The Pipe and Pencil Podcast
Welcome to the Pipe and Pencil Podcast where we help all church members learn more about theology and church history. It might be tough sometimes but the reward is worth it.
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The Pipe and Pencil Podcast
#6 - The History of the Jews From Josiah to Jesus
Ever felt spiritually stuck and wondered how to find your path back to faith? Journey with us as we unravel the profound story of King Josiah. We explore his transformative actions against idolatry and the sweeping revival during his reign, shedding light on the parallels between his struggles and our personal battles with spiritual stagnation. You'll hear how Josiah's discovery of the Book of the Law led to a nationwide call to repentance, influenced by the prophet Jeremiah, and how this revival set the stage for significant historical figures like Daniel.
Next, we dive into the resilience of Daniel, a young man exiled to Babylon who remained unwavering in his faith amidst political upheaval. Discover how Daniel's refusal to conform to the king’s dietary demands became a testament to his spiritual integrity and strength. We also delve into Daniel’s prophetic visions that foretold the rise and fall of empires, providing a fascinating historical context to his steadfast commitment to God. This episode reveals how his story intertwines with the broader narrative of Judaism, offering rich insights into the evolution of Jewish worship and tradition.
Finally, we reflect on the enduring legacy of figures like Daniel, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah, Judah Maccabee and the Hasmoneans, emphasizing the importance of maintaining our faith irrespective of external circumstances. By examining how true devotion to God transcends the need for physical temples or ideal leaders, we encourage listeners to focus on their personal relationship with God. Be inspired by the stories of unwavering faith and learn how you can leave a legacy of spiritual steadfastness for future generations. Join us for an episode filled with historical wisdom and spiritual guidance, perfect for anyone seeking to strengthen their faith journey.
Check out my favorite, free online Bible timeline: https://www.thebiblicaltimeline.org/
Here are some of the articles that helped me piece together the chronology for this episode:
To read the full prayer of Manasseh: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/k/kjv/kjv-idx?type=DIV1&byte=4140878
https://seminary.bju.edu/theology-in-3d/so-was-it-70-years-or-not/ (This article explains in detail, the different 70-year prophecies that I referred to in this episode)
https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/39223/does-daniel-10-imply-that-daniel-consumed-meat-and-wine
https://www.esv.org/resources/esv-global-study-bible/map-14-16/
https://library.biblicalarchaeology.org/article/who-returned-first-ezra-or-nehemiah/
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/472179
Note: Using the links below will help support the show.
Much of the timeline for the story of the Maccabees that I used was from Bruce Gore's history book. If you would like his book, you can purchase it using the link below. I recommend his book for personal study, teaching, or as part of a homeschool program.
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To purchase our recommended timeline book:
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Hello and welcome to the Pipe and Pencil podcast. This is episode number six. I just want to share something with you that happened for us this past week. That happened for us this past week. We put out episode number five and we were coming up on our 30-day mark of podcasting. And, wouldn't you know it, on the 30th day of podcasting we reached 50 downloads, and that's just amazing to me. So we hit 50 downloads in our first 30 days days and we've had listeners tune in from Germany, japan, czechia. In fact, if I'm not mistaking, our first return listener was in Germany. So you know, when we look at our software, we can see where people are listening from. We even have an idea of different devices that are being used, but that's about it. So we would love to hear from you. You can go to the description and click, send us a message and just let us know why you keep coming back. What is it you like about this little podcast? We'd love to know. Maybe there's something we've done here that has been a blessing to you. Maybe my voice just helps you go to sleep, I don't know. Either way, we'd love to hear from you. So be sure to send us a message. Be sure to send us a message.
Stephen:All right, so today we're going to wrap up the first part of our Church History series and this is. We've been on a very slow march through the Old Testament trying to get to the New Testament and I can promise you we're just about there. This is the last episode that we're going to do in the New Testament and I can promise you we're just about there. This is the last episode that we're going to do in the Old Testament and, as you probably know, the Pipe and Pencil podcast is all about making theology accessible for all, and I believe one of the best ways for church members, for the lay people, to really learn about doctrine and theology, is to study church history. And we went back to the very beginning. We went to Babel and saw where Abraham and his family were called out, and we've made it all the way to about the last, maybe about 800 years before the birth of Christ. And now I have to tell you this is going to be interesting. We have a lot of history to cover. In this last episode and the way we're going to do it, I really want to tell you not just a set of stories, but I want to take a lot of stories and weave them together. We want to tell a single story and we are going to have to use our imagination a little bit.
