November 28th One Year Bible Readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
Daniel 5:1-31 ~ 2 Peter 2:1-22
Psalm 119:113-128 ~ Proverbs 28:19-20

Old Testament - Daniel chapter 5 is the infamous "the writing is on the wall" chapter!  It is not a good sign to see writing appear on the wall in this way...  This chapter is of huge importance to the Babylonian dynasty - because this chapter is the very last day of Babylon the empire.  The next day everything goes to the Persians & Medes and Cyrus will be taking over the roost.  Daniel chapter 5 verse 1 starts us out today with: "A number of years later.."  This chapter takes place in 539 B.C., whereas chapter 4 with Nebuchadnezzar took place before his death in 562 B.C.  So, at least 23 years have past between chapter 4 & 5 - and several leaders of Babylon have passed by, leaving Belshazzar, who has 1 day more... 

Verses 1 through 4 in the chapter unfortunately describe an orgy taking place, utilizing gold and silver cups taken from the Temple in Jerusalem decades earlier by Nebuchadnezzar.  Unwisely, Belshazzar and the crew toast false idols with these sacred cups of God - at which point immediately the hand begins writing on the wall, and verse 6 tells us this about Belshazzar - "Such terror gripped him that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way beneath him."  Think he had reason to be scared like this?  Why?

As Daniel is called in to interpret the writing, verse 17 stands out as Daniel tells Belshazzar: "Keep your gifts or give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means."  Daniel is obviously quite bold and dismissive of Belshazzar here - he does not defer to Belshazzar being the king, and the seemingly right thing to do would be to immediately say you'd appreciate the gifts.  Daniel simply says - keep 'em! (though, later he's still bestowed with them)  Bold...  A righteous boldness, no?  Plus, you gotta think that Daniel's seen a lot in Babylon in his time and he's ready to cut to the chase and just interpret the writing.  He doesn't need earthly gifts or honor...  What about us in our lives today?  Do we seek earthly gifts and honor for ourselves?  Should we?  Can we learn from Daniel's boldness and focus on what truly matters in this life?  (note that an older Daniel is in the middle of this image below from the 1816 John Brown Bible, with a strange lookin' Belshazzar sitting to the right)

Before interpreting the dream Daniel gives Belshazzar an old fashioned lecture which culminates in verse 22 as he speaks of Nebuchadnezzar being humbled by God: ""You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself."  Basically, Daniel is saying - you should have known better.  You knew better.  You saw Nebuchadnezzar's mistakes.  You did not learn.  Are we like this sometimes in our lives today?  Shouldn't we know better...?  Below is an artist's take on Belshazzar's final feast -

Verse 27 is worth reflecting upon! "You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting." (NIV).  Very interesting to think about a godly scale.  A scale that maybe looks at how we invest our time, money, love, life, worship?  Are we investing in things that are eternal?  Obviously, through the opening verses Belshazzar was simply investing his life into himself, his lusts and his desires.  And hence, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN was written on the wall...  Pretty amazing to think that the great kingdom of Babylon went down like this in one chapter...  God clearly is a kingdom-maker and a kingdom-taker!

New Testament - Second Peter chapter 2 is a strong one that looks at the danger of false teachers - both in the Old Testament times through false prophets and also in the early church during the 1st century.  I have to confess that as I read this chapter I think of some current books and movies and teachers in our modern world that I am afraid apply to the warnings of this chapter.  Do you believe that there are false teachers also in our world today?  Teachers that distort the Gospel message?  Teachers that steer people away from Truth and into Darkness?  Teachers that are in it for the money?  I almost hesitated to post up this image below - the wolf is kinda scary...  :) but I think it's applicable!  False teachers and the damage they can cause are clearly very scary...

Verses 2 & 3 warn us that: "Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of them, Christ and his true way will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money."  Commentaries suggest that at the time Peter wrote this letter the shameful immorality was primarily sexual sin.  The false teachers were allowing / encouraging people to basically do what they want sexually.  They taught that there is no theological or spiritual or personal damage that will come with sexual do-whatever-the-heck-you-wantness...  (okay, that's not in the Bible - I made that up).  Do we see this type of teaching today?  Is this type of teaching true?  Is it false?  Is it shameful?  Do you believe that sex can be damaging to you outside of the proper context of marriage?  Verse 19 warns again: "They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves to sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you."  What controls you?  Is it purely love for God and his ways, which is great.  Or is it something else...?  Something that is dangerous and leads down a slippery slope... ?  Will you instead pursue God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the True Freedom that only They can give you?  Please please be watchful of wolves in sheep's clothing.  The Enemy comes in sheep's clothing to lie, steal, and kill.  The lies may be attractive on the surface, but the core of the lie is deadly to you.  Please cling to Jesus and God's Word, the Holy Bible, above all else.

