Old
Testament 302 Day 11
Daniel, Ezra
& Esther
“a drop in the bucket” (Isaiah 40:15) “fall
flat on your face” (Numbers 22:31) “escape by the skin of my teeth” (Job 19:20)
“a sign of the times” (Matthew 16:3) “sour grapes” (Ezekiel 18:2) “at wit’s
end” (Psalms 107:27) “go the extra mile”
(Matthew 5:41)
Book
of the Week: Handbook
of Bible Festivals, Galen Peterson
Daniel is
the 27th book of the Bible and the last of the Major prophets. Daniel was taken
into exile during the reign of King Jehoiakim (609-598 BC) at a time when Nebuchadnezzar
was king of Babylon in the 1st deportation. The book as it came down to us is
written partly in Hebrew, and partly in Aramaic. Daniel, as a Jewish prophet serving
in the court of his captors, provided inspired guidance to Babylonian and
Persian kings until he was more than 80 years old.
Chapters 1-6- A collection of favorite
stories about the courage of Daniel and his friends, as well as an important
revelation about the history of the world.
Chapters 7-12 - contain Daniel's other
revelations regards world-changing events in the next centuries including the
period of Jesus' ministry and an eschatological vision.
Chapter 1 -
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Hebrew name
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Hebrew meaning
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Babylonian name
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Babylonian name meaning
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Daniel
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God is my
judge
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Belteshazzar
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O protect
his life
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Hananiah
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Jehovah is
gracious
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Shadrach
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Obscure
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Mishael
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Who is
what God is?
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Meshach
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Obscure
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Azariah
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Jehovah is
my help
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Abednego
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Servant of
Nego or a successful Monopoly player
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"Pulse"
= Food that is good for you, but probably not that tasty like - peas, beans
& lentils. It became a D&C 89:18-20 result diet.
Chapter 2 - Nebuchadnezzar saw our day, but needed
some help to figure out what was going on. He should have gone to D&C
65:1-3 or Rev. 11:15 or Matt. 6:10 - (The Lord's Prayer)
Vs. 5a
footnote- The king knew the dream. He just didn't know what it meant. He is
testing the viability of his wise men. (vs. 9)
Vs. 13- When
the chips are down-turn to a prophet
Vs. 18-19-
Prayer leads to prophecy
Vs. 21-22-
God influences what goes on in His worlds.
Vs. 27-30-
Daniel takes no credit
Vs. 32-33 -
Head=Babylonian Empire (605-539 BC; Breast & arms=Medo-Persian Empire
(539-331 BC; Belly & thighs=Macedonian-Greek Empire; Legs & feet=Roman
Empire (161 BC-395 AD) which divided into east in Constantinople (ending in
1453) and west in Rome(ending in 1806 with Francis II of Austria)=the last
ruler of the Holy Roman Empire.
Vs. 34-44-April
6, 1830 AD- The Church will fill the earth before the END of the Millennium. (
See D&C 65:1-2; D&C 138:44; ATGQ 1:108; ATGQ 5:141-143)
Vs. 47 and
6:26-27 - Two kings, Nebuchachnezzar and Darius saw the power of God, but…
(D&C 76:75)
Chapter 3 - One of our favorite stories. I especially
love vs. 17-18, 25, 29. (Ex. 32; 1Kings 12:28; Is. 46:6; Jer. 16:20)
Chapter 4 - The rise and fall and rise again of
Nebuchachnezzar as told by Nebuchachnezzar. Vs. 37
Chapter 5 - The last king of Babylon has the kingdom's
last party. Vs. 17, 21-23, 31. Some people can't read "the handwriting on
the wall."
Chapter 6 - Darius 520 BC. - How old is Daniel? A
chapter of Law Benders trying to
trick a righteous man. Vs. 1, 4, 5, 8, 10 (Psalm 55:17; 2 Chron. 6:36-39), 11,
16, 20, 24, 26
Chapter 7- This is Daniel's dream and it fits
chronologically before the destruction of Babylon in Ch. 5.