Stephen:The way that I like to do these podcasts is to just kind of write out thoughts. I don't necessarily, for the most part is to just kind of write out thoughts. I don't necessarily. For the most part I don't write out word for word what I'm going to say. I just have thoughts and I will sit down and just talk about those thoughts. I like to imagine that we're sitting at a table and we're just having a discussion, we're telling this story, and so that is what we are going to do. But before we get into that, let me't catch a break Like things just aren't really working out for you.
Stephen:Maybe you were in a place at one time in your life where you just felt like you couldn't imagine God blessing you any more than he already had. Now we know we've never been perfect. You know you've had, maybe you've had times where you wandered away from the Lord, but you came back. You came back to the Lord and you experienced revival like never before. You came back to the Lord and you experienced revival like never before. Maybe at one point in your life you were praying about going into the ministry. Maybe you even went to Bible college and then one day everything changed. Your mountaintop experience just stopped, and maybe it wasn't even all at once. Maybe just one day you woke up and you realized things weren't the way that they used to be, and things just went from bad to worse. Have you ever had one of those times where you thought, wow, I've hit rock bottom, can't get any worse than this. And then you find out you weren't at rock bottom. There was further to go.
Stephen:Sometimes in life we feel like we've done everything right, but it doesn't seem to matter. Meanwhile, the wicked are prospering, but you're stuck. Maybe it's that you're in a place where you don't want to be. I don't know your particular situation, but maybe you feel like some of your problems are caused by your environment. I mean, look, look at our nation as a whole. Do you? Do you ever feel like our nation has lost its way? If we could just fix the those problems with those people, maybe things would be better If you live somewhere else. Things would be better If you had a better boss. Maybe it's your spouse, or so you think Maybe your spouse is the cause of your problems. They just don't seem to be the same person that you married.
Stephen:Have you ever had times where you felt like you were paying for the sins of someone else? You feel like if you had better people in your life, things would be better, and maybe none of that even matters right now, because you just don't feel God's presence in your life in any way. Maybe you know he hears you, but he seems far away. You know that he's forgiven you, but you feel like you're still paying for decisions that you made. You have that day where you're looking through old pictures and you think, well, those days are never going to happen again. Is this ever going to end? Is there a purpose? Well, that's what our story is about today.
Stephen:I want to tell you a story, and I'm going to have to give a disclaimer. Like in so many movies we see, they're based on a true story. I can tell you that these events I'm going to tell you about they're based around real people and real events, real things that actually happened, though I have to tell you they may not have happened this particular way. I remember Pastor Michael Katz saying you know, we're going to tonight. Use our sanctified imagination. Well, that's what I want to do in this podcast. We're going to take some time to imagine that we're there with the children of Israel the children of Israel. If there's anybody that knows about ups and downs and trying to find restoration and wanting things to be the way they used to be, I think the Jews certainly know something about this. I want you to imagine in your mind a dark night. So many good stories start out that way. Maybe imagine some rain falling.
Stephen:We're at a palace and in the dark of the night, as guards walk through the halls as they pass by, we see a figure in the shadows moving down the halls, making his way. As the lightning flashes. You can just see him in the corner. His heart's beating pretty hard, breathing a little heavy. He's trying to find a room in the palace, a room that hasn't been visited in a while. It's kind of the palace archives, the place where files are sent to that people really don't want you to look at.
Stephen:This young man is none other than the king of Judah and his name is Josiah. He's not really been to the records very much. He's not really big on history. It's the same old, same old thing. You know, people lived, people died, they did this or that Doesn't really mean anything to me, but he's got a lot on his mind tonight. He's kind of worried about what he's going to find.
