OT Final
The Law of the Prophets
(Deut. 13 and 18; 1 Kings 13) Deuteronomy 13:1-5: first two laws concerning prophets: - true prophets must direct people towards Yahweh - false prophet's sign might come true but if he says to worship Baal or any other God he is false Deuteronomy 18:14-21: - other law of the prophet; those that practice sorcery/ an occasion where the prophet is speaking in the name of the Lord - if the prophecy doesn't come true, it is false 1 Kings 13: - even the prophet himself isn't listening to the true word of God, but a false prophet
The use of acrostic form in Lamentations
- four of the five chapters have 22 verses; chapter 3 has 66 verses - 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet, each verse starts with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet - chapter five is not an acrostic - acrostics are a formal/literary way to communicate completeness and wholeness and give a sense of closure
The Cyrus Decree
- issued in 539 BC - allowed many Jews to return to Jerusalem - Cyrus wants to have "happy vassals" who won't rebel - essentially ends the exile ***God is using Persian foreign policy to further His policies
The Law of Kingship
(Deut. 17:14-20) - if you are to appoint a king, make sure to appoint one the Lord has chosen. - Do not place a foreigner who is not an Israelite, as king. - the kings in Judah and Israel do not live up to this description - the kings of the north and south violate this law concerning kingship
The Law of Centralization
(Deuteronomy 12) - sacrificial worship only in holy places which God has chosen - this "holy place" turns out to be the temple built by Solomon in Jerusalem - 20 kings who rule in the northern empire after the death of Solomon and before the kingdom to an end when Assyrians in 722 BC, and 0 kept the law of centralization - 20 kings in the south from 933 BC to 586 BC, only 2 good kings that observe the law of centralization: Hezekiah and Josiah (only worship God in the temple) - 7 kings get a C (keep idols out of the temple but allow people to worship at high places, violating the law of centralization) - 11 kings get F's (allow people to worship at high places and introduce idols in holy places)
What significance do the curses of Deuteronomy have for the books of Samuel-Kings?
(Deuteronomy 27-28:15-68) the curses of the covenant have come upon them for breaking the covenant *It explains why, in light of Israel's covenant with God, it appeared that God had forsaken Israel, allowing their defeat by the Assyrians and the Babylonians.
Confidence/trust (psalm)
(what if God chooses not to answer your lament?) the psalmist is still suffering, but they express trust in God nonetheless Ex: Psalm 131, lyric poetry - poems that express the composer's inner thoughts and emotions, Main idea: Oh Israel praise God who is your victor in the past
When does Chronicles reach its final form? And how does that affect its presentation of history?
*A POST-EXILIC history asks the questions: What do we do now? & What is our connection to the past? - POSITIVE picture of history
When does Samuel-Kings reach its final form? And how does that affect its presentation of history?
*An EXILIC history asks the question: Why are we here (in exile)? - NEGATIVE presentation of history
The Circle of Repentance as shown through the story of Ehud (Judges 3:12-30)
*Story takes place in Jericho (City of Palms) Sin (3:12a) - "The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord" - The sin is idolatry Oppression (3:12b-14) - "The Lord gave Moab power over Israel" - In this case, it was Eglon king of Moab (whose name means fat calf) - God sends an oppressor into Israel; the Lord gave X power of Israel X= name of specific oppressor Cry to the Lord (3:15a) - The people eventually repent "The people cried to the Lord" God Provides a "Judge" (3:15b-29) - Not like a courtroom judge - Hebrew word: sophet, means "rescuer" - Ehud is the judge and free's the Israelites from the Moabites by killing Eglon (the oppressor) Period of Peace (3:30) - "That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years."
What was the significance of the banquet in Esther 1?