Psalms - Psalm 119 verse 114 is beautiful a beautiful reflection on our relationship with God and his Word, the Bible - "You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my only source of hope."  This ties in so well with the reflections on false teachers above.  The Bible is clearly a refuge and shield from false teaching!  Is God's Word your only source of hope?  And remember, Jesus is the very Word made flesh, so Jesus would clearly be your only source of hope too, if the Word truly is.  Let us take refuge in God's Word each day of our lives!

Verse 127 today is powerful - "Truly, I love your commands more than gold, even the finest gold."  I think this is something each of us needs to ask ourselves.  Do we love God's commands - his Word - the Bible - more than we love any and all material possessions?  Do we value the Bible above all the money this world could ever offer us?  This is an important decision to make... I pray we realize the eternal worth of God's commands compared to the passing and transitory nature of "even the finest gold."  Let us always remember the great peril of ignoring God's Word and instead chasing after the world's "fool's gold..."

Proverbs - Proverbs 28 verse 19 tells us: "Hard workers have plenty of food; playing around brings poverty." This is a great reminder to not "chase after fantasies" or "chase the wind", but to simply work hard for our employers and earn an honest wage each day!  Verse 20 reminds us to be trustworthy in our work:  "The trustworthy will get a rich reward. But the person who wants to get rich quick will only get into trouble."  How is your work ethic these days?  Are you working hard for your employer?  Are you trustworthy on the job?  Do you think that God pays attention to these things in your life?  Let us not be lazy on the job!

Comments from you - What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings?  Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

God bless,
Mike

Comments

[hilary]

Who are the glorious ones referred to in 2 Peter 2:10?

[Mike]

Good question Hilary! I read a commentary that said they are the fallen angels of verse 4. The commentary said this - "the false teachers are so brazen and self-assured that they revile the evil spirits as though they were safe from any supernatural evil influence at all. And to show the arrogance of such an attitude of false security, Peter says: even the good angels who, unlike the false teachers, are stronger than the evil ones, nevertheless do not presume to pronounce a reviling judgment on them. They humble themselves and leave judgment to God."

Anyone have other thoughts on the glorious ones?

Mike

[Anka]

"You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means".Guess age does bring a bit of attitude with it:)but it's sad to see that instead of falling to his knees and repenting Belshazzar tried to gain Daniel's favour..Maybe he thought if he honoured the prophet,God will be pacified...wrong...
Today sadly alot of made up stories(sermons) are hovering around that sound so godly but are in fact fleshy.The devil is a master at diluting the truth...I always pray for God's grace to disern what the truth is...and the answer is always"it is written".The part of scripture that is the scariest to me is the one that people who have worked wonders in the name of Jesus will be turned away by Him because Jesus denies knowing them...If they did miracles in Jesus name...they had some knowledge of Jesus but didn't submit to His word I guess..
"18For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. 19They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity"When I first came to the faith,I always had tape with sermons playing...even slept of with them on.I wouldn't advice that now,when you are new in the faith you may not know when the sermon is Holy Spirit inspired or with subtle fleshy tones that sound godly..
Truly God's grace sustains us and keeps us on track if we keep our eyes on the Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.
God bless you all

[Anka]

thoughts on "the glorious ones"
Jude 1:9
But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
Who are we then to bring slanderous rebukes against satan..I think we need to watch our language and leave judgement to God where the devil is concerned...I think this is what Peter wanted to say...lots of brave teachers put up quite a bit of bravado that exceeds just simple authority when dealing with evil spirits...maybe we should be on the watch when we see things like that....

[Jenny]

Daniel v. 22 is so right on. 'You knew all this, but still didnt obey/listen/learn'. I think many of us can relate to that, when we know sumthing is wrong and we deliberately sin. Fortunately God is merciful if we repent and ask for forgiveness. Living one's life this way without repentence is dangerous!! Its not worth it, let's be open to the holy spirit, heed His warnings and obey! I too love Daniel's boldness. I love boldness...that is what the Holy Spirit used to get me...straight out boldness thru a sign a man was holding at a stoplight. Straight out the holy spirit said, 'Jenny, turn now! today! You are on the wrong path and you are on your way to hell!'...i look back on that day...it started out to be the worst day in a long time, but it was all setup by God because I had a divine appointment with Him that night unbeknownst to me. =))

Yes, false teaching and false prophets are prevailant today! A lot of teachers on TV are FULL of it!!! I will boldly say that cuz it angers me greatly! Some are liars and schemers, not all, but many. sometimes i've watched it and cant believe my ears and eyes! and so many ppl are being swayed and deceived. Woe to these false teachers! we need spiritual discernment! A great book is called "Christianity in Crisis" by Hank Henograf, he really goes into the false teachers and names them, some of the "faith healers", "name it and claim it". (not sure what happened to Hank, he got into weird teachings, but the book is right on!) The "emerging church" for example. They dont want to talk about sin, hell, or Jesus' blood cause its 'gory". They dont want to make ppl uncomfortable/offended. what???? We NEED to be uncomfortable and offended when it comes to sin! Jesus talked about hell more then heaven because he DOESNT want anybody to go there! Jesus' blood is the ONLYYYYY atonement for sins, it is the ONLY thing that will cleanse us! if we dont have the BLOOD to cover us, God will look on our sins and see our unrighteous, deserving of death. Christ's righteousness cleanses us and is our only hope!!!. Jesus took the heat for us, literally!