Four
Beasts=secular kingdoms 1) Lion with eagle's wings=neo-Babylonian empire &
its destruction. 2) Bear=Persian empire, 3 ribs=3 principle conquests-Lydia,
Babylon & Egypt. 3)Leopard=Alexander the Great. 4 heads = generals who
divided up his empire. 4) Roman empire- greatest yet.10 horns=divisions.
“May I emphasize that even if the ‘great
and abominable church’ is correctly identified as the power which is
represented by Daniel’s great beast, we do not at present fully comprehend the
ramifications of it or the range of dominion it will have prior to its
destruction.” (Sperry, The Voice of
Israel’s Prophets, pp. 260–61.)
Vs. 9-14 -
D&C 116 -
Chapter 8 - Daniel saw a dream and didn't understand
it. Then Gabriel (the 1st angel mentioned by name in the OT) was sent to tell
him the dream represented events in the latter-days. He-goat=Alexander the
Great whose kingdom was broken up. (Vs. 8) The ram with 2 horns=Persian &
Medes. Horn=power. Vs. 17 may indicate that this vision is dualistic.
Chapter 9 - This chapter is a supplication from Daniel
in behalf of his people. The date is about 521 BC. Gabriel appears again to him
and help him understand. It must have been clear to Daniel, it is not to me,
but the answer to his prayer involves the birth of the Savior and possibly
(Gary) his coming again.
Vs. 24 - The Hebrew word that is commonly
translated weeks would more properly be translated sevens. It means a period divided into sevens. The phrase
“seventy weeks” thus refers to seventy periods of sevens. These periods of
seven could be days, weeks, months, years, or even periods of unspecified
duration. Because of this variation, it is difficult to tie Gabriel’s
explanation to specific historical time periods, but many attempts have been
made to do that, resulting in several differing interpretations of the passage.
Sperry called these verses “one of the most difficult passages in all of the
Old Testament” (Voice of Israel’s Prophets,
p. 266).
Chapter 10 - The year is about 536 BC. Daniel
has been fasting and praying and sees a remarkable vision of the Savior and the
Latter days. Ezekiel 1:26–28; Revelation 1:13–15; D&C 110:2–3.
Chapter 11 -
Chapter Heading - The lack of direct correspondence between
the chapter and history seems to indicate that Daniel did not intend to present
a detailed chronology of future events but rather to give an overview of some
of the main events that would influence the Lord’s people. The following
statement suggests that some of the events prophesied of in this chapter may
have been given as indicators of the nature of the conflict between the
kingdoms of the world and the kingdom of God. That is, they were types of
future events: “By the war of these two kingdoms [the Ptolemaic and Seleucid]
for the sovereignty, not merely were the covenant land and the covenant people
brought in general into a sorrowful condition, but they also were the special
object of a war which typically characterizes and portrays the relation of the
world-kingdom to the kingdom of God. This war arose under the Seleucidan
Antiochus Epiphanes to such a height, that it formed a prelude of the war of
the time of the end. The undertaking of this king to root out the worship of
the living God and destroy the Jewish religion, shows in type the great war
which the world-power in the last phases of its development shall undertake
against the kingdom of God.” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary,
9:3:426–27.)
Chapter 12 -
Chapter heading
Vs. 2- The
resurrection
Vs. 9 -
Daniel wanted to know when the end will come. The Lord said, "I'm not
telling," Dang
Ezra 440 BC - Ezra &
Nehemiah were
originally 1 scroll. Later the Jews divided the scroll & called it 1st and 2nd
Ezra. Bibles today call the 2 books Ezra& Nehemiah. Ezra, a descendant of Seraiah the high priest, was living in Babylon in the 7th
year (457 BCE) of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, & the king
sent him to Jerusalem to teach the laws of God those who did not know them.