Stephen:You see, things for Josiah have not really been sunshine and roses. You see, when he was eight years old, his father was killed by servants in the palace. You'll never forget that night. Servants came in, woke him up and told him that he was now the king. His father had been killed. The people of the land rallied around him and they found the evil servants. They brought them to justice. But what a responsibility was placed on Josiah.
Stephen:Now, he didn't have to do a lot of ruling directly. You know, he was eight years old. So there were regents in place and there were people running things. So there were regents in place and there were people running things. But when the day came, when he would turn 20, the throne was his. You would think that that would be something to be excited about.
Stephen:But you see, recently his cousin, zephaniah, had come to see him. He told him some things that really worried him. Zephaniah had come to Josiah and said Josiah, the God of Abraham, isaac and Jacob, has come to me. Our land is in trouble, judgment is coming. Josiah at this point about 16 years old, and he's really worried. He doesn't really understand why God wants to bring judgment. He doesn't know what to do. Zephaniah tells him you need to seek God. But why? Why is this judgment coming? He said well, do you know about your grandfather? Manasseh? Yeah, I know he reigned for about 50 years, but not much else. He said well, you need to look up his story. He said you go to the archives, you look it up, you'll see it. Now, of course, we're just imagining all this. You're not going to find a scripture reference for this conversation, but we go on. I imagine Josiah finding the archives. I imagine him going in, going to the file cabinet. He's really nervous. He looks through A, b, e, f, g, l and there it is M Manasseh. I imagine him sitting there, maybe by candlelight, reading Manasseh became king, just like Zephaniah said, after Hezekiah had died.
Stephen:And, just like Josiah, he became king at a young age. He was 12 years old and he reigned 55 years. The thing is, he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah had torn down. He erected an altar to Baal in Asherah. He built altars even in the temple. He made his children to pass through the fire to the false gods. He himself practiced witchcraft and sorcery. He put an idol in the temple and it was said that Manasseh did more evil in Judah than the people who were in the land before the Israelites came with Joshua. It was unbelievable. This king, manasseh, was certifiably the worst king that Judah had ever had, and this is Josiah's grandfather.
Stephen:God even declared that he would judge the land because of Manasseh, that he would wipe it as one wipes a dish, and, according to the records, manasseh was taken into captivity. But he found out something interesting. At some point. Manasseh turned to God. He asked for forgiveness and God forgave him and he was able to come back to the land and try and fix the mess that he had made.
Stephen:There was even a little bit of the prayer that he made when he was in captivity. In his prayer he said now, lord, I suffer justly. I observe the troubles I encounter Already. I'm caught in a trap. I'm held down by iron chains so that I can't lift up my head because of my sins. There's no relief for me, because I made you angry, doing wrong in front of your face, setting up false gods and committing offenses, doing wrong in front of your face, setting up false gods and committing offenses. Now I bow down before you from deep within my heart, begging for your kindness. I have sinned, lord. I have sinned and I know the laws I've broken. I'm praying, begging you forgive me, lord. Forgive me. Don't destroy me along with my sins. Don't keep my bad deeds in your memory forever. Don't sentence me to the earth's depths, for you, lord, are the God of those who turn from their sins. In me, you'll show how kind you are. Although I'm not worthy, you'll save me according to your great mercy.
Stephen:Josiah went to bed that night. He couldn't stop thinking about those words. Over and over, he thought about what he said in that prayer. For you, lord, are the God of those who turn from their sins. Well, josiah maybe couldn't do much, but at the age of 16, he began to follow God. He started seeking God and then the day came he was 20 years old. He became the ruling king of Judah.
Stephen:First order of business getting rid of the high places. This, for our timeline, would have been about 629 BC. So Josiah got to work. He removed the high places, the ashram, the images. He tore down the altar of Baal. He ground the images to dust, sprinkled it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. He even burned the bones of the priests of Baal on their own altars.
