Comments for October 27

24:3 Jehoiada had been a powerful influence in the early life of Joash. This influence does not cease when he becomes king. Jehoiada, in selecting wives, is seeking to maintain the good that is in the young king.

v.21 - The son of Jehoiada was unjustly killed in a cruel way by the jealousy of mankind, just like the Son of God was to be. It is amazing how quickly such a turnaround is possible from good to evil. We need to heed this truth about the nature we all bear and beware.

24:6 Joash reigned for 40 years (24:1). This event took place in the 23rd year of his reign (2 Kings 12:6) when he was 30 years old. So the young man is now reproving the man who had been his spiritual mentor.

24:20 "Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord" is the origin of Jesus' language (Matt 15:3) in a rebuttal of the Pharisees and Scribes who sought to reprove the disciples for their actions.

V.6 After approximately 20 years Joash decides to repair the house of the Lord, called the priests and Levites to collect the temple tax, the half shekel, as appointed by Moses.(Exo 30:12-16)

V.2 Joash was well trained in the things of Yahweh by Jehoiada.  He did many good and valuable things during his reign, only to finally disgrace himself.  After Jehoiada's death, he turned to idolatry and killed Zechariah, who tried to warn him of his error.  This incident reminds us to stay the Godly course (Matt 10:22), for accumulated righteousness is of non-effect if we stray (Eze 33:12).

Again, we see some important verses in today's chapter, which are not given to us in the Kings record.
2Chron 24:15-18 tells us that after Joash's mentor, Jehoiada the priest had died, the people came to the king, and made obeisance to him.  I admit that these verses are not completely clear, but it looks as though the people begged the king to allow them to cease worship in the temple, and to return to idols.  Sadly, we read that Joash agreed.

V.7 Judah now, rather than Israel, became the centre of false worship where all the abominable rites were carried on with the patronage of the throne.

24:4  We should realise the degree to which the temple had become dilapidated. It required money to be collected from all the land – 2Chron 24:5 Whilst not wishing to draw a parallel between the temple and our meeting room, consider what it would require for the meeting room to become so dilapidated in a few years – it is only 15 years since the time of Jehoshaphat. Also we have to conclude that not only were people not going to the temple but that doubtless it was being looted by the people. So we have to conclude also that the priests were not fulfilling their duty to care for the temple.

24:2 ‘all the days of Jehoiada the priest …’ marks an ominous point. When Jehoiada was dead Joash turned away from God 2Chron 24:15-18. We all have had spiritual mentors, as did Joash. Do we rely on them so much that we cannot stand on our own feet? We must grow as individuals, rather than relying on the works and faith of others.

V.2 Jehoiada shows how important it is to be a good mentor and watchman to our brethren. Without such diligence many could stray from the Truth.

V.22 In the Hebrew Bible, Chronicles is the last book. Therefore, Zechariah was the last prophet slain in the Old Testament. Hence, Jesus' comment about the first slain prophet Abel (recorded in Genesis, the first book of scripture) to the last slain prophet Zechariah (recorded in Chronicles, the last book of scripture) (Luke 11:50,51).

24:4 And so we now see the beginnings of the benefits of the careful education of the king by the faithful priest Jehoiada.

V.1 The account of Joash reminds us that we cannot trust human nature, for humans are inclined towards evil (Gen 8:21).

Joash started off well under the strong tutelage of Jehoiada.  Once Jehoiada’s influence was no longer there, Joash went off the spiritual rails. 

It is not natural to worship Yahweh.  It takes a lot of work and dedication to counter the desires and impulses of the flesh.  But, if successful, the rewards will be worth it (Rev 2:11,17,26; 3:5,12; 21:7).  

24:1 So Joash, the young king, is set on the throne. The planning of Jehoiada which started in chapter 23 has come to fruition.

V.1 Joash had been hidden for six years. Now, at seven years old, he began to reign. That means Joash must have been about one year old when he was first hidden.

V.2 Joash grew in righteousness because he had a capable and dedicated instructor in Jehoiada. See 2Kin 12:2.

V.3 Jehoiada acquired wives for Joash when Joash was a young man. We are not told what age Joash was when this occurred.

Vs.6,9 This levy was the tax that Moses had instituted. See Exo 30:12-14.

V.16 Only royalty and persons of merit were buried in Jerusalem. For his service to Israel, Jehoiada was considered a person of merit.

Vs.17,18,22 Without correct Godly guidance the essentially wicked heart of humankind is free to do anything it wishes, including idolatry and murder (Lam 5:16). That is the reason we must always remain in contact with Yahweh (Jude 1:24,25).

The warning is clear to us: we might reach great spiritual heights, but because we are flesh, we can easily fall. Remember, if we do fall, then all our previous righteousness will not save us, if we do not recover (Eze 3:20).

Vs.20,21 This is the same Zechariah as mentioned in Matt 23:35. He should not be confused with Zechariah the prophet whose book bears his name. Becharias means blessing and does not indicate fatherhood. Jehoiada, of course, was the father of Zechariah.

Jesus quoted Abel to Zechariah because Abel appeared in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Zechariah appeared in the last book of the Jewish Bible, which was Chronicles. The order of the books of the Bible have, subsequently, been re-arranged.

V.25 Joash was a king, but a disgraced king. Therefore, he was buried in Jerusalem, which befits a royal burial, but not in the tombs of the kings because he was disgraced.

24:8 Whilst the chest was for the ‘tax’ RV which was ‘according to the commandment of Moses – verse :6 – it would appear that the giving was to be voluntary. Thus the people who knew what God required of them had to exercise their own consciences.

24:7   The description “that wicked woman” is not, we might think, essential for the purpose of the record. However with God no word is wasted.  The people are being reminded of her evil. We soon forget what we have seen.

24:5   The priesthood was charged with gathering money. It was not left to financiers! Whilst the money was required the spirit in which it was to be given was more important. The priests would be in an admirable position to make clear the correct focus – cheerful giving, not compulsion.

