Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 239, top of the page. Here we are, as I keep mentioning that. Maybe it's a little bit annoying, but it is day 239. We only have three sheets left. I mean, not even three complete sheets. Guys, you are so far. Well done. We're reading Jeremiah 22, Daniel 3, and Proverbs 15:29-33. Yesterday was a longer reading, so the next two days, we have a little bit shorter reading. As I said, Jeremiah 22, Daniel 3, Proverbs 15, 29-33. As always, the Bible translation I am reading from is the revised standard version, Second Catholic Version. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress. Com/bibleineyear, and If you'd like to, you can subscribe to this podcast by clicking on subscribe and receiving daily episodes and daily updates and everything every day, because today is day 239.

We're reading Jeremiah 22, Daniel 3, Proverbs 15: 29-33. The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, Chapter 22, Exhortation to Repentance. Thus says the Lord, 'Go down to the house of the King of Judah and speak there this word and say, 'Hear the word of the Lord, O King of Judah, who sit on the throne of David, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates. ' Thus says the Lord, 'Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed, and do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. For if you will indeed obey this word, then there shall enter the gates of this house, Kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people. But if you will not heed these words, I swear by myself, ' says the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation. For thus, says the Lord, concerning the house of the King of Judah, 'you are as Gilead to me as the summit of Lebanon. Yet surely I will make you a desert, an uninhabited city.

I will prepare destroyers against you, each with his weapons, and they shall cut down your choicest cedars and cast them into the fire. And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, Why has the Lord dealt thus with this great city? ' And they will answer, Because they forsook the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshiped other gods, and served them. Weep not for him who is dead, nor bemoan him, but weep bitterly for him who goes away, for he shall return no more to see his native land. 'Message to the sons of Josiah: For thus says the Lord concerning Shalum, the son of Josiah, King of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah, his father, and who went away from this place. He shall return here no more. But in the place where they have carried him captive, there shall he die, and he shall never see this land again. Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness. Righteousness and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbors serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages, who says, I will build myself a great house with spacious upper rooms and cuts out windows for it, paneling it with cedar and painting it with vermilion.

Do you think you are a king because you compete in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness? ' Then it was well with him. He judged the cause of the poor and needy. Then it was well. Is not this to know me, ' says the Lord, 'but you have eyes and heart only for dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence. Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning Jehoyakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, 'They shall not lament for him, saying, 'Ah, my brother, ' or 'Ah, sister. They shall not lament for him, saying, 'Ah, Lord, ' or 'Ah, His Majesty. With the burial of a donkey, he shall be buried, dragged and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem. 'Go up to Lebanon and cry out, and lift up your voice in Vashan, cry from Abarim, for all your lovers are destroyed. I spoke to you in your prosperity, but you said, 'I will not listen. ' This has been your way from your youth, that you have not obeyed my voice. The wind shall shepherd all your shepherds, and your lovers shall go into captivity.

Then you will be ashamed and confounded because of all your wickedness. Oh, inhabitants of Lebanon, nested among the cedars, how will you groan when pangs come upon you, pain as of a woman with labor pains. Message concerning Coniah, the son of Jehoyakim. As I live, says the Lord, though Coniah, the son of Jehoyakim, King of Judah, were the signet ring on my right-hand, yet I would tear you and give you into the hand of those who seek your life, into the hand of those of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Kildians. I will hurl you and the mother who bore you into another country where You were not born, and there you shall die. But to the land to which they will long to return, there they shall not return. Is this man, Coniah, a despised broken pot, a vessel no one cares for? Why are he and his children hurled and cast into a land which they do not know? Oh land, land, land. Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord, Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not succeed in his days, for none of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah.