Stephen:It wasn't long after this, about a year later, as Josiah kept doing the work trying to purge the land, there was a man who came. He introduced himself. He said his name was Jeremiah. He showed up right about 628 BC and he said Josiah, it's amazing what has been done, but there's so much more work to do. I'm concerned for the people. Josiah said what can I do? We've removed the high places. What else do we need to do? And Jeremiah said well, I'll work with you, but the main thing is, god doesn't want people that will seek him in any other way than wholeheartedly their hearts need to seek God, and there's people in the northern kingdoms that are seeking God and need to repent and turn from their ways also. So Josiah's ministry would even go out to the northern tribes some of the people that had been left behind and come back the northern tribes, some of the people that had been left behind and come back. He went into the territory of Israel and did the same thing Removed the high places. In fact, we even believe that he converted many of the shrines to these false gods to public places of worship. They became places where a group of people, an assembly, could meet together to talk about God and to pray.
Stephen:And then the day came when he was 26. And then the day came when he was 26. It was time to restore the temple of God, and what a process that was going to be. There was much that had to be cleaned out. They even decided that they were going to bring the Ark back to the temple. But as they were going through this process, one of the priests came to Josiah. He said you're not going to believe what I found in the temple. Josiah said what he said I found the book of the law. Well, of course that sounds right, go figure. He found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. He brushed the dust off of it, opened it up, gave it to the king, and when Josiah read the book of the law and when Josiah read that, he tore his clothes, he called the nation to repentance and he read the book to the people and he made a covenant with God. And can you imagine the day finally came, the ark had been brought back to the temple, to its home. Thousands of animals were brought and, for the first time in a long, long time, the people celebrated the Passover. And it was said that they celebrated the Passover in a way that they had not done since the days of Samuel. It was a time of celebration. There were not only the sacrifices, there was food. The singers were brought back to the temple. It was a great day. It was probably the greatest revival that Judah had ever seen. Nobody had ever seen anything like this. They had heard about how the Passover had been celebrated, but they had never seen anything like this. I have to use my sanctified imagination again.
Stephen:I think of Jeremiah. I imagine him coming and seeing Josiah and telling him wow, this is what your grandfather wanted. He had a burden for his people. I think about Jeremiah going and seeing some of the other families of the court, some of the other royal families. I think of one royal family in particular that he probably ran into, of one royal family in particular that he probably ran into. I wonder if this particular couple had just welcomed a new baby into the world.
Stephen:I think about that. I imagine Jeremiah kind of bumping into this family. Seeing the baby, seeing how happy the family was, oh, you must be so proud. And they tell Jeremiah oh, yes, yes, this time of Passover has been wonderful and on top of all that, we welcome this new life into the world. I can imagine Jeremiah looking at the baby and saying, well, that's a beautiful baby. What's his name? His name is Daniel, and I think about this young man, daniel.
Stephen:I think about him growing up around the area of the palace with his friends. You know, I imagine he and his friends, hananiah, mishael, azariah. I can imagine them going to school together. I think probably they may have even studied under Jeremiah. They had to at least have known and heard some of the prophecies that he had made. But I imagine Daniel wanting to be used of God. I imagine him studying the word of God and asking Jeremiah questions.
Stephen:I think of a day in particular. I imagine maybe Daniel and his friends had just got out of school and they were headed to the temple and there was some kind of ruckus going on, something was happening and there were people all at the gate of the temple and they looked and they saw somebody up there at the front, and wouldn't you know it. It was Jeremiah. And there were some other prophets there, but they didn't look too happy. You see, jeremiah had gotten a new prophecy, a word from the Lord. He reminded the people again that they were not drawing near to God with their hearts.
Stephen:The people started to get worried. But there were other prophets there and they said oh no, no, I talked to the Lord just this morning and he had one word for me Peace, don't worry, everything is peace. Everything is peace, everything is good. Do not listen to this man. But Jeremiah warned the people, he warned them these are false prophets, they're lying to you. But the people, they wouldn't listen to Jeremiah. But Daniel was listening. He asked Jeremiah later on, when the crowd started to scatter Jeremiah, did you really mean what you said? How can that be? This is Jerusalem. What about the walls? What about God's temple? What about the great revival?
Stephen:But Jeremiah reminded Daniel of Hosea and how he had a wife that was unfaithful and how she left and ended up a slave and Hosea had to go and purchase her back because of what she did. He reminded Daniel of Isaiah. Isaiah, in his very first sermon he said that God was tired of their sacrifices, their new moons, their festivals. He even told the people come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the lamb, but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken Daniel. You know he still wasn't convinced.
