Daniel 3-4

I expect that many of us are somewhat familiar with Daniel 3. We are probably less familiar with Daniel 4.

Although Nebuchadnezzar’s response to Daniel’s interpretation of his dream is favorable in Daniel 2, he does not then put his full faith in Daniel’s God. He continues in idolatry, erecting an enormous golden image and commanding that all bow down and worship it. Daniel’s friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), refuse to bow down to this image, so Nebuchadnezzar has them thrown into a fiery furnace, from which they emerge unscathed, without even the smell of smoke. This is the story many of us may know from Sunday School, but I’m betting our focus has been on God’s miraculous work saving the three friends (Yay!), or maybe on their extraordinary faith (Yay!), and not so much on Nebuchadnezzar, whose response to this encounter with the living God is again quite favorable — and again in stark contrast to the people of Jerusalem. But even after this great miracle, as far as full faith in God is concerned, Nebuchadnezzar is not quite “there” yet.

God then gives Nebuchadnezzar another dream, and Daniel is called in again to interpret. Daniel urges the king to repent, to do righteousness, and to show mercy. (Dan. 4:27) Nebuchadnezzar probably gives Daniel’s advice fair consideration — for a time, at least — but pride is a hard thing to give up, especially when you are the most powerful person around. So about a year later, as Nebuchadnezzar stands admiring himself, glorying in his own kingdom, God takes that kingdom from him, sending him into what appears to be a complete mental breakdown.

It’s hard to be on top of the world when everyone can see that you are crazy. Nebuchadnezzar thus gets a strong dose of humility. Eventually, in His mercy, God restores Nebuchadnezzar’s sanity, along with his kingdom. Now, finally, Nebuchadnezzar gets the picture and (I think) truly does acknowledge God’s supremacy, placing His full faith in God.

It is only in the loss of his kingdom, no, the loss of himself, that Nebuchadnezzar finds God. He could be impressed by Daniel’s dream interpretations. He could be amazed at God’s miraculous rescue of Daniel’s friends from the fiery furnace. But these things are insufficient. It is only in complete loss — a kind of death — that he finds life.

And so it is with us, as Jesus tells us:

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

John 12:24-25

Let’s learn from Nebuchadnezzar today. Let’s allow this king of Babylon to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ into our lives!

Daniel 1-2

Today we are introduced to Daniel and his friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (better known, perhaps, by their Babylonian names: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), who are exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon as young men, probably barely in their teens. From the outset, these young men cling to the God of heaven and refuse to be tainted by Babylonian practices, demonstrating a faith that is in stark contrast to the corruption of Judah.

King Nebuchadnezzar likewise stands in contrast to the leadership of Judah. Whereas those in Judah readily believe the false prophets, but refuse to believe Jeremiah (or any other true prophets), Nebuchadnezzar shows a healthy skepticism of all his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and Chaldeans and puts them to the test, demanding that they not only interpret his dream but tell him the dream, too. None rises to the challenge but Daniel, whom God empowers with an extraordinary revelation, giving both the dream and its interpretation. But the real punchline is how the pagan King Nebuchadnezzar responds. Back in Jerusalem, the priests of the LORD and all the people of Judah actively abuse Jeremiah and stifle his voice. Here in Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar honors Daniel and promotes him and his friends to positions of leadership and power.

Is it not shocking that this pagan king displays more godliness here than all the priests in Jerusalem? What a rebuke this scene is to them! Of course, Nebuchadnezzar is only just beginning to encounter God. He is not yet to the point of conversion (as will be amply demonstrated tomorrow), but he still produces a better response than those who should know God quite well.

May we likewise be quick to recognize Truth and respond rightly to God!

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One more thing…

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah…

Daniel 1:1

If you are paying attention and can do basic arithmetic, you should recognize that this verse places the beginning of Daniel’s exile in Babylon eight years prior to yesterday’s reading (that is, in 605 B.C.), which goes to say that our chronology here is mixed up. We should have read this passage days ago, before Jehoiakim’s burning of Jeremiah’s scroll. The editors of The Chronological Study Bible rationalize their choice of placing today’s reading here, but I think we’d all do better to believe the Scriptures (including Daniel 1:1; 2:1) as written, rather than the very fallible interpretations of some modern scholars.

The editors’ choices are not without serious implications. If we disregard Daniel 1:1 (as the editors do in their not-so-chronological placement of today’s reading), then we are given the impression that Jeremiah has virtually no concrete evidence of the Babylonian threat before 597 B.C. But if we believe Daniel 1:1, we have a very different picture. Jeremiah does indeed have very clear evidence: the exile of Daniel and many others and the carrying off of some of the Temple treasure in 605 B.C. Among other things, that makes Judah’s choice to continue to believe the false prophets all that more egregious.

