11/30/2022 DAB Transcript

Daniel; 7:1-28, 1 John 1:1-10, Psalms 119:153-176, Proverbs 28:23-24

Today is the 30th day of November welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. Ahh…30th day of November, that’s the last day of the 11th month of the year friends. So, with today we are 11/12 through our journey together and it is great to be with you here today to celebrate that as we gather around the Global Campfire and move forward day by day, step by step. So, our next step forward as we conclude this month leads us back to where we left off, obviously. That happens to be in the book of Daniel in the Old Testament. And then we get to the New Testament we have some new territory to move into. We concluded second Peter yesterday with some convicting things to think about. And that leads us then to move today into the first of three consecutive letters from John. And today’s letter that we’ll move into is called first John. So, that sort of lets us know what the other two are probably called. But we’ll get to them soon enough. Let’s dive into the book of Daniel. Today we’ll read Daniel chapter 7.

Introduction to first John:

Okay. So, this brings us to first John and a bit of a reunion with someone that we’ve gotten to know. We had the same experience when we went through first and second Peter, although we had never really…I mean…we had heard of Peter, and we walked alongside Peter in the Gospels. He was one of the disciples of Jesus. But it was the first time we could hear him in writing, as it were. We’re being reunited now with another disciple of Jesus, John. And we have heard John’s voice in writing before. We read the Gospel of John. And, so, it’s like this reunion as we get to the end of the year. We get to circle back around and hear from these guys again after the letters of Paul. And it’s a lot of fun. And it’s really interesting to watch their growth over the years as the church took shape. So, we’re about to begin three consecutive letters from John, first John second John and third John. But as we begin first John, today we might…we might notice that this letter doesn’t tell us who it’s from and it doesn’t tell us who it’s to. We could, like some other letters in the New Testament like the book of Hebrews, say this is anonymous because we don’t know. But what we do know is that the church fathers, probably within like 50 years of this letter being written, attributed the letter to John. And several centuries later, as the New Testament is being ratified John wasn’t disputed as the author of this letter and this letter wasn’t disputed as authentic. More recent scholarship and textual criticism have noticed like the writing style is different between the gospel of John and these letters and there are some differences even between these letters and that is the stuff of scholarly speculation and it’s always been going on and always will be going on I suppose. Part of the reason that this letter isn’t addressed to a specific group of people or a specific church in a specific region may have been because the letter was supposed to be circulated among all of the churches, as many as possible. John is known to be the pastor to Asia. Like his home base ended up being in Ephesus and it’s also possible that he wrote letters to people that he had spiritual authority over and that he was a pastor too. And, so, he didn’t need to say, hey this is John writing you a letter. Like they knew when they got it who it was from. It’s also possible that it wasn’t addressed to anyone in particular to protect everyone in particular, since persecution and marginalization were part of the story at this time. First John was probably written in Ephesus where John spent the latter part of his life. It was probably written in the latter part of John’s life. And this letter was written for some correction, to speak to some early teachings about Jesus. Some of the early forms of Gnosticism had made their way into the church conversation. A couple of specific views that John addresses the first being the…the docetic view. And that was that Jesus, He wasn’t really a human being. He was God. Like there’s no problem there. But He wasn’t really a human being. He appeared to be a human being but wasn’t actual flesh and blood. And another view of Cerinthus, he taught that Jesus was a human being. He actually was just an ordinary human being and that when He went to the Jordan River and was baptized by John the divine Christ descended upon Jesus there at his baptism and became one with Him. He became united body and Spirit with divinity and then He did His ministry this way and then, obviously we know how the story goes, He’s arrested and convicted and then crucified and then He dies. And at his crucifixion when He says it’s finished and He dies, while then all that’s left is a human corpse. The…the God part of Him departs. John, in first John is saying, yeah, that’s not how it went, basically. Like those are not correct ways of viewing who Jesus is. And John writing this would have a bit of authority since he was there and was a part of the ministry of Jesus and was a part of the inner circle with Jesus. And, so, as an eyewitness, he could say, yeah that’s not…that’s not what was going on. And by the time the letter ends we’ll also get like postures of heart. We saw this a lot and Paul’s writing too, like how we should be aimed, what characteristics should accompany us as we move forward on our faith journey. And, so, let’s dive in. First John chapter 1.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for these 11 months that You have brought us through and all that You have spoken into our lives at just the right time. Thank You for such a kindness, to give us the Scriptures and to give us Your Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth. Thank You for Your care and Your fathering of us. And as we move forward into the final month of the year, we ask that You lead us safely and with great strength all the way through this journey and continue to speak to us what we have yet to learn and need to understand before this year ends so that we begin strong and with purpose. Come Holy Spirit, we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it is where you find out what’s going on around here. And it’s Christmas time around here like it is everywhere in the world pretty much. And, so, that’s what’s going on around here a couple of things yet.

A couple of things. Yeah, a couple of things. So, first of all, it is time now to prepare for our annual Daily Audio Bible family Christmas party. And, so, for the next week you can call in your holiday greetings to the community. We have a phone number for that. We have an app for that. It’s the same procedure you would use to call in a prayer request or an encouragement. So, that little Hotline button in the app or 877-942-4253 is the number to call. And you can call in your holiday greetings right now. Couple of rules. First, don’t call in a holiday greeting combined with a prayer request. If you have a prayer request or encouragement call that in separate. This is one of the rare times that you can do that. Call in your holiday greeting. Call in your prayer request or encouragement separate. And then rule number two about the holiday greetings, one per person. Like don’t call in 5 or 10 or 20 calls. One per person. It…it’s all of our voices together and it becomes a long program that is just I…it’s one of my favorite things about the Daily Audio Bible and one of my favorite things about the holiday season is…is listening through. But just call in once.

And then also what’s going on around here is the Daily Audio Bible family Christmas Box for 2022. And that is available now in the Daily Audio Bible Shop. So, you get to the shop from the website or from the app. And you will notice in the Shop there’s a Christmas category. That’s where you’ll find the Christmas Box. And we have packed the Christmas Box full of goodies. Promised Land, photographs from the land of the Bible, the coffee table edition is in the box. The God of Your Story as well as Reframed and Sneezing Jesus are included in the Box. The Daily Audio Bible Christmas ornament for 2022, an exclusive to the Christmas Box each year is in the box. Your choice of windfarm DAB blend coffee or Rooibos and Honey Bush tea. The Global Campfire candle, that smells like the Global Campfire. Let’s see, a pop socket, a Global Campfire pop socket and a couple of Global Campfire stickers are included as well. You can see all this in the Shop in the Christmas section. And, so, check that out.

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And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app. That’s the little red button up at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253. Like I said, that’s the same number and same button that you can use for the holiday greetings at this point in time for about the next week. We will gather those.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here…well tomorrow will be next month. So, I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow on the first day of the 12th month of the year. We’ll see you then.

Community Prayer and Praise:

This is Candice from Oregon. Prisoner of hope when I heard your story about AJ and you are in the midst of it as you told it to us, I saw that the courage that God wants us to have is given to us by the Holy Spirit. And I…I just need you all to know that those of you, so many who’ve prayed these powerful prayers for my son Micah, wow, the answer was so beautiful as he did find his way over here for Thanksgiving. And all of us had such a sweet time together. And I just can’t thank you enough for your prayers and your continued prayers for him. And as a return from my love for all of you I want to give you the blessing that Paul gave to the Ephesians in Ephesians chapter three starting at verse 16. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you be rooted and established in love may have power together with all the Lords holy people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. To Him who is able to do immeasurably of all we ask or think…

Hey family, it’s Valiant Val. It’s the day after Thanksgiving and I hope you all didn’t spend too much money now. And if you are spending money, make sure it’s on what, the dailyaudiobible.com. Stop playing. Hey, I know I’m late to the party but I done got the sleep app and I can I tell you, praise God. Brian, I just have to say thank you for your obedience. Man, I am taking a lesson from you sir. Just do what God tells you to do expeedingly, quick, fast and in a hurry like your Mama with a belt. Get after it. Oh, I love you so much, man. You know y'all since I’ve been having this rotator cuff issues and I mean this pain is so great it’ll wake you up out your sleep. And, so, for the first time in my life I’m having problems staying asleep, getting to sleep, and enjoying sleep. But thank you for your sleep album Brian. If you haven’t gotten it yet family. Please go get it. And then I got another ask. Please this is a Christmas gift that you guys can really bless me with. Can you please go to whatever site you get it from whether it’s the Google Play store or apple store or wherever you get your music from whatever your jam is and do me a favor, go to the Daily Audio Bible app and let’s just give it five stars. Let’s tell the world how amazing and great this app is, what it’s done for us. We cannot hide it we got to divide it y'all. You know the best give you’ve ever given someone is when you’ve told them about the DAB. Oh, this is a family that prays together so we know we gotta stay together. Here’s to 2023 y’all. I love you; I love you, I love you. I can’t even tell you guys how much. I mean truly you guys are like closer to me than my naturally born family man. Oh, I love you guys. Alright let’s all get good sleep. Prophetic dreams family. In Jesus’ name.

Father I lift my hands to thee there’s no other place that I know
and if you were to remove your love from me I don’t have any other place to go
I have my eyes on the prize
but I kept getting distracted by all Satan’s lies
I was clearly headed for the promised land until I ended up at rock bottom
and I still thought I was ahead of the game till I heard Satan say that I got him
and I knew in my spirit he wasn’t lying
what he was saying was true
everything I tried would fall through
and even though God had given me chances chance after chance
I kept tripping over my own two feet as I tried to negotiate life’s delicate dance
that’s why I need you to guide me father every step of the way
because I know there’s no win in doing things by own way
thank you father for being so merciful, gracious, and kind
and for helping me clearly see the frivolity in all of this stuff I clearly left behind
and also for helping me clearly see the many riches still ahead
once I fully accept and recognize that this world and its desires are just as good as dead
new life’s in you faithful and true and there isn’t really much that you ask us to do
have faith in the process trust in your plan
and believe that you do have the whole world in your hand
let go don’t be afraid regardless of what your eyes see
and remember your life is less than and nanosecond of all eternity
God’s got this and it’s all good
even when things don’t turn out the way you think they should
so when you get upset and anger within you roars
remember that the kingdom of God with all its riches will soon one day be all yours

blindtony1016@gmail.com

Hi family, this is Carol calling from Nebraska again. Usually, I call about my granddaughters or maybe something that I’ve heard on…on the programs. But I have to say this this prayer request is from me. I said parts of this before but my granddaughters, as I was, were abused psychologically, sexually, most of their lives going on for 10 - 15 years before it was revealed that my son was the perpetrator. And he is now in prison. But he’s still there dad and they still love him and they’re having a very difficult time, you know, missing their daddy as they go into, you know, junior high school and high school years and college years and this dad they were supposed to have is this person that hurt them so badly. So they’re struggling with that. And as we’re coming into the holidays it’s just very difficult because he’s not part of the celebrations and he’s in…he’s in prison and he’s going to be where he belongs. But they’re struggling with this dichotomy of feelings about him and so am I. It’s very difficult for all of us to not judge him. We know that God will judge him but what he’s taken from our family is…is so much. I have PTSD and…and I am bipolar, and I have my own, you know, childhood drama. And now I’m watching my grandchildren go through the same thing and theirs…they're…they're…they’re getting better, they’re healing, the Lord is helping them but we all really need your prayers during these holidays because it’s all just coming to a head and…and we’re all very angry. So, thank you.

Laura Lee this is Joyfully Joe, and I am so with you sister on this subject. It’s so hard to want to be perfect and to say and do the wrong things to be unloving and unkind when you really started out trying to be perfect. And you’re so right. We’re not perfect. I also struggle with being kind to my mom in her dementia and before that. I have to take into account the way that she was brought up and the things in her past and sometimes I forget. Sometimes I just want a loving momma, but we don’t have that. So, I’m going to pray for you right now. As I pray for you, I’m praying for me too. Father God we are complete in You Lord God. Our perfection and our identity as Laura Lee said, is in You holy God. You are the beautiful one. Your majesty is great. We thank You. We do praise You for Your word Lord God that convicts and heals and shows us the path of righteousness Lord God. And we thank You Lord God that You have left it to us so that we would have comfort Lord God. We thank You for the comfort of the holy scriptures and I lift up my sister and I pray that You would comfort her with all the comfort that’s in You God and that You would wash over these mistakes and bless her Lord in Jesus’ name.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday November 30, 2022 (NIV)

Daniel 7

In the first year of Belshazzar’s reign over Babylon, Daniel had a dream and saw visions as he slept in his bed. When he got up, he remembered the dream and wrote it down. This is the beginning of his record:

These events most likely take place in 554 b.c. They are a flashback to before the feast in chapter 5.