24:23   There is a pattern in the record of the kings. When they turned away from God He sent their neighbours against them. First it was the Syrians and then those of his own house – verses :25-26

I'd never do that!

v20-21 Zechariah was stoned because he spoke out against the rulers of Israel. Another Zechariah, the one who wrote the last book in the old testament, was killed in exactly the same way, and we only hear about it because Jesus mentions it in Matt 23:35. In both these cases, these prophets named Zechariah were killed in front of the temple, and Jesus uses this obviously repeating pattern to show the Pharisees that they will go ahead and kill him too.

Human nature will make different people carry out the same dreadful actions given similar circumstances, because we all have the same nature. There is no outward change we can make to change the outcome of our nature and make us better than anyone else. It is no good to claim "If that were me, I would never have done that!" as the Pharisees did (Matt 23:30), yet went on to do the same (kill Jesus). The only answer is to move away from human nature completely and embrace the "new nature" that will exist in us if we submit to Jesus and learn his ways (Gal 6:15):

For in Christ Jesus [no outward change] avails anything, but a new creation
 

24:24  The record is clear here. A small company of Syrians routed a larger army of Joash. One wonders how many of the people reflected on the fact that they had been routed by a small army. Did they see God at work?  

24:17-18       Joash, it seems, needed someone to listen to. He had listened to Jehoiada but now he listens to the “princes”. So we see a king who had no discernment of his own. He had learnt nothing from the years of instruction of that faithful priest. Do we learn from our mentors or are we easily led?

24:9  One presumes that the collection that Moses laid on the people was the half shekel for the sanctuary Exo 30:13

24:26 It is ironic that a Ammonite and Moabite slew the weakened Joash. God used enemies of Israel to fulfil his will because of Joash’s wickedness against the sons of Jehoiada

COMPLAINING

Have you ever been guilty of complaining about the things that are going on around you? It might be the lack of spirituality at church, the fact the no one brings friends along, the lack of organisation at meetings, or that we don't reach out to the right people.

After some bad kings (and queens) of Judah had been reigning, it would be surprising if the priests and Levites were not complaining about the lack of tithes and the state of disrepair in the temple. But then king Joash issued a command to the Levites: "Go to the towns of Judah and collect the money due annually from all Israel, to repair the temple of your God. Do it now." (2Chron 24:5). You may be interested to know that the Levites didn't do what they were told to do. The temple stayed all broken down. But the Levites had it in their power to do something about it.

What about the stuff that we complain about? We probably have it in our power to do something toward changing things. Are we doing it? Are we making a difference in the things that are going on around us now? Or do we prefer to do nothing and complain?
 

24:3   So what do we think of arranged marriages? Certainly in the western culture it does not seem to happen. However we might consider. The sort of company we encourage our children to keep has a long term effect on their thinking and behaviour. It is good to encourage good company and discourage bad company. Maybe by creating environments which serve the desired purpose.

24:1    We need not know who Joash’s mother was except we are expected to see a contrast with Athaliah – 22:2. Two mothers who were, by implications, so different from each other.

24:19  the way that people didn’t listen to God’s prophets was just the same as it was in the days of Jesus – Luke 11:49

24:7  the word “story” <4097> is derived from a word meaning “exposition”. The implication being that the historical books required careful examination to understand their message.

24:2 It is good and very helpful to have a spiritual mentor. Someone who we look up to, someone who encourages our bible study and provides an example of faithfulness to follow and imitate. However we only really benefit if we use that person as a guide ad not a crutch. We have to learn to be able to “stand on our own two feet”. As the Psalmist says such individuals potentially will not be around for ever – Psa 146:3-4

24:3  It is reasonable to conclude that the two wives were elected for Joash a few years after he ascended to the throne.

 The record only tells us the things that we need to know. There are significant time gaps in the inspired record.

24:22,25  Whilst the record speaks of the killing of Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the comment in the inspired record in verse 25 says sons. So we can conclude that Jehoiada had more than one son who was killed by Joash and his supporters.

24:1  As Joash was only seven when he came to the throne we must conclude that Jehoiada, on being aware of his birth, started to make plans in anticipation of being able to make him king. So, it would seem that Jehoiada’s plans were thorough and took quite some time. This makes it more amazing that Athaliah did not seem to have the slightest idea of what was being planned.

v.16 - There is no mention of Daniel refusing the gifts that went with the job, and we are left to assume that God was quite happy for Daniel to receive such outrageous level of reward and promotion in Babylon as a result of the services rendered by God through him. This seems to cut across the principles of serving God, and yet it clearly had God's approval.

5:1-4 Belshazzar in his drunken arrogant state calls for the vessels from the temple in Jerusalem. Yahweh, whilst sending His people into captivity wanted their captors to know who was in control. This arrogant attitude of Belshazzar required a revelation to put him in his place. Again we see that whilst Israel were in captivity Yahweh was in control of events.
5:16 Belshazzar asks for the writing to be interpreted. However Daniel uses the opportunity to rebuke the king first. 5:17-23 is a rounding condemnation for Belshazzar for not learning the lessons that his father learnt. 5:25-28 is the interpretation. The interpretation is terse and to the point after the rebuke.
Consider the courage of Daniel. he was in the king's court before a powerful drunk who could have had him killed at a moment's notice. Nevertheless Daniel holds forth the truth of the matter.

v.18 and v. 22 both confirm what we have said previously about God's view of Nebuchadnezzar - that He humbled him to bring him to an understanding of the salvation that God could provide.

We might wonder why Belshazzar was unable to read the writing on the wall. However it seems (v24) that the hand covered part at least of the writing. The hand was then removed and Daniel was able to read it to the king.

5:11 That the queen had to remind the king of events in the days of his father - which events were quite amazing - the interpretation of dreams which caused Daniel to be exalted in the kingdom - makes one wonder how well acquainted Belshazzar was with the history of his own country.

5:10 Whilst the events of the writing on the wall follow on immediately after the time of Nebuchadnezzar's madness we should realise that Belshazzar was Nebuchadnezzar's grand son - see margin.

V.29 Daniel declares his interpretation is not for the desire of reward.(V.17) The honors were doubtless urged on him, without his wish, in such a way that he could not with propriety refuse them. Had he refused them after announcing the doom of the kingdom, he could well have been suspected of cowardliness or treason.