II Kings 24:5-9; Jeremiah 22:18-30; 13:15-27; II Kings 24:10-17; II Chronicles 36:5-10; Jeremiah 24:1-10

It’s 597 B.C. Jeremiah has been prophesying in Jerusalem for years, pleading for the people of Judah to repent in order to avoid destruction. Jehoiakim, that arrogant king that burned Jeremiah’s scroll, lies dead, unmourned. His son, Coniah/Jeconiah/Jehoiachin takes the throne but does not change course. Contrary to all the assurances of peace from the false prophets, Jerusalem falls to the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar. The upper-crust of society — King Jehoiachin, his mother, thousands of great men, nobles, craftsmen, anyone of capability — are deported to Babylon, along with all the precious things from the Temple and the palace. The disaster Jeremiah has been predicting is here. (Spoiler alert: The disaster has only just begun!)

Given the LORD’s pronouncement against Coniah/Jeconiah/Jehoiachin in Jeremiah 22:28-30 as he goes off to captivity, that he would be considered childless with no offspring on the throne of Judah, one might expect a similar assessment for all those going into exile. That is, our intuition views those being hauled off into captivity as the ones under condemnation, and those staying home in Jerusalem as better. In other words, “bad guys” are sent into exile, but “good guys” stay safe at home. Wrong. In an ironic twist, the LORD turns our intuition on its head when He gives Jeremiah a vision of two baskets of figs, one with good figs and one with bad, inedible figs:

Then the word of the LORD came to me: “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be My people and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.

Jeremiah 24:4-7

The LORD repeatedly promises to preserve a remnant of His people for Himself. But who would ever guess that captivity in Babylon would be the path of that preservation?!

Perhaps we should meditate on that when a) life does not seem to make sense or b) we think we have everything figured out.

Jeremiah 23:9-40; 18:18-20:18

To whom do you listen?

Yes, I asked this question just a few days ago. Well? Have you given it any consideration? Do you, perhaps, need to change the channel? Or do you think that the question is intended for everyone else, but not you? Perhaps you’ve been a Christian for decades, so you are confident in your faith, and think yourself immune from being led astray. Or perhaps you are so comfortable with your life patterns that you don’t want to reassess anything. Or maybe, just maybe, you’d rather avoid the question altogether. Is it just too uncomfortable to think (or admit) that perhaps you have believed false prophets?

But you must not avoid the question. It is of critical importance.

I know other persons, however, whom an abysmal lack of wisdom and prudence so deceives and tricks that they think that the faith that they pretend to have will help them before God without the works of justice. They commit abominable crimes without fear by reason of this kind of error, while they believe that God is the avenger not of crimes but of lack of faith. Not only are they willing thus to ruin themselves, but also they strive by their snares to trap others in whom there is not light of divine knowledge. Do not listen to the words of the prophets who invent a vain vision for themselves, which they speak as false prophets from their own heart and not from the mouth of the Lord. They say to those that reject the words of the Lord, “Peace shall be yours,” and to all who walk according to their own desires, to everyone who walks in the error of his heart, they have said, “No evil shall come to you.”

Saint Augustine, from “The Christian Life,” 13

No, we must not avoid this question, because we cannot avoid the LORD.

Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 23:24

Sooner or later we must face Reality. Sooner or later we must face the Truth. And it is far better sooner than later.

Listen to Him: “Come to Me, all you who labor.” You do not put an end to your labor by running away. You prefer to run away from Him, do you, not to Him? Find somewhere and run away there. But if you cannot run away from Him, for the good reason that He is present everywhere, the next thing to do is run away to God, who is present right where you are standing. Run away, then. So, you see, you have run away beyond the heavens, He is there. You have gone right down to hell, He is there. Whatever solitary spaces of the earth you may choose, there He is, the One who said, “I fill heaven and earth.” So if He fills heaven and earth and there is nowhere you can run away from Him, do not go on laboring with all that trouble. Run away to Him where He is present right beside you, to avoid experiencing Him as He comes to judge you.

Saint Augustine, from Sermon 69.4

To whom do you listen?

II Kings 24:1-4; Jeremiah 35

Today we get an interesting little story involving a clan called the Rechabites. Don’t worry. You’ll be forgiven if you do not recognize that clan. But if you are curious, feel free to look back at II Kings 10:15,23 to reacquaint yourself with Jonadab/Jehonadab’s role in Jehu’s overthrow of Israel’s King Ahab and the subsequent purge of Baalism there 200+ years before this point. (Aside from the fact that Jonadab is clearly no fan of Baal, none of that history sheds much light on today’s story.)