*This banquet is the reason why Esther was able to become the queen - a pep rally before Xerxes and his armies go to Asia Minor to fight the Greeks - it was troubling when he asked his queen to show up and display her beauty and she refused - Xerxes gets rid of (his wife) Bashte? and makes room for a new queen - he hosts a "beauty contest" for a new queen, the women prepare for a year before spending a night with him - Esther is chosen
The story of Micah and the Danites
*the stories about dysfunctional families leading to dysfunctional nations make an argument to support kingship Micah confesses to his mother that he stole her money, the mother praised God for him confessing and celebrated by creating an idol of Yahweh with the money (illustrates the spiritual confusion, moral depravity, & political fragmentation) Micah makes a shrine and hires a Levite, The Danites steal the idol and make a false shrine in the new territory of Dan
a Psalm title
- A part of the Hebrew text (verses 1 and sometimes 2) - gives us good tradition about who composed the psalm, the occasion on which they composed it, its purpose, its genre, etc.
Who is Abijah?
- Abijah in Hebrew (means my father is Yahweh) - Abijah is the king of a divided monarchy portrayed as a bad king - Abiyam= Hebrew translation (my father is the sea, would be similar to saying my father is the devil) sea= chaos/evil - Abishalom/Absalom (bad guy) *you can harmonize these two stories to give an account of how different reports from the past can be reconciled with each other (he was good for parts of his reign and bad for other parts)
The basic plot of Esther
- Esther becomes queen - Mordecai (who had a position in the court) told Esther to hide that she was Jewish - Haman (given a seat of honor by the king) wants to have all the Jews killed because he hated Mordecai so much - Mordecai discovers a plot to assassinate the king Mordecai enlists - Esther's help to save the Jews (ch 4) "for such a time as this" - she approaches Xerxes and requests to have dinner with him and Haman - Haman builds a 75-ft impaling pole to execute Mordecai - the king asks Haman what he should do for a man that he should honor (the king was talking about Mordecai for saving his life) - Esther reveals that Haman has developed a plot to kill her people - Haman is impaled on his pole - the king allows to Jews to arm themselves and they defeat and kill Haman's people
Why is Ecclesiastes such an important book in the Old Testament?
- It addresses the meaning and purpose of life (a question that everyone asks) - this book is an idol buster; if you try to find meaning apart from God, it will be meaningless
What is the relationship between Woman Wisdom and Jesus?
- Jesus is incredibly wise, and it is often commented upon in the NT - Jesus's primary means of teaching is through parables - the parable was the teaching tool of the ancient sage - parable is related to the Hebrew word for proverb - Jesus is the very treasury of God's wisdom Matt. 11:18-19 - "but wisdom is proved right by HER deeds" He is associating himself with Woman Wisdom Col 1:15-17 Jesus and Woman Wisdom were both the firstborn John 1:1 Christians reading Proverbs should think in terms of Woman Wisdom being Jesus, to dine with her is to enter into a deeper relationship with Jesus from whom we can learn Wisdom
The historical background of Esther
- Mordecai - means man of Marduk, - Esther - Hadassa, means goddess of love (integrated into Persian society) - Mordecai is Esther's cousin - Xerxes has a vast empire - Story of Esther is set between the early post-exilic period and before the work of Ezra and Nehemiah
The Cyrus Cylinder
- Persian document written in Akkadian (lingua franca of the day) - Cyrus's annals written on an 8-sided clay cylinder - it marks the establishment of Persian rule and records how Cyrus restored shrines and allowed many if not all of Babylon's vassals to return to their homeland and rebuild their temples
The Circle of Repentance
- Sin - Oppression - Cry to the Lord - God provides a "Judge" - Period of Peace
What are the main interests of the Chronicler that shapes his presentation?
