Daniel proceeded to rebuke the king in front of all his guests. The king had defied the Lord of heaven by his sacrilegious abuse of the Temple's vessels, worshiped idols, and failed to glorify the God that held his very life in his hands. God sent forth the hand to write the inscription on the wall.
The response of the Hebrew young men was respectful, but at the same time, audacious and theologically sound. They made no attempt at compliance with the king’s edict. The young men refused to apologize for their action, confessed their allegiance to God, testified to God’s power, acknowledged the sovereignty of God, expressed confidence in God's grace, and declared their unwavering loyalty to God.
Daniel made it a point to remind the royal court that only the God of heaven can reveal the mysteries of what would take place in the latter days, and he had given Daniel the ability to make it known to the king. Daniel began his presentation by revealing the circumstances of the dream, which included the details about Nebuchadnezzar on his bed contemplating what would take place in the future.
Having returned to Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar ordered Ashpenaz to select some of the hostages to be trained for royal service. Those selected had to be young men, of royal or noble birth, physically and intellectually superior and be competent to stand in the presence of the King.
Judah observed Israel's unfaithfulness but failed to learn from it. The greater the light, the greater the guilt, so Israel was considered more righteous in God’s eyes than “treacherous Judah.” To benefit from God’s grace, they needed to repent of their apostasy. Through repentance, they would experience wonderful blessings.
This series of divine affirmations impressed upon Jeremiah’s mind the fact that God had a definite plan and purpose for him. Jeremiah was appointed as an official ambassador of God who spoke in his name and by his authority. Though other prophets spoke to and about foreign nations, Jeremiah is the only prophet to receive the title “prophet to the nations.”
His suffering was vicarious and redemptive. Only through that suffering could all the straying sheep be recovered. The contrast in these verses is both striking and moving. The servant took our grief and bore it. The servant has carried our sorrows. It was our transgressions pierced him. It was our iniquities which crushed him and his chastisement secured our peace. Through his wounds, we are healed.
The Servant that is spoken of is none other than Jesus of Nazareth. The Servant would be successful in his mission amid some shocking things that would happen to him. He would be disfigured to the astonishment of onlookers and in his suffering, he would cleanse many nations. Because he succeeds in this priestly ministry in spite of suffering, the kings of the earth would be in awe of him and his accomplishments.
Isaiah urged the discouraged remnant to be attentive to God’s teaching because its instruction would be a light for all people. God’s great purpose of salvation was approaching. The heavens and earth and its inhabitants will pass away, but God’s salvation is forever.
The city was burned, and its massive walls were entirely dismantled. Only the very poorest of the citizens were allowed to remain in the land because the Babylonians did not wish the area to lie waste, with no prospect of tribute. All of this happened to fulfill the word of the Lord.
The people had not attended, participated, or celebrated a Passover like this since the days of Samuel. The festival was attended by the citizens of Judah and by many Israelites from among the ten tribes who still remained intermixed with the Assyrian colonists in the area of Samaria. The sad part of this is that it did not abate the Lord's anger and wrath toward their disobedience.
The King called for a national assembly and read the book of the covenant that had recently been discovered. The king renewed the old covenant with God, which had been broken, and he pledged to walk in obedience.
Josiah came to the throne at the tender age of eight, determined to steer his nation out of the worship of pagan gods. He led the last great reformation of the monarchy period. Josiah began the reform movement in his eighth year when he was just sixteen years old.
God’s people responded to the prophetic efforts by continuing in their willful disobedience. When their cup of iniquity was full, God’s wrath, long restrained, descended upon Israel and he removed them out of his sight and Judah alone was left as God’s people. By God’s grace, the southern kingdom was preserved for a few short years after the destruction of the northern kingdom.
The prophetic ministry of Elisha, which had spanned over half a century, came to a close in the early years of Jehoash of Israel. The respected old prophet must have been around eighty years old and as he lay dying, the king came to see him.
When asked what he desired, Elisha requested a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. A double portion was the right of the eldest son who also had authority over members of the family once the father was gone. Granting such a request was not in Elijah's purview. Only God could designate a man as spiritual leader of the nation.
Upon learning of the defeat of her god and the death of her prophets, Jezebel publicly vowed that she was going to have Elijah killed, and a messenger was dispatched to the city gate to find the prophet. She wanted Elijah to know of her solemn vow. This unexpected turn of events caused great discouragement and in a moment of spiritual weakness, he fled the country. He seemed to experience a profound depression mingled with fear. Perhaps he thought that this would settle the Baal issue once and for all.
In words seething with defiance, Elijah accused Ahab of abandoning the commandments of the Lord, and he issued a challenge to the king. He called for all of Israel to be gathered at Mt. Carmel along with the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah for a prophetic showdown.
pride is inexcusable, but God used this incident to accomplish his purpose of bringing division within the kingdom fulfilling the predictions made by the prophet Ahijah to Jeroboam some two decades earlier.
Solomon's heart was not wholly devoted to God like the heart of his father David. God was angry with Solomon because his devotion to him had grown cold. Solomon had been solemnly warned about the pursuit of other gods, but he had disregarded this command of the Lord. In his anger, the Lord pronounced a solemn judgment upon Solomon.