Hosea 4:2 — Note the sins: Swearing (Leviticus 19:12/3rd Commandment), Lying (9th Commandment), Killing (6th Commandment), Stealing (8th Commandment), Adultery (7th Commandment). The LORD is not even pointing out the “minor sins” (the 613 commands of the Torah), but just the “Big Ten!”
Hosea 4:6 — Many people use this phrase, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge,” but they ignore the context. The “knowledge” referenced is knowing the Law and obeying the Law!
Hosea 4:13 — We’re back to the 2nd Commandment, and God ties the 2nd Commandment to the 7th Commandment. The argument being, if you’re not faithful to me, your spouses will not be faithful to you.
Hosea 5:15 — Do we take spiritual adultery as seriously as God takes it? Do we realize that God takes it as seriously as we take physical adultery? Do we know that God will let us suffer the consequences of our sin until we seek His face?
2 John 1:1 — Who is the “elect lady?” GotQuestions.org notes that she has a sister and is part of the church, but that is all that is known. Chuck Missler suggests that it might be Mary, the mother of Jesus, based on Jesus entrusting Mary to John’s care. Also Mary had a sister (John 19:25).
2 John 1:5 — In this short epistle we have a few commands: “love one another” (2 John 1:5), “walk after his commandments” (2 John 1:6), and “abide in the doctrine” (2 John 1:9). These are similar to the theme of John’s gospel:
Love! (John 15:12) – 57 times in John’s gospel!
Obey! (John 14:15) – If love, then keep!
Believe! (John 20:31) – That’s the point of the writings!
View of Jerusalem and the Surrounding Judean Mountains1
Topographical Map of Jerusalem2
Psalm 125:2 — If you’ve been to Jerusalem, the mountains around the city are incredibly impressive. Deep valleys, tall heights, and sharp cliffs. This psalm is part of the “Song of Ascents” from Psalm 120-134, songs to sing while climbing the road to Jerusalem.
Proverbs 29:11 — No comment necessary!
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_____ Image1 Credit: Félix Bonfils, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Image2 Credit: Goldfarb, Michael. “BIBLE STUDY FOR ATHEISTS: HISTORY REPEATING.” First Rough Draft of History, 28 Jan. 2024, frdhfirstroughdraftofhistory.substack.com/p/bible-study-for-atheists-history.
Hosea 1:1 — Hosea is a unique story. Rich Christiano has produced a great movie on the book of Hosea called Amazing Love.
Hosea 1:2 — WHOA! Did God really tell Hosea to take a prostitute as a wife? And Hosea did (Hosea 1:3)!
Hosea 1:7 — For context, Hosea is written shortly before the fall of the Northern Kingdom. We’ll read this idea again in Zechariah 4:6, and we’ve already read this idea in Psalm 44:3.
Hosea 1:10 — God appeared to disown His people in Hosea 1:9, but now we read that God will regather His people and reclaim them (Hosea 1:11).
Hosea 2:6 — Ever find yourself running into a wall? Sometimes God closes a door to block us from what we want and to drive us back to our God. Sounds a bit like the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).
Hosea 2:16 — So, we have a play on words here:
Ishi – My Man/Husband/Love
Baali – My Owner/Lord/Master
The LORD/Jehovah is saying that He supported His bride Israel, even while she sought other lovers (Hosea 2:8). Now, He will chasten her (Hosea 2:11), but then He will woo her (Hosea 2:14). He will change her heart from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19; Ezekiel 36:26; Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10). Israel will not be under a circumcision of flesh, but a circumcision of heart. The relationship will then be one of love (Ishi) and not fear (Baali).
Notice the contrast. The LORD/Jehovah is saying, “I don’t want to hear Baalim (Lord) because you’re serving Baal instead of me. Baal is a cruel Baali (Lord). He is using you for what the LORD/Jehovah has given you. But the LORD/Jehovah will bring you back and will give you even more.”
Hosea 2:23 — Lo-ruhamah (no mercy) and Lo-ammi (not mine) will become mercy and mine!
Hosea 3:2 — What a great picture of what Christ did for us! God redeemed us!
Hosea 3:5 — Another reference to “David their King.” Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel all prophesied that there would be a King David “in the latter days.”
1 John 5:1 — Do you need assurance of your salvation? This is the book for you! What do you believe about Jesus? Was He born of the flesh (1 John 4:2-3)? Is He born of God? (1 John 5:1)? Do you love God’s people (1 John 5:1)? Do you love God (1 John 5:2)? Do you keep His commands (1 John 5:3)? These are some of the characteristics of a believer, but we’ll get to the key verse in a bit.