Daniel: As I dreamed that night, I saw a vision: I was looking and saw the four winds of heaven blow in from all directions and sweep across the surface of the Mediterranean Sea,[a] whipping up waves and turmoil within the deep. Four great beasts rose up from the churning waters, each one different from the other. The first to surface was like a lion. It had giant wings like an eagle’s protruding from its shoulders. I watched as suddenly its feathers were plucked and its wings removed. The great beast was lifted up from the earth so that it could stand on two feet like a human being. Then it was given human intellect. After this I looked and saw a second beast rising from the sea, this one resembling a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and in its mouth, gripped tightly between its teeth, were three ribs. And the bear was told to get up and devour even more flesh. After witnessing this, I continued to look and saw another beast appear from beneath the waves. This one was fierce and fast like a leopard. It had a bird’s wings like the lion, but two pairs instead of one coming out of its back. It had four heads, and men bowed to this beast, and it was permitted to rule over them. While I continued to gaze at this vision that night, a fourth beast arose. As if from a nightmare, it was terrifying, more awful and more powerful than anything I had ever seen. Its enormous iron teeth devoured and shattered its prey. Everything was crushed beneath its massive feet. And this fourth beast was unlike the previous three, having ten horns protruding from its head. As I stared at the creature and wondered about the ten horns, suddenly another horn grew out of its head, smaller than the rest. Three of the first horns were pushed up from their roots to make room for the little horn. It appeared to have eyes like a human and a mouth that boasted and bragged of its great exploits.

As I watched the vision unfold,
thrones were set in place,
And the Ancient of Days took His throne above all.
His clothes were the purest white, as white as snow,
and the hair of His head was like the finest wool.
His throne was a flaming fire,
set on wheels that blazed like the sun.
10 A stream of fire emerged and flowed from His presence.
Thousands upon thousands of heavenly beings were there to serve Him;
millions upon millions stood by to attend Him.
The heavenly court sat to hear a case,
and the books of judgment were opened.

11 I continued to look on the scene and heard the clatter of arrogant words spoken by that smaller horn. And as I watched, the verdict was given, and the sentence enacted: the fourth beast was slain, and its body was destroyed, delivered over to the consuming fire. 12 As for the other beasts, their power and position were taken away, but they were allowed to live for a little while longer.

13 I saw another spectacle in the night visions:
I looked and saw someone like a son of man
coming with the clouds of heaven.[b]
He approached the Ancient of Days
and was ushered into His presence.
14 To Him was given authority, honor, and a kingdom
so that all people of every heritage, nationality, and language might serve Him.
His dominion will last forever,
His throne will never pass away,
and His kingdom will never be destroyed.

15 As for me, Daniel, I was deeply disturbed by all that I saw; these night visions terrified me. 16 So I approached one of the heavenly beings standing before the flaming throne and asked him to explain exactly what had happened. So he did. And this is what he told me it all meant, the interpretation he gave me to all I had seen and heard:

Heavenly Being: 17 The four great beasts you saw that rose from the wind-whipped sea are four kings who will rise from the earth and come to rule vast empires. 18 But the holy ones of the Most High God will receive that kingdom which will last for all the ages to come, forever and ever.

Daniel: 19 But I wanted to know more. I wanted to understand the whole truth about the fourth beast. It was different from the other three, so fearsome with its iron teeth and bronze claws devouring and shattering its prey and trampling everything in its path beneath its massive feet.

The beasts can be identified by a careful study of history. The lion, bear, leopard, and fourth terrifying beast represent Babylon, Media, Persia, and Greece. Persia had four kings, so the leopard had four heads. The ten horns of the fourth beast with iron teeth represent the ten dominant Seleucid kings after Alexander the Great’s empire splintered into four regions. The smaller horn is Antiochus IV who put down three potential Seleucid leaders (horns) before him.

Just because a prophecy has been fulfilled once, it doesn’t mean the prophecy is no longer instructive. Daniel’s prophecies are excellent examples of this idea. Written from the perspective of the Babylonian exile, these prophecies describe the coming suffering of God’s people under foreign rule and look forward to a time when God will liberate them. During the next 300 years, the Jews watch Daniel’s prophecies unfold. The Persian Empire is conquered by a Greek, Alexander the Great, in 333 b.c. Alexander’s short reign is followed by the division of the empire into four districts governed by his politically inexperienced generals; Israel is ruled by a string of cruel men—culminating in the reign of Antiochus IV who attempts to turn Jerusalem into a Greek city, bans the Torah, and even builds an altar to Zeus in God’s temple. In the face of such pagan influence, God instigates the Maccabean Revolt of 167-165 b.c. At that time, Jerusalem’s God-fearing traditions return, and Israel is ruled by the Jews. But these historical facts are not the end of God’s message. Within Daniel’s prophecies is a description of the end of the age, a time when evil will be punished and the Liberator will reign.

Daniel: 20 I was intrigued with the 10 horns on the beast’s head and that 11th horn that grew up and uprooted the other 3 horns, that horn with eyes like human eyes and a mouth that uttered arrogant words, that horn that looked greater than the rest. 21 I looked on as that 11th horn waged war against the holy ones; for a while it seemed it might triumph over them, that is, 22 until the Ancient of Days arrived and ruled in favor of the holy ones of the Most High. Now the appointed time had come when the holy ones took possession of the eternal kingdom. 23 The heavenly being told me,

“The fourth beast, like the other three,
represents a fourth kingdom that will rule on earth.
This kingdom will be different from the rest;
it will devour the whole earth
And crush everything beneath its feet
and shatter it all to pieces.
24 The 10 horns are 10 kings
that will arise from this fourth kingdom.
After these another king will come to power
who will be very different from the kings before him,
seizing power until he subdues three kings.
25 This king will speak out against the Most High,
and try to wear down His holy ones;
He will seek to alter the sacred times and special law God gave them,
and they will be under his control
for time, times, and half a time.
26 After this, the heavenly court will sit in judgment,
his authority will be taken from him,
and his supremacy over the earth will come to a permanent end.
27 Then the great ruling authority
of the kingdoms under the heavens
Shall be handed over to the covenant people,
the holy ones of the Most High;
Their kingdom will last forever,
and all the remaining kingdoms will worship and serve Him.”

28 This is the end of his record.

Daniel: My thoughts on these matters upset me greatly. My face grew pale, but I kept it all to myself.

Footnotes:

  1. 7:2 Literally, Great Sea
  2. 7:13 Mark 13:26; 14:62; Revelation 1:7; 14:14
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

1 John 1

We want to tell you about the One who was from the beginning. We have seen Him with our own eyes, heard Him with our own ears, and touched Him with our own hands. This One is the manifestation of the life-giving Voice, and He showed us real life, eternal life. We have seen it all, and we can’t keep what we witnessed quiet—we have to share it with you. We are inviting you to experience eternal life through the One who was with the Father and came down to us. What we saw and heard we pass on to you so that you, too, will be connected with us intimately and become family. Our family is united by our connection with the Father and His Son Jesus, the Anointed One; and we write all this because retelling this story fulfills our[a] joy.

What we are telling you now is the very message we heard from Him: God is pure light, undimmed by darkness of any kind. If we say we have an intimate connection with the Father but we continue stumbling around in darkness, then we are lying because we do not live according to truth. If we walk step by step in the light, where the Father is, then we are ultimately connected to each other through the sacrifice of Jesus His Son. His blood purifies us from all our sins. If we go around bragging, “We have no sin,” then we are fooling ourselves and are strangers to the truth. But if we own up to our sins, God shows that He is faithful and just by forgiving us of our sins and purifying us from the pollution of all the bad things we have done. 10 If we say, “We have not sinned,” then we depict God as a liar and show that we have not let His word find its way into our hearts.

Footnotes:

  1. 1:4 Other manuscripts read “your.”
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Psalm 119:153-176

Resh

153 Give attention to my misery and rescue me
because I have not forgotten Your teaching.
154 Fight for me, and set me free;
give me life in keeping with Your promise.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked
because they do not live in pursuit of Your precepts.
156 Your mercies are tender and great, O Eternal One;
grant me life in keeping with Your ordinances.
157 I have many oppressors and foes;
still I do not swerve from Your decrees.
158 I observe the faithless and detest them
because they turn away from Your word.
159 Reflect, O God, on how I love Your precepts;
give me life, O Eternal One, in keeping with Your unfailing love.
160 The entirety of Your word is truth,
and every one of Your right rulings will surely last forever.

Shin

161 Princes persecute me without reason,
but my heart remains true and is awed by Your words.
162 I celebrate because of Your promise,
like someone who discovers great treasure.
163 I despise and abhor lies,
but I love Your law.
164 Seven times every day I praise You
because of Your right rulings.
165 Those who love Your law have an abundance of peace,
and nothing along their paths can cause them to stumble.
166 I wait for Your salvation, O Eternal One,
and I live out Your commands.
167 My soul is faithful to Your decrees,
and my love for them is extraordinary.
168 I live according to Your precepts and decrees
because everything I do is right before Your eyes.

Tav

169 Let my cry come before You, O Eternal One.
Grant me understanding in keeping with Your word.
170 Let my plea come before You;
liberate me in keeping with Your word.
171 Praise will pour from my lips
because You help me learn what You require.
172 My tongue will sing of Your word
because every command of Yours is right.
173 Let Your hand be poised to help me
because I have chosen to live by Your precepts.
174 I long for Your salvation, O Eternal One.
Meanwhile, Your teaching brings me great joy.
175 Let my soul live on so that I may praise You,
and let Your precepts guide me.
176 I have wandered down the wrong path like a lost sheep; come find me, Your servant,
because I do not forget Your commands.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Proverbs 28:23-24

23 A person who offers constructive criticism will, in the end, be appreciated more
than a person who engages in empty flattery.

24 One who robs his father or his mother
and says, “There’s nothing wrong with that! I had it coming!
walks in the company of murderers.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

11/29/2022 DAB Transcript

Daniel 6:1-28, 2 Peter 3:1-18, Psalm 119:129-152, Proverbs 28:21-22

Today is the 29th day of November, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it is wonderful to be here with you today as we continue the journey forward and our next step forward together, here around the Global Campfire, is in the book of Daniel. So, let’s dive in, today, Daniel chapter six.

Commentary:

Okay, guys, so we are about to finish the month of November. Tomorrow’s the last day of November, and we concluded Peter’s second letter, known as second Peter, today, and there is an exceptional and intense lesson for us in the final chapter of second Peter. Actually, a lesson large enough to be life-changing, like a change of perspective that then could transform how we live. But to get at it, we kind have to go into some context, because one of the things we see in the last chapter of second Peter is what we have seen not only in the ministry of Jesus, but throughout the New Testament, and that is essentially an apocalyptic worldview. And that sounds ominous enough, but ironically, we, we too, we share an apocalyptic view, whether we understood it in those terms are not, we share it. Basically, we believe that the world we live in is changing and that will continue to happen, a dawning of a new era is coming. And for, we who believe in Jesus, we are awaiting the inauguration of the kingdom with the king on the throne. And of course, when I say King, I’m talking about Jesus. We believe we are headed in that direction. But before that can happen things have to get really bad, very challenging, hardships for the world are out in front, unrest everywhere. But as with the rest of the stories in the Bible, when all hope seems lost, rescue columns and a new thing will be born. And in this case a new heaven and a new earth, in a nutshell, that’s an apocalyptic worldview. And this view was in the water in the first century, during the time of the New Testament. It’s one of the things that made people curious about Jesus. Here’s the thing though, although we share this view like, that we are on a trajectory that is going somewhere and that in the and all things will be new again, that this is going somewhere good, even though it may be difficult to get there, this is all going somewhere good. We share it a little bit differently than our brothers and sisters a couple of thousand years ago, and the differences those couple of thousand years because it’s been a couple of thousand years and second Peter was written. But a couple of thousand years ago, a couple of thousand years hadn’t passed yet and they were expecting this to happen in their life. They were expecting Jesus to return and establish this kingdom imminently. If you are expecting the imminent arrival of something and, for example, a decade passes as you wait. Something that you thought was immediate and a decade passes, then you start to wonder about that, you may not lose your hope in it, but you might think that you got your signals crossed somewhere. And then if another decade passes right, like so as the decades go by people start wondering like, what a second, the Savior was supposed to return, and we have been enduring and things are only getting worse like, the closer we draw to Jesus the more terrible things happen to us. They were waiting for the same thing we are waiting for. They just expected it to happen a lot sooner and we’re still waiting for it to happen, we have the benefit of knowing like okay, it wasn’t going to happen in the first century because were in the 21st century, so it’s going to happen, but when, we don’t really know, so we live our lives, accordingly, knowing that this is the trajectory, but we don’t know when. The time that second Peter is written, years have passed, Jesus didn’t return, what everybody thought was going to happen didn’t happen the way everybody thought it was going to happen. So, it is left giant question marks and it brought about a lot of doubt and people were disappearing into the woodwork again. And so, Peter addresses this and so let me quote a couple verses from second Peter chapter 3 that we read today. “Above all, be sure to remember that in the last days mockers will come following their own desires and taunting you saying so what happened to the promise second coming of Jesus for everything keeps going, just the way it has since our ancestors fell asleep in death. Since the beginning of creation, nothing changed.” Then Peter goes on to say, “don’t imagine dear friends that God’s timetable is the same as ours. As the Psalm says, for with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like one day. Lord is not slow about enacting his promise, slow is how some people want to characterize it, no, he is not slow but patient and merciful to you, not wanting anyone to be destroyed but wanting everyone to turn away from following his own path and turn toward God’s.” And this is where this lesson that is so impactful, can begin to descend upon us. They’re being a patient because they’re expecting something. We live inpatient because we’re expecting something and it didn’t make sense to them and it doesn’t make sense to us, why we have to endure. Like, let’s get on with it. Let’s bring the perfection. Let heaven come down on earth as it is in heaven, let’s do this. Peter calls that impatience like, he flips the whole thing around like we’re expecting something, but is God just delaying for no reason, or are we being impatient. According to Peter, we’re being impatient and we’re being impatient about something we should not be impatient about. So, let me quote Peter again, “the Lord is not slow about enacting his promise, He is not slow but patient and merciful to you, not wanting anyone to be destroyed.” So, we get impatient about God’s patience and mercy. The reason He is be being patient, the reason this is taking so long, isn’t because He just wants us to have to endure more generations of hardship, it’s that He is merciful and doesn’t want to lose anyone, doesn’t want anyone to be destroyed. Or I’ll just quote it from Peter, “not wanting anyone to be destroyed but wanting everyone to turn away from following his own path and turn toward God’s.” That means, brothers and sisters, when we endure, we are collaborating with God’s patience and mercy for the world. When we endure, we are the light of the world. We are the witness for the good news in this world, so that no one will be led into destruction. The work is obviously not done. We are a part of it. So, if we just sit under our rooves, hiding out in closets and reading Bibles and awaiting the eastern sky to split, we’re not collaborating at all. The reason God would be patient is because He doesn’t want to lose anybody. Why are we so willing to lose the rest of the world, just so that we can get out of here and get on with it. That’s pretty convicting stuff, at least for me. I do not like to endure, any more than anybody else, at all. I want on earth as it is in heaven, like I want everything to be put back together again. I want to know what it feels like to have a day like that and I’m looking forward to a forever like that. But that starts with a day like that. And it’s so easy to just throw our hands up in the air, I give, like I give up. And then we get think, ah, that’s what I’m supposed to do, I’m supposed to surrender. But to understand that God isn’t withholding so that we have to suffer, but that He is withholding in His mercy to be patient, so that all might hear the good news. That’s a totally different way of looking at our lives. When we come by this passage each year I literally have to sit down and think it through again, not think it through, like is this true, but think it through like man, I am, I have so much work to do, like what if God had not been patient and merciful toward me? Where would I be? Where would you be? And to consider that there are brothers and sisters in their life story, that are on their way, that are on a collision course with Jesus, they just don’t know it yet. Like, would we be like not too bad man, I have endured enough, Jesus come back. I am, I mean they should have already figured this out, just come back and make things right again, so that I don’t have to endure anything anymore. Man, that exposes something in us. The thing that we need to understand is that the reason that this is taking so long, isn’t because God’s trying to rest up and have enough strength. It’s because He doesn’t want to lose anybody. May we align our hearts with the heart of God on this and understand that when we do have to endure, when we do have to face hardship, when there is suffering, especially when it’s related to our faith, that we are collaborating with God and that we too, are marveling at how patient He is. I mean, in my lifetime alone, if I had to be the sovereign God, and I don’t even know how to think about that, but I’m not sure this world would still be standing right. Like, at some point you go, enough of this. The patience of God is remarkable. The patience of God has allowed us to be here today. If the brothers and sisters who were growing impatient in the first century got what they wanted, we wouldn’t be here. And so, it is for the sake of the world and the sake of the generations, that we get on board with the heart of God and do whatever it takes to be a light in the darkness, that all may know.

Prayer:

And Father, we invite You into. It’s very, very, very convicting. It exposes a bunch of stuff inside of each one of us. And forgive us, forgive us for being so self-absorbed that what we want is for You to make things right for us, when You want to make things right period. And we have nowhere near the vantage point that You do. And so, we trust You, we love You, we thank You for allowing us to be a part of the story at all. We thank You for your patience. Your patience with us, Your patience with the earth, may we be a part of the story that puts things back together again. Thank you for inviting us, we pray this in Your precious name. Amen.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday November 29, 2022 (NIV)

Daniel 6

Belshazzar makes a promise he cannot keep. The night that he gives the order to reward Daniel for his service is his last night on earth. By sunrise a new king—even a new empire—rules Belshazzar’s kingdom. But Daniel doesn’t mind because the true King is with him. Darius, Belshazzar’s successor, will recognize Daniel’s obvious talents and one day promote him to the same rank Belshazzar promised.

Belshazzar’s story is a great reminder that people—regardless of their rank—who insult God or try to render God irrelevant are doomed to fall. They may not fall as quickly as Belshazzar, but they will fall.

Darius decided to rule by stationing 120 officers strategically over the entire empire. Over the officers he appointed 3 governors, including Daniel, and required each officer to report directly to them. This way the new king hoped not to lose any territories from his recent conquests or the revenue they provided. Because of Daniel’s exceptional abilities, it wasn’t long before he distinguished himself over the other governors and officers. So the king decided to appoint him as head over the entire realm. This appointment did not sit well with the other leaders, so the governors and officers tried to find reasons to level charges against Daniel for the way he supervised the kingdom. Though they tried, they could find no basis for charges or any corruption in his office. Daniel was loyal and attentive in his duties.

Conspirators: We will never find any credible basis for charges against Daniel for how he conducts his office. Perhaps we can uncover some suitable charge in regard to the law of his God.

The governors and officers agreed and went to the king with what they thought would be a way to entrap Daniel.

Conspirators (to the king): May King Darius live forever! All the leaders of the empire—the governors, prefects, officers, advisors, and other administrators—have consulted together and are in complete agreement that the king should issue an edict and enforce it strictly to the effect that anyone who prays to another—whether divine or human—except for you, of course, good king, for a period of 30 days, will be thrown into the lions’ den. Now, O king, we ask that you establish such an ordinance and sign it into law, so that it cannot be changed. For the laws enacted by the Medes and Persians cannot be rescinded.

After considering their proposal, King Darius signed the ordinance and made it law. 10 Even though Daniel was aware the king had signed the ordinance into law, he continued to do what he always did. He would go home, ascend the stairs to the upper room—which had windows facing toward Jerusalem—and get down on his knees three times a day and pray to his God and praise Him. 11 One day the conspirators came to his house and found Daniel on his knees praying and seeking God’s help. 12 So they went back to the king and asked to speak to him about the edict he had made.

Conspirators: O king! Did you not sign an edict expressly forbidding anyone, regardless of his nationality, to pray to another—whether divine or human—except for you, of course, good king, for a period of 30 days or else he would be thrown into the lion’s den?

Darius: Indeed. I did sign it, and I intend to enforce it according to the laws of the Medes and Persians. It cannot be rescinded. Why do you ask?

Conspirators (to the king): 13 Well, recently we found your servant, Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, kneeling and praying at his home three times a day to his God. He is ignoring you, O king, and the edict you signed into law.

14 When the king heard the charge, he was very upset. He thought a great deal of Daniel, so he tried to figure out a way to help him. All day long until evening he looked for some loophole in the law to keep Daniel from falling victim to his edict. 15 The conspirators returned to press the matter further.

Conspirators (to the king): We have no need to remind the king that according to the law of the Medes and Persians, no edict established by the king can be revoked, changed, or ignored.

16 With his honor at stake, the king had no choice. He gave the order for Daniel to be captured. Before Daniel was thrown into the pit with the lions, the king spoke to him.

Darius: May your God, the God you have served so faithfully, rescue you!

17 Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den and a stone was brought in and placed over the opening to shut the mouth of the den. The king himself sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his nobles. That way no one could tamper with the pit and nothing could happen to change Daniel’s fate. 18 The king retired to his palace and spent the night fasting. That evening he stayed to himself, turning down his regular evening musical entertainment. When he finally went to bed, he could not sleep.

19 When first light of morning finally arrived, the king got up and didn’t waste any time returning to the lions’ den.

Darius can hardly wait to see what has happened to Daniel, who has become indispensable to the king.

20 As he drew near the den, with anguish in his voice he called out to Daniel, hoping somehow he was still alive.

Darius: Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, the One you have served so faithfully, been able to rescue you from these hungry lions?

Daniel (to the king): 21 Long live the king! 22 As soon as you shut the mouth of this den, My God sent His heavenly representative to shut the mouths of these hungry lions so that they could not hurt me. He has rescued me because I am as innocent before Him as I am before you, O king. I have done you no harm.

23 The king could hardly contain his excitement and joy. He ordered that Daniel be taken up out of the lions’ den. He was removed and examined carefully, but not even a scratch was found on him—all because he put his trust in His God. 24 The king gave yet another order; this time he demanded that those who accused Daniel of wrongdoing be captured and thrown into the lions’ den—but not only them—their wives and children too. As they were being pushed into the den, before they even hit the bottom, the lions jumped on them, overpowered them, and crushed their bones in their powerful jaws.

25 Afterward King Darius sent a message to all the peoples through the world, regardless of their heritage, nationality, or language.

Message: May peace and prosperity be yours! 26 I decree that all people everywhere who live under my sovereign rule ought to tremble before and fear the God of Daniel.

For He is the living God,
and He will endure forever.
His kingdom will never be overthrown;
His reign will know no end.
27 He saves and rescues those who fear Him,
performing signs and wonders in heaven and on earth;
For He has rescued His servant Daniel
from the power of the lions.

28 With his enemies defeated, Daniel continued to thrive during the reign of Darius and into the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

2 Peter 3

This is now, my dear friends, my second letter to you. In both of them, I have tried to inspire you to a sincere and pure way of thinking by reminding you of what you already know. Remember the words spoken earlier by God’s holy prophets and the commandment that our Lord and Savior gave to you through your emissaries.[a] Above all, be sure to remember that in the last days mockers will come, following their own desires and taunting you, saying, “So what happened to the promised second coming of Jesus? For everything keeps going just the way it has since our ancestors fell asleep in death; since the beginning of creation, nothing’s changed.”

These believers face persecution every day and eagerly await the day when Jesus will return and judge their enemies. But what is taking so long?

When they make fun of you, it’s as if the scoffers are deliberately forgetting that long ago when God spoke the word, the heavens came into existence and the earth formed from water and by water. The waters later flooded and destroyed that world. By that same word, the heavens and earth we see now are being reserved for destruction by fire, preserved until the time comes for the godless on the day of judgment.

Don’t imagine, dear friends, that God’s timetable is the same as ours; as the psalm says, for with the Lord, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day.[b]

Scoffers use the delay in His second coming to question if He is going to return at all. Peter responds by saying that God’s perspective on time is not like ours. What seems long from a finite, human perspective is incredibly short from an eternal one. Peter also describes how God is not slow, but patient. God wants to allow the time needed for as many sinners as possible to turn from their sinful ways. Unlike some depictions of God as vindictive and enjoying inflicting punishment on people, the God we see here desires that all be saved and not destroyed. If we had true spiritual insight, we would not be amazed by the severity of eternal judgment but by the intensity of God’s mercy.

Now the Lord is not slow about enacting His promise—slow is how some people want to characterize it—no, He is not slow but patient and merciful to you, not wanting anyone to be destroyed, but wanting everyone to turn away from following his own path and to turn toward God’s.[c]

10 The day of the Lord will come unexpectedly like a thief in the night; and on that day, the sky will vanish with a roar, the elements will melt with intense heat, and the earth and all the works done on it will be seen as they truly are.[d] 11 Knowing that one day all this will come to pass, think what sort of people you ought to be—how you should be living faithful and godly lives, 12 waiting hopefully for and hastening the coming of God’s day when the heavens will vanish in flames and the elements melt away with intense heat. 13 What will happen next, and what we hope for, is what God promised: a new heaven and a new earth where justice reigns.

14 So, my friends, while we wait for the day of the Lord, work hard to live in peace, without flaw or blemish; 15 and look at the patience of the Lord as your salvation. Our dearly loved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, has written about this. 16 He says essentially the same in all of his letters, although uneducated and unstable readers misinterpret the difficult passages, just as they always misread Scripture, to their spiritual ruin.

17 So hear my final words, my friends. Now that I have warned you about what’s ahead, keep up your guard and don’t let unprincipled people pull you away from the sure ground of the truth with their lies and misunderstandings. 18 Instead, grow in grace and in the true knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Anointed, to whom be glory, now and until the coming of the new age. Amen.

Footnotes:

  1. 3:2 Literally, apostles
  2. 3:8 An allusion to Psalm 90:4
  3. 3:9 Literally, repent
  4. 3:10 Other manuscripts read “be burned up.”
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Psalm 119:129-152

Pe

129 Your decrees inspire wonder;
because of that, my soul desires to keep them.
130 When Your words are unveiled, light shines forth;
they bring understanding to the simple.
131 My desire for Your commands
left me waiting, open-mouthed and panting.
132 Acknowledge me and show me Your grace
as is Your habit toward all those who love Your name.
133 Guide my steps in the ways of Your word,
and do not let any sin control me.
134 Rescue me from the torment of my human oppressors
so that I may live according Your decrees.
135 Let Your face shine upon Your servant,
and help me to learn what You require.
136 My eyes shed rivers of tears
whenever people fail to keep Your teaching.