Stephen:He reminded Jeremiah that a prophet, many, many years ago, long ago, back during the reign of Jeroboam, there was a prophet that foretold the arrival of Josiah. The man cried against the altar by the word of the Lord and he said oh, altar, altar. Thus says the Lord. Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, josiah by name, and he shall sacrifice on you the priest of the high places who make offerings on you, and human bones shall be burned on you. What do you think of that, jeremiah?
Stephen:I can imagine Jeremiah, with kind of a weak smile, looks at Daniel and asks him Daniel, have you been to Shiloh lately? Shiloh was our place of worship before the temple. That was where we met with God. But yet Israel was still judged. They were taken into captivity and the temple is going to save the people of Judah, no more than Shiloh saved the people of Israel. Daniel couldn't believe it. I don't know, jeremiah, these people are always in the temple. I see them meeting and reading the word. I can imagine Jeremiah saying have you seen what these people do when they aren't in the temple? They act one way on Saturday and another way the rest of the week. I see what they do Gathering wood for sacrifices. I see them making cakes for the Queen of Heaven. Mark my words, daniel. Judgment is coming.
Stephen:Well, I imagine Daniel mulling this over. As he goes home, goes in the front door. His dad's in there reading the Jerusalem Times. He looks worried too times he looks worried too. Daniel asks him what he's reading. He says, oh, just this. And that there's a lot of things going on in the world right now. Oh, you mean Assyria? Yeah, yeah, assyria. There's also this king, nebuchadnezzar. I don't know, maybe it's nothing to worry about.
Stephen:I imagine Daniel telling his dad that he bumped into Jeremiah. He told him a little bit about what they had talked about. His dad looked at him and said you know Jeremiah's right. I believe him. Why? Why, dad? And I wonder if Daniel's dad said you know what, son? I remember when the book of the law was found. I happened to be in the court that day and Josiah was upset and he called for a prophetess named Huldah to come and he asked her will the nation be spared? She said that God had seen Josiah's heart and he was moved to compassion for him. But the people would still be judged, but because of Josiah, god would allow him to live out his life and he would not see what would become of the people of Judah. He said you know what, daniel? I think maybe things are okay for now. If anything ever happens to Josiah, we'll know what's coming next. And it's interesting, not too much longer. After that, things begin to change.
Stephen:This guy, nebuchadnezzar. He actually overthrew Nineveh and then, after a time about three years, in 609 BC, he followed the Assyrians to Haran. The city fell and Babylon became a world empire. But it was actually worse than that. You see, when Haran fell, there was another army there. It was the army of Egypt.
Stephen:In 609 BC, pharaoh Nacho was coming from Egypt up to Assyria and Josiah told him no, you can't pass through here. Israel was right at the crossroads between north and south. It was the highway to go. In fact, there's a little mountain range that goes out from the middle of Israel out to the coast, and there's a little notch, a little valley right through there, and if ever you needed to get from north to south, that was where you had to go. That little valley was called Megiddo. Josiah said you're not coming through. And Pharaoh and Atreus said you don't understand. God has told me to go, and to go quickly, and if you don't let me through, god will judge you. Well, apparently Pharaoh Nacho was right. Josiah didn't listen and in 609 BC he was killed.
Stephen:His son, jehoiakim, would become king, but he would be put under tribute by Nebuchadnezzar. In about 605 BC he rebelled and so Nebuchadnezzar came. He said find out of the royal line, the best-looking, the smartest, the most talented people you can find, and bring them to Babylon. And Daniel was one of those people. So in 605 BC he was on his way to Babylon.
Stephen:So now what? Why is this happening? There had to have been this question in his mind of where was God? Probably not exactly a fair question. The prophets had said this day would come, but still in the minds of the people to see what had happened and for people like Daniel to be taken away from their land. This just had to be heartbreaking. What about the covenants? The people were not truly independent now. What about the kingdom that they had heard about? The line of David? What about Abraham's promise? What was the status now of the Mosaic Covenant? You can imagine a people that were downtrodden, depressed. Daniel didn't understand everything that was going on, but he wanted to show the power of his God, even in captivity. His people, they needed a win. They needed to know God. He needed to know that he was still there. Well, for our hero, his chance would come almost right away.