- The Temple/the Cult (David isn't allowed to build the temple) - Continuity with the Past (genealogies give us a connection to the past) - Immediate Retribution, quick punishment for sin (interested in motivating righteousness) - concentration on the south (the northern kingdom no longer exists after the exile, only Judah survives)
The nine principles of psalm interpretation
1. Read the Psalm in context - context is different in the book of Psalms than many other books of the Bible - the Psalms are rarely contextually related to the ones right next to it 2. Identify the type of psalm you are reading 3. Look Closely at the Parallel LInes 4. Unpack the Imagery - similes and metaphors - Psalm 78:65 5. Read the Psalm in the light of its Title - from the perspective of the ancient composer 6. What does the psalm teach you about your relationship with God? 7. How does the Psalm represent Christ? - a prayer to Jesus - a prayer of Jesus (what does it sound like if Jesus is saying it?) - Biblical-theological themes 8. The psalm as a mirror of the soul 9. What does the psalm tell you about God's will for your life?
The nine eras of OT history & the texts that cover them
1. The Primeval History (Gen. 1-11) Time Period: ??? to ca. 2000 B.C 2. The Patriarchal Period (Gen. 12-50) Time Period: ca. 2000-1750 B.C. 3. The Exodus and Wilderness Wanderings (Exodus 1-Deuteronomy 34) Time Period: 15th or 13th B.C. 4. The Conquest (Joshua) Time Period: After the Exodus/Wilderness Wanderings 5. The Period of the Judges (Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel 1-12) Time Period: From Conquest to 1050 B.C. 6. The United Monarchy (1 Samuel 13-1 Kings 11; 1 Chronicles 1-2 Chronicles 9) Time Period: 1050-939 B.C. 7. The Divided Monarchy (1 Kings 12-2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 10-2 Chronicles 36) Time Period: North 939-722 B.C. Conquered by Assyria South: 939-586 B.C. Conquered by Babylonia 8. The Exile (Lamentations; Daniel) Time Period: 586-539 B.C. 9. The Restoration and Diaspora (Ezra-Nehemiah; Esther) Time Period: Post 539 B.C.
What do we know about the composition of the book of Psalms?
13 psalms have historical titles, they are not written to memorialize the specific event that led to its composition, but so that later worshippers can use the psalm as a template for their own prayer, David is the most named author
What do we know about the collection of the book of Psalms?
150 chapters, poems that come from a long span of time, 74/150 are Psalms of David, book of psalms was used as a hymnbook for worship (often in the temple)
Daniel's vision has two parts. What are they?
1st part - the four beasts that each represent evil human kingdoms 2nd part - the Ancient of Days represents the divine realm with human beings Daniel 7:9 He's described as riding the clouds of heaven, only God rides a cloud
What is Azariah's Babylonian name?
Abednego
Who do the Ancient of Days and the one like the son of man represent?
Ancient of Days = a really old guy who is authoritative (aka God sitting in judgment) One like the son of man = Jesus riding the cloud of heaven, defeats the beast *biggest disclosure of the trinitarian nature of God in the OT THEME: the beasts are not in control despite what it looks like, God is in control and he will have the final say
Significance of 722
Assyrians defeat the northern kingdom and absorb it into their empire
What king was ruling at the time of Ezra and Nehemiah?
Artaxerxes I
612 BC
Babylon defeats Nineveh, capital of Assyria (Nahum) God revealed through Nahum that Nineveh would fall
609 BC
Babylon finishes off Assyria in the battle of Carchemish No more Assyria Egyptians retreat
626 BC
Babylon rebels against Assyria under Nabopolassar pivotal moment of ancient near eastern history Assyria had dominated Babylon for the past 150 years Assyria defeated the Northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC Nabopolassar declared himself the king of Babylon and started resisting Assyria
What is Daniel's Babylonian name?
Belteshazzar (means the divine lady protects the king)
Why does Qohelet think that life is meaningless?
Death (12:1-7; 2:12-16) Injustice (7:15-18) Inability to Discern the Proper Time to do/say the right thing (3:1-14)
Why did Daniel and the three friends refuse to eat the food and wine that Nebuchadnezzar provided for them?