Tsadhe

137 You are good and just, O Eternal One,
and Your rulings are right.
138 You have set out Your decrees in justice,
and they can be trusted.
139 I am overwhelmed by my passion
because my enemies have forgotten Your words.
140 Your promise is tested and true;
that’s why Your servant loves it.
141 I may be insignificant to some and hated by others,
but at least I do not forget Your precepts.
142 Your righteousness will last forever,
and Your law is truth.
143 Trouble and distress have overtaken me,
but Your commandments bring me great joy.
144 Your decrees are right and true forever;
grant me understanding so that I may live.

Qoph

145 I called to You wholeheartedly: “Answer me, O Eternal One!”
I will respect, I will follow Your statutes.
146 I cried out to You: “Rescue me,
and I will live according to Your decrees.”
147 I wake before the dawn and call for help;
I hope in Your words.
148 My eyes do not shut before each watch of the night
so that I can fix my mind on Your word.
149 Listen to my voice, in keeping with Your unfailing love.
Preserve my life, O Eternal One, according to Your just rulings.
150 Those who wish me harm are moving closer to me;
they are far away from Your teaching.
151 But You are near me, O Eternal One,
and all You have commanded is true.
152 I learned a long time ago
that You established Your decrees to last forever.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Proverbs 28:21-22

21 Showing favoritism is not good;
some will desert the truth for a measly crust of bread.

22 A greedy person is in a hurry to get rich,
but he is ignorant of the loss that is about to overtake him.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

11/28/2022 DAB Transcript

Daniel 5:1-31, 2 Peter 2:1-22, Psalms 119:113-128, Proverbs 28:19-20

Today is the 28th day of November welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian and it is wonderful to be here with you today as we gather and continue our journey forward, the next step. And that next step leads us…well…exactly where we left off, which happens to be at this point in the year in the book of Daniel. And today we will read Daniel chapter 5.

Commentary:

Okay. In second Peter today Peter is going after false teachers, which is…I mean this is not that long of a letter…and so there aren’t that many themes in the letter and this is one of them and he is after false teachers. Which isn’t to say that he’s just trying to get people to say and think what he’s thinking. Actually, it’s not even really the…the false teachers or what he’s calling false teachers that are really driving what he’s saying, it’s what they can do to people. And not just like a teaching that is incorrect that leads a person to maybe believe something that’s incorrect. Certainly, it’s those things. But it’s people using their position of authority or their position as a teacher or a position of power than to manipulate other people. So, these people were once believers. They can talk the talk. They know the language, but they’re falling away from the essentials of the gospel and leading other people to do the same thing, but also at the same time exploiting their people, like using their gifting to exploit and manipulate or let me just read it out of second Peter. “These people who speak ill of what they do not understand are no different than animals without sense, operating only on their instincts born to be captured and killed. And they will be destroyed just like those animals receiving the penalty for their evil acts. They waste their days and parties and carousing. As they feast with you these stains and blemishes on your community are feasting on their deceptions. Their eyes are always looking for their next adulterous conquest. Their appetites for sin cannot be satisfied. They seduce the unwary soul and greed is the only lesson they have learned by heart. God’s curse lies upon them.” So, I guess it’s pretty clear how Peter feels about this and I think it’s important to point out, because the concept of a false teacher that’s not a new concept, and that really gets thrown around a lot in our Christian culture. People get labeled false teachers because they simply don’t adhere to a certain denominational statement of doctrine or something like that. And, so, a lot of mislabeling happens. So, we’re not talking about people who are asking questions in order to grow in faith or to test their faith or wrestle with their faith in the pursuit of better understanding and deeper revelation. That has always been part of the Christian tradition. Peter’s talking about people who are intentionally deceiving God’s people for their own personal gain. Or again, just reading from second Peter, because it’s pretty clear what he’s saying. “These people I’m talking about”, Peter says, “these people I’m talking about are nothing but dried up springs, mists driven by fierce winds. The deepest darkness has been set aside for them. They speak in loud voices, empty and arrogant. They exploit the desires of the flesh, take advantage of sensual natures to entangle people who have just escaped from those who live by deception. They claim to offer them freedom, but they themselves are enslaved by corruption because whatever a person gives into soon becomes his master. Those who have been pulled out of the cesspool of worldly desires through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the anointed one, yet have found themselves mired in it again are worse off than they were before. They would’ve been better off never knowing the way of righteousness then to have known it and then abandoned the sacred commandment they had previously received and dived right back into the muck. In their cases, the words from Proverbs hold true, the dog goes back to his own vomit. And as the Greeks say, the sow is washed to wallow in the mud.” That…well…first of all, that’s very direct, but the imagery. Think about it. The dog going back to its own vomit. Probably most of us have had the wonderful opportunity to even see that happen if we’re dog lovers or we’ve ever been around dogs. And I can just see one of my dogs. I won’t name her. Both girls. I won’t name her. I don’t want to embarrass her or shame and she’s not feeling well and so she starts breathing deeply right and just kind of like making funny noises and arching her back back and forth until finally…blah…all over the floor, right? And then she may walk away and then come back, put her nose in it, smell it, sniff it and then maybe eat it. It’s disgusting. And the imagery here that Peter’s using is disgusting because what he’s talking about in his view is disgusting. And, so, Peter doesn’t want people to be taught to return to their disgusting ways, ways that they lived before they knew Jesus. And, so, Peter’s certainly concerned about people who would instruct others and manipulate others along these lines, but he’s also very concerned about what it looks like to know Jesus and walk in freedom and return to sin. It’s as disgusting as a dog returning to its vomit, sniffing it, and eating it. If we think about our dog returning to its own vomit and smelling eat and eating it, that’s disgusting and it’s so gross, then we should understand that when we return to what we know is wrong we’re doing the same thing. So, let’s give it some thought today because I don’t think we want to be doing that. So, we need to think about it. What sewage do we keep coming back to and smelling and thinking about lapping it up and eating it down? What do we return to that we know is wrong and that is not healthy for us and that is toxic for us, but we go back and eat it anyway? And what influence do we have over people to persuade them to do the same thing along with us? And as we think about that we are getting out what Peter is trying to teach us. We have been set free. Why would we go back and revisit the cesspool of who we used to be?

Prayer:

Father, we invite You into that. We need You into that. What…what is it that triggers us to do what we know is wrong? And we are grateful for the stark imagery of the dog returning to its own vomit. We definitely all think that’s disgusting. But when we realize spiritually, we have the ability to do the same thing, that brings things very near and helps us understand what we’re being taught. And, so, Holy Spirit, come. Lead us, show us these areas that we’re just leaving it laying on the floor, we’re not cleaning it up, we’re just leaving the filth so that we can come sniff it or eat it anytime we want. It’s time to do some cleanup and we need Your help. And, so, Holy Spirit come into this, we pray in the precious and mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

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What’s going on around here is what is going on around here all over the world. We are in the holiday season now. And, so, the annual Daily Audio Bible family Christmas Box is available in the Daily Audio Bible Shop in the Daily Audio Bible app in the Shop section you’ll find a Christmas category and in the Christmas category you’ll find the DAB Christmas Box for 2022. And it is packed full as I mentioned a couple days ago. We had to get a different, a bigger box this year. It’s packed, packed full of resources. And, so, check that out. Promised Land, photographs from the land of the Bible, the coffee table edition is included in the box. The God of Your Story, a beautiful hardbound edition that is daily, 365 days through the Bible, just like we do on the Daily Audio Bible only in written form. And, so, that is fantastic resource. Reframe and Sneezing Jesus are included in the box. Your choice of the DAB blend Windfarm coffee or our Honey Bush and Rooibos tea, your selection, the Daily Audio Bible Christmas ornament for 2022 with our word “Rooted” on it for the year is included in the box. And that’s exclusive to the annual Christmas Box. We have a Global Campfire candle that is lovely, and indeed worked really hard and it smells like campfire and it’s wonderful. Also, global campfire pop socket for your phone or whatever you need hold onto and two Global Campfire stickers. You can see all of that in the Christmas section in the Daily Audio Bible Shop. So, check that out.

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And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I will be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Father God thank You that You are a loving Father. Thank You for Your love. Thank You for that hope that You give us and thank You for that peace we can find in You. Lord, as Your children we do struggle to feel those things at times. Thank You that we can trust in those things, and I pray that You’d be helping us to remember Your love and that hope and peace that we can find in You that You’d help us to…yeah. But Lord we pray especially for those who…who don’t know that. Praying especially for young people, those who…who have no hope at the moment, have no hope and that all seems dark and there isn’t a way out and there is no hope, You know, and they even…even to the point of thinking about ending it. Lord please break in to those situations. Please be speaking to those hearts and those minds. May they find You, may they see Your and feel Your love and know that hope and that peace. Please be at work in their lives Lord. Please be shining so bright. We commend them to You Lord and trust that You’re watching over them in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Shalom Daily Audio Bible this is Duane from Wisconsin. All praise and glory to our wonderful Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Today is November 25th. Let us pray for Susie and her husband and their missionary work in Haiti. Dear Lord, we want to lift up Susie we want to lift up these children and this organization board. They are desperate. We are on our knees Lord asking You, begging You to protect this community. We’re asking You to intervene to allow the food they need, the resources they need to get to them to keep these children safe Lord. We ask that You were soft on the hearts of those in the gangs that are around this community and that are looking to take over and do things that I’m sure are not Christian and are not God loving. We ask that You protect the children that are there and those that are sick Lord we ask for a healing hand Lord. We ask Your intervention. We ask for understanding Lord. We ask for direction. We want to give You praise and glory that Susie and her husband have had the courage and the faith to do what they have been doing and now Lord, they need You to intervene. They need to lean into You for peace Lord for protection Lord. We ask for this. We beg of this if it is Your will Lord to see them through this, to see the children through this time Lord, through it Lord that it will not stop, that they will continue to be able to live where they live if that is so You will we ask this Lord. In Your name we pray. Amen. And remember the same Lord Savior the saved our children can also save these orphans. God bless and Amen.

Hi, I was asked to send in a prayer request for my mother because she’s unable to send in a prayer request right now. She was arrested yesterday because she was on a property that she wasn’t supposed to be on. But she believed that God would keep her safe from the police and she wanted me to come on here and ask for you all to pray that she gets an OR. She’s in the Delaware County jail and she said that they’ve hurt her there and that she really just needs you all to pray for her. She said if I told you that she…that her username was Disciple that Jesus Loves in Ohio you would know who she was because she’s sent in prayer requests before. And I just wanted to…just wanted to ask you guys to pray for her if you please could. Thank you so much.

Hey Daily Audio Bible this is Redemption Wings reaching out because I need prayer from the community. I’ve fallen short. I’ve been struggling with my faith and just having so much on my mind. But as of late I’ve backslid and regressed into old habits that I’ve worked hard to come out of, temptations and strongholds and things that I haven’t been as active in the faith as I should have been which probably would have kept me from the filth. But just need a handful of prayers to restrengthen me and for me to take this time to back away from so much to refocus my attention on the Lord Jesus and to regenerate my love for the word and for the truth because clearly, I’ve put it on the backside and decided to pursue my will instead of dying to myself and putting His will and bearing my cross. So, DABbers please pray for me, Redemption Wings. I’ll be in touch but right now I have to seek repentance and get back on the narrow road. Alright. Much love to everyone and thank you.

Hi, this is Deborah from the East Coast it is the evening on Thanksgiving Day and prayerfully everyone has a blessed day. First Thessalonians the 5th chapter verses 17 and 18 reminds us to pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. We are so thankful for God answers prayers. Some with yes, some with no, and some with wait. So, we will continue to pray, keep the faith, and hold on to God’s unchanging hand. Thank you so much Brian and family for all that you do in the podcast. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And again, we know every day is a day of Thanksgiving. I love you and God does too.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday November 28, 2022 (NIV)

Daniel 5

A theme found throughout Scripture is that God humbles the proud and exalts the humble. Nebuchadnezzar is stronger than anyone else, and he knows it. He willingly accepts credit for all that has happened in his life, so God moves decisively to show how insignificant Nebuchadnezzar truly is. It takes little to reduce him to an animal-like state, a wild man living at the margins of humanity, his power and prestige eroded overnight. If one of the greatest kings in history degenerates so completely, what can be done to common folks? Seven years of living as an animal go by, however, and he comes to his senses. He recognizes the truth of who he is and who God is. That realization is his salvation.

1-2 A few decades later, the king, Belshazzar, held a state banquet and invited a thousand of his officials.

The regent stands in for the king and performs his duties while King Nabonidus spends 10 years campaigning abroad, that is, fighting to expand the kingdom. In this case, the regent is Nabonidus’ son Belshazzar.

