Reading for June 8th

DANIEL'S VISIONS CONCERNING THE COMING KINGDOM OF GOD Chs. 7-12: The visions point to the establishment of the kingdom of God as the primary theme of the book. Scholars generally agree that these chapters were written in the mid second century BCE to support the Maccabean revolt against Seleucid Syria. With the fall of Seleucid Syria, the kingdom of God would be realized as an independent Jewish sate centered around the Jerusalem Temple. Read Daniel 7.1-8 In 7.1-28: The vision of the four beasts. This narrative point to God's overthrow of Antiochus IV. In verses 1-8: First year of Belshazzar: Belshazzar's regency began in 554 BCE. Daniel's vision draws upon creation traditions, which portray God's defeat of the sea or a sea dragonas the basis for the created world order (Ps 74.13-17; 89.9-10; Isa 27.1; 51.9-10; compare Gen 1; Ex 15). Here, the chaos monsters emerge from the sea to overturn creation. The four winds refer to the four cardinal directions, the universal context of the four beasts, which represent a succession of empires (ch 2). The lion with eagles wings is Babylon, which employed such figures extensively in art. The bear with three tusks (literally "ribs") in its mouth is Media. The leopard with four wings and four heads is Persia, which ruled most of the Near eastern world. The beast with iron teeth is the Greek-Macedonian empire of Alexander the Great. The tens horns represent the ten rulers of the Seleucid empire, who used horns as symbols of their power. The little horn with eyes ... and a mouth speaking arrogantly is Antiochus IV, who claimed to be a god and usurped the throne following the assassination of his brother, Seleucus IV. Comenst or Questions..

Reading for June 7th

Read Daniel 6.10-28 In verses 10-18: Judiaism requires three set times for prayer: morning, afternoon, and evening (see Ps 55.17; Jdt 9.1). The narrative portrays Darius as a victim of the plot since he intended no harm to Daniel. Cyrus authorized the building of the Second Temple (2 Chr 36.22-23; ezra 1.1-4); which was completed during the reign of Darius (Ezra 6). Darius calls upon God to save Daniel, and attempts to do so himelf. In verse 22: God sends an angel to protect the rigthous Daniel from the lions (compare 3.19-30). In verse 24: The families of criminals are punished as well to deter crime (Num 16.23-33; Josh 7.24; 2 Sam 21.6, 9; Esth 9.1-13). In verses 25-27: Darius' announcement of the kingdom of God serves the fundemental purpose of the book: to point to the establishment of an independent Jewish kingdom identified as the kingdom of God. In verse 28: Cyrus (539-530 BCE) preceded his son Cambyses (530-522 BCE) and Darius I (522-486 BCE) as ruler of Babylon. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 6th

Read Daniel 6.1-9 In 6.1-28: Daniel in the lion's den. This narrative demonstrates God's protection of righteous Jews from foreign monarchs who demand worship of pagan gods and themselves.. In verses 1-9: Darius (522-486 BEC) organized the Persian empire into twenty "straples," administered by officals called satraps. See Esth 1.1; 8.9. Daniel's success as president, an otherwise unknown position, prompts a plot to bring him down by play upon his religious piety. Darius is persuaded to demand worship of himself as god, much like Antiochus IV Epiphanes, "manifest god." So that it cannot be revoked: Once signed with the royal signet, Persaian laws could not be revoked even by the king. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 5th

Read Daniel 5.13-31 In verses 13-29: Daniel chides Belshazzar for his arrogance unlike "his father" Nebuchadnezzar, prior to interpreting the writing. The words are Aramaic nouns for units of weight: "mene," a mina, "tequel," a shekel; "parsin," a half mina. Daniel reads them as verbs: "menah," to number; "teqal," to weigh; and "peras," to divide. The root "prs" also serves as the base for the name Persia. In verse 30: Nabonidus fled Babylon at the approach of the Persian army. There is no evidence that Belshazzar was killed. In verse 31: Darius the Mede is not historical. Babylon submitted to Cyrus of Persia in 539. A Persian military commander and relative of the royal family, Darius, took the throne when Cyrus' son Cambyses was assassinated in 522 BCE. The Medes were a part of the Persian empire, and various prophecies asserted that Babylon would fall to them (Isa 13.17-22; 21.1-10; Jer 51.11, 28). Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 4th

Read Daniel 5.1-12 In 5.1-31: Belshazzar's feast. This narrative demonstrates the punishment of arrogant and sacrilegious rulers. In verse 1: Belshazzar was not king of Babylon, but served as regent in place of his father Nebonidus. In verses 2-4: Nebudhadnezzar was not Belshazaar's father (see comment on v. 1). Nebuchadnezzer's son Amel-Marduk (Evil-merodach, 2 Kings 25.27-30; Jer 52.31-34) ruled in 562-560 BCE and was assassinated by his brother-in-law. The use of the Holy Temple vessels (see 2 Kings 24.13; 2 Chr 36.10) for drinking praise to the gods consitutes sacrilege like that of Antiochus IV (1 Macc 1.41-50; 2 Macc 5.15-6.11). In verses 5-12: The fingers of the human hand: A supernatural response to Belshazzar's sacrilege. Both the servants and the king demonstrate their incompetence until the queen reminds them of Daniel. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 3rd

Read Daniel 4.28-37 In verses 28-33: The pridiction of the dream is fulfilled. In verses 34-37: Nebuchadnezzar is restored when he acknowldeges God's universal sovereignty. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 2nd

Read Daniel 4.19-27 Nebuchadnezzar's greatness, symbolized by his monumental building programs, was, well-known throughout the ancient world. Comments or Questions..