Vs.2,18 call Nebuchadnezzar the father of Belshazzar.  Actually, Belshazzar's father was Nabonidus who was the fourth king after Nebuchadnezzar and the last king of Babylon.  Nabonidus had appointed Belshazzar as regent while he resided in the desert at Tema.  The appellation of father was commonly applied to an ancestor.  For example, Abraham was considered the father of the Hebrews (Luke 1:73; Acts 7:2; Rom 4:12).      

There is a 23-year gap between Daniel Chs. 4 and 5, (between the end of Nebuchadnezzar's reign and the end of Belshazzar's), in which we do not know of Daniel's activities.

LESSONS FROM THE PAST
 
People have said that if there is one thing we learn from history, it is that we do not learn from history.  Belshazzar had this problem.  Not many years earlier his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, had learned a powerful lesson about pride.  He had been sentenced to seven years living as an animal because of his pride, and when he realised how proud he had been, he humbled himself before God and became a humbler and wiser king.
 
Belshazzar should have learnt this lesson.  Daniel said to him, "But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this.  Instead you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven." (Dan 5:22-23)  Because Belshazzar should have learnt the lesson from the life of Nebuchadnezzar, and yet did not, he was punished and died the same night.
 
This episode raises an important question for us.  When we think over the lives of our parents and grandparents, what lessons did they learn through their lives that we also should learn from? 
 
Most people do not learn from history, but we can be different.  Let's make sure the lessons God taught earlier generations are not lost on us.

Dan 5:18-23 - The pride, arrogance and lack of humility of a Babylonian king (Nebuchadnezzar and/or Belshazzar?) is emphasized in Isa 14:4,11-20. The king of Tyre Eze 28:2 had a similar arrogance. The Pharisees exhibited some of these feelings and behaviors also as do elements of apostate Christianity. True believers, esp. those in positions of leadership, are not immune from feelings of pride, entitlement, or arrogance either.

One has to admire the strength of Daniel’s character. He was given the meaning of this event by God, AND he had the strength to tell the king that it forecast his own downfall. It’s no use knowing the Truth but being afraid to pass it on.  I wish I could preach like Daniel!

5:2  More accurately Nebuchadnezzar was the grand father of Belshazzar as the margin says. See Jer 27:7.

5:21-22 Doubtless Belshazzar knew what had happened to his grand father – it would have been common knowledge. Such a thing could hardly be hidden. So Belshazzar is simply disregarding God’s majesty, seeking to replace it with his own arrogance.

Here is the list of kings in Dynasty XI of Babylon (Neo-Babylonian or Chaldean):

Nabu-apla-usur (Nabopolassar) 626-605 BC

Nabu-kudurri-usur (Nebuchadrezzar) II 605-562 BC

Amel-Marduk 562-560 BC

Nergal-šar-usur (Nergal-sharezer) 560-556 BC

Labaši-Marduk 556 BC

Nabu-na'id (Nabonidus) 556-539 BC

Jeremiah 27:7 says of Nebuchadnezzar: All nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate him (NIV).

Looking at the kings of Dynasty XI this seems confusing.  However, history tells us that Nabonidus married Nebuchadnezzar's daughter.  Their son was Belshazzar (Nebuchadnezzar's grandson), the last ruler of Dynasty XI.  Nabonidus had set him up as regent to rule in his stead.

5:7 Doubtless the king had never seen such a thing as a disembodied hand writing on the wall. However he was so unaware of Daniel even though he had been a very wise counsellor that he sought help from the astrologers who had not been able to help his grandfather.

Could the 62 years in v31 be a comment on the length of reign of the current Babylonian kingdom?

5:11 Even though Daniel had been appointed over the astrologers – Dan 2:48 - that status seems to have slipped. Probably more accurately had been removed from him.

V.10 Historians tell us that the queen was Nitocris.

V.25 The writing was obviously not in Chaldean characters otherwise everyone would be able to read and understand the script. The actual language on the wall is a mystery to us. Some have speculated that the script was Samaritan which would have been understood by Daniel but not by the Babylonians. However, it does not matter. Even if the script had been totally foreign to Daniel, he would still have been able to read it with divine help.

There is an interesting difference here in the way Daniel approaches the interpretation of this sign compared to the dream in chapter 2. This time his wording is "I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation". Previously he had not claimed to be able to do any of those things himself, e.g. 2:26 the king had asked "are you able?" to which Daniel replied "there is a God in heaven that reveals secrets" (in other words "I am not able, but God is"). So what was different this time?

Firstly, the text on the wall appears to have been written in Hebrew, thus he could read it quite easily. It would have been un-genuine to make a point of praying to God for a translation when he could just read it. According to the margin of my Bible it meant "Mina, Mina, Shekel, Peres", all of which are Hebrew words. So was the interpretation easy for him too? Probably, because he had obviously heard what was said and done (5:23) and compared it to God's actions previously (5:18-22) to work out what God's likely reason for this sign would be. Also he knew from Nebuchadnezzar's dream that the Medes & Persians would take over the kingdom (2:39). He just had to add to this what he knew from Isaiah 47 that Babylon would be taken in a single day for the reason of its pride (Isa 47:8-9). The astrologers and stargazers are also specifically mentioned (Isa 47:13-14) and the fact that they exalted themselves above God (Isa 47:8,10).

5:6 So much for his drunken arrogance! His reaction, however, indicates that he gave some credence to what Daniel had said. Probably because he knew that Daniel’s words had been fulfilled before.

5:8    This is the third time that the wise men of Babylon were confounded by the revelation of God. The other two are in Dan 2:27 and , 4:7

Dan 5:5-6 Belshazzar saw the fingers of a man's hand writing the judgements of God on the wall.  Belshazzar was slain the same night and the Medes and Persians took the kingdom.  The Lord strengthened Cyrus "right hand" to subdue the nations and through fear, the loins of kings were loose (Isa 45:1).  This chapter is a prophecy of the overthrow of Babylon by Cyrus.  This suggests that the "man's hand" that Belshazzar saw writing on the wall was that of Cyrus.  Belshazzar's loins were also loosed with fear just as prophesied by Isaiah. 

5:9      And so another king was ‘troubled’. This is the third of third times that a king in Babylon was troubled. The others are Dan 2:1, 4:5.  All the wealth of Babylon does not give peace of mind!