As he was tasting the wine, he ordered servants to bring in the gold and silver vessels his predecessor Nebuchadnezzar had stolen from the temple in Jerusalem many years earlier. He wanted his officials to join him, his wives, and his concubines in drinking a royal toast from them. A little later his servants returned carrying in the gold[a] vessels that had been taken from the temple, the house of the one True God in Jerusalem. The king, his officials, his wives, and his concubines began to drink from them. As they drank the wine, they offered praise to their idols crafted in gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

Suddenly the fingers of a hand—a human hand—appeared and began to write on the plaster of one of the palace walls lit by a nearby lampstand. The king stood transfixed, watching the hand as it wrote. Then his face changed. He grew pale and began to feel sick. His thoughts frightened him: what was this strange vision? His legs felt weak and wobbly. His knees knocked together. The king cried out to his servants, ordering them to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldean wise men, and the diviners.

Belshazzar (to Babylon’s wise men): A great reward awaits the first person who can read this writing and tell me what it means. He will be clothed in purple, wear a gold chain around his neck, and ascend in rank and privilege to be the third-highest-ranking ruler in the kingdom.

All the king’s purported wise men came forward to examine the wall, but no one could read the writing or tell the king what it meant. When it became clear that none of his sages could help him, King Belshazzar became even more frightened. His face grew even paler, and his officials were dumbfounded.

10 Belshazzar’s mother, the queen, overheard some of the discussions between the king and his noble guests, so she entered the banquet hall.

Queen: Long live the king! Don’t let this strange incident frighten you or let your face grow pale. 11 Need I remind you that there is a gifted man in your kingdom who possesses the spirit of the holy gods. Years ago, in the time of your predecessor, King Nebuchadnezzar, he was discovered to have insight, understanding, and wisdom like that of the gods. That is why King Nebuchadnezzar put him in charge of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldean astrologers, and diviners in his kingdom. 12 This man Daniel, whom King Nebuchadnezzar named Belteshazzar, has special abilities, knowledge, and wisdom; he is able to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve problems no one else can. Why don’t you call for Daniel? He will tell you what the writing means.

13-14 With no other options, Belshazzar gave the order, and Daniel was brought before him.

Belshazzar (to Daniel): Are you that Daniel I’ve heard so much about, one of the exiles brought here from Judah by my predecessor, King Nebuchadnezzar? I have been told that you possess the spirit of the holy gods—that you have insight, understanding, and exceptional wisdom. 15 Before you arrived, I had the wise men and enchanters brought before me to see if they could read this writing on the wall and tell me what it means, and not one of them was able to tell me. 16 But it has been reported to me directly that you can offer accurate interpretations and solve problems no one else can. Now I will offer you what I offered the others: if you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple, wear a gold chain around your neck, and ascend in rank and privilege to be the third-highest-ranking ruler in the kingdom.

Daniel: 17 Keep the gifts for yourself, or else award them to another. That is up to you. Still, I will agree to read the writing on the wall and tell you what it means.

18 O king, the Most High God gave sovereignty, greatness, honor, and splendor to your predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar. 19 God made him so great and powerful that all peoples, regardless of their heritage, nationality, or language, trembled in fear before him. He did as he pleased: executing or sparing, honoring or shaming anyone as he wished. 20 But there came a point when his heart was so proud and his spirit so haughty that he acted arrogantly; he lost his royal throne and was stripped of his royal honors. 21 He was driven away from all that is human, and he took on the base instincts of an animal; he lived in the company of wild donkeys and bent over to eat grass like the oxen; every night the dew of heaven fell heavy on his body and made him wet until he learned his lesson and acknowledged that the Most High God is the true sovereign over all earthly kingdoms, and He grants authority to anyone He wishes.

22 But even though you knew all this, you, Belshazzar, his descendant, have followed in his ways and not lived humbly. 23 On the contrary, you have risen up against the true Lord of heaven. By demanding that the sacred vessels from His temple be brought before you and having you, your officials, your wives, and your concubines drink from them, you have issued a challenge you cannot win. You have made toasts and offered praise to the idols crafted in silver and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—idols which cannot see you, hear you, or know anything at all. And you have failed to honor in all you do the one True God who holds the breath of life in the palm of His hand and makes possible all your days. 24 He is the one who sent this hand and inscribed this message on the wall, 25 and this is what the inscription says: “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.”

The cryptic word play is short and sweet. MENE, MENE; TEKEL; PARSIN: Numbered, numbered (your days); weighed (deficiently); divided (your empire).

26 Here is what these words mean: MENE: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end; 27 TEKEL: You have been weighed on the scales and found defective; 28 PERES: Your kingdom has been divided and handed over to the Medes and Persians.”

29 True to his word, Belshazzar gave the order and Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and the king proclaimed that he ascend in rank and privilege to be the third-highest-ranking ruler in the kingdom.

30 That very night, under the cloak of darkness, Belshazzar, the Chaldean king of Babylonia, was killed. 31 Then Darius the Mede, in his 62nd year, gained control of the kingdom.

Footnotes:

  1. 5:3 Other manuscripts add, “and silver.”
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

2 Peter 2

Just as false prophets rose up in the past among God’s people, false teachers will rise up in the future among you. They will slip in with their destructive opinions, denying the very Master who bought their freedom and dooming themselves to destruction swiftly, but not before they attract others by their unbridled and immoral behavior. Because of them and their ways, others will criticize and condemn the path of truth we walk as seedy and disreputable. These false teachers will follow their greed and exploit you with their fabrications, but be assured that their judgment was pronounced long ago and their destruction does not sleep.

New Testament writers warn the church to watch out for false teachers. Peter faults them primarily for their immoral lifestyles rather than for doctrinal differences.

For God did not spare the heavenly beings who sinned, but He cast them into the dark pits[a] of hell[b] to be kept until the time of judgment; and He did not spare the ancient world, but He sent a flood swirling over the ungodly (although He did save Noah, God’s herald for what is right, with seven other members of his family); and God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, reducing them to ash as a lesson of what He will do with the ungodly in the days to come 7-8 (although again He did rescue Lot, a person who did what was right in God’s eyes and who was distressed by the immorality and the lawlessness of the society around him. Day after day, the sights and sounds of their lawlessness were like daggers into that good man’s soul). If all this happened in the past, it shows clearly the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials and how to hold the wicked in punishment until the day of judgment.

Is God different in the New Testament from what He is in the First Testament? In the First Testament, God seems prone to judgment; but some feel God is more concerned about love in the New Testament. However, the central and most repeated affirmation about God’s character in the First Testament is that He is gracious and compassionate (Exodus 34:6–7). And the New Testament clearly does not ignore the idea of God’s judgment, as this text shows. His judgment will come, but it is delayed by God’s patient mercy.

10 And above all, it shows He will punish those who let the desires of their bodies rule them and who have no respect for authority. People like this are so bold and willful that they aren’t even afraid of offending heavenly beings, 11 although the heavenly messengers—in spite of the fact that they have greater strength and power—make no such accusations against these people before the Lord. 12 These people who speak ill of what they do not understand are no different from animals—without sense, operating only on their instincts, born to be captured and killed—and they will be destroyed just like those animals, 13 receiving the penalty for their evil acts. They waste their days in parties and carousing. As they feast with you, these stains and blemishes on your community are feasting on their deceptions.[c] 14 Their eyes are always looking for their next adulterous conquests; their appetites for sin cannot be satisfied. They seduce the unwary soul, and greed is the only lesson they have learned by heart. God’s curse lies upon them. 15 They have veered off the right road and gotten lost, following in the steps of Balaam, the son of Beor, the false prophet. Balaam loved the reward he could get by doing evil, 16 but he was rebuked for crossing the line into sin; his own speechless donkey scolded him in a human voice, an amazing miracle that reined in the prophet’s insanity.[d]

17 These people I’m talking about are nothing but dried-up springs, mists driven by fierce winds; the deepest darkness has been set aside for them. 18 They speak in loud voices empty and arrogant. They exploit the desires of the flesh, take advantage of sensual natures, to entangle people who have just escaped from those who live by deception. 19 They claim to offer them freedom, but they themselves are enslaved by corruption because whatever a person gives in to soon becomes his master. 20 Those who have been pulled out of the cesspool of worldly desires through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Anointed One, yet have found themselves mired in it again are worse off than they were before. 21 They would have been better off never knowing the way of righteousness than to have known it and then abandoned the sacred commandment they had previously received and dived back into the muck! 22 In their cases, the words from Proverbs hold true: “The dog goes back to his own vomit,”[e] and as the Greeks say, “The sow is washed to wallow in the mud.”

Footnotes:

  1. 2:4 Other manuscripts read “into chains of darkness.”
  2. 2:4 Literally, Tartarus
  3. 2:13 Other manuscripts read “in their love feasts.”
  4. 2:16 Numbers 22–24
  5. 2:22 Proverbs 26:11
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Psalm 119:113-128

Samekh

113 I despise those who waver back and forth,
but I love Your teachings.
114 You are my hiding place and my shield of protection;
I hope in Your word.
115 Away from me, reprobates!
I am committed to observing the commands of my God.
116 Support me in keeping with Your promise, O God, so that I may live;
do not let my hope turn into shame.
117 Help me so that I will be safe,
and I will respect Your laws continually.
118 You have rejected all those who stray from Your commands
because their fraudulent lifestyles are cunning and empty.
119 You have discarded all the wicked from the land, skimmed them off like dross;
that’s why I love Your testimonies.
120 My body shakes because of my fear of You,
and I am in awe of Your wise rulings.

Ayin

121 I have lived with fairness and integrity;
do not leave me at the mercy of my tormenters.
122 Provide security and protection for Your servant’s welfare;
do not let the proud oppress me.
123 My eyes are strained as I look for Your salvation
and for Your righteous promise to be fulfilled.
124 Treat Your servant in a manner that shows Your unfailing love,
and help me to learn Your decrees.
125 I am Your servant; impart to me understanding
so that I may fully grasp the depths of Your statutes.
126 It is time for the Eternal to step in and do something
because some have broken Your law.
127 Indeed, I love Your commands
more than gold, even more than the highest quality gold.
128 It’s true that I regard all Your guidance to be correct and good;
I despise every deceptive path.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Proverbs 28:19-20

19 Whoever cultivates his land will have plenty of food in the harvest,
but whoever cultivates worthless ventures will have poverty in abundance.

20 A reliable person will not escape blessings,
but one who wants to get rich quick will not escape trouble.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

11/27/2022 DAB Transcript

Daniel 4:1-37, 2 Peter 1:1-21, Psalm 119:97-112, Proverbs 28:17-18

Today is the 27th day of November, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian, welcome to a brand-new, shiny, sparkly week. 

And today, today’s a special day as we begin this new week. Today is the first day, the first Sunday in the season of Advent. Advent begins today. That means we’re about 40 days out from Christmas Day. There’s four Sundays leading up to Christmas. Those are the Sundays of Advent, that’s the season of Advent. And you may have…you may have observed Advent your entire life, you kind of just grew up with Advent calendars and just everything that goes around that, you also may be somebody that has heard the name Advent before, but don’t really, have never observed it, it’s not part of your tradition in the church that you belong to. That’s fine, it’s all fine. Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent means arrival and is simply a season designated on the Christian calendar, to allow our hearts to begin to prepare for the arrival of the Savior into the world. And obviously, that’s happened a while back, but we commemorate that as we celebrate Christmas each year. And so, to have a season of Advent, very similar to the fact that we have the season of Lent, leading up to Easter, really is simply a time to immerse ourselves, to give special focus to what is going on and that is preparing our hearts to celebrate the arrival of…of Jesus, which is a very different story than the arrival of say Santa Claus. And Advent, Advent is meant to put our hearts in part in the place that the people were in, as they longed for change, longed for a Savior. They were waiting, expecting, hoping that some things would change and that God would restore them and then He came. So, we…we put ourselves, as Christian people, in the same position, we…we think about that, that there was a time where this story hadn’t been told yet. People were longing for restoration and hope, the people were longing for a Savior, a Redeemer, a Restorer and we focus on that and even embrace that longing, as we consider it. Because we’re still longing, Jesus came and then promised to come again. So, we kind of in between the two arrivals, the two Advents if you will, find ourselves longing for that, for the arrival of the Savior, for full hope to be restored, for every need to bow and every tongue to confess. And so, we too have our own longing. And as we move toward the season and Christmas day, we embrace that, knowing that He came for us, knowing that He will come again, knowing that we are in between those two things and knowing that we are longing for the day of His arrival. So, if that sounds meaningful than there are all kinds of ways to embrace Advent but it really is just a season of preparation in our hearts, to prepare us for Christmas. I never grew up this way, like that’s not part of my story. I knew about it. I had heard of it, for some reason I thought it was suspicious. I don’t know, like something that people do, but we don’t do. And so, there must be something weird about it, but as I became a grown man, understood what was going on, especially understanding the sort of formation of the church and how some of the traditions have developed over the years, it’s become very meaningful to me, become very meaningful to Jill and I and our family. We have an Advent wreath and each Sunday we light the candle and we don’t keep it burning like constantly, but we at least do it. So that like, there are Advent calendars, there are Advent wreaths that have candles in them. You may be going to church today and there will be an Advent candle and it will be lit, the first of the four candles will be lit. Today’s candle is the hope candle and it allows us to have a whole week, as we are preparing for the arrival of Christmas and the celebration of Jesus arrival, to focus on our hope. What is our hope in? Where does our hope lie? Where has our hope failed us? Where are we lacking in hope? And putting our hope utterly and completely in God. So, there you go, there’s a little bit of where we are, it’s like, what a whirlwind. We went through last week, Thanksgiving Day in the United States and then Black Friday and all the shopping, and the festivities and then China’s birthday yesterday, and now here we are, beginning the season of Advent. So, a lot is going on and that is how this part of the year typically works for each one of us.