1 John 5:13 — How can we know that we have eternal life? Eternal life is ours if we believe on the name of the Son of God! In Hebrew, at five letter intervals, you can see the name of Jesus hidden in the phrase.
1 John 5:15 — Because we believe in Him we can have our prayer answered!
Proverbs 29:7 — Why does God care so much about the poor? What is the difference between “middle class” and poor? Possession of money. Can we boast of the money we have? Only if it is truly ours, but we can’t say that. All we have is His. Perhaps it’s another extension of humility (James 4:6). Whether we are proud in our thoughts or in our wallets, all we have is God’s.
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Daniel 11:36 — Between yesterday and today, we just leapfrogged the entire Church Age. Yesterday’s reading described events from 2,000 years ago. Today’s reading describes events in the future. From John Walvoord:
Beginning with verse 36, a sharp break in the prophecy may be observed, introduced by the expression the time of the end in verse 35.
Verse 40 in our reading reveals how the alignment of Arab and Islamic nations, led by Russia, will begin to make their way into Israel to destroy the Jewish state. Almost in concert, the two nations, Egypt and Syria, will come “against him”, verse 40. Remember the “him” is the Antichrist.
Why would the text say that Syria and Egypt are going to attack the Antichrist? The answer is that before both Arab nations move against Israel, the Antichrist will have “confirmed” a peace agreement between Israel and her enemies, Daniel 9:27. So, to attack Israel is like attacking the Antichrist who has just guaranteed Israel’s peace.
Daniel 11:41 — Chuck Missler is one of many who note the connection between “Edom and Moab and the chief of the children of Ammon” (present-day Jordan) with Petra, the desert fortress.
Petra
Daniel 12:1 — The “time of trouble” is also known as the Great Tribulation.
Daniel 12:2 — We read about the special book that Moses talked about (Exodus 32:32-33, Deuteronomy 9:14), that Paul wrote about (Philippians 4:3), and that John saw (Revelation 3:5, Revelation 21:27). Is your name written there?
Daniel 12:8-9 — Daniel could interpret dreams, could counsel Nebuchadnezzar, but he couldn’t understand God’s prophetic timetable. The promise was that at the “time of the end” the words would be unsealed.
There’s a fascinating history of eschatology (study of last things) at ChristInProphecy.org (Lamb & Lion Ministries). The key point is that eschatology is relatively new in theological studies, especially because of its interconnection with Zionism.
In 1878, “one of the first [statements of faith] to explicitly proclaim faith in the premillennialreturn of Jesus Christ to earth” was written at the Niagara Bible Conference.
Since Julian the Apostate’s attempt in 363 to rebuild the Temple was stopped by “fearful balls of fire,” there had been little movement to return Jews to Eretz Israel until Lord Shaftesbury’s Memorandum calling for “the restoration of the Jews to Palestine” in 1841. The Zionist Congress didn’t commit itself to Palestine until 1905 (for fun, read a fictional travel guide to “New Judea, East Africa” which has an alternative timeline history). In 1940, President Roosevelt considered moving the Jews to Alaska.
Daniel 12:12 — Apparently, there is a 75-day transitional period between the Tribulation and the New Jerusalem (Walvoord).
1 John 4:3 — Speaking of the Antichrist, denial of the humanity of Jesus is a sign of a false teacher.
In today’s reading we’ll go from Daniel’s present day (fall of Babylon in 539 BC) to the Maccabean Revolt in 164 BC. Matthew Henry, John Walvoord, and EnduringWord.com can tell you the “what” that’s going on, but the bigger question is “why” should we care about the “intertestamental time?”
First, we need to remember that Scripture was written for the immediate audience first. Daniel is writing to the Jewish people for their immediate edification. If we look at a Bible timeline of chronology, we notice that there was a surge in prophets around the fall of Jerusalem.
Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Joel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Obadiah all were writing around the fall of Jerusalem (586 BC). Haggai and Zechariah were writing around the return of Zerubbabel (536 BC); Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, and Malachi were active around 450 BC for the rebuilding of the walls. Then there were roughly 450 years of silence.