5:22   From Daniel s comment about Belshazzar knowing and therefore being responsible we see that the testimony and experience of others that has been witnessed can be sufficient for a person to be expected to respond to what has been revealed. In fact Israel were taught that the things they did were to cause their children to ask for more information Exo 13:14

1. the chronological order of Daniel from chapter 5 on is: chapters 7,8,5,9,6,10,11,12.

2. Dan 5:1 - there was no mention of Belshazzar found in Babylonian records until 1853. Nabonidas was known to have been the last king of Babylon and prior to 1853 critics believed the book of Daniel was not historical. Nabonidas married Queen Nitocris, daughter of Nebuchadnezzar, and Belshazzar was their son and thus the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar (Jer 27:6-7). Three years after the ascension of Nabonidus as king, Belshazzar was made co-regent and among his responsibilities was being the de facto king of the city and province of Babylon while Nabonidas was engaged elsewhere.

3. Dan 5:1-4 - the feast perhaps echoes the hedonism and blasphemy at the time of the end along with the revival of apostate power in the new Babylon of Rome (Rev 18:2-10). Belshazzar arrogantly disrespected and provoked God by committing sacrilege of the captured holy vessels from God's temple in Jerusalem to be used for debauchery while they praised idols.

4. Dan 5:3,4,11,14,18,21,23 - note the use of God vs gods.

5. Dan 5:5 - "plaister"<1528> - excavations have shown that the palace had a thin coating of plaster that was painted white. It is believed "the writing is on the wall" slogan originated from this verse.

6. Dan 5:6 - "countenance"<2122>.

7. Dan 5:7 - "soothsayers"<1505>.

8. Dan 5:10-14 - was Daniel ill, in retirement, and/or had he fallen out of favor (Dan 8:27)?

9. Dan 5:16 - Nabonidus and Belshazzar were co-regents thus Daniel was offered the highest honor that could be given.

10. Dan 5:22-23 - Belshazzar didn't humble himself and provoked God very similar to the Pharisees who in crucifying Christ and his sin nature used similar and/or representative materials such as the bruising of Christ's flesh and fleshly nature represented by brass, the blood represented by wine, the silver of redemption, the purification of Christ represented by gold, the wood of the cross, the iron of the nails, and the stone which covered the tomb. and the apostate church which followed; this pride and provocation continues with apostate christianity which is a modern day Babylon.

11. Dan 5:25-28 - "ME'NE"<4484>, "TE'KEL"<8625>, "U-PHAR'SIN"<6537>, "PE'RES"<6537>; this somewhat reminds us of the parables of Christ which were only understood by a few and the truth of God's Word currently understood by only a relative few; when Christ was on the cross at the hands of the Jews and Gentiles (Romans) he achieved victory over sin for both Jew and Gentile saying, "It is finished" (John 19:30) as he fulfilled the the law; when Christ returns to earth there will be another judgment which involves weighing measuring and victory over sin (for some Dan 12:1-3) and a victory over a modern day Babylon of apostate Christianity (Rev 17:1-9;18:2-10,23); some have suggested this PE'RES of division echoes Israel being divided in part as a result of Shimon Peres who became politically dovish and agreeable to territorial compromise.

12. Dan 5:29 - Daniel was made the third (three is the number of divine perfection and reminds us of Christ's being in the pit for three days and the resurrection on the third) ruler and clothed with scarlet with a gold chain around his neck (gold representing purity) and this may echo Christ's victory over sin and death on the third day as well as his coming rulership (with the sinful Belshazzar slain Daniel would have been in charge to negotiate the surrender of turning the city over Dan 6:3;1Cor 15:24-28).

13. Dan 5:30 - the Euphrates River normally went through Babylon but to conquer Babylon Cyrus diverted it away from the city while the Babylonians were celebrating a festival and essentially walked into Babylon taking it without a fight;

this diversion seems to have been prophesied by Jeremiah (Jer 50:35-38); Belshazzar may echo the death of sin and sinful nature while Daniel may echo the victorious Christ who will be king.

14. Dan 5:31 - "Darius"(<1868> is a title not a name and means "lord")'; after Cyrus conquered Babylon he perhaps put in power a Median relation ("Darius the Median") for a short time though there are various theories one being that Darius was Cyrus.

5:4   In praising their gods the Chaldeans sealed their fate. God suffers no competitors. He certainly will not tolerate men thinking that their gods have overpowered the God of Israel.  

5:4    when Belshazzar praise the gods of gold he is doing the same as we see in Hab 1:11 where the thought  pattern is that the false gods had done the delivering rather than realising that God was in control.

5:4    Belshazzar had not learnt the lesson that his grandfather had learnt – Dan 4:37. Human nature is a slow learner!

Dan 5:29

“Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

The Dead Sea Scrolls record that the last king of the Babylonian Empire was not Nebuchadnezzar II (634-562), but Nabonidus (555 - 539BC). In 1854, an archeological unit unearthed a cuneiform cylinder known as “the Nabonidus Cylinder.” Critics of the Bible claimed Daniel inaccurate because history records Nebonidus, not Nebuchadnezzar, as the last King of Babylon and Nebonidus was Belshazzar’s father (cf. Dan 5:2).

The ancient Biblical Historians, Herodotus, Berosus, Abydemus, Ptolemy, Josephus, and Theodoret never mentioned a King Belshazzar. They record that after Nebuchadnezzar’s death, he was succeeded by his son, Amel (or Evil) -Merodach (cf. 2Kin 25:27). Evil-Merodach’s brother-in-law, Neriglissar (Nergal-sharezer in Jer 39:13) succeeded him. When he died, his son Labashi-Marduk succeeded him, but he was assassinated after 9 months, after which Nebonidus, another son-in-law, became king. This fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecy as read in Jer 27:7.

When the Nebonidus Cylinder was discovered among the ruins of Ur, Mesopotamia by British archaeologist J.G. Taylor in 1854, the name of Belshazzar appeared! Nabonidus writes: “May it be that I, Nabonidus, king of Babylon, never fail you. And may my firstborn, Belshazzar, worship you with all his heart" - Nabonidus Cylinder, iii.3-31. Nabonidus prayed to the moon goddess, Sin, that Belshazzar be faithful to her.