By refusing to eat the food, Daniel and the 3 friends are giving God the room to work and show that He is in control, not Nebuchadnezzar (we know it wasn't because of kosher laws or anything like that because they only refused to eat the food during their training) Babylonian wise men had a certain expected physique Only in countries with an abundance of food is it desired to be thin in ancient Babylon wise men are fat, bald eunuchs
Susa
Capital of Persian Empire, located in the northern part of the Persian Gulf the place that Esther lives
The use of personification in Lamentations
Chapter 3 is a personification of the people of Jerusalem who are suffering in the aftermath of the Babylonian destruction
Significance of 539
Exile ends, temple rebuilding begins
the historical events connected to Ezra-Nehemiah/the structure of the book
Ezra 1-6: Temple Building under Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel (539-515 BC) - Jeruslamen remains a vassal province under Persia - King Cyrus allows the exiles to return - Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel head up the effort to rebuild the temple - God sent Haggai and Zechariah to encourage people to get on with the building - second temple is completed in 515 BC Ezra 7-10: Ezra Restores the Law in Jerusalem (458 BC) - God is using Persian foreign policies for his own purposes - Ezra was well versed in the law of Moses, so he reestablished the law Nehemiah 1-8: Nehemiah Builds the Walls of Jerusalem (445 BC) - Nehemiah was the King's cupbearer, told the king about the situation - the king allowed him to return to build the wall and made him the governor of the Persian province of Judah - Persian leaders of the day were allowing its vassals on the border areas to rebuild their fortifications (defense against Greece) Nehemiah 9-12: Israel Renews the Covenant Nehemiah 13: Continuing Problems - Nehemiah sees people violating the covenant and throws the furniture out of the temple rooms and yells at the people - Why does it end like this? to show that even this restoration isn't the final resolution (there must be more in the future - JESUS)
Significance of 458
Ezra restores the law in Jerusalem
What does 'the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" mean?
Fearing God = obeying Him Yir'at Yhwh (fear of the Lord) - gets at the idea that you should fear God in the sense that you should recognize that God is SO much bigger than you; He is your creator and you are his creature - you should tremble when you think about God and who he is in relation to you - this fear of God is the type of emotion that generates obedience - respect is too weak; awe is too religious - it's not the type of fear that makes you run away (not horror, dread) - 1 John; Perfect love casts out fear the type of fear John is talking about is fear of other people and he's talking about how God's perfect love for us casts out fear of other people
What does Azariah mean?
God is my helper
What does Daniel's name mean?
God is my judge
What role does God play in the book of Esther?
God is never explicitly mentioned in this book - He is hidden behind the scenes
From where or whom did Daniel learn the contents of Nebuchadnezzar's dream and its interpretation?
God revealed it to him Daniel never talks directly to God An angel comes along and interprets it for them
Herodotus
Greek historian who claimed the banquet in Esther 1 was a "pre-campaign" pep rally
What is the significance of the fact that Haman is an Agagite
Haman is an Agagite, Mordecai is a Benjaminite they hate each other because their people historically hate each other God finishes unfinished business
What is the role of irony in the book of Esther?
Haman was impaled on the pole he built to execute Mordecai
What does the frame narrator think about Qohelet?
He thinks Qohelet should look ABOVE the sun
Ahasuerus
Hebrew name for the Persian king Xerxes, husband of Esther
What is the significance of the message in the middle of Lamentations?
Hope in the Middle Lamentations 3:19-36 - there's a note of hope that there will be future restoration with God - the length of Lamentations 3 draws our attention to the middle of the book (the middle of that chapter= the strongest glimmer of hope)
What is the primary theme of the book of Daniel?
In spite of present difficulties, God is in control and he will have the final victory.
How does the book of Lamentations communicate judgment and hope?
Judgment: because of the sin of God's people, the temple is destroyed, the last king of Judah/last descendant of David are taken off to exile, and the destruction of Jerusalem has taken place. The purpose of the book is to communicate the perspective of someone who is still in the city of Jerusalem after the destruction, and is intending to evoke pity from God himself so that he may restore them. In the middle of the book, there is hope that there will be a future restoration with God
What is Mishael's Babylonian name?