Another church movement where all faiths are merging, lets all love one another, believe what u want...its ok to live how you want, God loves you anyway and accepts you. Yes, God loves sinners, but hates sin, it isnt acceptable! those who do not turn from their sin and receive Christ's atonement will be damned!

I love Ps. v 114 "You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my only source of hope." The more i grow in Him, the more I see He is truley my all and all.... didnt always underatnd that, or what it meant to be truely dependant on Him. God had to and still has to give me some hard lessons so I learn this. Its the best thing in the world though I tell you!

I love these Psalms! v. 116 "Sustain me according to your promise...do not let my hopes be dashed"

Hard work i agree is essential. no matter our job, remember, we work for the Lord. Believers should be the hardest workers at their job and not motivated primarily by monetary gain, but motivated because we love the Lord and want to please Him first.

[Cristina]

I am a little confused and I feel like I am walking on dark territory. I have not read the bible like you have but I read the first chapter and by only reading Genesis I can tell you that I did not believe what I was reading. I cannot understand that GOd that is love would do those things. The flood, the daughters sleeping with their father while he was asleep, circumsicion and how woman are so bad. I have started researching on alot of things everyday and it all started by seeing how 9/11 was an inside job. How can the government do that? Is there other things I believed and trusted that are not true? I learned a little about religions and world history and truly think that i should expect the unexpected. If there are false prophets then the bible may not be right completely. I am becoming very spiritual and becuase this is all coming to me I see things very differently.

[P.C.]

FALSE TEACHERS- Yes we do have false teachers in our world and I am reminded of this scripture a lot whenever I run across people who distort the gospel. I'm afraid we see them more than most people would like to believe. They come smooth talking and sounding good but their message doesn't match up to the gospel.

[PM]

Wow great awesome - and like a two edged sword-ish!

These words Mene, mene tekel parsin- what an aweful feeling to be on the side of the owner of the wall!

Today, I saw five young people turn away from sin in repentance and turn to trust Christ as the leader of their lives. They just showed up and wanted to watch a movie with me. God took over the whole thing. It was beautiful. They chose the movie - Left Behind!

Thanks for all your hard work here. I read every day - sometimes I have time to comment.

[Laura Jones]

Cristina:
I am glad you have become part of our group reading the one year bible blog with us. As a new Christian the bible can be very confusing. Some people even try to read it who are not Christians and lack Spiritual descernment. Pray that God reveals Himself to you before reading His word and Pray for understanding. This helps me. Also, if you are attending a bible believing church and can be part of a regular bible study, that would really help you. Don't be affraid to ask questions in your bible study or in here. I value the opinions of many of the seasoned Christians that come to this blog, pastors and mature Christians that attend my church. I have questions all the time. Sometimes the answers come later and if I keep reading things become more clear when I've read the "whole story"

You have to just trust God when it comes to the world and the events that are happening now and in the past. He has a plan and purpose for everything that is going on. I really believe that. I hold onto to one of my favorit verses which is Romans 8:28 All things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His promises.

Things might not make sense to us, but God always knows what He is doing. That is why we are not to lean on our own understanding. Proverbs 3:5-6 says Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. To some, this might be basic Christianity 101. To new Christians some of these verses are very thought provoking. When you find verses such is these it is best to memorize them. I hear that from pastors all the time. It is important to find verses that really jump out at you. These are the verses God is using to speak to you. It would be of great benefit to you to write them down, highlight them and memorize them.

Happy Holidays to all and May God Richly Bless you!!!!

[Ramona]

Daniel 5:1-31

22 “You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself. 23 For you have proudly defied the Lord of heaven and have had these cups from his Temple brought before you. You and your nobles and your wives and concubines have been drinking wine from them while praising gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor know anything at all.

Soooo, we don’t turn to God when there is a manifestation of God’s Presence; we don’t turn to God when we hear about all the mighty things that God has done. I use to say and I’ve heard others say, “Well if there is really a God, why doesn’t He do this and that so I can really believe that He is.” As Daniel has stated, Belshazzar, knew everything that had happened to his father (17-21) and He knew that it was God, the most High God and not the gods of Babylon but he chose, he made a decision NOT to believe.

The Apostle Paul states in the first chapter of the Book of Romans that we change the truth of God into a lie (1:25) and earlier in the chapter, verses 20-23, Paul states:

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. (Rom 1:20-23)

What is it about man, including woman, that causes us to dwell in the land of “lies?” Why do we despise the truth so vehemently? (Both questions are rhetorical.) Anything built on a lie will collapse.

Grace and peace,
Ramona

[Itzi]

hi christina

I invite you to take the way of the master test, and it will show you how good God is. Just go to http://wayofthemaster.com/goodperson.shtml and just be honest with your self.