With the Rechabites’ refusal to drink wine and the LORD’s subsequent commendation of them, I expect (in fact, I am quite sure) that today’s reading has been used in support of teetotalism. But teetotalism is not the point of this story any more than the notion that we should all also emulate the Rechabites in adopting a nomadic lifestyle. The point is that the Rechabite clan’s adherence to Jonadab’s command is in stark contrast to Judah’s complete refusal to obey the LORD, despite the LORD’s persistent calling.

We can be like the Rechabites. Or we can be like the people of Judah. Which will it be?

Jeremiah 8:4-10:16

Of what are you most proud? What are those things you’d like everyone to know about you? Having been raised in polite society, perhaps you do not actually boast of such things, but deep down, what do you wish others would ask about you at parties, so that you could tell them all about it? Perhaps you’ve had some spectacular business successes and made a bundle. Or maybe you’d like to recount your exploits on the athletic fields back in the day. Or maybe you’re smarter than most, an excellent student, a walking encyclopedia of knowledge, quick with your insights into many problems.

But what does God say through Jeremiah?

Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

Jeremiah 9:23-24

I don’t think that the LORD is saying that we should actively deny our strengths or assets, our talents and abilities. No, if the LORD has given you wisdom or strength or riches or anything else, rejoice and thank Him for those gifts. To do otherwise would be to dishonor Him, the Giver of all good things. But in all of it, we need to get our priorities straight. We need to understand that knowing Him far surpasses anything else.

No sensible person, then, will be proud of his wisdom or of possessing the other goods I have mentioned, but will follow the excellent advice of blessed Anna and of the prophet Jeremiah: “Let not the wise person glory in his wisdom, and let not the strong person glory in his strength, and let not the rich person glory in his riches.” But what is true glory, and what makes a person great? “In this,” says the prophet, “let him that glories, glory that he understands and knows that I am the Lord.” This constitutes the highest dignity of humankind. This is his glory and greatness. Truly it is to know what is great and to cleave to it, and to seek after glory from the Lord of glory.

Saint Basil the Great, from “Homily 20, on Humility”

Jeremiah 14:1-15:9; 16-17

It’s a question I have asked before, and I’m sure I will ask it again in the future. It is such an important question, that I’ll ask it again right now:

To whom do you listen?

Then I said: “Ah, Lord GOD, behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’” And the LORD said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds…”

Jeremiah 14:13-14

To us, the false prophets of Jeremiah’s day look ridiculous. Of course calamity is coming. Anyone can see that. Of course Jeremiah is God’s true prophet. Of course these other guys are all frauds. Of course their message of peace and security is empty. Of course, of course, of course… But, of course, we have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. We know how things turn out for Judah and Jerusalem. And so we laugh at the people of Jerusalem for believing the false prophets.

But which of us, if we were there then, would truly side with Jeremiah? His voice is in the distinct minority. The false prophets are well established. They have the backing of the Temple priests, who trace their lineage to Aaron. They have the full support of the rich and powerful, even the king himself. Jeremiah, on the other hand, is a second-class priest from Anathoth, the city to which Solomon banished Abiathar. (I Kings 2:26-27; Jer. 1:1) Plus, the false prophets all sound quite reasonable. They proclaim that the LORD is merciful and always rescues His people. They can point to Isaiah, who told Hezekiah, just a few generations back, that the LORD would save Jerusalem, and sure enough 185,000 Assyrians fell dead in one night. (II Kings 19:35; Isaiah 37:36) Why would He not do so again? Their message sounds patriotic, reassuring, full of confidence in a loving God. Jeremiah is the outlier, the one whose message is out of step, disheartening, full of doom and gloom.

Would you really listen to Jeremiah? More to the point, to whom do you listen now?

Not many people call themselves “prophets” these days. (That is no longer fashionable.) But that does not mean that false prophets do not abound. Some, indeed, may sound very spiritual and may even speak in the name of the Lord. They might preach on Christian channels or write best-selling books, published by ostensibly Christian publishing houses. Or they may not sound particularly “spiritual” at all. They may be journalists or college professors or politicians or actors or writers or social-media “influencers” or podcasters or experts. In fact, we encounter them every day.

And so, the question remains: To whom do you listen? Among the myriad voices you hear every day, which speak the Truth? And which just say what you want to hear?

