Picture: Nebuchadnezzar (left) and Cyrus.
In the Psalms, many testified to their faith in God, and the psalmist Asaph prophesied that God would stand in the “assembly of the gods” and pass judgment. And well over a hundred years later, God made the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar his servant, who would punish and take the people of Israel away. Then he made Cyrus his servant, who should let them return to their land. Both Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus testified to their faith in the God of Israel, the God of all gods. Their testimonies are written in the Bible.
God’s plan for the people of Israel was that they should be his people and he would be their God and so he wanted to make his name known among the Gentiles, because in Abraham’s seed all nations should be blessed. Moses told the people of Israel that they would be God’s children, but he foresaw that they would probably rebel and be taken away from their land. When they were allowed to return to it, they should be circumcised at heart. This contrast was clear in David’s time and he told them that if they hear God’s voice today, in their time, they must not harden their hearts, as at the spring of Merida. He was the one whom God had anointed as king over them, so for him it was important to listen to what God said to him and to the people. Yes, of course the children must listen to their father, it is he who loves them and cares for them, disciplines them and teaches them. And of course they must be allowed to say something to him too. We find much of this in the book of Psalms. Most of them are David’s psalms and the famous psalmist Asaph lived in David’s time. We find prayer psalms, thanksgiving psalms and lamentations. Many of the prayer psalms and thanksgiving psalms turn into prophecy, especially in David, when it turns into Messianic prophecy. The anointing is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, so it prayed with them and so it became prophecy. They argued from their righteousness in their own defense, with prayer to God for help against the enemy, by also claiming that the enemy was wicked, lawless and unjust. Didn’t this mean that they thought they were self-righteous? This is something that is discussed in Biblex, (see for example pages 379 & 382). They referred to the law and claimed that they had kept it, but if they had turned away from it and broken it, they had to turn back and ask for grace and forgiveness. In any case, they were not perfect and faultless like God and had to constantly turn to him and ask for grace, mercy and help. Thus, it was not to be self-righteous, but to be righteous by believing in God, like Abraham. Even though they had the law and God had raised them by it, it was not enough. What significance did the sin offerings have? They symbolized that they constantly needed God’s grace and mercy in addition to the law, yes, precisely because of the law. Since God had raised them, raised them and taught them, as his children, would they grow up to be “gods”? But then God stood up in the “assembly of the gods” and held judgment.
We love our neighbors, so we value them beyond this earthly life, it is important for the cohesion of marriage, family and lineage, yes, the whole people. This is how it becomes important for a king, to keep the people together and get them involved in a common defense. So religion was important for them, to keep the people together, but also to judge. Even though the God of Israel taught his people that there was no other God but him, so he forbade them to worship other gods, he clearly showed, in his mercy, understanding for this, by calling himself God above all gods and saying that he would stand up in the assembly of gods and judge rightly, yes, because the other gods were actually frauds and were the cause of much injustice.
Psalm.82,1 A psalm of Asaph.
God stands in the assembly of El;
in the midst of the gods he renders judgment.
2 He says, “How long will you make unjust legal decisions
and show favoritism to the wicked? (Selah)
3 Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless.
Vindicate the oppressed and suffering.
4 Rescue the poor and needy.
Deliver them from the power of the wicked.
5 They neither know nor understand.
They stumble around in the dark,
while all the foundations of the earth crumble.
6 I thought, ‘You are gods;
all of you are sons of the Most High.’
7 Yet you will die like mortals;
you will fall like all the other rulers.”
8 Rise up, O God, and execute judgment on the earth!
For you own all the nations.
Psalm95,3 For the Lord is a great God,
a great king who is superior to all gods.
Psalm. 136,1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his loyal love endures.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his loyal love endures.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his loyal love endures.
4 To the one who performs magnificent, amazing deeds all by himself,
for his loyal love endures.
