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The Bible Recap
Day 257 (Daniel 4-6) - Year 6
SHOW NOTES: - Head to our Start Page for all you need to begin!- Join the RECAPtains- Check out the TBR Store- Show creditsFROM TODAY’S RECAP:- Join our RECAPtains Facebook Discussion Group!BIBLE READING & LISTENING:Follow along on the Bible App, or to listen to the Bible, try Dwell!SOCIALS:The Bible Recap: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | TikTokD-Group: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/XTLC: Instagram | FacebookD-GROUP:D-Group is brought to you by the same team that brings you The Bible Recap. TBR is where we read the Bible, and D-Group is where we study the Bible. D-Group is an international network of Bible study groups that meet weekly in homes, churches, and online. Find or start one near you today!DISCLAIMER: The Bible Recap, Tara-Leigh Cobble, and affiliates are not a church, pastor, spiritual authority, or counseling service. Listeners and viewers consume this content on a voluntary basis and assume all responsibility for the resulting consequences and impact.
- Broadcast on:
- 13 Sep 2024
- Audio Format:
- other
Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap. King Nebbe of Babylon kicks us off today with a letter he's written to his people praising Yahweh the God Most High. This letter shows an unexpectedly humble side of Nebbe, because if you think of all he had lined up yesterday with the statue and the calling in all the foreign dignitaries, he's actually praising God for thwarting his plans. Nebbe goes on to talk about another perplexing dream he's had. He calls in the dream team, but no one can interpret it until Daniel shows up. Why didn't Nebbe just go to Daniel first? Some commentators think he was testing the others on the dream team, and others say that this is a sign he isn't fully committed to Yahweh because he's still seeking help from his familiar wicked resources. In his dream, a tree grows big and strong, and its impact, which is mostly positive in this dream, reaches the whole earth. Then a messenger of Yahweh shows up and commands that the tree be chopped down and stripped of its branches and fruit, but that its stump, which represents a man, should be left to soak in the ground for seven years. Daniel is like, "Yikes, I wish this dream were for your enemies, but it's not. So buckle up, this isn't going to be easy to hear." You and Babylon are the tree. Your rain is going to get chopped down, and you're going to be relegated to living in the fields for seven years among the beasts. This dream is definitely going to happen and you can't avoid it, but if you want my advice on how to delay getting stumped, turn from your sins and show mercy to the oppressed, because God might postpone the chopping for a later date. A year later, Nebbe is walking on his roof writing a praise song to himself when a voice from Heaven yells, "Timber!" So if he did repent, it wasn't for long. His pride has come back full force. Then after seven years of eating grass, he's sufficiently humbled, and just like God said through Daniel, his rain is reinstated. Nebbe sings another praise song, but this time it's for Yahweh. His closing statement in the chapter blows my mind, because these words came from the man who toppled Jerusalem and the temple. Verse 37 says, "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extoll and honor the King of Heaven, for all his works are right, and all his ways are just, and those who walk in pride he is able to humble." In chapter 5 we meet Bel-Shezar, who is probably King Nebbe's grandson. He's throwing a big party, and when he tastes the wine, he says, "Ooh, this is the good stuff. We need to serve it out of those awesome antique glasses I inherited." He's well aware that these are the same goblet's Nebbe stole from the temple before he destroyed it. Bel-Shezar and his crew are drinking it up while having a pagan worship ceremony until God breaks through the fourth dimension and shocks everyone. Bel-Shezar almost passes out because he sees the hand and the writing. If you've ever wondered where the phrase, "I saw the writing on the wall," comes from, "Now you know." Bel-Shezar calls in his wicked interpreters, but they can't make sense of it. Either they understand the words, but not the meaning, or maybe it's written in a foreign language like Hebrew. A woman who is probably Bel-Shezar's mom tells him about how Daniel helped King Nebbe all those years ago, so they call him in to figure things out. King Bey opens with a backhanded compliment. He knows who Daniel is and praises his wisdom, but he refers to him as an exile, not by the title King Nebbe gave him. Then he promises to promote Daniel to third in the kingdom, if he can interpret the writing. And of