Let the Prophets Speak

Daniel interprets the kings dream, that it has been decreed from heaven that Nebuchadnezzar would lose his kingdom and wander the fields like an animal. Until he learns to be humble before the the true God, and treat his kingdom with justice.

Another dream bothers the king, this time he sees a great big tree that gets chopped down. He again calls upon Daniel to interpret its meaning.

The enraged king condemns our three heroes to the fiery furnace, and miraculously they are unharmed. The king finally admits to a power greater than his own.

Nebuchadnezzer sets up a giant statue of gold, and demands that all of his subjects worship his "god" of wealth and power. The Judeans refuse to worship any God but the One True God, and the Chaldeans seize the opportunity to slander the three Jewish officials. With complete faith in God, the three leaders tell the king, we will not worship your false god. Even if it means our death by fire.

Daniel reveals the images that the king saw in his dream, a great statue made of many materials that gets destroyed by a stone. Human kingdoms will come and go and replace each other over and over. Until all of humanity recognizes God and establishes a kingdom that will last forever.

The King is bothered by an awful dream, but can't even remember the content of the dream, let alone its' interpretation. All of his magicians cannot help him, and he is enraged. A decree sending all the wise men (or not-so-wise men) to the executioner is declared, and Daniel and his friend's lives are in jeapordy. From Daniel's response, we learn the secrets of what prayer truly is.

Four young Judean captives are taken into King Nebuchadnezzar's royal complex. After being given Babylonian names, they are set to be trained and indrinated in the ways and the wisdom of their new country. The leader of the four, Daniel, faces his first major problem. How do we eat the food that we are being givne if it is clearly not Kosher? We begin to see the special wisdom and grace of this re...

The book of Jeremiah ends with a recap of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the dismantling of the Holy Temple. The final words of Jeremiah remind us that rays of hope and light appear even in the darkness of exile.

We read of a conversation between God and Jerusalem. The people are ashamed of their sins, that brought about the destruction wrought by Babylon. God promises revenge, a total revenge for all of the nations taht were oppressed by Babylon. Jeremiah sends his prophecy in the form of a scroll on a diplomatic mission to Babylon. Babylon clearly does not take heed and continues on their evil path.

Jeremiah continues his prophecy regarding the future destruction of Babylon. He describes the terrible error that people make. They think they are mighty and strong, but nothing human can compare to the greatness of God the Creator. This is the portion of the children of jacob, to teach this lesson to the other nations so they all come to serve God in Zion.

Jeremiah prophecies about the ultimate fall of Babylon, and the return of the peoples it had subjugated to their lands. Israel will make their way back to their land when Babylon falls to Persia, and so will the other nations. God warns babylon, if you are arrogant before me, your armies and fortresses cannot keep you safe from the vengeance of God.

Jeremiah turns his attention to three more nations, and we discuss their sins and ultimate fate.

Jeremiah turns his attention to two more implacable foes of the people of Israel, the nations of Ammon and Edom. We also summarize the attitudes of the prophets towards these nations.

In this chapter, the prophet turns his attention to the Moabites. Jeremiah describes their sins, and their ultimate fate. Their sins of arrigance, haughtiness, pride in their wealth and jeering at those who were not as fortunate as they. The destruction of their nation and culture that the prophet foretells is awful indeed.

Jeremiah prophecies about the end of the nation of the Phillistines. We review the many descriptions of the barbarity of the Philistine people in the words of the prophets. Jeremiah's prophecy is similar to the predictions of his predecessors.

In this podcast, we explore what the sins of Egypt were that made them the target of the prophecies of destruction. By analyzing the text of this chapter and the other prophets who discuss egypt, we get an idea of what lessons God wanted the Egyptians to learn. Humility, reliability, and trustworthiness.

In the second prophesy regarding Egypt, Jeremiah describes what will occur when Babylon takes the fight into Egypt's homeland. He describes the Egyptian's hasty retreat and devastating loss to the invading Babylonians. Pharoah is shown to be an unreliable leader, and will look like a fool. In the final verses of this chapter, Jeremiah reassures the people of Israel. Although these other mighty emp...

Jeremiah addresses the nations of the world, and begins with Egypt. In the first part of this chapter, the prophet tells Egypt that it will suffer shame and defeat at the hands of the Babylonians when they come to fight them in Carchemish. Carchemish is a city located in Syria near the Euphrates river. The arrogance of the Egyptians will be their downfall. This battle will establish Babylon as the...

In a flashback to the days of Yehoyakim, we learn oif the concerns and suffering of jeremiah's faithful scribe Baruch. God guarantees that Baruch's life will be spared throughout all of the coming wars, as long as he remains humble and does not seek personal glory.

Jeremiah and the people have very different versions of history, and tragically a very different understanding of God. The people cling to the notion of a transactional God who wants to be appeased. Jeremiah continues to teach that what God wants is for us to live according to the ways He teaches us, not incense and sacrifices. The people refuse to take heed, and insist in continuing their behavio...

The Judean refugees ignore Jeremiah's advice, and they leave the land of Judea and head to Egypt. What a tragic turn of history. The people as a nation was born escaping Egypt and they built a nation in their own land. But they failed due to their sins and they now abandon their land and seek safety in the land of their former oppressors. Jeremiah however, warns them verty clearly that things will...

The people turn to Jeremiah for advice, do we leave Judea and seek refuge in Egypt, or do we risk the wrath of babylon and remain here? Jeremiah gets his answer from God. You have nothing to fear from the King of Babylon, remain in your land and build it. Rely on God, not the Egyptians. If you run to Egypt you will not survive. However, the people have already made up their mind.

In one of the most tragic events of Jewish history, Yishmael ben Netanya assassinates the last remaining hope for the people of Judah in their homeland. He kills the soldiers, and takes the civilians captive. When the news gets out, Yochanan and the other leaders loyal to Gedaliah rescue the captives and Yishmael runs away to the protection of his sponsors in Ammon. The people gather together to d...

Jeremiah joins Gedaliah as the scattered Judean refugees begin to stream back to Judah. Just as there seems to be home for a future of the the Judeans in their land, jealousy and intrigue threaten to destroy it.

The Babylonian Army breeches the walls of Jerusalem, and the city falls to the enemy. The King's family and the nobility tries to escape, but they are captured by the Babylonians. As God had told Jeremiah, the King's family is brutally murdered, and Zedekiah is brought in chains into captivity. The conquerers leave the poor and previously enslaved Judeans in Judea, and appoint Gedalyahu as their g...