The Book of Daniel 3: The Golden Image. King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold whose height was 60 cubits and its breadth, 6 cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to assemble the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the councilors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the councilors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and the Herald complained aloud, 'You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, tragon, harp, bagpipe, and every music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning, fiery furnace. Therefore, as soon as all the people heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, tragon, harp, bagpipe, and every music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Therefore, at that time, certain Caldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever. You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, tragon, harp, bagpipe, and every music, shall fall down and worship the golden image, and whoever does not fall down and worship, shall be cast into a burning, fiery furnace. 'There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, These men, O king, pay no deed to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up. Then, Nebuchadnezzar, in furious rage, commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego brought. Then they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar said to them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image which I have set up? ' 'Now, if you are ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, tragon, harp, bagpipe, and every music to fall down and worship the image which I have made well and good.

But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning, fiery furnace. And who is the God that will deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the King, 'Oh Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If it be so, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up. The fiery furnace. Then, Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was accustomed to be heated, and he ordered certain mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning, fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their mantels, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were cast into the burning, fiery furnace. Because the king's order was strict and the furnace very hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning, fiery furnace. The prayer of Azariah in the furnace. And they walked about in the midst of the flames, singing 'Hymns to God and blessing the Lord. Then Azariah stood and offered this prayer. In the midst of the fire, he opened his mouth and said, 'Blessed are you, O Lord God of our fathers, and worthy of praise, and your name is glorified forever. For you are just in all that you have done to us, and all your works are true and your ways right, and all your judgments are truth. You have executed true judgments in all that you have brought upon us, and upon Jerusalem, the holy city of our fathers. For in truth and justice, you have brought all this upon us because of our sins. For we have sinfully and lawlessly departed from you, and have sinned in all things, and have not obeyed your commandments. We have not observed them or done them as you have commanded us that it might go well with us. So all that you have brought upon us and all that you have done to us, you have done in true judgment.

You have given us into the hands of lawless enemies, most hateful rebels, and to an unjust king, the most wicked in all the world. And now we cannot open our mouths. Shame and disgrace have befallen your servants and worshippers. For your namesake, do not give us up utterly, and do not break your covenant, and do not withdraw your mercy from us. For the sake of Abraham, your beloved, and for the sake of Isaac, your servant, and Israel, your Holy one, to whom you promised to make their descendants as many as the stars of heaven, and as the sand on the shore of the sea. For we, O Lord, have become fewer than any nation, and are brought low this day in all the world because of our sins. And at this time, there is no prince, or prophet, or leader, no burnt offering, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense, no place to make an offering before you or to find mercy. Yet with a contrite heart and a humble spirit may we be accepted, as though it were with burnt offerings of rams and bulls and with tens of thousands of fat lambs. Such may our sacrifice be in your sight this day, and may we wholly follow you, for there will be no shame for those who trust in you.

And now, with all our heart, we follow you. We fear you and seek your face. Do not not put us to shame, but deal with us in your forbearance and in your abundant mercy. Deliver us in accordance with your marvelous works and give glory to your name, O Lord. Let all who do harm to your servants be put to shame. Let them be disgraced and deprived of all power and dominion, and let their strength be broken. Let them know that you are the Lord, the only God, glorious over the whole world. Now the king's servants who threw them in did not cease feeding the furnace fires with naphtha, pitch, toe, and brush. And the flame steamed out above the furnace 49 cubits, and it broke through and burned those of the Kildians whom it caught about the furnace. But the angel of the Lord came down into the furnace to be with Azariah and his companions. And drove the fiery flame out of the furnace, and made the midst of the furnace like a moist, whistling wind, so that the fire did not touch them at all, or hurt, or trouble them. The song of the three young men.

Then the three, as with one mouth, praised and glorified and blessed God in the furnace, saying, 'Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our fathers, and to be praised and highly exaltet forever, and blessed is your glorious holy name, and to be highly praised and highly exaltet forever. 'Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, and to be extolled and highly glorified forever. 'Blessed are you who sit upon the cherubim and look upon the deeps, and to be praised and highly exaltet forever. 'Blessed

who are holy and humble in heart. Sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever. Bless the Lord Henneneia, Azariah, and Mishael. Sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever, for he has rescued us from Hades and saved us from the hand of death and delivered us from the midst of the burning, fiery furnace, from the midst of the fire he has delivered us. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. Bless him, all who worship the Lord, the God of God's. Sing praise to him and give thanks to him for his mercy endures forever. ' Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He said to his counselors, Did we not cast three men bound into the fire? ' They answered the King, 'True, O King. ' He answered, 'But I see four men loose walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the God's. ' The three men are taken out of the furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning, fiery furnace and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most high God, come forth and come here.

Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire, and the Satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their mantels were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. Nebuchadnezzar said, 'Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him, and set at nothing the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any God except their own God. Therefore, I make a decree. Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other God who is able to deliver in this way. Then the King promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 15:29-33. The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones.

He who's ear heeds wholesome admonition will abide among the wise. He who ignores instruction despises himself, but he who heeds admonition gains understanding. The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor. Father in heaven, we thank you so much. We give you praise and glory. Thank you for your word. Thank you for speaking to us and for constantly reaching out and constantly revealing your heart to us. We ask that you please help our hearts to receive you, help our hearts to hear you, and help our hearts to be more like you. Help us to love what you love, in doing so to be your image in this world so that those who see us, they get a glimpse at you. We make this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy spirit. Amen. Gosh, you guys. Oh, brother. So good. Jeremiah 22 is incredible. Daniel 3 is 12 chapters in one. That was quite long, but also incredible. So Jeremiah 22, Jeremiah is exhorting the people to repentance, right? And he makes it very, very clear.

He's speaking to the king of Judah, essentially. There is Josiah. Remember Josiah was the king who had the reforms, and Jeremiah knew Josiah. Jeremiah, he had a long time serving as a prophet, and one of the kings he served under was Josiah. And then there's the son of Josiah, Shalum. And he basically, here is Jeremiah saying, Listen, your father, Josiah, was a reformer, and you need to also be a reformer. One of the things that is so clear is that the people of the covenant, the people of Israel, or anyone who belongs to God, were not only called to be faithful to the Lord God, to not fall into idolatry, but to be faithful to God, but also this consistent call to take care of the poor orphans and widows, to take care of the stranger even. This command comes back again and again. When the people of Israel or the people of the covenant, when any of God's people either fail the covenant by turning away from the Lord God to serve other gods, or they fail the covenant by turning away from the poor and the needy. This is an incredible sign of the end.

It's a sign of bad things are going to come because part of covenant faithfulness is not only being faithful to the Lord God in worshiping him alone, but also being faithful to his commands to care for those who have no one to care for them. That's It's just so powerful to continue to come back for ourselves because it's so easy. It's so easy to get caught up in our own stuff that we say, I'm serving the Lord. I'm listening to the Bible. I'm worshiping him as he's asked me to do, but then not necessarily pay any heat or pay any attention to those who have no one else to take care of them. As we said before, that's our job from God himself. If we want to be people of the covenant, our job is to care for those who have no one to care for them, which is a big burden, but also a grace. That's Jeremiah. We're moving forward in Jeremiah. We're going to keep on walking with Jeremiah for another couple of weeks. We also, as I said yesterday, just started walking with Daniel. We have this lengthy story about Hananiah, Azriah, and Mishael.

Now, I say, I mentioned this yesterday, that even the names of Daniel and Hananiah, Azriah, and Mishael, I like to refer to them all by their Jewish names, by their Hebrew names. As I said, Daniel, Hananiah, Azriah, and Mishael. When they got to Babylon, they were given new names. That name change is significant because their names are significant. So Daniel's name means God is my judge. Like L right at the end is another way to reference God. So Daniel, God is my judge. Hananiah's name in Hebrew meant beloved of the Lord, and not by just any Lord, but by the Lord, the sacred name of God. Henneneye, beloved by the Lord, Mishael, who's name is who is like God. So it's a Michael, basically. Michael means who is like God, Mishael, same name. Azariah, his name means the Lord is my help. All of these names, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, all of their names actually refer to the God of Israel. Their names themselves refer to the Lord God, refer to God himself. When they get to Babylon and their names are changed, their names refer to the false gods in Babylon. So Belteshézar, Daniel's name, means Bell's Prince.