Meshach
Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon during the time of Daniel
605 BC
Nabopolassar dies; his son Nebuchadnezzar becomes king; Judah under Jehoiakim becomes vassal of Babylon (Daniel 1:1-3)
How does Daniel 2 illustrate the themes of the book?
Nebuchadnezzar's university does not give them wisdom, only God gives them true wisdom (God revealed to Daniel the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream)
Significance of 445
Nehemiah builds the walls in Jerusalem
What does carpe diem mean and how does it relate to the message of Qohelet?
Seize the Day (2:24-26; 5:16-6:6) - This is what Qohelet suggests we do in response to life's meaninglessness - people who seize the day seldom reflect on the days of their life because God keeps them occupied with the goodness of heart and life - you will be distracted from the reality that life is difficult if you will die
How does Ecclesiastes relate to the New Testament?
Our hope is in Christ because he subjected himself to a fallen world to free us from the hevel!! Jesus renders life meaningful
539 BC
Persians Defeat Babylonians
How does the book of Lamentations end?
Please Restore Us! broken acrostic (chapter 5) communicates the idea that there isn't closure/wholeness yet; this fits in with the content of chapter 5 final verses of chapter 5: ask for forgiveness and to be renewed under him; appealing to God directly asking God to restore them; worried that maybe God won't do that
What is Hebrew parallelism? How does it work?
Poetry is composed of parallel lines - uses an economy of words (The Hebrew language uses fewer words than English) typically composed of 2-part (A and B) parallel lines (called bicola) - echoing effect Psalm 1 examples conspire -> plot kings relates to rulers rise up -> band together A, B, and C (tricolon) wicked -> sinners -> mockers (gets increasingly worse) How do the cola relate to each other? A does not equal B A equals B A, what's more B (B carries it further) Psalm 131: proud -> haughty
The structure/outline to the book of Judges
Prologue: The Incomplete Conquest (1:1-2:5) Cycle of Judges (2:6-16:31) Some of the best known judges: Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson Appendix: Two Stories of Dysfunctional Families Turning into Dysfunctional Nation (17-21) Argument to support kingship (David)
The macrostructure of the book of Proverbs
Proverbs 1-9: extended discourses - usually for men - most of these first five proverbs are constructed using antonyms (from opposite perspectives) instead of synonyms (to create parallelisms) Proverbs 10-31: proverbs - Message of Proverbs 10:1 it's an observation but also instructs the son to bring joy to his parents
Do proverbs make promises? What good are they then?
Proverbs Do NOT Make Promises Ex: train a child in the way they should go and when they grow up they will not depart from it - Saying this is the best route for the desired conclusion, but it is not a guarantee - They are still helpful because they give us guidance of good ways to live - *The book of Job undermines the argument that proverbs are promises!
Are proverbs always true? What makes them true?
Proverbs are NOT always true - they are only true when applied to the right situation - it depends on the nature of the proverb: different genres make different truth claims EX: 'Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes. ' Proverbs 26:4-5 (only true in the right context)
What's the relationship between Proverbs 1-9 and Proverbs 10FF?
Proverbs seems to be good advice and not a pervasively theological book
Who is Qohelet? What is his connection with Solomon and what function does the connection between Solomon and Qohelet play in the book of Ecclesiastes?
Qohelet is NOT Solomon He is like a philosophy teacher WHY is there an association with Solomon then? Qohelet= assembler (to assemble) Used for Solomon a lot in 1 Kings 9 Ecclesiastes 2:12 - The reason why is in order to debunk a response that people might have to the argument of the book (you can't find meaning in life in things like wisdom, money, pleasure) if we had more of all those things then i might be satisfied - Solomon had more money, pleasure, wisdom, etc than anyone and still ended his life as a sad figure that broke up the kingdom so don't live with the illusion "if only i had more"
What is Hananiah's Babylonian name?
