TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
Daniel 1:1-2:23
1 Peter 3:8-4:6
Psalm 119:65-80
Proverbs 28:14
Daniel 1:6 — Welcome to Daniel! Daniel and his three friends – not Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (those were the Babylonian names focused on the Babylonian deities), but Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (the Hebrew names, each extolling an attribute of the LORD God of Israel)!
Imagine Jerusalem falling and being taken prisoner to the other end of the known world. If you’ve been on one of our trips to Chicago, you can see parts of the Ishtar gate of Babylon – a beautifully constructed 46 foot high wall of glazed brick. Separated from home, awed by the beauty of Babylon, and given new names (Daniel 1:7) to strip them of their identity, will Daniel and his three wise friends (Daniel 1:4) maintain their faithfulness to the God of (conquered) Israel or will they be assimilated into the melting pot of Mesopotamia?
Daniel 1:21 — Daniel was diligent in his work (Proverbs 22:29), and now he stood before Nebuchadnezzar, Belteshazzar, Darius, and even Cyrus!
Daniel 2:4 — The phrase “in Syriack” indicates that from here to the end of chapter 7 the text is no longer in Hebrew but in Aramaic, the language of the Syrians.
Daniel 2:8 — Nebuchadnezzar has had enough of the palace retinue and official courtiers. In Daniel 2:12, we see that Nebuchadnezzar was finally willing to “drain the swamp.”
Daniel 2:16 — Notice that Daniel had the credibility to go to the king. While he wasn’t part of the “good old boys” club of favorites, Daniel’s words were esteemed.
Daniel 2:18 — Daniel and his friends prayed for mercy and thanked God for the answer (Daniel 2:20).
1 Peter 3:10 — Both Peter and James (James 1:26) had to deal with problems with the tongue. Good thing gossip isn’t a modern problem!
1 Peter 3:15 — Can you share the reason for the hope in you? There are great tools like Evangelism Explosion and Way of the Master that can teach you how to witness to others!
1 Peter 3:19 — Who were the spirits in prison? They were not men, but rather Genesis 6 angels, described in Jude 1:6. They were spirit beings that heard the declaration that Jesus was victorious! From GotQuestions.org:
First, let’s look at the word spirits. It is a translation of the Greek word pneumasin, a form of the word pneuma, which means “air, breath, wind.” It is used in the New Testament to refer to angels (Hebrews 1:14), demons (Mark 1:23), the spirit of Jesus (Matthew 27:50), the Holy Spirit (John 14:17), and the spiritual part of man (1 Corinthians 2:11). While the Bible makes it clear that human beings possess spirits (Hebrews 4:12), the Bible never refers to human beings as simply “spirits.” In contrast, God the Holy Spirit, angels, and demons are never said to possess spirits; they are spirits. So the standard meaning of the word spirits in the phrase spirits in prison argues for the spirits’ being something other than human beings.
https://www.gotquestions.org/spirits-in-prison.html
1 Peter 3:21 — Many people point to this verse as proof of baptismal regeneration, but the parenthetical comment seems to disclaim any idea of water-based baptism. This is a baptism of the Spirit.
1 Peter 4:1 — Christ’s sufferings paid the price to free us from the power of sin!
Psalm 119:65 — Notice the quality of the Psalmist’s interaction with the Word: “thou hast dealt well,” “good judgment” (Psalm 119:66), “Thou art good and doest good” (Psalm 119:68), “It is good for me” (Psalm 119:71), and “thy judgments are right” (Psalm 119:75). There is an objective positive quality to the Word of God!
Proverbs 28:14 — The word “fear” is “me-pa-hed,” giving the idea of “to dread, be in dread, or in awe.” The hard-hearted man thinks there is nothing greater than him. The follower of God’s fear leads to humility.
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