BIBLE STUDY LESSON 19

SERIES P --- YHVH’S PROPHETS

DANIEL IN THE LIONS’ DEN

From Daniel 6

Darius the Mede appointed one hundred and twenty governors, one for each province of his kingdom. Over them he appointed three presidents, one of whom was Daniel. Daniel soon was recognized as the most capable of the three, for he had shown great leadership. The king was impressed and made plans to appoint Daniel as the supreme officer over all the kingdom. The other presidents and governors grew jealous and tried to find some way they could bring a charge against Daniel, but he was so faithful and faultless that they could find nothing. [We will never find fault with him unless we can bring a complaint against his religion,] they said. Then they conspired against Daniel and went to the king with a proposal. [King Darius, live forever,] they greeted him. [All of us who are presidents, governors, counsellors, and rulers have agreed that you should make a law and enforce it strictly. That law would forbid any man to petition any person or god other than you for thirty days. Anyone disobeying that law must be thrown into a den of lions. We have the law prepared, O king, so that you may sign it. When it is signed, it shall become so binding that no man may revoke it.] The king was so pleased with the proposal that he signed the document, and it became law. Daniel was aware of this law, but when he reached home, he went to his rooftop chamber, knelt before the open window that faced Jerusalem, and prayed. It was Daniel’s practice to do this three times each day, giving YHVH thanks. The men who had accused Daniel gathered around his house to watch. As soon as they saw him praying, they hurried to the king. [O king, did you not sign a law that no man should make a special request of any person, man or god, except you for thirty days?] they demanded. [And does this law not say that anyone who makes such a request shall be thrown into a den of lions?] [The law must be obeyed, for it is a law of the Medes and Persians,] the king replied, [and such a law cannot be revoked.] [That fellow Daniel who is an exile from Judah is not obeying your law,] the men said. [He continues to pray to his YHVH three times each day.] When the king heard what the men said, he was very upset, for he realized that he had been tricked. He began to think about how he might save Daniel, and he struggled with this problem till sundown. That evening the men came back to the king and reminded him again that the law had been made and that it could neither be altered nor revoked. [This is a law of the Medes and the Persians,] they said. [You know that it cannot be changed.] There was nothing else for the king to do, so he commanded that Daniel should be arrested and thrown into a den of lions. But before Daniel was put into the lions’ den, the king spoke to him. [May your YHVH, Whom you serve faithfully, rescue you,] said the king. Daniel was put into the den of lions and a great stone was rolled over its entrance. The king sealed it with his signet ring and with the signet of his nobles, so that no one could remove the stone. The king went to his palace and spent the night meditating and fasting, refusing to watch any of his usual entertainment. He could not sleep all that night, for he was deeply concerned about Daniel. Early the next morning the king rushed to the lions’ den and called out in an anguished voice, [Daniel, servant of the living YHVH, has your YHVH whom you serve constantly been able to deliver you from the lions?] Then Daniel called back. [O king, live forever!] he said as a greeting. [My YHVH has sent His Angel to shut the mouths of the lions, so they could not hurt me. He has thus shown that I am innocent before Him and before you.] At this the king was extremely happy and immediately gave orders for Daniel to be taken from the lions’ den. When that was done, it was found that he was not hurt in any way, for he had trusted in YHVH to rescue him. The king gave another command, to throw the men who had accused Daniel into the den of lions, as well as their wives and children. Before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions tore them apart. Then King Darius sent this decree to all people of his empire scattered throughout the earth. [Peace be to you,] he began in greeting. [I decree that all of my people must tremble in fear before the YHVH of Daniel, for He is a living YHVH who never dies. His kingdom shall never end, and His reign shall continue forever. He spares His people and keeps them from harm, working great miracles in heaven and on earth, for he has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.] Daniel prospered throughout the reigns of King Darius and King Cyrus the Persian.