course, we know he's got what it takes, because what it takes is Yahweh. But it's also clear in Daniel's response that he doesn't really like King Bey. Not only does he say he doesn't want the king's gifts, but he also leaves off the traditional, "Oh, King, live forever," in his greeting. Then Daniel says King Bey isn't ignorant of what happened with Nebbe, he's just proud and foolish. He doesn't pull any punches in accusing him. After he rebukes him for using the holy vessels and worshiping pagan gods, he ends by saying, "The God in whose hand is your breath and whose are all your ways? You have not honored." By the way, when Daniel says God's ways are all King Bey's ways, he's not saying King Bey follows God, obviously. He's pointing out God's sovereignty over everything King Bey does. When Daniel interprets the message, he boils it down to this, "God has deemed you an unworthy leader, and he's going to remove you and divide your kingdom between the Medes and the Persians." And signs point to it happening quickly because the word that means numbered is doubled. Despite the bad news, King Bey gives Daniel the promised gifts, then he dies later that night and the kingdom is given to Darius the Mede. Something that isn't in the text here is that many commentators believe this is the very night the Medes invaded, and they're the ones who killed King Bey. Chapter 6 tells us that the new Persian King Darius leaves Daniel in his newly appointed role, which means he's now in charge of lots of other politicians in Babylon, and he's doing such a great job that Darius wants to give him a promotion, and all the other politicians in Babylon become super jealous. They try to find fault in him, but not even his internet search history throws any red flags. The man has integrity. They realize that the only way they can trap him is to make his religion temporarily illegal, and it's a brilliant move, because it also gives them the opportunity to appeal to the king's pride. They all agree to make it illegal to pray to anyone except King Darius for 30 days, or else they'll be executed by lions. Darius is new in this role, so it probably feels especially good to have his ego boosted, and he hastily agrees to the law. When Daniel finds out about this, he doesn't change anything about his behavior. He doesn't try to change the law, or run, or hide in fear. He just goes about his faithful business as usual praying three times a day. The men catch him praying and tattle to Darius, and as if Darius doesn't know who Daniel is, they refer to him as "the exile," even though he's been there for 66 years. His ethnicity is probably one of the things that provoked their jealousy all the more, and it's evident in their choice of insult. It's kind of like casually referring to someone's race when that information adds nothing to the conversation. Darius is devastated because he really likes Daniel, not devastated that Daniel refused to pray to him, but that he's going to be executed. Darius tries to get the new law overturned, but when he fails, he lets Daniel know he's rooting for him and fasting for him. They throw Daniel into the pit with the lions and seal it with a big stone. And here's something I didn't learn in vacation Bible school. Daniel is at least 82 years old when this happens. He survives the pit because God sends his angel to shut the lion's mouths. Then Darius orders his conspirators to be executed by lions instead, and he writes a decree praising Yahweh. My God shot today was noticing how often God works through one person at a time. He granted Daniel faithfulness and integrity that turned the hearts of kings and nations, not just once, but twice. When people in the Old Testament read the prophecies of the Messiah, they imagined a political ruler who would win every war. They never imagined a humble, faithful man like Jesus. Even though Daniel was a political ruler, he fought his battles in prayer. And even in light of all his great qualities, he's still not the hero of the story. He didn't close the lion's mouths. He didn't fulfill the prophecy against wicked King Belchasar. Yahweh is the act of agent. Yahweh is the hero of every story. And he's where the joy is. Have you thought about becoming a recapton? Recaptons are the amazing people who support the Bible recap and get fun perks in return. Personally, one of my favorite perks we offer is the Recapton's Facebook group. It's the best place on the internet. It's a great place to share your thoughts about what we're reading and questions about what we're studying. You can also find encouragement for the days when you don't want to read with no judgment and the occasional hilarious Bible meme which we all love. You can join for just $3 a month. Go to thebiblerecapt.com/recaptons or click the link in the show notes.