Ezra led exiles back to Jerusalem, where he discovered that Jewish men were
marrying non-Jewish women. He tore his garments & confessed the sins of
Israel before God, then led an effort to purify the community by enforcing the
dissolution of the sinful marriages. Some years later Artaxerxes sent Nehemiah
(a Jewish noble in his personal service) to Jerusalem as governor with the task
of rebuilding the city walls. Then Nehemiah had Ezra read the Law of Moses to
the assembled Israelites, & the people & priests entered into a
covenant to keep the law & separate themselves from all other peoples.
1. Cyrus, inspired by God, returned the
Temple vessels to Sheshbazzar, and directed the Israelites to
return to Jerusalem with him and rebuild the Temple. Cyrus the Great entrusted the Temple vessels to Sheshbazzar.
This apparently important figure then disappeared from the story entirely (Ezra
1:8,11), and Zerubbabel is abruptly introduced as the main figure. Both are
called governors of Judah and are both credited with laying the foundation of
the Temple. A number of explanations have been proposed, including: (1) the two
are the same person; (2) Sheshbazzar was in fact Shenazzar,
Zerubabbel's uncle (mentioned in Chronicles); (3) Sheshbazzar began the work
and Zerubbabel finished it.
2. 42,360 exiles, with men servants, women servants and "singing
men and women", returned from Babylon to Jerusalem under the leadership of
Zerubbabel and Jeshua
the High Priest.
3. Jeshua
the High Priest and
Zerubbabel build the altar and celebrate the Feast
of Tabernacles. In the
second year the foundations of the Temple are laid and the dedication takes
place with great rejoicing.
4.: The Samaritans offered to help with the rebuilding, but are
rebuffed; they then worked to frustrate the builders "down to the reign of
Darius." (10-15 years)
5. Tattenai's letter to Darius: Through
the exhortations of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, Zerubbabel and Joshua recommence the building of the Temple. Tattenai, satrap over both Judah and
Samaria, writes to Darius warning him that Jerusalem is being rebuilt and
advising that the archives be searched to discover the decree of Cyrus.
6. Decree of Cyrus, second version, and decree
of Darius: Darius finds the decree, directs Tattenai not to disturb the
Jews in their work, and exempts them from tribute and supplies everything
necessary for the offerings. The Temple is finished in the month of Adar in the
sixth year of Darius, and the Israelites assemble to celebrate its completion.
Chapters 7–10
7. Letter of Artaxerxes to Ezra (Artaxerxes'
rescript): King Artaxerxes is moved by God to commission Ezra "to
inquire about Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the Law of your God" and
to "appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people
of Trans-Euphrates—all who know the laws of your God." Artaxerxes gives
Ezra much gold and directs all Persian officials to aid him.
8. Ezra
gathers a large body of returnees and much gold and silver and precious vessels
for the Temple and camps by a canal outside Babylon. There he discovers he has
no Levites, and so sends messengers to gather some. The exiles then return to
Jerusalem, where they distribute the gold and silver and offer sacrifices to
God.
9. Ezra is
informed that some of the Jews already in Jerusalem have married non-Jewish
women. Ezra is appalled at this proof of sin, and prays to God.
10. Despite
the opposition of some of their number, the Israelites assemble and send away
their foreign wives and children.
1. Queen Vashti refused to appear
at a 7 day party of wine and receives the wrath of King Ahasuerus and was
banished.
2. The queenless and now sober king
decided to have a beauty contest to fill the vacancy. A Jewish maiden (whose
jewishness was not know) won the contest. Her Jewish name was Haddassah meaning
a star shaped plant. She went by her Perisan name Esther meaning star. She was
looked after by her cousin whose Jewishness was also unknown named Mordecai.
Cousin Mordecai discovered and reported a conspiracy to
3. Modedcai offended the King's #1
man (Haman) by not bowing down to him. Haman let his pride cause him to set up
a plan to have all of the Jews put to death on a day chosen by the casting of
lots. (Purim) He did this with the power of the king, but without the king
knowing the whole story.
4. A "star" is born as
Esther risks her life to appeal to the king. The Jewish people show their
support with a 3 day fast. Vs. 14 and 16 are 2 of the best in all scripture.