Stephen:As soon as they arrived, king Nebuchadnezzar said okay, I have this meat, this wine, this is going to be your food and drink. And you know, ordinarily, on the surface Daniel probably would not normally have had an issue with that. We do see later in the book where he goes on a fast and it says that he stops eating meat, stops drinking wine. So we know it wasn't the items themselves that bothered him. He was not a vegetarian, but he knew what was going on. He knew that in Babylon, nebuchadnezzar was seen as a god. And this food that was being put before these young boys.
Stephen:Daniel knew that that food had been offered to the king, it had been offered to their gods, and so, in the people's mind, this was magic meat. This was not just regular meat, it was something beyond that. This meat, if you ate this meat and drank this wine that had been offered to the king, oh, you were going to be stronger, you were going to be wiser. It would give you superhuman abilities. Going to be wiser, it would give you superhuman abilities.
Stephen:Well, daniel saw his opportunity and he said you know what I'll pass. Can I have some soup please? I'll have some vegetables, well, okay, well, we'll see how that works out for you. And you know what? They realized that, even though he had not eaten the food or drank any of the wine offered to the king, he was stronger and wiser. His friends were better looking. It was like a mini contest and Daniel's God came out on top. They didn't need to eat food or drink that had been offered to these idols, these false gods. Their God was the God above all gods, and Daniel showed that on day one.
Stephen:What was he supposed to do now, other than do what he had already been doing Trying to stay close to God, worshiping him. He would go on to have many other adventures, many great things would happen. He would help Nebuchadnezzar understand a dream that he had. In fact, daniel would see in this dream all the other empires that would come. You see, as it turns out, babylon would not be the last empire. There would be more to come. Things really weren't going to be the way they had been. Even if they went home, other empires were going to be on the world stage. There was another dream about a great tree. He helped Daniel translate some writing on the wall. At one point he was even thrown in the lion's den and God spared him. And God even gave him some visions, the visions of the four beasts, the ram and the goat.
Stephen:When Daniel was much older, he actually ended up finding a letter that Jeremiah had sent during the reign of Zedekiah. He found out that the empire of Babylon would last 70 years. He found out that they would be in captivity for 70 years. He remembered as he read, read, why they were in Babylon. He knew that they were being judged and he prayed. And he didn't just pray for his nation, you'll notice. In his prayer he says we have sinned. He wanted to be right with God too.
Stephen:Eventually, gabriel would show up and give him a vision that would show him everything that was going to happen between his time and the time of the end, the time of the Messiah, the time of the end of the old covenantvenant. He heard of names like Cyrus. There were other people in the vision, people that weren't named, but we know them as Antiochus, epiphanes, judah, maccabee, alexander the Great, many others. Daniel would only get to hear about these things and see them in visions, but I imagine he really just thought about the 70 years being up and wondering if God would allow him to see the promised land one more time. And as far as we know from the Bible, he did get to go home After 70 years.
Stephen:He went back Zerubbabel was the governor of the people and brought them back to the land. I wonder what Daniel felt. I wonder what Daniel felt Maybe happiness in one way, but also sadness over what had happened to his country After he had been taken captive. There were three more, three different groups of people going into captivity and the temple had also been destroyed. I imagine maybe a tear coming to his eye, and then Zerubbabel may be saying Daniel, come here, I want to show you something Takes him to a plot of land that's being cleared.
Stephen:A foundation is being laid for the temple. The temple will be rebuilt. Now it won't be the same. In fact, the people of Judah will see the temple and they'll cry, because many of them remember Solomon's temple and they know that this temple doesn't compare. But they know, they know that that's not the most important thing. The most important thing is knowing that God's presence is there. The temple would be completed about 516 BC and through all these things, the people knew that God knew all of this all along. He was in control.