Smith’s Bible Dictionary has for Belshazzar, “(prince of Bel), the last king of Babylon. In Dan 5:2, Nebuchadnezzar is called the father of Belshazzar. This, of course, need only mean grandfather or ancestor.” (Emphasis mine)

Easton’s Bible Dictionary has for Belshazzar, “Bel protect the king!, the last of the kings of Babylon (Dan 5:1). He was the son of Nabonidus by Nitocris, who was the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar and the widow of Nergal-sharezer.” Nitocris, Belshazzar’s mother, may well have been the queen mentioned in Dan 5:10.

There were two kings of Babylon during the time of Belshazzar’s great feast. Nabonidus, the father, who spent much of his time in Arabia, installed his son, Belshazzar, the crown prince, as co-regent, entrusting the Kingship to him. [Nabonidus] “entrusted the army to his oldest son, his first born, the troops in the country he ordered under his command. He let everything go, entrusted the kingship to him, and, himself, he started out for a long journey. The military forces of Akkad marching with him, he turned to Temâ deep in the west." - Nabonidus Cylinder, ii. 18-29. Thus, Daniel became Babylon’s third ruler.

But how this vain-glorious monarch trembled when he saw the hand inscribing the doom of his dynasty upon the wall! He that drank to the praise of his gods out of the gold and silver vessels of the temple, and “lifted himself up against the Lord of heaven,” was seized with the pallor and prostration of extreme fear. But the Lord whom he had defied had numbered his kingdom and finished it; he had weighed him in the balances and found him wanting; and had therefore divided his kingdom to the Medes and Persians.

- Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come, Jan 1852

5:26-28  The fact that Daniel could interpret the writing and explain it spoke of the end of the kingdom is only credible if it is recognised that God does rule in the kingdom of men – Dan 4:17

Dan 5:12

“… now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.”

It is interesting to note that the queen (v. 10) called Daniel by his Hebrew name and not the Chaldean name, Belteshazzar, given to him by King Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 1:7).

In doing so, she showed respect for his faith and background. By it, she also indicated that the reputation of the great prophet of Yahweh was still widely known throughout the Empire, especially in the Royal Court, after 70 years!

The historian, Flavius Josephus, in Antiquities of the Jews, 1974, P.225, identifies the queen as being the king’s grandmother.

5:6     The way in which Belshazzar behaved is exactly what an earlier prophet had said would happen when Cyrus came to power – Isa 45:1

5:1      Notice how the knowledge of God soon disappears. Nebuchadnezzar who was ether Belshazzar’s father or grandfather knew about the greatness of God. However in at the most two generations that respect was now gone!

WHAT WE HAVE HEARD

Daniel's big criticism of Belshazzar was this: "But you, his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this." (Dan 5:22). The "all this" that Daniel was referring to was the seven year lesson that humbled king Nebuchadnezzar. Belshazzar had seen Nebuchadnezzar's humbling, he had observed the fact that the LORD was God above all else and that He rules in the kingdom of men, but he hadn't taken this knowledge to heart or done anything about it.

If only Belshazzar had taken to heart the experiences of his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar, the outcome of his party that fateful night might have been quite different - even rewarding. But Belshazzar refused to learn lessons from those who had gone before.

We have all seen our parents, grandparents, other church members and other people learn important lessons from life. It's not just those other people that need to learn from them. It's us too.

So take a moment to look back at your family history, your church history and any other history you like, to discover what lessons have been learnt, and how they should impact your live as you walk with God.
 

5:4-5  It was a long time since the vessels had been taken out of the temple in Jerusalem and nothing untoward had happened. This possible encouraged the king to desecrate them b praising his God. He did not seem to realise that Yahweh was happy to bide his time and act when He felt it necessary. Likewise we should not slid into complacency just because if is 2,000 years since we were promised that Jesus would return. It will happen in God’s good time.

5:25-28 In changing the names of Daniel and his friend Nebuchadnezzar was seeking to cause them to forget their association with the God of Israel. But now his grandson is confronted with writing in Hebrew. It is as if Yahweh is forcing the Chaldeans to recognise the relevance to the Jews of what is being said.

5:10 Shortly after the death of Joseph there arose a Pharaoh that “knew not Joseph” – Exo 1:8. It cannot be that this Pharaoh had not heard of Joseph’s work. He simply had no regard for Joseph or Joseph’s God. In like manner Belshazzar would have been aware of what Daniel had done but had no respect for him. It took his grandmother’s intervention to summon Daniel. Human nature and human pride is so perverse that it can ignore unquestionable evidence. We must be aware that we have incontrovertible evidence of the resurrection of Jesus – doubts show the sort of thinking of Pharaoh and Belshazzar.

5:2 four times in this chapter -:here ,11,13,18 Belshazzar is reminded that it was his own (grand)father who had recognised Daniel and by implication Yahweh as the true God. But clearly Belshazzar chose not to see the implications of what he was told.

5:11 The way in which Belshazzar did not acknowledge Daniel was not, it seems, due to him being unaware of him. But rather that he had no respect to his words – a little like the Pharaoh who “knew not Joseph” – Exo 1:8

5:2  Belshazzar, by drinking from the vessels that had been brought form God’s temple in Jerusalem, is rejoicing in the victory of Babylon over God. The captivity was “of God” but not due to the military prowess of the Chaldeans. His behaviour was an affront to Yahweh – that is why he was judged.

4:11 - The power of this single, apparently throwaway line is enormous and yet it seems to go over the heads of the listeners. Maybe they were not too well versed in their scriptures this time, or were so busy trying to trip the apostles up that they missed this direct recrimination.

3:1 The 'ninth hour' is 3.00 PM. Maybe Peter and John went to the temple at 'the hour of prayer' because they felt that it would be a good time to preach the gospel. Paul selected prayerful individuals to preach to Acts 16:13 at Philippi.

4:7 The question 'by what power and authority' echoes the way that the same individuals had challenged Jesus about the overturning of the table of the money changers. Matthew 21:23 So the leaders had not learnt the lesson of the risen Lord

Quotations in Acts 3 from earlier Scripture

Notice the quotation from Mark - we should be aware that the New Testament writers quote earlier NT books as well as books in the OT.