5. Esther made her move, the king
responded. She then sets up Haman whose pride has lifted him as high as the
gallows he had built to hang Mordecai.
6. A bad day for Haman and a good
day for Mordecai because of a dream by the king.
7. And Haman
thought the day before was a bad day! Esther's beauty turned out to be Haman's
hanging. The king's wrath was kindled when he discovered the decree that Haman
had used him for and increased when he saw Haman in the queen quarters, as the
king suspected foul play.
8. A big
turnaround for the Jewish people. (chapter heading)
9. There is
a problem here because the king cannot change a decree and now he has 2 decrees
in conflict with each other; 1) ordering the destruction of the Jews and 2)
giving the Jews the right to defend themselves. So there was death on both
sides, but it was total for Haman's house as all 10 of his sons were killed.
Thus began the Feast of Purim.
10. A happy
ending for Mordecai!
Old Testament
Chronology-Josiah to Malachi
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626-587 BC
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Jeremiah's ministry. Also Zephaniah Habakkuk
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621 BC
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Josiah's reforms
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2 Kings 22-23
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609 BC
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Josiah killed at Megiddo by Pharaoh-nechoh's army
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2 Kings 23; 2 Chr. 35
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605 BC
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1st Deportation-Including Daniel
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Daniel 1&2; 2 Kings 2:1-3; 2 Chr. 35:20-24
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609-587 BC
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Judah led by Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Eliakim & Zedekiah
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597 BC
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2nd Deportation- Jehoiachim exiled-Zedekiah king-Ezekiel taken into
captivity; Lehi leaves (600 BC)
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2 Kings 24:10-16; 2 Chr. 36:10
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587 BC
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3rd Deportation-Jerusalem destroyed; Mulek leaves
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2 Kings 25:7-26; 2 Chr. 36:20
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586 BC
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Obadiah prophecies against Edom
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Obadiah
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583 BC
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Gedaliah killed. Many Jews flee to Egypt
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585
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Shadrach, Meschach & Abednego
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Daniel 3
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582 BC
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Nebuchadnezzar's Dream
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Daniel 4
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593-591 BC
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Ezekiel prophecies from Babylon
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Ezekiel 1-23
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562 BC
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Jehoiachin released after 37 years in Babylon-stays
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539 BC
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Daniel and the Lion's Den
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Daniel5-12
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539 BC
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Persians conquer Babylon-
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Daniel 5-12
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537 BC
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Proclamation of Cyrus- Exiles return
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Ezra 1-2; 2 Chr. 36:22-23
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535 BC
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Temple work begins & is hindered
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Ezra 3-4
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520 BC
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Temple work resumed by decree of Darius; Haggai; Zechariah
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Ezra 6; Haggai; Zechariah
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515 BC
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Temple completed and dedicated
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Ezra 6
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483 BC
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Queen Vashti deposed
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Esther 1
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478 BC
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Esther becomes Queen. Mordecai stops conspiracy
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Esther 2
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473 BC
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Esther, Mordecai, Haman, Xerxes, Purim
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Esther 3-10
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458 BC
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Ezra sent to Jerusalem by Artaxerxes
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Ezra 7
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457 BC
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Families to Jerusalem. Ezra's reforms
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Ezra 8-9
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456 BC
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Ezra's prayer about intermarriage
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Ezra 10
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445 BC
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Nehemiah prays for the Exiles
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Nehemiah 1
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444 BC
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Artaxerxes sent Nehemiah to Jerusalem
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"
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Builders overcome ridicule. Debt & bondage abolished
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Nehemiah
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"
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Sanballat's plot and completion of wall
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Nehemiah 6
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"
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Ezra read the Law. Israelites fast, repent, covenant
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Nehemiah 8-12
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432 BC
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Nehemiah restored laws
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Nehemiah 13
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430 BC
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Malachi
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Malachi 1-4
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Isaiah 21
A prophecy of doom against
Babylon, fulfilled 200 years after Isaiah and over 2000 years before the
Savior's 2nd coming as Babylon (worldliness) falls again. Note D&C 106:4-5.