Today’s reading is a “play by play” of the dream in Daniel 2. Daniel 2 identified the four kingdoms (Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome), but Daniel 11 gives us the actions. It takes us from Daniel’s present day, through the political events of the last prophet, Malachi, to the return of a Jewish self-governing state. That state (Hasmonean Dynasty) would become the Herodian vassal state of the fourth kingdom (Rome), the kingdom that the Messiah would be born into. .. but not without controversy – from John Walvoord:
Probably no other portion of Scripture presents more minute prophecy than Daniel 11:1-35, and this has prompted the sharpest attack of critics seeking to discredit this prophetic portion.
Interestingly enough, it was the eleventh chapter of Daniel with its detailed prophecy of about two hundred years of history that prompted the heathen philosopher Porphyry (third century AD) to attack the book of Daniel as a forgery. In his study, Porphyry established the fact that history corresponded closely to the prophetic revelation of Daniel 11:1-35, and the correspondence was so precise that he was persuaded that no one could have prophesied these events in the future. Accordingly, he solved the problem by taking the position that the book of Daniel was written after the events occurred, that is, it was written in the second century B.C. This attack prompted Jerome to defend the book of Daniel and to issue his own commentary, which for over one thousand years thereafter was considered the standard commentary on the book of Daniel.
https://walvoord.com/article/252
1 John 3:9 — Can a Christian sin? After reading 1 John 1:8, we know that we have sin. GotQuestions.org points out that this is not “sinless perfection” but “a decreasing pattern of sin.”
1 John 3:13 — There is a war between the world and Christ. John is reiterating the teaching Jesus made (John 15:18). What’s the difference?
Righteousness vs. sin (1 John 3:7-8)
Father God vs. Father Devil (1 John 3:10)
Love not vs. Love (1 John 3:10-11, 1 John 3:14)
Evil works vs. Righteous works (1 John 3:12)
Love vs. Hate (1 John 3:15-16)
Giver vs. Hoarder (1 John 3:17)
At the end of the day, the symptoms are not absolute, but believing on Jesus Christ is (1 John 3:23), as well as having the Spirit (1 John 3:24).
Psalm 122:1 — Do you look forward to spending time with God’s people?
Psalm 122:6 — Notice the blessing for those who love Jerusalem! What is the peace that will come to Jerusalem? Paul shared his burden in Romans 10:1.
Daniel 9:2 — Prophecy is easier to understand at the time when it is being fulfilled as opposed to when it is given. Notice the interconnection of Scripture; Peter wrote about Paul’s writings (2 Peter 3:15-16), now Daniel writes about Jeremiah’s writings.
Daniel 9:5 — Compare this verse to Nehemiah’s repentance on behalf of his nation (Nehemiah 1:7).
Daniel 9:11 — Daniel recognizes that Moses’ prophecy is being fulfilled (Deuteronomy 27).
Daniel 9:17-19 — Daniel begs God four times to listen in these three verses, not because the Israelites deserve it but because of “thy great mercies” (Daniel 9:18).
Daniel 9:24 — What are the Seventy Weeks and how are they counted? From BobShelton.org:
Daniel 10:13 — Spiritual warfare is real. We read about it in Jude 1:9, Zechariah 3:2, and Revelation 12:7.
Daniel 10:15 — Daniel spoke much before the vision, but after God revealed His truth to Daniel, Daniel went silent. Job had much to say to God, but when God spoke, Job replied, “I uttered that I understood not” (Job 42:3).
Sadly many people deny that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6). Doctrine matters, for if you do not follow the Son, you cannot claim the Father.
Some think that all religions worship the same God, but someone shared this answer to the claim. If you were to ask me if I know John Smith, and I say, “Yes, and I know his wife, Julie, and his son, Bob.” Then, if you say, “John’s never been married,” we’re probably not talking about the same John Smith. Likewise, if your Jesus is not Christ, the living God, then it’s probably another Jesus.
Two important factors mark Daniel 8 as the beginning of a new section. First, beginning with this chapter, the language returns to Hebrew instead of the Aramaic used by Daniel from 2:4 through 7:28. Second, the change of language is in keeping with the change in thought introduced by this chapter. From here to the end of Daniel, the prophecy, even though it concerns the Gentiles, is occupied with human history as it relates to Israel.
https://walvoord.com/article/249
Daniel 8:11-14 — What is this 2,300 days about? The Millerites thought it meant the return of Jesus by October 22, 1844, but the teaching instead brought about the “Great Disappointment.”