COMMENTARY

LIONS -- ROYAL AND RAVENOUS

In Bible times, lions freely roamed the country sides of Palestine, Syria, Greece and Mesopotamia. But after centuries of growing population and many wars, forests declined in the area and lions slowly disappeared. By the early 1900’s, they were totally gone. The ancients’ love of lions involved much more than an occasional trip to a zoo. Egyptians trained these huge cats to help them in hunting. One pharaoh, Ramses II, had a pet lion who sat by his throne as he held court and accompanied him into battle. Persians captured lions and kept them in large wooded parks, where they were fed and carefully attended. Others expressed their admiration in more savage ways. The story of Daniel tells of hungry lions killing anyone who displeased the king. In Assyria, vivid palace reliefs portray the kings’ favourite sport: lion hunting. Armed with spears and arrows, Assyrian kings killed hundreds of lions from their chariots. The lion also attracted the brushes and chisels of artists. Statues of lions and lion-headed genii guarded Hittite and Mesopotamian gates. Figures of the great cat adorned the walls of Solomon’s palace and the gateway to the palace in Babylon. Others pranced in Egyptian and Mesopotamian paintings, playing instruments and steering boats. In palaces from Egypt to Persia, furniture stood on ornate legs carved to look like lions’ paws. Ancient religions honoured the king of beasts too. Mesopotamian heroes and gods cradled lion cubs in their arms as representations of strength and courage. These same virtues appeared in the lion emblem of the Israelite tribe of Judah. In Egypt, a lion-headed goddess named Sekh met controlled war while, among the Hittites, the YHVH of weather rode in a lion-drawn chariot. The Bible writers describe the lion as a cruel enemy or a mighty warrior. Attitudes like these were familiar to the Israelites and their neighbours.

"According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies"

Is 59

Acts 6:13-14 FALSE Witnesses say that the messiah set us free from obeying the law of moshay. 13 And they appointed false witnesses who said, "This man does not cease speaking words against The Written Law and against this holy place." 14 We have heard him say that Yeshua the Nazarene will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to you.

Attached Picture From the holy Peshitta Bible Translated by glenn david bausher used with permission.

And the priest shall set the woman before YHVH and unbind the hair of the woman's head and place in her hands the grain offering of remembrance, which is the grain offering of jealousy....
Numbers 5:18

The removal of the woman's headcovering represents the removal of her husband's authority and protection. He can't be both her protector and accuser. God, then, becomes her only judge and advocate. It's hard to imagine that the Sotah trial of Numbers 5 (the woman accused of adultery) could improve anyone's marriage.

Q92: During which year of the 7-year drought did Joseph reveal himself to his brothers?

#quiz

PS: Discussions are very welcome, but please do not give the answer away in your discussions.

Hint: Gen. 45

Only women undergo the #sotah trial for suspected adultery. If a man "goes aside" it might be sin (fornication), but it's not adultery by biblical definitions. The concept of adultery in Torah is limited to a woman having relations with someone who is not her husband. The sin in Numbers 5:12 is against the husband because he has a property right in his wife's sexuality. Yeah, yeah...how awful. Don't forget she has a property right in his sexuality too, even if it's of a different nature.

(Yeshua expanded the concept of adultery to a man who divorces his wife unjustly, in part because he has defiled his marriage by treating his wife hatefully, but also, I'm sure, because she would likely need to remarry to avoid poverty.)

"And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord...everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it...these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer...for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." -Isaiah 56:6-8