Isaiah does not call this a "Happy Vision"
Vs. 1 - See
footnote 1a. Desert of the sea refers to Babylon; in the desert-until the
Euphrates floods. The destruction of Babylon will come as the speed of the
whirlwinds in the Negev of Israel. Elam (the western part of ancient Persia)and
Media (NW part of modern Iran), 2 cruel peoples are to be the destroyers of
Babylon. See Isaiah 13:17-18.
Vs. 2 - A
grievous vision=Isaiah sees this destruction in a vision rated R for violence.
Cyrus led the Medes and Persians destruction of Babylon in 538 BC.
Vs. 3-4 - I
told you it wasn't going to be a pleasant dream.
Vs. 5-6 - The
Lord always has watchmen to warn of approaching destruction. Isaiah, other
prophets. us. Ancient warriors would put oil on their shields to make them
slick and divert the arrows.
Vs. 7-9 - The
watchmen see the army coming and declare the destruction of Babylon.
Vs. 10 -
Isaiah declares that he has told what the Lord showed to him.
Vs. 11-12 -
A man from Seir (a mountainous region in Edom) asks about how long the night
will last. The answer is morning will come, but so will another night. Lots of
interpretations, not very clear. I like the idea of night being a time of
apostasy, light being end of apostasy, night another apostasy.
Vs. 13-17 -
A prophecy against descendents of Ishmael in Arabia. Dedanites were named after
a son of Cush who was a son of Ham, the oldest son of Noah. The Dedanites were
known for being involved in the caravan trade. Tema was named after one of the
sons of Ishmael and was an oasis some 250 miles southeast of Aqaba. The
Dedanites are fleeing from a war and the people from Tema give them water.
Nevertheless the people from Kedar are going down. God has spoken it.
Isaiah 22
Vs. 1-14 - In
Isaiah's day Jerusalem was protected because their king (Hezekiah) and the people
listened to a prophet. In this vision that same prophet (Isaiah) foresees a
time when the inhabitants rely upon their own strength and military preparation
and are destroyed and carried captive. (587 BC)
Vs. 1-
Valley of vision=Jerusalem. Housetops=Where they would go to mourn (Is. 15:3;
Jer. 48:38)
Vs. 2- The
city of peace is now tumultuous. Men who should have gone to war are in
captivity.
Vs. 3- The
leaders (Zedekiah and others) fled when Jerusalem was being attacked but were
captured. Those who didn't flee were bound together and taken to a far land.
(Babylon)
Vs. 4 -
Isaiah mourns the destruction of Jerusalem. Daughter=Jerusalem
Vs. 5- 587
BC
Vs. 6- Elam
an ancient people from the west and SW of modern Iran known as great archers
(Jer. 49:34-39) and Kir=Mesopotamian city east of Tigris River. Archers and swordsmen
ready to fight.
Vs. 7- The
enemy has Jerusalem surrounded with horsemen and chariots
Vs. 8-
Jerusalem is looking to the cedar armory to protect them. Their defense is
weak. (They should have trusted God.
Vs. 9- Judah
is repairing the walls &building water tunnels but rejecting the Fountain
of Living Waters.
Vs. 10- They
tore down houses to fortify walls.
Vs, 11- Note
footnote 11a- which send us to conduit where Isaiah met with King Ahaz. The
maker of Jerusalem is Jesus and the Jews are looking everywhere but to Him.
Vs. 12- The
Lord calls to repentance but-See vs. 13
Vs. 13- What
Judah did
Vs. 14- The
Lord has told Isaiah that Judah will not respond to his invitation to repent.
Vs. 15-19-
Shebna is a VIP (treasurer)in the court of King Hezekiah and represents people
of all ages who live for themselves. They ultimately lose.
Vs. 20-25- See
footnote 20a. Eliakim is an historical character who served as a priest in
Hezekiah's house. He is portrayed in these verses as a type of the Savior. The
key of the house of David represents power and authority which opens the door
to the heavenly temple which only Jesus possesses.