This I have written about here:
“Mother Israel” was God’s wife, so her children were to be God’s children. He cared for her and the children he had with her, but she did not understand and became a prostitute, so her children were not his children either. They rebelled against him. God said she was not his wife and they were not his people. They received no mercy (Hosea.1). He took away his care for her and then things went badly for her, the land was taken by the Assyrians and the people were taken away. Then the land was taken by the Babylonians and the people were taken away to Babylon. This also applied to Judah. Then he wanted to speak kindly to her again, as in the days of her youth (Hosea.2).
It was the same with their neighbors, their lands were also taken away and the people were taken away. Thus God stood up in the divine assembly and held judgment (Psalm.82,1…). Adam was sentenced to death because of the fall, and so was the people of Israel, but God also told them that when they faced death, they should confess that He is the Lord.
Ezekiel.6,11 11 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Clap your hands, stamp your feet, and say, “Ah!” because of all the evil, abominable practices of the house of Israel, for they will fall by the sword, famine, and pestilence. 12 The one far away will die by pestilence, the one close by will fall by the sword, and whoever is leftand has escaped these will die by famine. I will fully vent my rage against them. 13 Then you will know that I am the Lord when their dead lie amongtheir idols around their altars, on every high hill and on all the mountaintops, under every green tree and every leafy oak—the places where they have offered fragrant incense to all their idols. 14 I will stretch out my hand againstthem and make the land a desolate waste from the wilderness to Riblah, in allthe places where they live. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”
Ezekiel.28,1 The Lord’s message came to me: 2 “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘Your heart is proud and you said, “I am a god;
I sit in the seat of gods, in the heart of the seas”—
yet you are a man and not a god,
though you think you are godlike.
3 Look, you are wiser than Daniel;
no secret is hidden from you.
4 By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself;
you have amassed gold and silver in your treasuries.
5 By your great skill in trade you have increased your wealth,
and your heart is proud because of your wealth.
6 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
Because you think you are godlike,
7 I am about to bring foreigners against you, the most terrifying of nations.
They will draw their swords against the grandeur made by your wisdom,
and they will defile your splendor.
8 They will bring you down to the Pit, and you will die violently in the heartof the seas.
9 Will you still say, “I am a god,” before the one who kills you—
though you are a man and not a god—
when you are in the power of those who wound you?
10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of foreigners;
for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
God made the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar his servant and revealed himself to him.
God made Nebuchadnezzar his servant, who would punish the people of Israel because they would not listen to what he told them.
The people of Israel did not want to listen to the Lord their God, so he made the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, his servant, to punish them.
Jer.25,8 “Therefore, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, ‘You have not listened to what I said. 9 So I, the Lord, affirm that I will send for all the peoples of the north andmy servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will bring them against thisland and its inhabitants and all the nations that surround it. I will utterly destroy the land, its inhabitants, and all the surrounding nations and makethem everlasting ruins. I will make them objects of horror and hissing scorn.10 I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and the glad celebrationof brides and grooms in these lands. I will put an end to the sound of people grinding meal. I will put an end to lamps shining in their houses. 11 This wholearea will become a desolate wasteland. These nations will be subject to the king of Babylon for 70 years.’
Prophecy of four great kingdoms.
Then God made Himself known to Nebuchadnezzar by giving him a dream. He demanded of the wise men that they should both tell him the dream and give him its interpretation, but only Daniel could do that (Dan.2). So Nebuchadnezzar thanked the God of Daniel for it.
Dan.2,46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar bowed down with his face to the ground and paid homage to Daniel. He gave orders to offer sacrifice and incense to him.47 The king replied to Daniel, “Certainly your God is a God of gods and Lord of kings and revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery!”
I have written about this in “Ny Tid 103-112”.
Then Nebuchadnezzar had a new dream, which Daniel interpreted for him and it was a prophecy that was fulfilled in their lifetime and which also caused Nebuchadnezzar to honor the God of Israel, so he also wrote a little in the Bible.