Stephen:Sometimes, when we talk about the years of exile, we talk about 70 years, as if there's just this one set of 70 years, but there's actually three of them in the scriptures and most people don't know that there are 70 years that Jeremiah prophesied that Babylon would be a world power From 609 to 539 BC. Babylon was a world power In 539, they fell, just like Jeremiah had said 70 years. He also said the people would be in exile for 70 years. Daniel and his friends were taken about 605 BC and we believe it was right about 536, right about 70 years later that the foundation was laid for the second temple. The people had come back into the land. We also see that Zechariah said there would be 70 years with no temple. The temple was destroyed in 586. It was finished in 516 BC. That's 70 years. So we see that even in this time of captivity, god was in control. God knew exactly what he was doing. The people had come back into the land, the temple had been built and this was just the beginning. Daniel, I don't think he could imagine all the changes, all the things that would happen as these new empires came on the scene. Even new feasts would arise out of the interactions that God's people would have with these empires.
Stephen:As we think of Purim, we think back to Esther. After the temple was built, the people of Judah were in danger again because of Haman. But Esther was there, esther and Mordecai. Because of them trusting in God, the people of Israel were saved. In fact, esther's influence may have even played a part in Nehemiah getting to go back into the land to build the walls.
Stephen:The Bible says in parentheses when it mentions King Artaxerxes. It says the queen was by his side. Could that have been Esther? We don't know. But we do know Ezra and Nehemiah came back into the land. They were contemporaries, they were able to build the walls and make sure that the temple was repaired. But you know, along with the temple not being quite what the people had remembered, they also didn't have the Ark. There were some other artifacts from the original temple that had been taken, but they were given something new.
Stephen:Ezra would get the book of the law. The priest stood on a pulpit of wood. The King James Bible says a platform of wood. They read the scripture to the people and they gave a sense of the reading. People would meet in the morning. Scripture would be read, translated. They would try to help them understand the word. They would have time of fellowship.
Stephen:After we see other kinds of worship the shrines that Josiah had converted into places of prayer when the people were in exile. They started doing that in homes, in fact, not too much longer after this. In Alexandria we would see the first synagogue, a place of assembly. I think we'll be talking more about that in an upcoming episode. But these synagogues, these places of assembly, were again places where people could meet and pray and read God's Word.
Stephen:But time would march on. Alexander the Great would come. Greece would take over. Probably it was good in some ways, god used it, but we do know that this was a hard time for the people of Judah. The Jews had got their temple back, their walls back, but they still weren't independent. And now, because of Alexander the Great, hellenism was beginning to infiltrate into Judah. And what armies couldn't do to the walls, hellenism was doing to the people's hearts, and there were people fighting against it. The followers of Onias were trying to stay true to the law, but there were those that followed Tobias, that wanted to be in lock-arm agreement in fellowship with Greece, and these two factions would stay at odds for quite some time. In fact, they would actually go on to be called Pharisees and Sadducees. Maybe you've heard of them, but things really hit a fever pitch.
Stephen:On December, the 25th of 168 AD, antiochus Epiphanes erected a statue of Zeus in the temple and he sacrificed a pig. About a year later, some soldiers would come to the town of Modin, about 17 miles northwest of Jerusalem, and they tried to force Mattathias to lead the town in offering a sacrifice. Now this elder gentleman, mattathias, refused, which made some of the villagers so nervous that one of them actually volunteered to do the sacrifice for him. And when he did Mattathias? He got a sword, he ran the guy through and then he killed the Syrian soldiers. He and his sons would form an army outside the city and began partaking in guerrilla warfare, trying to clear the Syrians out of the land. Mattathias would die a year later. He would leave the charge of everything to his son, judah. The Syrians called him the Hammer Maccabee. That nickname stuck In one particular battle. Judah Maccabee led 10,000 men to victory against an army of 60,000 men and 5,000 cavalry. After this, he retook Jerusalem. He restored the temple.
Stephen:Some of you know the story. There was only enough oil, sacred oil, to keep the menorah lit for one day. But a miracle happened it stayed lit for eight days. And what a blessing this must have been. This is during the time that we call the 400 years of silence. This is during the time that we call the 400 years of silence. The people had not heard a prophetic word from God. It had been about 350 years. How good it must have been to see that light, to know that his spirit was still there.