Most scholars believe this refers to Antiochus Epiphanes, the leader of the Syrian kingdom that emerged from Alexander the Great’s empire. The Book of 1 Maccabees tells about Antiochus during the intertestamental period. Walvoord discusses the 2,300 days:
The terminus ad quem of the twenty-three hundred days is taken by most expositors as 164 B.C. when Antiochus Epiphanes died during a military campaign in Media. This permitted the purging of the sanctuary and the return to Jewish worship. Figuring from this date backward twenty-three hundred days would fix the beginning time at 171 BC. In that year, Onias III, the legitimate high priest, was murdered and a pseudo line of priests assumed power. This would give adequate fulfillment in time for the twenty-three hundred days to elapse at the time of the death of Antiochus.
https://walvoord.com/article/249
Daniel 8:16 — I’m glad he asked Gabriel to make Daniel understand. Daniel, one of the wisest men ever, “was astonished” and “was sick certain days” as a result (Daniel 8:27)!
1 John 2:1 — What does it mean that Jesus is our advocate? My grandfather used to host a television program, Advocates in Adversity, featuring attorneys and judges to talk about legal issues. If you’ve dealt with the legal system, attorneys are expensive. Jesus Christ is my attorney, and though I can’t afford Him, He’s representing me pro bono!
1 John 2:2 — Not just my attorney, but my propitiation as well! There’s a big debate in theological circles between the words propitiation (satisfying the wrath of God) and expiation (removing the guilt). If we believe Godis angry at sin, then His wrath needs to be placated. From R.C. Sproul:
Therefore, Christ’s supreme achievement on the cross is that He placated the wrath of God, which would burn against us were we not covered by the sacrifice of Christ. So if somebody argues against placation or the idea of Christ satisfying the wrath of God, be alert, because the gospel is at stake. This is about the essence of salvation—that as people who are covered by the atonement, we are redeemed from the supreme danger to which any person is exposed. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of a holy God Who’s wrathful. But there is no wrath for those whose sins have been paid. That is what salvation is all about.
1 John 2:3 — John goes back to the words of Jesus that he recorded in John 14:15. To love Jesus is to obey Him. If we obey Him, then we know Him.
Another sign of the fake Christian:
Does not keep His commandments (1 John 2:4)
Hates his brother (1 John 2:9)
Loves the world (1 John 2:15)
Many Christians don’t realize we are in a war. There are only two sides. Either you are on the world’s side or on Jesus’ side. Before you make your choice as to which side you’re on, remember “the world passeth away … but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever (1 John 2:17).”
Psalm 120:2 — Notice the psalmist’s cry for deliverance from those with lying lips and a deceitful tongue. We read in 1 John 2:4 about the liars, i.e. those who claim to know God but don’t keep His commandments. The psalmist is vexed not just by people who are straightforward about their animosity toward God, but also by those who claim to be followers of the LORD but backstab other followers.
Proverbs 28:24-25 — Contrast the trust in the LORD with the trust in your own heart. Disney tells you to “follow your heart,” but God says not to trust your heart (Jeremiah 17:9).
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_____ Image Credit: Key-Way Publishing, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Daniel 7:1 — Nebuchadnezzar had dreams, and now Daniel has his own dream. Notice that this chapter is not in chronological order. According to Jimmy DeYoung:
The way to read through Daniel, chapter by chapter, is in the following order: 1-2-3-4-7-8-5-6-9-10-11-12. This is the chronological order for the book of Daniel.
Daniel’s Vision of the Four Beasts by Matthäus Merian
The “lion with eagles wings” is the Babylonian Empire, verse 4. The “bear with three ribs in its mouth,” verse 5, is the Medo-Persian Empire. In verse 6, the “leopard with four wings and four heads” is the Grecian Empire.
The “dreadful beast” in verse 7 is the “Roman Empire” (see my audio series, “The Daniel Papers”). Notice the “ten horns” of the “dreadful beast” in verse 7 and in verse 8, the “little horn” that comes out of the “ten horns”. The “ten horns” represent the “Revived Roman Empire” and the “little horn” is one of twenty-seven names for the “Antichrist”.
Daniel 7:13-14 — Notice the “Son of Man” and the “Ancient of Days.” John MacArthur states that Daniel 7:14 is when the Son “receives the kingdom.” MacArthur lists five features of the Kingdom: authority, honor, monarchy, universal, eternal. Jesus identified himself as the Son of Man (Matthew 25:31-32), but in doing so identified Himself as the Lord GOD (Ezekiel 34:17).