Daniel.4,1 (3:31) King Nebuchadnezzar, to all peoples, nations, and language groupsthat live in all the land: “Peace and prosperity! 2 I am delighted to tell you about the signs and wonders that the most high God has done for me.
3 “How great are his signs!
How mighty are his wonders!
His kingdom will last forever,
and his authority continues from one generation to the next.”
Nebuchadnezzar Dreams of a Tree Chopped Down
4 (4:1) I, Nebuchadnezzar, was relaxing in my home, living luxuriously in my palace. 5 I saw a dream that frightened me badly. The things I imagined while lying on my bed—these visions of my mind—were terrifying me. 6 So I issuedan order for all the wise men of Babylon to be brought before me so that they could make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 When the magicians, astrologers, wise men, and diviners entered, I recounted the dream for them. But they were unable to make known its interpretation to me.8 Later Daniel entered (whose name is Belteshazzar after the name of my god,and in whom there is a spirit of the holy gods). I recounted the dream for him as well, 9 saying, “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, in whom I know thereto be a spirit of the holy gods and whom no mystery baffles, consider my dream that I saw and set forth its interpretation! 10 Here are the visions of my mind while I was on my bed.
“While I was watching,
there was a tree in the middle of the land.
It was enormously tall.
11 The tree grew large and strong.
Its top reached far into the sky;
it could be seen from the borders of all the land.
12 Its foliage was attractive and its fruit plentiful;
on it there was food enough for all.
Under it the wild animals used to seek shade,
and in its branches the birds of the sky used to nest.
All creatures used to feed themselves from it.
13 “While I was watching in my mind’s visions on my bed,
a holy sentinel came down from heaven.
14 He called out loudly as follows:
‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches!
Strip off its foliage
and scatter its fruit!
Let the animals flee from under it
and the birds from its branches.
15 But leave its taproot in the ground,
with a band of iron and bronze around it
surrounded by the grass of the field.
Let it become damp with the dew of the sky,
and let it live with the animals in the grass of the land.
16 Let his mind be altered from that of a human being,
and let an animal’s mind be given to him,
and let seven periods of time go by for him.
17 This announcement is by the decree of the sentinels;
this decision is by the pronouncement of the holy ones,
so that those who are alive may understand
that the Most High has authority over human kingdoms,
and he bestows them on whomever he wishes.
He establishes over them even the lowliest of human beings.’
18 “This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, for none of the wise men in my kingdom are able to make known to me the interpretation. But you can do so, for a spirit of the holy gods is in you.”
Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
19 Then Daniel (whose name is also Belteshazzar) was upset for a brief time;his thoughts were alarming him. The king said, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream and its interpretation alarm you.” But Belteshazzar replied, “Sir, if only the dream were for your enemies and its interpretation applied to your adversaries! 20 The tree that you saw that grew large and strong, whose topreached to the sky, and that could be seen in all the land, 21 whose foliage was attractive and its fruit plentiful, and from which there was food available for all, under whose branches wild animals used to live, and in whose branchesbirds of the sky used to nest— 22 it is you, O king! For you have become greatand strong. Your greatness is such that it reaches to heaven and your authority to the ends of the earth. 23 As for the king seeing a holy sentinelcoming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, butleave its taproot in the ground, with a band of iron and bronze around it, surrounded by the grass of the field. Let it become damp with the dew of the sky, and let it live with the wild animals, until seven periods of time go by forhim’— 24 this is the interpretation, O king. It is the decision of the Most Highthat this has happened to my lord the king. 25 You will be driven from human society, and you will live with the wild animals. You will be fed grass like oxen,and you will become damp with the dew of the sky. Seven periods of time will pass by for you before you understand that the Most High is ruler over humankingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes. 26 They said to leave the taproot of the tree, for your kingdom will be restored to you when you come to understand that heaven rules. 27 Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you. Break away from your sins by doing what is right, and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps your prosperity will beprolonged.”