https://davidwilber.com/

BIBLE STUDY LESSON 18

SERIES P --- YHVH’S PROPHETS

BELSHAZZAR’S FEAST

THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL

From Daniel 5

Many years had passed since King Nebuchadnezzar ruled over Babylon. Evil-merodach [Amel-marduk] succeeded Nebuchadnezzar, then three other kings. At last, the evil Belshazzar ruled, while his father, Nabonidus, went to another province of the kingdom to strengthen its crumbling parts. One day Belshazzar gave a big party for one thousand of his nobles. There was wine in abundance and heavy drinking. When Belshazzar was quite drunk, he ordered some people to bring the gold and silver vessels which his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem. When the vessels arrived, Belshazzar and his nobles and their wives and concubines drank wine from them while they praised their idols. But as soon as they began to do this, fingers like those of a man’s hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lamp stand. Belshazzar was so terrified as he watched the great hand writing on the wall that his face whitened, his knees knocked together, and his legs would not support him. Then he called for the enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers. [Whoever reads the writing on the wall and tells me what it means will be dressed in purple with a gold chain about his neck and will be made the third in command over my kingdom,] he said. But none of the wise men could tell the king what the writing said or what it meant. The king grew more and more alarmed, and his face changed colour. His nobles were terrified also. About this time the queen, Belshazzar’s mother and Nebuchadnezzar’s daughter, heard what was happening. She rushed to the banquet hall and spoke to Belshazzar. [Don’t be so frightened,] she said. [There is a man in your kingdom with the Spirit of the Holy YHVH in him. In the days of your grandfather Nebuchadnezzar, he was chief of all the wise men of the land. Call for Daniel, for he has the spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, to explain the meaning of puzzling situations, and to solve problems. Call for Daniel, whom King Nebuchadnezzar called Belteshazzar, and he will tell you what the writing means.] Daniel was brought before the king immediately, and Belshazzar asked, [Are you the Daniel whom King Nebuchadnezzar my grandfather brought from Judah? I understand that you have the Spirit of the Holy YHVH in you, and that you possess great wisdom and understanding. My wise men cannot read the writing on the wall or tell me what it means. If you can, I will clothe you in purple, put a golden chain about your neck, and appoint you third in command over my entire kingdom.] [You may keep your gifts or give them to another,] Daniel answered. [But I will still read the words and tell you what they mean. O king, the Most High YHVH gave your grandfather Nebuchadnezzar a kingdom with great majesty, power, and honour. The peoples and nations of the world trembled at his power for he executed or spared as he chose. At his command, men were made either great or small. But when his heart grew hard and he became proud, YHVH removed his throne and his glory and drove him into the fields to live and eat like an animal. There he remained, drenched with dew, until he learned that the Most High YHVH rules over all the kingdoms of men and chooses the kings to reign over these kingdoms. [Now you, O Belshazzar, are ruling in his place. You know all that I have told you, but you also have been very proud, lifting yourself against my Adonai of Heaven, drinking wine with your nobles, wives, and concubines from the holy vessels of His Temple while you praise your idols of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. They cannot see or hear you, but the YHVH who gave you breath and guides your ways does see and hear, and yet you have refused to honour Him. It was the hand of YHVH who wrote those words upon the wall as you watched. This is what He wrote, and this is what it means. The words are MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. MENE says that YHVH has numbered the clays you will rule over this kingdom and those days have now come to an end. TEKEL says that you have been weighed in the balances, YHVH’s scales, and have been found to be deficient. UPHARSIN says that your kingdom is about to be divided and given to the Medes and Persians.] Then Belshazzar commanded his officers to bring purple robes and place them upon Daniel and put a golden chain about his neck. He proclaimed Daniel as the third in command over his kingdom. But that very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom in his place. At that time Darius was sixty-two years of age.

COMMENTARY

THE FALL OF BABYLON

In 539 B.C. the glorious city of Babylon fell to the Persians with almost no resistance. Babylon’s days had been numbered since the death of its founder Nebuchadnezzar in 562 B.C. The succeeding kings were merely puppets of foreign kings or local priests. The last native king of Babylon, Nabonidus, displeased the priests and people by devoting his energy to gods other than Marduk, god of Babylon. Merchants and military officers disliked him too, for the country was plagued with inflation and famine, and had lost its northern and eastern trade routes to the Medes and Persians. Leaving Babylon in the hands of his son Belshazzar, Nabonidus spent a decade in Arabia, probably trying to secure the incense trade route there. During this time, Cyrus the Persian was winning power across the Near East. Wherever he conquered, Cyrus treated his new subjects with mercy and respect. By 540 B.C. Persia’s empire stretched several thousand miles, from the Aegean Sea eastward to India. When Cyrus attacked Babylonia in the autumn of 539 B.C., Belshazzar probably was killed. Sippar, next in line, surrendered without a fight. When Cyrus reached Babylon, pro-Persians there may have opened its gates to him. But according to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, the Persians diverted the Euphrates River that ran through Babylon into side canals. At night they used the river bed, then dry, to march directly into the city. Some say Nabonidus was arrested or killed. Others claim Cyrus made him a governor in central Iran. Cyrus put away the gods that Nabonidus had brought to Babylon and sent home the foreigners exiled in Babylonia, including the Jews. Since Cyrus did not impose heavy tribute, life in Babylon continued as before the conquest. Cyrus worshiped Marduk and respected the priests who continued to control the city’s politics. During the reigns of Cyrus’ successors, Babylonian rebels broke this peace. Their repeated attempts to free Babylon finally resulted in Xerxes’ damaging the city’s walls and shrines, killing the leading citizens, and carrying off the statues of Marduk. When Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire, Babylon again surrendered. Planning to make the city his eastern capital, Alexander began restoration but, when he died, these efforts ceased. His successor Seleucus founded his own city north of Babylon where many of Babylon’s residents moved.

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The #sotah trial in Numbers 5 offers us hope for forgiveness of sins and innocence at the final judgment. The blood of #Yeshua washes away the curses that are written against us by the accuser.

https://soilfromstone.blogspot.....com/2015/05/we-adul