Notice the themes throughout Scripture. Compare Daniel 7:14 (“dominion, glory, kingdom”) to 1 Peter 5:11 (“glory and dominion”) and Jude 1:25 (“glory and majesty, dominion and power”) to Revelation 1:6 (“glory and dominion”).
Daniel 7:24-25 — Meet the Antichrist:
rebuking the Most High
repressing the saints
redefining the times and laws
Daniel 7:28 — Scared by the Antichrist? So was Daniel!
1 John 1:1 — Notice the testimony of John: I heard it with my ears, saw it with my eyes, handled it with my hands, and I’m showing it to you so that your joy may be full (1 John 1:4).
1 John 1:5 — Follow John’s logical argument (a modus tollens, to be technical).
Daniel 6:2 — When the president of a new political party takes over in Washington, he usually replaces all of the previous president’s cabinet appointees. Daniel survived not just a new party but a new empire as well!
Daniel 6:3 — Pray for the “Daniels” in office today!
Daniel 6:11 — If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
Daniel 6:21 — Even having been thrown into the lions’ den, Daniel was still respectful to the king.
2 Peter 3:2 — Peter is again emphasizing the importance of Scripture, the Old Testament prophets, and the New Testament apostles. In 2 Peter 3:15-16, Peter affirms that Paul’s writings are not just inspired Scriptures, but they also contain “some things hard to be understood.”
Uniformitarianism is the modern name for the doctrine, prophesied long ago by Peter for those living in the last days, that “the present is the key to the past.” That is, the study of present-day natural processes (biological recombination, geological sedimentation, etc.) operating in the past as they do at present, are sufficient to determine the origin and development of all things. To them, no supernatural cause (such as God!) is needed. Even “creation” is still going on by these natural processes, since “all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”
Peter, however, not only predicts this philosophy but also condemns it! “For this they willingly are ignorant of!” (v. 5). That is, people who believe in the unbroken continuity of all things are willful in their refusal to consider the overwhelming evidences of dis-continuity, particularly at the times of the special creation of all things in the beginning and the cataclysmic destruction of all things at the great flood, when “the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished” (v. 6).
2 Peter 3:11-12 — If this world is going to burn, where should you lay up your treasure? In the New Heavens and the New Earth! We read about it in Ezekiel and will read about it again in Revelation!
Daniel 5:7 — Until 1854, historians denied the reign of Belshazzar.
All other known historical records once disagreed. Ancient historians like Herodotus, Megasthenes, Berossus, and Alexander Polyhistor, not to mention a vast number of cuneiform documents, were united in claiming that the last king of the Neo-Babylonian empire was Nabonidus. Belshazzar was not even mentioned anywhere except in the book of Daniel and literature derived from it.
https://creation.com/archaeology-belshazzar
So why did Belshazzar offer only the third ruler in the Kingdom? Because his dad, King Nabonidus, was still alive!
Nabonidus Cylinder2
As for me, Nabonidus, king of Babylon, save me from sinning against your great godhead and grant me as a present a life long of days, and as for Belshazzar, the eldest son -my offspring- instill reverence for your great godhead in his heart and may he not commit any cultic mistake, may he be sated with a life of plenitude.
The Nabonidus Chronicle reveals that “The king spent ten years in Arabia and left Babylonia administered by his son, Bel-shar-usur (Belshazzar of the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament).” (Wikipedia)
Daniel 5:21 — Yesterday we looked at the evidence for the seemingly incredible account of Nebuchadnezzar’s madness. Today we see Daniel is doubling down on his story.
Daniel 5:30 — A very abrupt transition between Daniel 5:29 and Daniel 5:31. Who is Darius the Mede and why doesn’t history have a record of him? From DefendingInerrancy.com:
Some modern scholars claim that the author of Daniel mistakenly thought that the Medes conquered Babylon instead of the Persians. They claim that this author then confused Darius I, king of Persia (521–486 b.c.) with the conqueror of Babylon and identified this figure as Darius the Mede. However, there is no reason to assume that the Book of Daniel is in error. Darius the Mede is a different person from Darius I of Persia. Darius the Mede was a subordinate to Cyrus the Great. Cuneiform texts refer to Darius the Mede as Gubaru who was appointed by Cyrus to be governor over all of Babylonia. The tendency to deny the historical accuracy of Daniel simply because there is currently no corroborating historical information stems from the antisupernatural bias of modern scholarship. Daniel’s historical record has proven to be a reliable source of information.