Stephen:Well, eventually they did win independence under Judah's brother, simon. However, he was not of the line of David or of the line of Levi, but yet he was made priest and king. These appointments were more political than anything and, honestly, the only person who could hold both of those offices was the Messiah. The other problem was he allowed some Greek influence to come back in. His son, john would eventually become king ruler of this Hasmonean dynasty, and John would go on to conquer and forcibly convert the Idumeans, which they did. They converted, but their hearts weren't in it. It stirred up a deep hatred in their hearts for the Jews, and this was really not good. It really shaped the relationship between the Jews and the Idumeans and is probably what led to a character that we know as Herod the Great. It had to have influenced him. John would also do the same thing with the Samaritans. He even destroyed the temple on Mount Gerizim Temple on Mount Gerizim. That would throw fuel on the fire of the hate between the Samaritans and the Jews. But time would march on. Eventually, this Hasmonean dynasty would fall. Rome would come. The people would be put under their iron grip. They would be taxed. Herod the Great would come. The people would be put under their iron grip. They would be taxed. Herod the Great would come. It just seems like they can't catch a break. Things were looking so good with Josiah, but it wouldn't last. They eventually did make it back into the land, but things didn't ever seem to be the same.
Stephen:I think that maybe even in your situation there's some things we can learn from this. Whatever your situation is, whatever situation we find ourselves in, I think we need to learn, like Israel, that the presence of God is not just tied to a physical location. We'll talk more about this in further episodes in further episodes, but even in Babylon, daniel was able to worship the Lord. Even in bondage, manasseh sought forgiveness. God's presence is with you wherever you go.
Stephen:Maybe we learn from Israel not to focus so much on our leaders, but focus on God. Yes, josiah was a great leader, but a leader cannot fix people's hearts. How often do we pray for our country to be right with God, when maybe we just need to pray that we are right with God? Like Israel, we shouldn't focus so much on our circumstances. It's hard to say, it's hard to live out, but it's still true. We can't control our circumstances, but we can stay focused on our relationship with the Lord. Our nation may not seek forgiveness, but we should. We can pray on behalf of our nation.
Stephen:I wonder if also this time for Israel was a time when they could hear God better. They finally had come to the end of themselves. They couldn't depend on anybody else. They had nobody else to turn to. Do you ever find that sometimes God will use things in your life to get your attention, to bring you back? I wonder, too, if maybe God is preparing you and me for something bigger In everything that Israel went through.
Stephen:They didn't understand, but even in the midst of these heathen nations, god was preparing the world for the arrival of his king, the king that he was going to put on the throne. The Jews were worried about Hellenism, no doubt, but it was the Greek language that the New Testament would be written in and go all throughout the world Because of the peace during the time of the Romans. The gospel would go far. The gospel would go far. God was doing something so much bigger than what they could have possibly understood. And you know, it may not have seemed fair. Daniel had not participated in all the sins of Manasseh and some of the other people and some of the other people but God knew what he was doing.
Stephen:I don't know what your situation is, but I do know God is still there. He still hears you. His spirit is still there. He still hears you. His spirit is still there. Maybe things will change. Maybe they won't change, but even if they don't, god has a plan and I believe, more than likely, it's bigger than anything you think. Maybe it goes far beyond you. Maybe God is working out something not only for you, but for other people, other people that you will never meet, other people that will come after you, just like Daniel. Think about it.
Stephen:The Jews spent all that time in Babylon. At one point you could even say that it was kind of like the New York City that we have today Outside of Jerusalem. There were so many Jews in Babylon, but you know, they left their mark there. Daniel left his mark in that palace, the things he wrote, the scriptures, the prophecies that he brought, that the people brought with them. They left them, the prophecies of Jeremiah and other prophets like Micah. When Daniel left, he was leaving something for other people to find.
Stephen:Do you want to know the rest of the story? Many years later, three wise men would be searching and they would find. These three wise men would be searching and they would find these scriptures. They would read them, they would study them, and what Daniel and his people left behind would become a light that would guide these wise men. They saw his story in the east, they knew of the prophecy and they would make the journey of a lifetime, the journey to bow before the king of kings and the lord of lords, and they worshipped him. And it was all because of a young man and his people who were taken away from their home. But they turned to God and they left a path for other people to follow. My prayer is that you and I can do the same. Thank you.