Nevertheless, no matter what is going on, we gather around the Global Campfire for many reasons but one primary reason and that is to take the next step forward together, as we continue our journey through the Scriptures this year. And so, we have begun the book of Daniel, which we will continue to work our way through. We finished first Peter yesterday, which brings us to second Peter, when we get to the New Testament, and we’ll talk about that then. But this week we’ll read from The Voice Translation, Daniel chapter 4.

Introduction to the Book of 2 Peter:

Okay so, this brings us to the opening lines of another letter, this one called second Peter and we just finished first Peter. Second Peter is thought to be the last of the writings of the old St. Peter. Although it’s important to at least acknowledge and point out that has been disputed and not within the last decade with modern scholarship, but for centuries, that has been a question, all the way back into antiquity. The acceptance of Peter being the author of this letter is something that developed over time and by the fourth century it was fully considered Scripture. But scholars are still debating over these things, not whether or not it should be in the Bible, not whether or not it’s inspired, not whether or not it’s Scripture, but whether or not this is a letter from Peter. So, a lot of people consider second Peter very similarly to the book of Hebrews, like the author is not fully known. That doesn’t change the contents or the value of what’s being said, just not certain. A lot of this, well, a lot of any kind of biblical scholarship that causes debate, causes vigorous debate. That’s sort of the point is to vigorously debate and wrestle with and arrive at some convictions. And so, there many scholars would say like the writing between these two letters is a very, very different, like, very hard to believe that the same author wrote both of the letters. Then those who are like, no Peter did write both of these letters, would say Peter was doing what was customary and normal at this time, he was dictating a letter and a secretary an amanuensis, as it’s called, was taking the notes or taking the dictation and writing the letter down. And I guess there’s valid reasons, since the debate continues, to wrestle with it because there are compelling arguments, that are scholarly arguments, but there are very compelling reasons to consider that Peter did write this letter and so that’s how we’re going to approach this, as if Peter wrote second Peter and that this is the last thing preserved. He was martyred shortly after this. And we have church tradition, a long-running church tradition, that the peer was crucified, that’s how he died and that he…he requested that he not be crucified, like the Lord. And so, he was crucified upside down. There’s nothing about Peter’s death or his execution or any of his trial or anything like that, that’s found in the New Testament. So, that is just a long-running church tradition, which does not mean its only tradition, it just means it’s not in the Bible. The letter doesn’t explicitly say who it is to, he says that he’s writing to you who share the same precious faith that we have. So, I guess it’s safe to assume that this is another letter, probably written to the same people that he had written his first letter to, because he refers to the first letter in the second letter. And where first Peter’s mission was to bolster and lift up and kind of put some wind beneath the wings and instruct the believers how to endure, because they were getting crushing pressure and it was only amping up. Second Peter warns about false teachings and evil behavior, not from without, like not persecution coming from without but evil behavior coming from within the church. And it’s a short letter, we won’t take a lot a long time with it, but as we’re moving through, rather than just like going okay, he’s teaching against false doctrine and teaching us how to live better lives, which would be fine, we just need to kind of consider, in the same way that we considered second Timothy, as Paul’s farewell that he knows that he’s going to die, we can look at second Peter, kind of from the same perspective that Peter knows he’s going to die. And we’ve been journeying with Peter for the whole year. Like, we met him in the Gospels in January. This is, this is a disciple that was a fisherman that Jesus called on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Peter became a disciple of the Rabbi, of his Rabbi Jesus, and came to believe that Jesus was Lord, the son of the living God. And he had walked around following Jesus and seeing His ministry and seeing the miracles that He performed and just all of the private moments. I so long to know about just Jesus private time with His disciples, I wish that were all written down somewhere. I would love that. What were the things that they sat around the fire and laughed about cause Peter would’ve been there. What are the things that would have upset them and brought them to tears. Peter would’ve seen that. Peter would’ve lived alongside of Jesus. And we know that Peter ate his Last Supper with Jesus. And we know that Peter denied he even knew Jesus and then watched him die. But we also saw this remarkable transformation in Peter as Jesus restores him on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, at the end of the book of John, the gospel of John. And we saw in the Book of Acts, the Holy Spirit coming to the upper room and it’s Peter who preaches this first sermon after that, on Pentecost and 3000 people chose to follow Jesus then and there. And so, a massive transformation. This will be the last time we’ll hear the words of Peter this year, as we continue our journey forward. And so, let’s give it gravity, let’s give it the honor that it’s due and let’s begin second Peter chapter 1.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for a brand-new shiny, sparkly, week that we get to enjoy it and then thank You for this week, Lord, for another transition week. By the time this week is through, we will be in the 12th month of the year. Thank You for bringing us here. Thank You for bringing us this far. And thank You for seeing us through all the way, every day of this year, that we might delight in You and continue our journey together, through the Scriptures. We look forward with longing to all that You have yet to speak into our lives this year. And we ask, Holy Spirit, what we’ve been asking for weeks now, that we would lock in, we would not become distracted, that we would not get disrupted, that we would finish strong, we would finish well, so that we can begin strong and begin well. And we know that we can say all we want about finishing strong and well, but without You, we can’t do anything. And so, come, Holy Spirit, lead and guide us in the way that we should go in the paths of righteousness, on the narrow path that leads to life. We pray this in the mighty and victorious name of Jesus. Amen.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Morning everybody, this is God’s Smile, here, with Peter. Blind Tony, when you spoke about being with the Consultant and He’s heard, where be alright, we keep ahead of this. I couldn’t help but smile, thinking of Jesus, our Alpha and Omega, the One that goes ahead of us. Tony, the One that goes before you. The One that prepares the way for you, in this time of your life. We thank God, that everything you need, all your supplies, are within Christ Jesus. And it causes me to sing unto the Lord. I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditate shall of Him, shall be sweet. I will be glad; I will be glad in the Lord. Blessed thou the Lord, oh, my soul. Praise ye the Lord. Bless thou the Lord, oh, my soul. Praise ye the Lord. Blessed thou the Lord, oh, my soul. Praise ye the Lord. Bless thou the Lord, oh, my soul. Praise ye the Lord. Father, we bless You and we praise You. We thank You that Your will be done, in Blind Tony’s life. Thank You for Your love and Your care and Your provision. We love you Blind Tony, you’ve got many more poems to share. Kiss kiss, bye for now.

Hello DABers, this is Z1. I want to thank God for my family and for all the prayers you’ve done for my grandma, God’s Chosen One. And I also want to, and I also want to use this time to tell everyone to have a happy Thanksgiving and if you’ve already decorated for this upcoming season, a Merry Christmas to come. I pray this all in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Bye.

Hey, my delightful DAB fam. This is Kingdom Seeker Daniel. Family, it’s day 285, I’m praying for our marriages and today, I want to pray for Sunshine. Oh, my dear sister Sunshine, I heard your heart. And I want you to know, God is with you. And He knows, He sees, and He cares. And I want to believe that God’s will is being performed, even in what seems to be impossible. So, Father, I come on behalf of Your daughter, Sunshine, whose husband left 5 years ago, for someone else. And is living in a wilderness kind of, lifestyle. The adult children are hurting, and they can’t make sense of it and are pretty hurt and devastated. Father, we ask that You would show up in this marriage, Lord, we know You hate divorce and it’s not Your will that man and woman should end up in divorce. However, because of the hardness of our hearts, You often allow it to be. But God if, if it’s possible, would you let this cup of divorce pass from Sunshine and her husband. And bring this man to his right mind, to return to You and then to his wife and family. We know You can and we’re asking that You would bring healing to this entire family, to Your glory. In Jesus name. Amen.

Wow, Daily Audio Bible, it’s Thanksgiving. I’m so thankful for you. But even more, I pour through the word of God, who convicts, who heals, covers my sins in His blood. All the readings from today, stabbed my heart, because they are true in my heart, but they don’t, they’re not put into practice. I guess I want it to be perfect but it’s never gonna be perfect, until I see the perfect one, until we see the perfect one. This is Laura Lee, Bouton Beach. I just was loving on my mom once again. Having my identity in her rejection and her abandonment and her not enjoying the children. It’s been passed on and I don’t wanna regret the authority and the gift of being a child of my mom’s. So, I just pray that God bless my mom, bless our time together. Don’t let me leave again in anger and disappointment, finding my identity in her. Anything because right now, in her dementia she really doesn’t know what’s she’s doing. And before, she didn’t either. So, please forgive her, I do as well. And give me strength to be present. It’s tough.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday November 27, 2022 (NIV)

Daniel 4

One day King Nebuchadnezzar sent out a herald with a message for all the peoples, nations, and languages of the earth.

Message: May peace and prosperity be yours!

I am pleased to be able to tell you about all the signs and miracles the Most High God has done for me.

How great are His signs;
how powerful are His miracles!
His kingdom will endure forever;
His reign will last from generation to generation.

I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace; things were going well, and I was prospering. Then one night I had a dream that terrified me. As I rested that night on my bed, the images in my mind—the visions in my head—disturbed me greatly, and I could not shake the fear. So I ordered my servants to gather all the wise men of Babylon and bring them before me in order to tell me what this dream might mean. So they came: magicians, enchanters, Chaldean astrologers, and diviners. And though I told them the dream, they could not tell me its meaning. Finally, Daniel came before me. This man had been given the Babylonian name Belteshazzar after the name of my own god, Bel, and it certainly seems the spirit of the holy gods is with him. I told him my dream:

“Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, it is clear to me that the spirit of the holy gods is with you and no mystery is too difficult for you to figure out. Listen to my dream, then tell me what it means. 10 Here is the vision I saw as I lay upon my bed:

“A tree stood in the middle of the land;
it was huge, rising high in the sky.
11 The tree grew tall and strong,
and it reached right up to the top of the sky.
It was so large that it could be seen
from one end of the earth to the other.
12 It had beautiful leaves and plenty of fruit.
In fact, it provided sustenance for everyone.
Wild animals came and rested in its cool shade.
Birds flew in and built nests on its sturdy branches.
Every living creature plucked its fruit and was satisfied.

13 But that was not all. The visions kept coming as I lay there on my bed, and I saw a heavenly messenger, a holy watcher coming down from heaven. 14 He shouted out orders regarding the tree.

“‘Cut down the tree, and lop off its branches.
Strip off its leaves, and scatter its fruit.
Let all the wild animals beneath it run away
and all the birds on its branches fly away.
15 But leave its stump intact,
its roots in the ground,
Strapped down with iron and bronze,
surrounded by the tender grass of the field.
Let the dew of heaven fall heavy on it every night and make it wet,
and let him live off the plants of the earth among the wild animals.
16 Let his human heart be changed, exchanged for the heart of a wild animal
until seven times have come and gone.
17 The verdict comes down as the watchers decreed;
the sentence is passed by order of the holy ones
So that all who live on the earth
may know that the Most High God is the true sovereign over all kingdoms of the earth;
He grants authority to anyone He wishes
and installs the lowliest of people into positions of power.’

(to Daniel) 18 “This is the dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, dreamed, the vision I saw. None of the other sages and wise men in my kingdom are able to tell me what it means. But I believe you, Belteshazzar, can because the spirit of the holy gods is with you and you have a special gift. Now tell me what it means.”

19 As the interpretation of the king’s dream became clear, Daniel (who was also called Belteshazzar) became visibly upset for a while. His thoughts troubled him. The king noticed, and he spoke to Daniel.

Nebuchadnezzar: Belteshazzar, don’t let my dream or its meaning alarm you. Tell me what you know.

Belteshazzar: My lord, I wish the dream described those who hate you and its meaning concerned the fate of your enemies! 20 The tree you saw in your vision, the one which grew tall and strong so that its top reached up to the sky and could be seen from one end of the earth to the other, 21 the tree whose leaves were beautiful and fruit plentiful and provided sustenance for everyone, the tree under which the wild animals came to rest in the cool shade and in which the birds built their nests on its sturdy branches— 22 that tree is you, O king! You have become great and strong. Your greatness has grown tall and reached the sky; your authority and power extend to the end of the earth. 23 But that is just one part of your dream. The king saw the messenger, the holy watcher of heaven come down from heaven and declare, “Cut down the tree, and destroy it, but leave its stump intact, its roots in the ground, strapped down with iron and bronze, surrounded by the tender grass of the field; let the dew of heaven fall heavy on it every night and make it wet, and let him live among the wild animals off the plants of the earth, until seven times have come and gone.” 24 Here is the interpretation, O king. It is a decree the Most High God has issued against you, my lord and king. 25 You will be driven away from all that is human and live in the company of wild animals; you will be forced to eat grass like oxen, and night after night the dew of heaven will fall on you and make you soaking wet. Seven times will pass until you learn your lesson and acknowledge that it is the Most High God, and no other, who is the true sovereign over all kingdoms on earth, and He grants authority to anyone He wishes. 26 The watcher’s order to leave the stump and roots of the tree intact means that your kingdom will be restored to you when, and only when, you acknowledge that Heaven alone is sovereign over the earth. 27 So, O king, please accept my advice to you. Make a clean break with your sins and invest in what is right. Bring an end to your wicked deeds and show mercy to those you have beaten down. If you do, perhaps your future will be different and your prosperity will continue.