Quotations in Acts 4 from earlier Scripture

3:15-16 Here we have a twofold witness to the resurrection. The apostles had seen the risen Jesus and the lame man walking was the second witness. (Deuteronomy 19:15)

4:32 Some might see communal living as the way that the first century believers lived. However this is not necessary in order that we can be like these disciples. A willingness to share our goods as goods that are not our own because they have been loaned to us by God will match the behaviour of these disciples.

3:16 The 'perfect soundness' seen in this man contrasts vividly with the nation who Isaiah describes ( 1:6) as having 'no soundness'.

4:11 In applying Psa 118:22 to Jesus saying 'This is ...' Peter answers the challenge that Jesus had given to the same individuals only a few days earlier (Matt 21:42)

 3:1 The Jews observed three hours of prayer daily, this is taken from Psa 55:17,  Dan 9:10 There was the third hour(Acts 15) the sixth hour(Acts 10:9) and the ninth hour which we see here. There is an exhortation here for us as to the necessity of prayer.

A Lame Man Healed

3:1-10 - At the 3pm time of prayer which is when Jesus died, a man lame from birth (Acts 4:22 - indicates he was 40 and thus the suggested number of trial, testing, probation, chastisement) begged at the temple gate called beautiful Grk horaios (5611) which could mean beautiful or belonging to the right time or season or perhaps the Heb towb (2896) which could mean many things including beautiful or be well favoured. He was barred from the temple as he was lame (2Sam 5:8). In vs. 6 he isn't redeemed with silver or gold (1Pet 1:18-19) but by the blood of Christ and in vs.7 now cured he legally enters the temple courts vs.8. In vs.9 there are two types of healing as he was walking (naturally and spiritually) and praising God. V.16 - indicates a complete healing. 4:9 - whole Grk sozo (4982) can mean to save, to deliver or protect, heal, preserve, be (make) whole.

Sharing Possessions

4:32-35 - unlike the man above who had to beg outside the temple the believers shared everything in common as everyone had need.

3:12 In not claiming the glory for the healing of the lame man Peter and John show that they have learnt the painful lesson that they had to learn in the gospels – who is the greatest?

4:32 In saying that the disciples were of ‘one heart and one soul’ we see that they were joined in their feelings and their actions.

When we have a couple of chapters that are so busy with events, it's easy to miss the significance in what Barnabas did in 4:36-37. It seems that he had been carefully studying his bible, and had taken in all Peter's words. In 3:21-24 Peter had quoted Deuteronomy 18, and shown how this prophecy of "a prophet like Moses" was fulfilled in Jesus. If we look back at that chapter, we can see exactly why Barnabas did what he did.

Deut 18:1 Levites were to have no inheritance. Barnabas was a Levite (4:36). Deut 18:2-4 the portion of a Levite was to have what was offered by other worshippers. 18:5 "forever" meant their ministry was an everlasting one - yet their had been no indication of this coming to pass - until now. Barnabas had realised that Jesus was the fulfilment of 18:15-19, and so he deduced that it was also the time of the fulfilment of v5. He realised that now was the time he had been waiting for, that he could go and serve forever. This is why he carried on reading and did what he did. 18:6-7 told him that if he desired, he could leave his home and come to worship in the place "which the LORD chooses". The LORD had chosen the body of believers as the place to come and worship Him. 18:8 told him that he could go and have an equal portion among them, and that they were to live also from the proceeds of selling his inheritance.

Barnabas was declaring several unmistakable things. 1) I believe that Jesus is the promised Prophet and that I should "hear him". 2) I believe I have been promised an everlasting ministry. 3) I believe God will give me a portion, despite selling my own and having no more means to earn bread. 4) I believe the assembly of believers is the "place" where God dwells and wishes to be worshipped. 5) I desire to cast my lot in with Jesus and to stand and worship before the LORD.

3:22 It is interesting to see how Peter develops his theme. Having shown the people that they had slain the Son of God. He leads them to their great hope, the prophet like unto Moses who was going to deliver them from their oppressors. Moses was the great prophet of Israel, and a great prophet like unto him had been promised to Israel. Moses had said this in his writings. If they held Moses in such high esteem, they would believe what he had said. Now, comes the test; would they believe all that Moses had taught? Yes. Would they also believe all that the prophet like unto him had spoken? How could they hold Moses in such high esteem and disregard the prophet like unto him?

4:6  ‘kindred of the high priest’ highlights that the opposition to Jesus was a family matter based on concern about status rather than Scriptural reasoning.

3:2 The exhortation which we all can gain from this incident is; that we are all born spiritually lame from our mother's womb and must come to Christ to be healed, If we appeal to the world around us for help, we will not receive the true help that will cure us of our ills. 

4:12 Some people claim that all religions are pathways to God.  However, the scripture clearly states that only Jesus Christ is the author of salvation.

4:1 The ‘captain of the temple’ was over the military guard of the temple. This highlights that the Sadducees did not rely on words to oppose the preaching – they used force.

3:2 The links shown last year  with Isa 35:2-8  combine to show that Isaiah 35 speaks of the sorry state of Israel that will be healed through the work of Jesus. But is not simply a physical healing that Peter spoke of but the forgiveness of sins Acts 3:19

Man Mortal (lesson 8 of 20 from "Outline of Basic Bible Teachings" by Wes Booker)

I. Is it important to understand man's nature? Psa 49:20

II. Man is a creature of the dust - mortal, dying:  A. Gen 2:7 - breath of life = spirit. Body + spirit = soul. Compare Gen 7:21-23. Breath of life (spirit) same word used for animals   B. Gen 3:19   C. Ecc 3:19-20;12:1-7 - ALL (whether animals, good or bad people) have spirit or breath that returns to God at death.  D. Gen 3:22-23

III. No consciousness in death:  A. Ecc 9:5-6,10  B. Psa 146:3-4 (KJV)  C. Psa 6:5  D. Isa 38:18-19

IV. "Soul" in the Bible:  A. Gen 1:20,24 (KJV); 2:7 (KJV)  B. Eze 18:4,20 - soul dies  C. Prov 6:30 (KJV) souls eat  D. Num 31:28 (KJV) animal souls  E. Acts 3:23 (KJV)  F. Luke 12:19-20 (KJV)

V. Immortality - something to be sought after:  A. Titus 3:7;1:2 - hope of eternal life  B. Rom 2:7 - seek after  C. Mark 10:30 - the world to come  D. Gal 6:7-9 - in due season  E. Rom 6:23 - a gift  F. Matt 25:31-34,46 - at judgment  G. 1Cor 15:51-58 - mortal puts on immortality after resurrection

BARNABAS

We are told that the name Barnabas means, Son of encouragement. (Acts 4:36) If we have a brief glimpse of his life, we can see that Barnabas certainly lived up to his name. He was an encourager in words, actions and in name.