Bell is a false God of Babylon. Hannah and I's name is changed to Shadrach, which means illumined by the Sun God or illuminated, lit up by the sun God. Mishael, whose name means who is like God, is changed to Meshach, which name means who is like Shack, which is one of the Babylonian goddesses. Then Azariah, whose name means the Lord is my help, his name is changed to Abednego, meaning servant of Nego, which is one of the false gods of Babylon as well. You think about this, this is not just a name change like, Oh, here, now you're in America. Your name in France was Michel, now we'll call you Michael, or whatever, something like this. We're actually changing not only what we refer to you as, but to whom we refer when we refer to you. Every day of Daniel's life. When he said his name, it was God is my judge. It would refer to the God of the Covenant. But from then on, if your name is Beltesh Shazar, it means, no, you belong to Bel. You're Bel's Prince. It It's just you're illumined by the sun God Shadrach. You are who is like Shack, Meshack.

You are the servant of Nigo, Abed Nigo. It's that sense of like, wow, this is devastating. This is devastating. They're being stripped of who they belong to, and they're being given to these false gods in Babylon. And yet this is incredible. An incredible sign of the fact that they refused to belong to Babylon. Even though they were in exile, they refused to live as the people among them. I mean, this is just... Think Remember the story of Israel? They go into the land of Canaan and they behave like the Canaanites. They go into the land of the Jebusites, they behave like the Jebusites. They're in the land of the Philistines, they behave like the Philistines. Here are these four men, Daniel, Hennani, Azriah, Mishael, and they're brought into the land of the Babylonians, and they refuse. They refuse to give up the covenant with the Lord. They refuse to behave like the Babylonians around them. This is incredible. One of my favorite of all time passages in all of the Bible happened today. In Daniel 3, King Nebuchadnezzar makes the golden statue. Then, of course, the word gets around that Hananiah, Azriah, Mishael are not going to bow down to this statue.

Nebuchadnezzar, furious, he says, I love this. When you hear the sound, you better bow down and worship. If you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning, fiery furnace. And he asked the question, And who is the God that will deliver you out of my hands? He's got all the power. Nebuchadnezzar has all of the power. And then Shadrachmishakem Abinnago, or Hanani Asriemishael, answered the king, and this is the best thing in the world. It's so good. Oh, Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. Now, think about this. They have no power right now. They are at his mercy. We don't have to answer you. It's just so good. If it be so, they go on to say, If it be so, our God, whom we serve, is he's able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace. Yeah, God can save us, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. So our God, Listen, you stripped us of our names, gave us to these other gods? But no, our God still claims us, and he is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace.

But then here comes the line. It's chapter 3, verse 18. He goes on to say, But if not, but even if he doesn't, but even if he will not deliver us out of the fiery furnace. Oh, so good. But even if he doesn't, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up. I mean, talk about faith. Talk about faith. This is incredible. It's one of the reasons it's one of my favorites of all time, because they declare their faith in the Lord God, and he can save us. But even if he doesn't, we're not going to be unfaithful to him. Then Daniel 3 goes on in this incredible prayer of Azariah just praising the Lord in the fiery furnace. Then it goes on, the three of them continued the song of three young men praising the Lord in the fiery furnace. There's this massive conversion that Nebuchadnezzar has after this whole thing, and they're taken out of the furnace. Nebuchadnezzar still is a pretty mean guy. He says, but in this case, he's using his meanness for give you some good where he says, If anyone insults the living God of Shadrach Meshach or Abinnigo, that they'll be torn limb from limb.

He's still using his violence and his rage. In this case, he's using it for God. Maybe that's a little bit better. I don't know. Tomorrow, we're going to jump into chapter 4, and Nebuchadnezzar has a second dream that has to be interpreted. And guess who's going to show up? Come back around. We didn't get to hear about Daniel at all in chapter 3, but we're going to go back to Daniel here in chapter 4 tomorrow. But what a gift. What an incredible gift to be journeying together. Day 2:39. Here we are. You guys are doing so well. Stick with us because, man, you're not alone. You're not alone, and we're praying together. We're listening to the God's word together, being formed by this together. I am praying for you. Please, please pray for me. My Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.