Shadrach
What significance do the law of centralization, the prophets, and kingship have for the books of Samuel-Kings?
Samuel-Kings is a book that comes to its final form during the exile they were in exile because their kings did not follow these laws (they allowed worship outside of the temple and idolatry, the listened to false prophets, and they had kings who were not chosen by God or who were foreigners)
The significance of Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel
Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel (the leaders at the time) head up the effort to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem Zerubbabel is a descendant of David, some people thought he was the Messiah
Historical Background to the book of Daniel:
The Neo-Babylonian Empire
What does the refrain "there was no king in Israel, everyone did what they saw fit" tell us about the purpose of the book of Judges?
The main purpose of the book of Judges is to show that the Israelites were punished when they strayed from God and rewarded when they stayed faithful. The pattern of behavior in the book of Judges is clear: the people rebelled through idolatry and disbelief, God brought judgment through foreign oppression, God raised up a deliverer—or judge, and the people repented and turned back to God. When the people fell back into sin, the cycle started over again. shows the theme: Moral Depravity, Spiritual Confusion, and Political Fragmentation
What are the two voices in the book of Ecclesiastes? Where do the voices appear in the book and what is the message of each one?
Voice 1: Qohelet - translated the "teacher/preacher," or the "assembler" starts in 1:12 The Message of Qohelet: Life Sucks and Then You Die - He tries to find the meaning of life in a bunch of different things (money, pleasure, relationships, wisdom, status, work, etc.) and it is all meaningless Voice 2: Frame Narrator or Second Wiseman 1:1-11, starts again in 12:8 The Message of the Frame Narrator to His Son (We are supposed to identify with his son): 12:8-14 Life under the Sun - means apart from God's revelation - Fear God (Ketubim/Writings) - Obey the Commandments (Torah/Law) - Live in the Light of the Future Judgment (Nebi'im/Prophets) ^^ above the sun!! (Justification, sanctification, eschatology) *what the frame narrator says is the message of the book, not what Qohelet says
What does it mean that the psalms are a mirror of the soul?
When we read the psalm as if we are the speaker not every Psalm will express what you're personally feeling, but when you reflect on the content it will help you discover if you are moving toward God or away from God
What does Mishael mean?
Who is like God
Who is Woman Wisdom and what role does she play in the book of Proverbs?
Woman Wisdom is a personification of Yahweh's wisdom - Her house is on the highest point of the city, so to dine with Woman Wisdom is to enter into a relationship with God - dining with Woman Folly represents getting into a relationship with false Gods (because she is at the highest point too) - these concepts of wisdom are deeply theological - Wisdom is more precious than rubies - it is particularly important for leaders to be wise
What does Hananiah mean?
Yahweh is gracious toward me
What are the secondary themes of Daniel?
You can survive, even thrive, living in a toxic culture. But you must be willing to die for your faith.
Purim
an annual Jewish holy day commemorating their deliverance from massacre by Haman
Significance of 1000
approximate for David
Ashpenaz
chief of Nebuchadnezzar's court officials (chief of the eunuchs)
Nabopolassar
declared himself the king of Babylon and started resisting Assyria
Significance of 586
exile begins, Jerusalem is destroyed
How does Daniel 7 illustrate the themes of the book?
first of 4 apocalyptic visions an angel came and interpreted the dream looks like the beasts are in control, but really God is in control (the Ancient of Days reigns and the Son of Man is Given Dominion)
What is the significance of Proverbs 9?
it is a pivotal chapter in the book (the last chapter of the discourses) the reader is called on to make a critical decision - will you dine with Woman Wisdom or Woman Folly?
