Medes

September 1, 2017

The goat attacked the ram (Dan 8:6-8:7)

“The goat came toward

The ram

With the two horns,

That I had seen

Standing

Beside the river.

It ran at him

With a savage force.

I saw it

Approaching

The ram.

The goat was enraged

Against it.

The goat struck

The ram,

Breaking

Its two horns.

The ram

Did not have power

To withstand it.

The goat threw

The ram down

To the ground.

The goat trampled

Upon the ram.

There was no one

Who could rescue

The ram

From its power.”

Next Daniel witnessed the attack of the goat against the ram. The goat was angry, so that it struck the ram, breaking its 2 horns. Here is an indication that Alexander the Great, the goat, had attacked the Persians and Medes, the 2-horned ram. The ram could not recover, as the goat threw the ram to the ground and trampled over it. There was no one there to rescue the ram from the power of this goat.

August 28, 2017

The second beast (Dan 7:5-7:5)

“Another beast appeared,

A second one.

It looked

Like a bear.

It was raised up

On one side.

It had three tusks

In its mouth,

Among its teeth.

It was told.

‘Arise!

Devour many bodies!’”

The second beast to come up out of the water was a bear looking creature. It raised up on one side with 3 tusks among the teeth in its mouth. Someone told it to arise and demolish many bodies. This may have been a reference to Medes.

August 27, 2017

King Darius declares universal peace and prosperity (Dan 6:25-6:25)

“Then King Darius wrote

To all the people,

To all the nations,

Of every language,

Throughout

The whole world.

‘May you have

Abundant prosperity.’”

This King Darius of Medes sent a decree to all the people and countries on the earth, no matter what their language. Of course, this would be hardly possible, since it was probably written in Aramaic. Anyway, he wished everyone peace and prosperity.

August 25, 2017

Follow the law (Dan 6:15-6:15)

“Then the conspirators

Came to the king.

They said to him.

‘Know!

O king!

That it is a law

Of the Medes,

Of the Persians,

That no interdict

Or ordinance

That the king establishes

Can be changed.’”

The Babylonian conspirators went to the king. They insisted that according to the law of Medes and Persia, no interdict or ordinance could be changed, once it was established. This is somewhat reminiscent of Esther, chapters 3-4, about the law against the Jews unable to be changed.

August 24, 2017

The new decree (Dan 6:7-6:9)

“All the presidents

Of the kingdom,

The prefects,

The satraps,

The counselors,

The governors,

All agreed.

The king

Should establish

An ordinance.

He should enforce

An interdict.

‘Whoever prays

To anyone,

Divine,

Or human,

For thirty days,

Except to you,

O king!

Shall be cast

Into a den of lions.

Now,

O king!

Establish the interdict!

Sign the document!

Thus,

It cannot be changed,

According to the law

Of the Medes,

Of the Persians.

It cannot be revoked.’

Therefore,

King Darius signed

The document.

He signed

The interdict.”

Thus, the two other presidents of the kingdom, with the prefects, the satraps, the counselors, and the governors all agreed that the king should establish an ordinance to be enforced as an interdict. This ordinance would say that anyone who prayed to any divine or human for the next 30 days, except to the king himself, should be cast into a den of lions. Then the king established this interdict and signed the document that could not be changed, according to the laws of Medes and Persia. This is somewhat reminiscent of the story of the king in Book of Esther, chapters 3-4 and 8-9, against the Jews.

August 23, 2017

Darius the Mede takes over (Dan 5:31-5:31)

“Darius,

The Mede,

Received

The kingdom.

He was about

Sixty-two years old.”

There is a lot of conjecture about this Darius, the Mede. The Medes joined with the Babylonians to overthrow the Assyrians. They came under Persian power around 550 BCE. Cyrus of Persia was the real power that conquered Babylon in 539 BCE. This Darius appears to be based on Darius I (522-486 BCE), the third Persian Emperor, not a contemporary of Cyrus or Daniel. Nevertheless, this was the end of the great Babylonian empire. Thus, ends the story of the great dinner party that finished in a disaster for the king, because he had dared to drink wine from the sacred vessels of the Jerusalem Temple.

August 23, 2017

The death of King Belshazzar (Dan 5:30-5:30)

“That very night

King Belshazzar,

The Chaldean king

Was killed.”

Right after Daniel became the 3rd in command, this Chaldean King Belshazzar was killed. How did he die? Apparently, the Medes and Persians invaded Babylon without any resistance. They took over and killed the sitting king. Was there any connection to the hand writing on the wall and Daniel’s intervention? Did this mean that Daniel was now 2nd in command? What would happen to him?

August 22, 2017

The writing on the wall (Dan 5:24-5:25)

“So,

From his presence,

The hand was sent.

This writing

Was inscribed.

This is the writing

That was inscribed.

‘Mene,

Mene,

Tekel,

Parsin.’”

Daniel said that the divine presence of God sent a hand to write on the wall. The inscription on the wall included 3 Aramaic words, one repeated twice, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin. What does it mean? It could mean various weights or measures such as the mina, the shekel, and a half mina. However, it could mean the 3 Babylonian kings, or the 3 countries of Babylon, Persia, and Medes.