28 But King Nebuchadnezzar forgot Daniel’s advice, so everything Daniel had predicted happened. 29 Twelve months later, as the king was strolling across the roof of his royal palace in Babylon, 30 the king uttered foolish words:

Nebuchadnezzar: Isn’t Babylon a great city? I have built this royal residence from the ground up with my own might and ingenuity to honor my own majesty.

31 The words had scarcely left his lips when another voice thundered from heaven.

Voice: King Nebuchadnezzar, these solemn words are for you. The kingdom has been taken away from you. 32 You will be driven away from all that is human, and you will live in the company of wild animals. You will be forced to eat grass like oxen. Seven times will pass until you learn your lesson and acknowledge that it is the Most High God, and no other, who is the true sovereign over all kingdoms on earth, and He grants authority to anyone He wishes.

33 Instantly the heavenly decree against Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from all that is human and began to eat grass as oxen do. The dew of heaven fell and drenched his body. In time his hair grew as long as the feathers on an eagle and his nails grew long and curved back on his hand like the claws of a bird.

Message: 34 When these days of exile came to an end, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up toward heaven and came to my senses. I blessed the Most High God and praised and gave glory to the One who lives eternally:

“His reign will endure forever;
His kingdom will last from generation to generation.
35 Among all the people of the earth,
there are none who compare.
He does as He wishes with the armies of heaven
and those who live on earth.
No one can stop His hand from acting;
no one dares to ask, ‘What have You done?’”

36 It was in that moment that I came to my senses. Soon my honor and splendor were restored as Daniel predicted, and the former glory of my kingdom returned. Those who had served me before, my advisors and officials, sought me and returned me to the throne of Babylon. In time my kingdom and power grew even greater than it was before. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, acknowledge the true King of heaven. I praise, lift up, and glorify Him because all He does is true, all His ways are just, and He is able to cut down those who strut about in their pride.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

2 Peter 1

Simon Peter, a servant and emissary[a] of Jesus the Anointed One, to those who have received the same precious faith we share through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus the Anointed. I wish you a full measure of grace and peace as you grow in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

His divine power has given us everything we need to experience life and to reflect God’s true nature through the knowledge of the One who called us by His glory and virtue. Through these things, we have received God’s great and valuable promises, so we might escape the corruption of worldly desires and share in the divine nature.

God took the first step to rescue us from this corrupt world. He has granted us His power, revealed to us true knowledge, and spoken to us great promises. He has done all this for a reason: that we might participate in His own nature and reflect His own life. But we are not passive observers of God’s saving actions. We must receive His grace, grow in knowledge, and join Him in this work of redemption.

To achieve this, you will need to add virtue to your faith, and then knowledge to your virtue; to knowledge, add discipline; to discipline, add endurance; to endurance, add godliness; to godliness, add affection for others as sisters and brothers; and to affection, at last, add love. For if you possess these traits and multiply them, then you will never be ineffective or unproductive in your relationship with our Lord Jesus the Anointed; but if you don’t have these qualities, then you will be nearsighted and blind, forgetting that your past sins have been washed away. 10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, work that much harder to confirm that God has called you and claimed you. If you do this, then you will never fall along the way; 11 and you can be sure that you will be richly welcomed into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King.

12 That is why I will keep reminding you of these things, even though I know that you believe them and have made these truths a part of your lives; 13 as long as I draw breath, I know it is right for me to keep on stirring you up with these reminders. 14 I know that soon I must die and lay down this old body that’s been my home—our Lord Jesus the Anointed has told me so. 15 But before my exodus from this life, I want to be certain you will be able to call these things to mind anytime you need them even after I am gone.

Faith does not rest upon cleverly devised fables invented by creative minds; it rests upon the testimonies of eyewitnesses who faithfully pass down what they see and hear to others.

16 For I want to remind you that when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus the Anointed, we were relying on what our eyes had seen of His glorious majesty, not on cleverly told fables. 17 You see, God the Father lavished honor and glory upon Jesus when the voice of the Majestic Glory echoed from heaven and said, “This is My beloved Son, and My favor rests on Him.”[b] 18 We witnessed this—we ourselves heard this voice from heaven—when we were with Jesus on that holy mountain. 19 We have a fuller confirmation of the message of the prophets. You would do well to pay close attention to this word; it is like a light that shines for you in the darkness of night until the day dawns when the morning star rises in your own hearts.

Peter and two other disciples see Jesus transfigured. This event and the heavenly voice confirm Jesus’ true identity and are a prelude to the greatest miracle of all—the resurrection.

20 But notice first that no prophecy found in Scripture is a matter of the prophet’s own interpretation. 21 Prophecy has never been a product of human initiative, but it comes when men and women are moved to speak on behalf of God by the Holy Spirit.

Footnotes:

  1. 1:1 Literally, apostle
  2. 1:17 Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35
The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Psalm 119:97-112

Mem

97 Oh, how I love Your law!
I fix my mind on it all day long.
98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies
because they are always with me.
99 I have more discernment than all my teachers
because I study and meditate on Your testimonies.
100 I comprehend more than those who are my elders
because I have kept Your precepts.
101 I have kept my feet from walking the paths of evil
so that I may live according to Your word.
102 I have not neglected Your lessons,
for You, God, have been my teacher.
103 Your words are sweet to my taste!
Yes, they are sweeter than honey in my mouth!
104 I gain understanding from Your instructions;
that’s why I hate every deceitful path.

Nun

105 Your word is a lamp for my steps;
it lights the path before me.
106 I have taken an oath and confirmed it:
I pledge to do what You say is right and just.
107 I have suffered terribly, O Eternal One;
give me the life You promised.
108 Please accept the words I offer willingly, O Eternal One,
and instruct me in the ways of Your justice.
109 My soul is continually in danger,
but I do not forget Your teachings.
110 The wicked have laid a trap for me,
but I have not drifted away from Your instructions.
111 Your decrees are forever mine,
for they bring joy to my life.
112 I have committed myself to do what You require
forever and ever, to the very end.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Proverbs 28:17-18

17 A man guilty of murder is a fugitive,
fleeing to the nearest hole in the ground but not escaping death’s cold pit.
Don’t do anything to save him.

18 Whoever walks in honesty will be safe,
but whoever travels the crooked path will suddenly fall.

The Voice (VOICE)

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

11/26/2022 DAB Transcript

Daniel 2:24-3:30, 1 Peter 4:7-5:14, Psalms 119:81-96, Proverbs 28:15-16

Today is the 26th day of November welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we bring another one of our weeks to a close. Today is my daughter China’s birthday. And, of course, China and my wife Jill are working their way through Daily Audio Bible Chronological, working through the Scriptures in chronological order. And, so, happy birthday China. It is certainly a heartwarming feeling inside to watch your daughter be born and be your little girl and grow up and start reading the Bible as a child and continue all the way through into adulthood and continue through into marriage and then having baby Reagan, our granddaughter and still be interested, intrigued, fascinated and growing in the Scriptures every day. And, so, can’t pass this day without saying happy birthday China. And, so, happy birthday China. You are a very loved girl, very very appreciated. And, so, with that…I’m not gonna sing happy birthday. So, with that out of the way…because I’m not not a very good singer. That’s my wife. She’s a very good singer, So, with that out of the way let’s dive in. And we’ve been reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week, which is what we’ll do today. And we’ll get going in the book of Daniel. Today we will read chapter 2 verse 24 through 3 verse 30.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word, and we thank You for another week that we have been able to spend together in Your word. And this is certainly a week of transition as we turn the corner and begin the festivities and the longing and the rejoicing for Your arrival and the celebration of Christmas. And, so, we love You and we thank You for walking us through this and bringing us to the threshold of another week. And we recognize by looking at the calendar that the weeks that remain are far fewer than the weeks that we have already moved through together. We thank You for that. We thank You for bringing us to this point and we thank You that You will bring us across the finish line strong and well. We recognize that if we want to begin next year well, we will finish this one well. And, so, thank You for being out in front of us, leading us, pulling us forward. And we pray a special blessing over China today on her birthday and we thank You for all that she has represented here in the Daily Audio Bible community for all of these years when she was just a little girl. And we thank You for her life and all that it represents. So, come Holy Spirit with Your blessing not only on China but on each of us as we continue to take the next step forward together. We pray this in the precious mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Good morning, everyone. This is Eva from Brooklyn NY. This is my first year listening and first time calling. I thank the Lord for this wonderful ministry. Throughout my life I’ve had my shares of struggles like everyone else especially when there’s a death of a loved one but during this time God has come in like a flood to give strength, hope, faith, and a greater trust in the Lord. It has truly been a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

This is from junk to treasure. Send help Lord. Send help.

Hello, my DAB family this is Jamie in New Jersey standing on the word of God. I humbly ask you to please pray with me. Dear Father in heaven, as we approach Thanksgiving we pray for our families and loved ones. We ask for Your protection over them. Help us to love unconditionally as You would have us love one another. May You always preserve the bond that we have and may we always look forward to seeing each other when we have been apart. Grow our love so deep that it is able and willing to overcome and forgive at all times no matter the offense. We trust in Your mighty power to keep us safe from any form of evil. Father, wherever we have grown cold toward each other, rekindle our hearts and let us see each other as You see us. Heal our hearts and remove any hatred and or strife, bitterness, and unforgiveness. Restore the bonds that have been broken. We ask Your Holy Spirit to surround us with Your love. We ask You to always be at the center of our relationships. Enable our bonds with each other to be as a three cord strand in Your word that cannot easily be broken. Give us the strength to rely on each other and most importantly to rely on You. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. Thank you for praying along with me, my brothers and sisters. I love you all dearly. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and loved ones. God bless you and have a good night.

Happy Thanksgiving DAB family this is Prisoner of Hope. I’m calling to pray for some of our DABbers. It is just coincidently Thanksgiving Day. And I wanted to pray for Treasure to Treasure. I think now, you changed…you changed your name from Junk to Treasure or something like that. I’ll get it. But you had said that your house is broken down, your car is broken down, you had this hip replacement that limits you and I just wanted to pray for you because you so faithfully pray for so many people including my family. And I…I also think Dwayne from Wisconsin who prayed for my family and my children who are far from the Lord. Lord, I pray for from Junk to Treasure. I just pray that You would just please continue to be her everything. Lord, I know she has all these broken things but she is rich in Jesus and there’s nothing to compare with that, so I thank You for that. I thank You for being a blessing in our life. Thank You for giving her a heart that is a heart after Your own and that wants to have a passion that a love for others who are in need. I also wanna pray for Anonymous on Purpose who said you don’t know how to love the Lord and you don’t know how to receive love from him. And I don’t know how to tell you…excuse me…to do that other than say just be still and know that he is God, know that he loves you. Just come to Him with a humble heart and just receive what He has for you. Don’t overthink it. Just let Him be a blessing to you and just breathe in His peace and His love and His mercy and His grace into your life. We just thank You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday November 26, 2022 (NIV)

Daniel 2:24-3:30

24 Therefore Daniel went to Arioch,(A) whom the king had assigned to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He came and said to him, “Don’t destroy the wise men of Babylon! Bring me before the king, and I will give him the interpretation.”(B)

25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and said to him, “I have found a man among the Judean exiles(C) who can let the king know the interpretation.”

26 The king said in reply to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar,(D) “Are you able to tell me the dream I had and its interpretation?” (E)

27 Daniel answered the king, “No wise man, medium, magician, or diviner(F) is able to make known to the king the mystery he asked about. 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has let King Nebuchadnezzar know what will happen in the last days.(G) Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay in bed(H) were these: 29 Your Majesty, while you were in your bed, thoughts came to your mind about what will happen in the future.[a](I) The revealer of mysteries(J) has let you know what will happen. 30 As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me,(K) not because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.(L)

The Dream’s Interpretation

31 “Your Majesty, as you were watching, suddenly a colossal statue appeared. That statue, tall and dazzling, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was terrifying. 32 The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its stomach and thighs were bronze, 33 its legs were iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly fired clay. 34 As you were watching, a stone broke off without a hand touching it,[b](M) struck the statue(N) on its feet of iron and fired clay, and crushed them.(O) 35 Then the iron, the fired clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were shattered and became like chaff(P) from the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled(Q) the whole earth.

36 “This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 Your Majesty, you are king of kings.(R) The God of the heavens has given you sovereignty, power,(S) strength, and glory. 38 Wherever people live—or wild animals, or birds of the sky—he has handed them over to you and made you ruler over them all.(T) You are the head of gold.