The first thing we learn of Barnabas was that he sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles feet. (Acts 4:37) Here Barnabas was an encourager because of his generosity and great example. If others were not as well off as himself, he shared what he had.

It was Barnabas who was the first person to trust and befriend the newly converted Saul of Tarsus. While the rest of the believers cowered in fear, Barnabas encouraged them all to trust Saul and unite as brothers. Barnabas was a mediator and healer of relationships. (Acts 9:26-28)

Barnabas was also the one who could spontaneously burst into encouragement when he saw the grace of God in the lives of other believers. When he arrived (in Antioch) and saw evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts ... and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. (Acts 11:23-24)

Let's be like Barnabas, able to encourage with our possessions, our actions, and with our words. What a blessing it would be if more of us were like Barnabas!

3:1 The ninth hour was 3 p.m. Both the ninth hour and the third hour, 9 a.m., were the two hours of daily prayer. It was at the third hour that Jesus was crucified (Mark 15:25); and it was at the ninth hour that Jesus died (Matt 27:46-50). Jesus’ sacrifice started in the hour of prayer and finished in the hour of prayer. Jesus’ lived a life of sacrifice in constant prayer to His Father. And, Yahweh received His Son’s prayer (Psa 6:9).

3:2 Beautiful was one on the nine temple gates. These gates were highly decorated in gold and silver, except one which was decorated with Corinthian brass.

3:21 When Jesus returns He will set up His Kingdom and all things will be restored to the same conditions as was found in the Garden of Eden. This answers the disciples question: Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? (Acts 1:6).

4:1,2 The Sadducees did not believe that people rose from the dead. They also denied belief in spirits or angels (Acts 23:8). These beliefs put them at odds with the Pharisees as we see in the dispute over Paul (Acts 23:6-10).

4:6 Caiaphas was son-in-law to Annas. It was Caiaphas who was the high priest at this time.

4:36 Joses Barnabas means exalted, son of consolation.

3:19 The blotting out of sins echoes Psa 51:1 where David, a man after God’s heart, shows how a sinner can be pleasing to God.

Acts 3:6- Silver and Gold have I none says Peter he then healed the lame man in the name of the Jesus Christ of Nazareth and commanded him to rise up and walk.  
The words of a Proverb find a fulfilment in this miracle of Peter.

Prov 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.”.  
The good name of Jesus is to be preferred above silver and gold.  The healing of the lame man was done as a loving favour in name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Also see, Acts 4:10-12.
 

4:25 In saying that ‘David’ wrote Psalm 2 (Acts 13:33)– for that is what is being quoted – we are provided with information about Psalm 2 that is additional to that which the Psalm provides.

4:8-12  Peter’s eloquent testimony is the first occasion when the words of Jesus – Luke 12:11  - are seen fulfilled in the mouths of the Apostles.

Acts 3:19,20.

One way of reading these verses is that a major prerequisite for Jesus' coming back is repentance (i.e. repent so that the following will occur - sins may be blotted out, times of refreshing will come, and God will send Jesus). Is this a correct way of reading these statements here?

I believe that this is the best way of reading this passage. If so, then this idea matches up with a number of other passages from both Old and New Testaments that either state clearly or strongly imply a condition attached to Jesus' return - and that condition is sincere repentance and prayer that it would happen. I'll write out a few of them and then give you a list of references that you can check to see if they fit this idea.

Mat. 23:39 - "For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'" The idea here seems to be that Israel, after going through a serious persecution, will finally understand who Jesus is and believe in him and long for his coming to bless them. And then he will return in response to that longing.

Lev. 26:40-42 - "But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their fathers - their treachery against me and their hostility toward me, which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies - then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land." Notice the "if...then" element here ending with God's remembering the covenant made to the patriarchs and giving them the land.

Mal. 4:5,6 - "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse." So whoever this "Elijah" is - and remember that John the Baptist was called "Elijah" in the first century - he will help to bring about this repentance which will, in turn, help to bring about the great and dreadful day of the LORD.

Isa. 62:6,7 - "I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth." These verses appear to have as an additional application to spiritual Israel and what we should be doing too.

Here are a few more to check out, if you like. Deut 30:1-3; Jer 29:12-14; Zech 6:12-15; Hos 6:3; Psa 81:13,14; Joel 2:12-20; Eze 20:42-44. (This last one in Eze. is especially interesting in that it shows that the Jews' return to the land is to precede its change of heart.)

Now if this idea can be regarded as true - that conditions attached to Jesus' 2nd coming are a sincere repentance on the part of many in Israel (and in spiritual Israel??) and a strong collective prayer that he might come - how does this line up with the verses that speak of his coming as a day that God already has in mind and is circled (so to speak) on the Divine calendar? For example -

Acts 17:31 - "For he (God) has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

Mark 13:32 - "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the son, but only the Father."

While some might see the two concepts as mutually exclusive or contradictory, I don't really think that that is the case. Couldn't it be that God in His infinite wisdom knows ahead of time when this national repentance and desire for Jesus' return will finally happen? And so this fulfillment of those prophecies then fits exactly with that circled date on His calendar. I may be wrong on this, but it seems to me that both ideas may be true. I do think that within the brotherhood, the 2nd idea (the circled date) has gotten the majority of air time; whereas the first has been short-changed a bit. And the reason might be that the 2nd is so obvious that the first is not even considered or thought about.

4:4   We are being shown a contrast and growing division between the religious leaders and the common people. The leaders were ‘grieved’ – verse :2 – whereas the common people ‘believed’.

4:12     Peter is speaking to Jews who would have laid great store in keeping the Law of Moses. However Peter says, by implication, that the Law of Moses could not bring salvation which is rather like Heb 10:26 which teaches Jewish believers, probably in Jerusalem,  the same people to whom Peter was talking here that there is no other sacrifice except the sacrifice of Jesus. 