2 Peter 2:1 — Peter is warning about false prophets in the church! There are 8 warnings about false prophets in the gospels and epistles. Notice that we’re not even done with the first century and Peter is warning about people “even denying the Lord that bought them.” Sadly, as we look through church history, we see many false doctrines that were spread throughout Christendom. From Randy Alcorn’s Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM):
More theological battles have been lost to enemies inside the church than to those outside. The evil one has targeted us for deception. Nothing less than the welfare of God’s people is at stake.
2 Peter 2:7 — Peter just solved a mystery. Notice how Peter describes Lot – “just Lot,” “righteous man” (2 Peter 2:8), and “the godly” (2 Peter 2:9). Up until now, we weren’t quite sure if Lot was a follower of God or not. Because he was living in Sodom and he committed incest with his daughters (Genesis 19:33-36), we weren’t quite sure what his spiritual condition was.
2 Peter 2:10 — After warning about the “lust of uncleanness,” we see this warning about “despis[ing] government.” Why the concern about maintaining authority? Rebels “are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.” Go back a few verses to 2 Peter 2:4 – angels in heaven had rebelled against God, and they were cast into chains of darkness in hell. God takes rebellion as seriously as witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23).
2 Peter 2:22 — This is a vivid and viscerally repulsive portrayal of the danger of false teachers. How can we avoid false teachers? By seeking sound doctrine!
Psalm 119:120 — Do you have a healthy respect for God?
The average Massachusetts resident spends $767 per year on the lottery trying to get rich quick. But if he invested the same $767 every year at 8% interest, by the time he retired, he would have $1,846,607.48! You CAN be rich slowly!
Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.
Daniel 4:1 — John Walvoord makes an interesting observation:
In the background of this account is the obvious concern of Daniel the prophet for the man whom he had served for so many years. Daniel, a man of prayer, undoubtedly prayed for Nebuchadnezzar and eagerly sought some evidence of God’s working in his heart. While the experience of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 4 was not what Daniel had anticipated, the outcome must have approximated Daniel’s fondest hope.
https://walvoord.com/article/245
Daniel 4:30 — At the Oriental Institute in Chicago, they have a brick from Babylon with the name of Nebuchadnezzar carved into it.
Daniel 4:32 — John Walvoord states that this has been diagnosed as boanthropy:
[Dr. Raymond Harrison] actually observed a clinical case of boanthropy in a British mental institution in 1946. The patient was in his early 20’s, who reportedly had been hospitalized for about five years. His symptoms were well-developed on admission, and diagnosis was immediate and conclusive. He was of average height and weight with good physique, and was in excellent bodily health. His mental symptoms included pronounced anti-social tendencies, and because of this he spent the entire day from dawn to dusk outdoors, in the grounds of the institution … His daily routine consisted of wandering around the magnificent lawns with which the otherwise dingy hospital situation was graced, and it was his custom to pluck up and eat handfuls of the grass as he went along. On observation he was seen to discriminate carefully between grass and weeds, and on inquiry from the attendant the writer was told the diet of this patient consisted exclusively of grass from hospital lawns. He never ate institutional food with the other inmates, and his only drink was water… The writer was able to examine him cursorily, and the only physical abnormality noted consisted of a lengthening of the hair and a coarse, thickened condition of the finger-nails. Without institutional care, the patient would have manifested precisely the same physical conditions as those mentioned in Daniel 4:33 … From the foregoing it seems evident that the author of the fourth chapter of Daniel was describing accurately an attestable, if rather rare, mental affliction.
Some dismiss this account of Nebuchadnezzar’s madness as unhistorical, but there is no historical record of his governmental activity between 582 B.C. and 575 B.C. This silence is deafening, especially when we keep in mind how Near Eastern leaders liked to egotistically trumpet their achievements – and hide their embarrassments.
Daniel 4:34 — Nebuchadnezzar realized man is nothing (Daniel 4:35), but God is everything!
2 Peter 1:3 — We have “all things that pertain unto life and godliness.” We have no excuse!
2 Peter 1:21 — Peter lays out the case for the inspiration of Scripture. Daniel 4 isn’t a collection of fables as Wikipedia tells us is the scholarly consensus. Scripture came as the Holy Ghost moved in holy men of God.
Psalm 119:97 — What is our response to the inspired Word of Scripture? Love it!