39 “After you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours, and then another, a third kingdom, of bronze, which will rule the whole earth.(U) 40 A fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron; for iron crushes and shatters everything, and like iron that smashes, it will crush and smash all the others.[c](V) 41 You saw the feet and toes, partly of a potter’s fired clay and partly of iron—it will be a divided kingdom, though some of the strength of iron will be in it. You saw the iron mixed with clay, 42 and that the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly fired clay—part of the kingdom will be strong, and part will be brittle. 43 You saw the iron mixed with clay—the peoples will mix with one another[d] but will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with fired clay.

44 “In the days of those kings, the God of the heavens will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed,(W) and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms(X) and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever. 45 You saw a stone(Y) break off from the mountain without a hand touching it,[e](Z) and it crushed the iron, bronze, fired clay, silver, and gold. The great God has told the king what will happen in the future.(AA) The dream is certain, and its interpretation reliable.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s Response

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell facedown, worshiped Daniel, and gave orders to present an offering and incense to him.(AB) 47 The king said to Daniel, “Your God is indeed God of gods, Lord of kings,(AC) and a revealer of mysteries,(AD) since you were able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon.(AE) 49 At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego(AF) to manage the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.(AG)

Nebuchadnezzar’s Gold Statue

King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue,(AH) ninety feet high and nine feet wide.[f] He set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.(AI) King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers(AJ) of the provinces to attend the dedication of the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces assembled for the dedication of the statue the king had set up. Then they stood before the statue Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

A herald loudly proclaimed, “People of every nation and language, you are commanded: When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither,[g] lyre,[h] harp, drum,[i] and every kind of music,(AK) you are to fall facedown and worship(AL) the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. But whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.”(AM)

Therefore, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and every kind of music, people of every nation and language fell down and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

The Furnace of Blazing Fire

Some Chaldeans(AN) took this occasion to come forward and maliciously accuse[j](AO) the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever. 10 You as king have issued a decree(AP) that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music must fall down and worship the gold statue. 11 Whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. 12 There are some Jews you have appointed to manage the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.(AQ) These men have ignored you,(AR) the king; they do not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

13 Then in a furious rage(AS) Nebuchadnezzar gave orders to bring in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar asked them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you don’t serve my gods or worship the gold statue(AT) I have set up? 15 Now if you’re ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music, fall down and worship the statue I made. But if you don’t worship it, you will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire—and who is the god who can rescue you from my power?” (AU)

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. 17 If the God we serve exists,(AV) then he can rescue(AW) us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can[k] rescue us from the power of you, the king. 18 But even if he does not rescue us,[l] we want you as king to know that we will not serve(AX) your gods(AY) or worship the gold statue you set up.”

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage,(AZ) and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times more than was customary, 20 and he commanded some of the best soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21 So these men, in their trousers, robes, head coverings,[m] and other clothes, were tied up and thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. 22 Since the king’s command was so urgent[n](BA) and the furnace extremely hot, the raging flames[o] killed those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.

Delivered from the Fire

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm.(BB) He said to his advisers, “Didn’t we throw three men, bound, into the fire?”

“Yes, of course, Your Majesty,” they replied to the king.

25 He exclaimed, “Look! I see four men, not tied, walking around in the fire unharmed;(BC) and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”[p](BD)

26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and called, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God—come out!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire.(BE) 27 When the satraps, prefects, governors, and the king’s advisers gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect(BF) on[q] the bodies of these men: not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them.(BG) 28 Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel[r](BH) and rescued his servants who trusted in him.(BI) They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.(BJ) 29 Therefore I issue a decree(BK) that anyone of any people, nation, or language(BL) who says anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be torn limb from limb and his house made a garbage dump.(BM) For there is no other god who is able to deliver like this.” 30 Then the king rewarded Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.(BN)

Footnotes:

  1. 2:29 Lit happen after this, also in v. 45
  2. 2:34 Lit off not by hands
  3. 2:40 Lit all these
  4. 2:43 Lit another in the seed of men
  5. 2:45 Lit mountain, not by hands
  6. 3:1 Lit statue, its height sixty cubits, its width six cubits
  7. 3:5 Or lyre
  8. 3:5 Or sambuke
  9. 3:5 Or pipe
  10. 3:8 Lit and eat the pieces of
  11. 3:17 Or If the God whom we serve is willing to save us from the furnace of blazing fire, then he will
  12. 3:18 Lit But if not
  13. 3:21 The identity of these articles of clothing is uncertain.
  14. 3:22 Or harsh
  15. 3:22 Lit the flame of the fire
  16. 3:25 Or of a divine being
  17. 3:27 Lit fire had not overcome
  18. 3:28 Or messenger

Cross references:

  1. 2:24 : Dn 2:14–15
  2. 2:24 : Ac 27:24
  3. 2:25 : Ezr 4:1; 6:16,19–20; 10:7,16; Dn 5:13
  4. 2:26 : Dn 1:7; 5:12
  5. 2:26 : Dn 5:16
  6. 2:27 : Dn 1:20; 4:7; 5:7,11
  7. 2:28 : Is 2:2; Dn 10:14; Hs 3:5; Mc 4:1
  8. 2:28 : Dn 4:5; 7:15
  9. 2:29 : Rv 1:1
  10. 2:29 : Jb 12:20–22; Dn 2:45
  11. 2:30 : Eph 3:3
  12. 2:30 : Gn 41:16; Ec 3:18; Am 4:13; Ac 3:12
  13. 2:34 : Jb 34:20; Lm 4:6; Dn 8:25; 2Co 5:1
  14. 2:34 : Mt 21:44; Lk 20:18
  15. 2:34 : Ps 2:9; Is 60:12
  16. 2:35 : Ps 1:4; Is 17:13; 41:15–16; Hs 13:3
  17. 2:35 : Is 2:2; Mc 4:1
  18. 2:37 : Is 47:5; Jr 27:6–7; Ezk 26:7
  19. 2:37 : Pr 8:15
  20. 2:38 : Ps 50:10; Jr 27:6; 28:14; Dn 4:21
  21. 2:39 : Dn 5:28,31; 7:6
  22. 2:40 : Dn 7:7,23
  23. 2:44 : Ps 145:13; Ezk 37:25; Dn 4:3; 6:26; 7:14; Lk 1:33
  24. 2:44 : Ps 2:9; Mt 21:44
  25. 2:45 : Is 28:16
  26. 2:45 : Dn 2:34
  27. 2:45 : Jr 32:18–19; Dn 2:29; Mal 1:11
  28. 2:46 : Mt 8:2; Ac 10:25; 14:13; Rv 19:10; 22:8
  29. 2:47 : Dt 10:17; Ps 136:2–3; 1Tm 6:15; Rv 17:14; 19:16
  30. 2:47 : Am 3:7
  31. 2:48 : Gn 41:41; Dn 3:1,12,30
  32. 2:49 : Dn 1:17; 3:12
  33. 2:49 : Est 2:19,21; Am 5:15
  34. 3:1 : 1Kg 12:28; Is 46:6; Jr 16:20; Hs 2:8; 8:4; Hab 2:19
  35. 3:1 : Gn 11:2; Dn 2:48–49
  36. 3:2 : Ezr 8:36; Dn 2:48; 6:1–7
  37. 3:5 : Gn 4:21; 1Ch 6:31; 25:6; Jb 21:12; 30:31; Ps 33:2; 71:22; 81:2; 149:3; 150:4; Is 5:12
  38. 3:5 : Dn 2:46
  39. 3:6 : Jr 29:22; Mt 13:42,50; Rv 9:2
  40. 3:8 : Dn 2:2,4–5,10
  41. 3:8 : Ezr 4:12–16; Est 3:8–9; Dn 6:12,24
  42. 3:10 : Dn 4:6; 6:26
  43. 3:12 : Dn 1:7
  44. 3:12 : Dn 6:13
  45. 3:13 : Dn 2:12
  46. 3:14 : Jr 50:2
  47. 3:15 : Ex 5:20; 2Kg 18:35; Is 36:18
  48. 3:17 : Ps 10:4; 14:1; 53:1; Hs 13:4; Heb 11:6
  49. 3:17 : 1Sm 17:37; Jb 5:19; Jr 15:20–21; 2Co 1:10
  50. 3:18 : Heb 11:25
  51. 3:18 : Jos 24:15
  52. 3:19 : Est 7:7
  53. 3:22 : Dn 2:15
  54. 3:24 : Dn 4:19
  55. 3:25 : Ps 91:3–9; Is 43:2
  56. 3:25 : Mt 14:33; Mk 1:1; Lk 1:35; Jn 3:18; Ac 9:20
  57. 3:26 : Dn 4:2
  58. 3:27 : Heb 11:34
  59. 3:27 : Dt 29:5
  60. 3:28 : Heb 1:14
  61. 3:28 : Ps 34:7; Is 37:36; Ac 5:19; 12:7
  62. 3:28 : Ps 22:4–5; Is 12:2; 26:3–4; Jr 17:7
  63. 3:29 : Dn 4:6
  64. 3:29 : Dn 3:4,7; 4:1; 5:19; 6:25; 7:14; Rv 5:9; 7:9; 10:11; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6; 17:15
  65. 3:29 : Ezr 6:11; Dn 2:5
  66. 3:30 : Dn 2:48–49
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

1 Peter 4:7-5:14

End-Time Ethics

The end of all things is near;(A) therefore, be alert and sober-minded(B) for prayer. Above all, maintain constant love(C) for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.[a](D) Be hospitable(E) to one another without complaining. 10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others,(F) as good stewards of the varied grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides,(G) so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

Christian Suffering

12 Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to you.(H) 13 Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ,(I) so that you may also rejoice with great joy when his glory is revealed.(J) 14 If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ,(K) you are blessed, because the Spirit(L) of glory and of God[b] rests on you. 15 Let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a meddler.[c] 16 But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in having that name.[d] 17 For the time has come for judgment(M) to begin with God’s household,(N) and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?

18 And if a righteous person is saved with difficulty,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?[e](O)

19 So then, let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust themselves(P) to a faithful Creator while doing what is good.

About the Elders

I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and witness(Q) to the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory about to be revealed:(R) Shepherd God’s flock among you,(S) not overseeing[f] out of compulsion but willingly, as God would have you;[g] not out of greed for money but eagerly; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd(T) appears, you will receive the unfading crown(U) of glory. In the same way, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. All of you clothe yourselves with[h] humility toward one another, because

God resists the proud
but gives grace to the humble.[i](V)

Conclusion

Humble(W) yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand(X) of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.(Y) Be sober-minded,(Z) be alert.(AA) Your adversary the devil(AB) is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him,(AC) firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.

10 The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory(AD) in Christ,[j] will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while.[k] 11 To him be dominion[l] forever.[m] Amen.

12 Through Silvanus,[n](AE) a faithful brother (as I consider him), I have written to you briefly in order to encourage you and to testify that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! 13 She who is in Babylon,(AF) chosen together with you, sends you greetings, as does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love.(AG) Peace(AH) to all of you who are in Christ.[o]

Footnotes:

  1. 4:8 Pr 10:12
  2. 4:14 Or God’s glorious Spirit
  3. 4:15 Or as one who defrauds others
  4. 4:16 Other mss read in that case
  5. 4:18 Pr 11:31 LXX
  6. 5:2 Other mss omit overseeing
  7. 5:2 Other mss omit as God would have you
  8. 5:5 Or you tie around yourselves
  9. 5:5 Pr 3:34 LXX
  10. 5:10 Other mss read in Christ Jesus
  11. 5:10 Or to a small extent
  12. 5:11 Some mss read dominion and glory; other mss read glory and dominion
  13. 5:11 Other mss read forever and ever
  14. 5:12 Or Silas; Ac 15:22–32; 16:19–40; 17:1–16
  15. 5:14 Other mss read Christ Jesus. Amen.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Psalm 119:81-96

כ Kaph

81 I long for your salvation;(A)
I put my hope in your word.(B)
82 My eyes grow weary
looking for what you have promised;(C)
I ask, “When will you comfort me?”
83 Though I have become like a wineskin dried by smoke,
I do not forget your statutes.
84 How many days must your servant wait?
When will you execute judgment on my persecutors?(D)
85 The arrogant have dug pits for me;(E)
they violate your instruction.
86 All your commands are true;
people persecute me with lies—help me!(F)
87 They almost ended my life on earth,
but I did not abandon your precepts.
88 Give me life in accordance with your faithful love,
and I will obey the decree you have spoken.

ל Lamed

89 Lord, your word is forever;(G)
it is firmly fixed in heaven.
90 Your faithfulness is for all generations;(H)
you established the earth, and it stands firm.(I)
91 Your judgments stand firm today,(J)
for all things are your servants.(K)
92 If your instruction had not been my delight,
I would have died in my affliction.(L)
93 I will never forget your precepts,
for you have given me life through them.(M)
94 I am yours; save me,(N)
for I have studied your precepts.(O)
95 The wicked hope to destroy me,(P)
but I contemplate your decrees.
96 I have seen a limit to all perfection,
but your command is without limit.

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Proverbs 28:15-16

15 A wicked ruler over a helpless people(A)
is like a roaring lion or a charging bear.(B)

16 A leader who lacks understanding
is very oppressive,
but one who hates dishonest profit
prolongs his life.(C)

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.