

verse 19.   http://neitherbethoudismayed.blogspot.com/2015/08/god-is-listening.html

2426.) Daniel 9

Daniel 9   (NRSV)

Daniel’s Prayer for the People

Daniel recounts the revelation he received concerning the prophecy of Jeremiah about the seventy years of Jerusalem’s desolation (Jeremiah 25:11,12; 29:10). Significantly, the revelation follows Daniel’s prayer confessing the sinfulness of God’s people and the justice of Jerusalem’s desolation, and seeking the favor of God for the restoration of the city and the temple.  (The Reformation Bible)

In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus, by birth a Mede, who became king over the realm of the Chaldeans— ² in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah, must be fulfilled for the devastation of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

When exactly did the seventy years begin? At the time of the destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar? The time of Daniel’s own captivity? Or is it to be understood as a round number for a human lifetime? Opinions vary.

³ Then I turned to the Lord God, to seek an answer by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

This implies determination in prayer. Daniel had an objective to achieve in prayer, and he approached God as a man who would not be denied. He did this because he was rightly convinced that his prayer was in the will of God, and knew it was not motivated by any selfish desire. Daniel wasn’t passive as God’s prophetic plan unfolded before him. In his approach to God, he made a request, asking God to perform His promise in the way that Daniel thought would bring God most glory.

–David Guzik

⁴ I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying,

The Prayer of Daniel. digital art by Ted Larson.

“Ah, Lord, great and awesome God, keeping covenant and steadfast love with those who love you and keep your commandments, ⁵ we have sinned and done wrong, acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and ordinances. ⁶ We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.

⁷ “Righteousness is on your side, O Lord, but open shame, as at this day, falls on us, the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. ⁸ Open shame, O Lord, falls on us, our kings, our officials, and our ancestors, because we have sinned against you. ⁹ To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him, ¹⁰ and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by following his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

Daniel’s petitions are based on the character of God (His greatness, awesomeness, faithfulness, righteousness, forgiveness, mercies) and on His interests (Your people, Your city, Your holy mountain, Your sanctuary).

–William MacDonald

¹¹ “All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. So the curse and the oath written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against you. ¹² He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers, by bringing upon us a calamity so great that what has been done against Jerusalem has never before been done under the whole heaven. ¹³ Just as it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us. We did not entreat the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and reflecting on his fidelity. ¹⁴ So the Lord kept watch over this calamity until he brought it upon us. Indeed, the Lord our God is right in all that he has done; for we have disobeyed his voice.

¹⁵ “And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and made your name renowned even to this day—we have sinned, we have done wickedly. ¹⁶ O Lord, in view of all your righteous acts, let your anger and wrath, we pray, turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; because of our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people have become a disgrace among all our neighbors. ¹⁷ Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his supplication, and for your own sake, Lord, let your face shine upon your desolated sanctuary. ¹⁸ Incline your ear, O my God, and hear. Open your eyes and look at our desolation and the city that bears your name. We do not present our supplication before you on the ground of our righteousness, but on the ground of your great mercies.

Here Daniel prays on firm New Testament ground. His confidence isn’t in his goodness, but in God’s goodness. And actually, this is what it means to pray in the name of Jesus. Those aren’t words we tack on to the end of a prayer, but they should express the fact we are praying in merits and righteousness of Jesus, not our own.

–David Guzik

¹⁹ O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, listen and act and do not delay! For your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people bear your name!”

The Seventy Weeks

“The Seventy Weeks” is a name often applied to Daniel 9:24-27, a prophecy that presumably, in contrast to the general prophecies in Daniel 2 and 7, pinpointed the exact time within the fourth kingdom when the Messiah would appear. Almost all scholars agree that the “weeks” designate 490 years. The prophecy is (1) divided–the successive periods are described as 7, 62, 1;  (2) dated–“from” and “until” in 9:25;  (3) determinative–Its purposes regard Israel (v. 24), redemption (v. 24), the Messiah (vv. 24, 26-27),  the sacrifices (v. 27), and Jerusalem (vv. 25-27);  and debated (see below). 

Three primary views are held. (1) The critical view posits that the “prophecy” was written by a pseudo-Daniel in 165 B.C. and synchronizes (inaccurately) with the history between 586 B.C. (Jerusalem’s fall) and 164 B.C. (Antiochus IV Epiphanes). (2) The dispensational view has the sixty-ninth week terminating before Jesus’ crucifixion, leaving the seventieth (the present age being a “great parenthesis”) to be fulfilled in the great tribulation. (3) The conservative or traditional view asserts that the seventieth week was introduced by Jesus’ baptism and bisected (three and a half years) by his death, thus causing the sacrifices to cease (v. 27).  (The Archaeological Study Bible)

²⁰ While I was speaking, and was praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God on behalf of the holy mountain of my God— ²¹ while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen before in a vision, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice.

²² He came and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come out to give you wisdom and understanding. ²³ At the beginning of your supplications a word went out, and I have come to declare it, for you are greatly beloved. So consider the word and understand the vision:

²⁴ “Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city: to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. ²⁵ Know therefore and understand: from the time that the word went out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the time of an anointed prince, there shall be seven weeks; and for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with streets and moat, but in a troubled time.

Gabriel’s message to Daniel is simple and striking. 483 years – that is, 69 units of seven years – would pass from the time of the command recorded in Nehemiah 2:1-8 until the appearance of Messiah the Prince.

–David Guzik

²⁶ After the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing,

Messiah Cut Off. digital art by Ted Larson.

and the troops of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.

Many interpreters agree that the assailants are the armies of Titus who destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Others believe the prince himself is the Antichrist of the future.  (The Reformation Bible)

Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. ²⁷ He shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall make sacrifice and offering cease; and in their place shall be an abomination that desolates, until the decreed end is poured out upon the desolator.”

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Music:

There are great numbers of books/charts/timelines purporting to interpret Daniel’s revelations. Just as a foretaste, go to Google Images and look up “Daniel’s Seventy Weeks” — you will see dozens of charts and interpretations! I do not claim to understand all the viewpoints, or even to give you a good representation of the various points of view.  As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:2 — For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.  For that reason,  I give you a song about our Savior, crucified and risen; desolations cease as we draw nearer to the Lord.  HERE  is “The Risen Christ” by Keith Getty and Phil Madeira.

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New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)   New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Images courtesy of:

70 years.   http://www.hamilton-exhibits.com/home/

Ted Larson.   https://dwellingintheword.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/1234-daniel-9/

70 weeks.   https://images.knowing-jesus.com/i/daniel-9-24-seventy-weeks-have-been-decreed-for-your-people-brown

Gabriel appears to Daniel.   http://www.thebibleschool.com/Bible-School-web/FB9.htm