Why were the Babylonian wise men surprised that Nebuchadnezzar wanted them to tell him his dream?
they were surprised because the typical way that dream interpretation worked in babylon was that the dreamer would tell the dream interpreter the dream then the dream interpreter would go with the knowledge of the dream to dream commentaries and come up with a meaning Nebuchadnezzar has this demand for the wise men to tell him his dream AND what it means but no one can do this, only the gods can only God could tell the answer to the dreams The king went against what was normals for dream interpretation; No one had ever asked to interpret a dream without telling the dream first
What is the significance of the fact that the Babylonians changed the names of Daniel and the three friends?
this is part of Nebuchadnezzar's attempt to reprogram them in a Babylonian direction Their Hebrew names all glorify the true God Their Akkadian names glorify the Babylonian Gods
Laments
psalm of disorientation (when life isn't going well); typical to turn toward God with joy/thanksgiving/confidence at the end; it is okay to say your harshest most angry things to God as long as they are brought to God Ex: Psalm 77 - psalmist is brutally honest, 88 (doesn't change to positive at the end, but is still a prayer to God)
Hymns
psalm of orientation (when everything is going great in your life) Ex: Psalm 98 - divine warrior hymn, Oh Israel praise God who is your victor in the past, (poetic personification), O creation praise God who will be your judge in the future
Thanksgivings
psalm of reorientation; sung after God hears your lament (reference to an earlier lament) Ex: Psalm 30
Significance of 2000
rough estimate for Abraham
What do the beasts that arise out of the sea stand for?
sea (and the beasts)= chaos +evil - setting a kind of somber and dark setting 1st (mischwesen) = a lion with wings like an eagle (mind of a human is given to it) - Israelites have a deep aversion to hybrids (mixtures of things) seen in things like Laws of Leviticus (sow a field where you use more than one type of seed) - represents Babylon 2nd beast is a bear looking to consume (represents the Meeds) 3rd is a mischwesen had four heads and was given authority to rule (speed/leopards are fast: it has wings) (represents Persians) 4th beast had large iron teeth; crushed and devoured its victims; different than all former beasts and has 10 horns (represents the Greeks) - not described to relationship with any known animal - has iron teeth and iron claws (robobeast) - horns represent power and strength and in relationship to political entities **beasts are being used to symbolically represent evil human kingdoms that will successfully suppress the kingdom of God Beginning with Babylon and moving to the Medo-Persian empire (Persians incorporated the Meed's into the kingdom), the third is the Greeks IT's not intended for us to look at these beasts as representations of specific evil empires; Until God's final intrusion of history to bring evil to an end, there will always be a multitude of evil kingdoms (not just 4)
Significance of 515
second temple is complete
Significance of 931
the date that Solomon dies and the northern and southern kingdoms split in 2
Why is Samuel-Kings called the Deuteronomistic history?
the history is being written through the lens of the book of Deuteronomy
What do we know about the organization of the book of Psalms?
the order has changed before settling on what it is now, first 2 psalms serve as an introduction (gatekeeper), textual (sanctuary) analogy to the temple itself, psalm 146-150 are an intentional final doxology (begin and end with Hallelujah/praise the Lord) *This is where God makes his presence known in a vivid way predominance of lament at the beginning, and hymns at the end
How does Daniel 1 illustrate the themes of the book?
v2: God was in control, not Nebuchadnezzar - Daniel and his three friends found favor before the king even though they didn't eat the king's food - the narrator is pulling the curtain away and making it clear that God allowed it to happen - Daniel and his friends are thriving in this toxic culture because they are still putting God first
What did it mean that Daniel and the three friends had to learn the "language and literature of the Babylonians?"
~ Babylonian University~ this was typical to political ideologies (conquering country receives people from vassal country to serve in the administration of Babylon) - they learned Akkadian by reading texts that praised pagan Gods (Enuma Elish and Atrahasis) - a big part of their curriculum was divination: Read a sheep's liver for future prediction Astrology Dream interpretation' *they are being reprogrammed they are declared the valedictorians of Babylonian University, so they enter the king's service