Jeremiah 36:1-10; 25:1-14; 36:11-32; 45; 15:10-21

It was the ninth month, and the king [(Jehoiakim)] was sitting in the winter house, and there was a fire burning in the fire pot before him. As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot. Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, nor did they tear their garments. Even when Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.

Jeremiah 36:22-25

We should, of course, be utterly appalled at this display of arrogance on the part of Jehoiakim and his servants. But we should not be surprised. It is entirely in keeping with the attitude toward the LORD that Israel and Judah have shown for centuries, all the way back to the foot of Mount Sinai and a certain golden calf. From Moses and Joshua, through all the Judges, to Elijah and Elisha, Amos and Hosea, Isaiah and Micah, prophet after prophet proclaim God’s word, yet Israel and Judah refuse to listen. No, we should not be surprised at Jehoiakim’s burning of the scroll. It’s all just a vivid portrayal in microcosm of the poisoned heart of Israel and Judah.

If there is anything surprising in today’s reading, it is that after all these centuries of their hard-hearted rebellion, the LORD continues to offer forgiveness:

It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.

Jeremiah 36:3

Yet that should not be surprising, either, as it is entirely consistent with the LORD’s heart of love, compassion, and mercy, which He so desires to lavish upon Judah. It is surprising only to the extent that we expect the LORD to be like us — stingy and unforgiving. The LORD is not stupid, though. He is not naïvely hoping for a ray of sunshine. He knows full well that the people are not about to repent, but He makes it clear that His heart is to forgive, that He would much rather see His people live in fellowship with Him than die apart from Him.

So maybe we are not surprised here, but we should still be appalled at Jehoiakim’s behavior. We should be even more appalled at our own, for even with his example before us, even with the full testimony of the rest of Scripture, even with the Cross and the Resurrection, even with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we yet sin. And if we are honest, we cannot say that it’s all accidental. Sometimes, at least, our sin is quite deliberate, and when it is, we may as well be Jehoiakim casually and callously burning the scroll of Jeremiah’s prophecy.

Are you ready and willing to repent? The LORD is more than ready and willing to forgive.

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One more thing…

The God of all orders Jeremiah to write the former words in another book [scroll]. The sheet of paper was burned, but the divine law remained unharmed. So also when the body assumed by the Word suffered, the Word remained free from suffering.

Theodoret of Cyr, from “On Jeremiah”

Jeremiah 47; 46:1-12; 13:1-14; 18:1-17

Who wields the sword against Philistia? (Jer. 47) Who directs the Battle of Carchemish, bringing proud Egypt to defeat? (Jer. 46:1-12) Who spoil[s] the pride of Judah and and the great pride of Jerusalem? (Jer. 13:9) Who brings Judah to destruction? (Jer. 13:12-14)

Who is the Potter? (Jer. 18:6)

And who is the clay?

Jeremiah 26:7-24; 11-12

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

I Corinthians 14:1

It’s easy to blithely read what Saint Paul says here in his letter to the Corinthians and think that, yes, the gift of prophecy would be cool. I’d like to proclaim an encouraging “word from the Lord” to those around me. I’d like to have special insight to know just exactly what to say to those facing difficult situations. I’d especially like to have a few visions of the future, particularly next week’s stock market! I could make a fortune (pun intended) — all for the church, of course! And I’d enjoy pats on the back, all the high esteem in which prophets are held. What a gloriously cool job!

But then we read Jeremiah and see that the reality of life as a prophet is not so pretty. There is no applause, no red-carpet treatment — just the opposite. We see that it is the church people — the “priests” and the (false) “prophets” — leading the charge, demanding Jeremiah’s execution. (Jer. 26:11) Why? Because they do not like what he says. They do not like the truth. It’s bad for business.

Lest we think that this is just poor unlucky Jeremiah, whose unpleasant personality must be the real reason for his unpopularity, we are told of another prophet, Uriah the son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim, who says much the same thing as Jeremiah and whom the king hunts down, even in Egypt, and kills. (Jer. 26:20-23) No, Jeremiah is not alone in being ill-treated. And it’s not just a matter of his style or personality. Nor is it a minor misunderstanding that is easily cleared away. Rejection is what to expect as a true prophet of God. In fact, the LORD warns Jeremiah that it is going to get worse:

If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you,
how will you compete with horses?

Jeremiah 12:5a

Make no mistake: true prophecy is not for sissies.

So am I here trying to discourage anyone from prophesying? Am I saying that Paul is crazy to say that we should seek this spiritual gift? Not at all! The Church most definitely needs people who will truly speak forth the Word of God. But we should all be sober-minded — not starry-eyed — about what it means to be a prophet. It’s certainly not going to make you popular.