3:24     When Peter said that “all the prophets from Samuel” spoke of Messiah we have to assume that his audience would have agreed that the Old Testament, as we know it, spoke of Messiah. It was that up to the coming of Jesus they did not understand what the prophets had said.

In Acts 3:13 (ESV) we read yet another verse that refutes the doctrine of the trinity - "The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus..."

Contrast the love, care and generosity of the first century believers with the often selfish narcissistic materialism of today Acts 4:32-37.

4:23-30        The certainty that Jesus had been raised from the dead to die no more motivated Peter and John. So, rather than being sad and despondent at their treatment, they rejoice and praise God! They even apply a Psalm – Psa 2:1 – to their experience.

The First Miracle of Healing: Acts 3:1-12

Many things were happening rapidly to the early ecclesia —not the least of which was its rapid growth. In the previous chapter,Acts 2:41 "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” In Acts 2:47 the number expanded even more: “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” 

This early ecclesia had exuberance for the Lord that fostered meetings in the temple courts every day Acts 2:46 . The events of chapter 3 unfold as Peter and John were going into the temple courts, as their practice was. We have no record of all the wonders and signs done in that opening period, but we do have this one -- the story of the lame man who was healed at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. 

The lame beggar asked for money, but Peter gave him something much better - the use of his legs. We often ask God to solve our little problems in life - but He wants to give us a new life that will solve all of our problems. Ask God for what you want - but don't be surprised when he gives you what you REALLY need!

4:34       In saying that none of the followers of Jesus “lacked” is not telling us that they were materially wealthy. In fact they were not. Paul sought to arrange for collections from the gentile ecclesias for the poor brethren I Jerusalem. Rather we are being told that their basic needs were met through the generosity of their fellow believers.

3:6    Here and 3:16 and  4:7 the emphasis is on the “name” of Jesus. The point being made relates to authority. Not simply a name. By speaking of healing in the name of Jesus Christ Peter is appealing to the fact that Jesus has been raised from the dead.

4:11 as well as drawing on the words of Psa 118 in saying that Jesus was “set at nought” the words of Jesus in Mark 9:12 are echoed here.

4:3 Whilst we cannot put a precise time on “eventide”  we know that they started preaching at 3.00 in the afternoon – 3:1. It gets dark about 6.00 PM in Israel and so we might conclude that the authorities had not wasted much time before they apprehended Pater and John.

3:9-11   The consequences of the miracle – the people coming to listen to the word being preached – is the reason for the miracle. It was a high profile event designed to draw the people to listen to the word preached, giving credibility to the words spoken. This is the true reason for the miracles performed by Jesus’ disciples.

BOLD PRAYER

Here is a great prayer that most of us could probably do with praying on a more regular basis. Peter and John had just been arrested and released after preaching that Jesus was the Messiah. When they came back to the rest of the believers, they all joined in prayer. It had no doubt been a frightening time being arrested and facing the court, but they didn't want that to put anyone off spreading the word about Jesus. So among other things, this is what they prayed: "Now Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness." (Acts 4:29).

This is something I need a lot more confidence in doing. I tend to default to preaching by example most of the time, but I should probably be a lot better with my words. That's why I need to pray this prayer more often for myself, so that I will be able to speak God's word with great boldness to whoever God brings to us.

So let's do it now. Let us pray: "Now Lord, enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Amen."
 

4:1 The chapter division is not helpful here – though the reading plan is! The events recorded in this chapter follow directly on from the events of the previous chapter.

Acts 4:13,29,31

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John… and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus… and with all boldness they may speak thy word…and they spake the word of God with boldness.”

“Boldness” is the Greek word, parrhesia, # <3954>. It means to be “outspoken, frank, confident, speak freely, openly and plainly.” In other words, Christ’s disciples were given the freedom of speech to declare the Word of God and Christ as they gave it – not the pope, not the government, or anyone else.

Peter and John exercised their freedom of speech to proclaim the Christ because “they had been with Jesus.” They were under the governmental Roman system of oppression and under a false religious system of the Sanhedrin and the high priest: a religious bondage built on the traditions of men. The spirit of religion did not and does not understand the freedom of conviction coming from unlearned and ignorant men, nor would we be understood how Christ uses broken vessels as channels of living water! Regardless of the spirit of antagonism they found themselves in, they spoke the words of truth taught to them by Jesus and so walked with Jesus (1John 2:6; cf. 1Tim 4:16). They walked the talk. 

In contrast, the U.S. government formed a Disinformation Governance Board, calling it the Ministry of Truth. According to William J. Casey, CIA Director, 1981, he said, “We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false.” Talk about living in an age of deception! We are to believe and accept only information that comes from the government and the government-controlled media. Everything else is considered false and a “conspiracy theory.”

Their Ministry of Truth is to accept that good is evil, evil is good, light is darkness and darkness is light, what is moral is immoral, immoral is moral. If we hold to the Bible, a book they describe as “hate literature,” this may land us with hefty fines and/or imprisonment! Though we haven’t reached the full import of these actions, it is coming once the New World Order is fully implemented. It is amazing how history in this last ecclesial Age is repeating itself with the birth of it and in ways we never could have imagined.

Should we ever be judged for our beliefs, may we choose to speak *parrhesially as the disciples of Christ did. These things were written as examples to us upon whom the end of the Age has come, and when we do, we witness to the fact that we have been with Jesus and cannot do otherwise.

*Coined.

3:2 We must conclude that the lame man was not just a random individual but was doubtless one who had many times already heard Jesus preach in Jerusalem. Especially in the last week of his life on earth only a few weeks earlier than the event recorded here. He doubtless also recognised Peter and John as men who had been with Jesus as he went in and out of the temple.

So he was ready to accept the healing – he may even  have heard the preaching on the Day of Pentecost.

4:1 Notice which group of leaders were not present on this occasion. The Pharisees were not there. They had no problem with the preaching of the resurrection. The Sadducees did, hence they were amongst those opposing the preaching of the apostles

3:6 Peter and John use the wording of the superscription on Jesus’ cross – John 19:19– adding the title “Christ” denoting that he was, in fact, the Messiah that the Jews were looking for.