28 Now all this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 After 12 months, he happened to be walking around on the battlements of the royal palace ofBabylon. 30 The king uttered these words: “Is this not the great Babylon that Ihave built for a royal residence by my own mighty strength and for my majestic honor?” 31 While these words were still on the king’s lips, a voicecame down from heaven: “It is hereby announced to you, KingNebuchadnezzar, that your kingdom has been removed from you! 32 You will be driven from human society, and you will live with the wild animals. You will be fed grass like oxen, and seven periods of time will pass by for you beforeyou understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and givesthem to whomever he wishes.”
33 Now in that very moment this pronouncement about Nebuchadnezzarcame true. He was driven from human society, he ate grass like oxen, and his body became damp with the dew of the sky, until his hair became long like an eagle’s feathers and his nails like a bird’s claws.
34 But at the end of the appointed time I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up toward heaven, and my sanity returned to me.
I extolled the Most High,
and I praised and glorified the one who lives forever.
For his authority is an everlasting authority,
and his kingdom extends from one generation to the next.
35 All the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing.
He does as he wishes with the army of heaven
and with those who inhabit the earth.
No one slaps his hand
and says to him, “What have you done?”
36 At that time my sanity returned to me. I was restored to the honor of my kingdom, and my splendor returned to me. My ministers and my nobles were seeking me out, and I was reinstated over my kingdom. I became even greaterthan before. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the Kingof heaven, for all his deeds are right and his ways are just. He is able to bring down those who live in pride.
God appeared in the “god-assembly” and passed judgment by calling and selecting Cyrus and calling him his anointed.
Isaiah prophesied that the Babylonian king should conquer the land, including Jerusalem, and the people would be taken away to Babylonia. But under the Persian king Cyrus, they should be allowed to return to their land. On the one hand, he should be a great king who would subdue other kingdoms, on the other hand, he should let the people return to their lands. Thus, he and his policy became a forrunner of the gospel of Christ, which would be preached to all nations. He was then the only Gentile in the Old Testament who was called God’s anointed. Isaiah explained that gods made of wood and stone are not gods, there is no spirit in them. But God had called and chosen Cyrus, he was God’s anointed and that meant that God had anointed him with his Spirit, to carry out what he had called him to do. Thus God stood in the assembly of the gods and delivered judgment.
Jes.41,
“Listen to me in silence, you coastlands!
Let the nations find renewed strength!
Let them approach and then speak;
let us come together for debate.
2 Who stirs up this one from the east?
Who officially commissions him for service?
He hands nations over to him
and enables him to subdue kings.
He makes them like dust with his sword,
like windblown straw with his bow.
3 He pursues them and passes by unharmed;
he advances with great speed.
4 Who acts and carries out decrees?
Who summons the successive generations from the beginning?
I, the Lord, am present at the very beginning,
and at the very end—I am the one.
5 The coastlands see and are afraid;
the whole earth trembles;
they approach and come.
6 They help one another;
one says to the other, ‘Be strong!’
7 The craftsman encourages the metalsmith,
the one who wields the hammer encourages the one who pounds on the anvil.
He approves the quality of the welding,
and nails it down so it won’t fall over.
The Lord Encourages His People
8 “You, my servant Israel,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
offspring of Abraham my friend,
9 you whom I am bringing back from the earth’s extremities
and have summoned from the remote regions—
I told you, ‘You are my servant.’
I have chosen you and not rejected you.
10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you!
Don’t be frightened, for I am your God!
I strengthen you—
yes, I help you—
yes, I uphold you with my victorious right hand!
11 Look, all who were angry at you will be ashamed and humiliated;
your adversaries will be reduced to nothing and perish.
12 When you will look for your opponents, you will not find them;
your enemies will be reduced to absolutely nothing.
13 For I am the Lord your God,
the one who takes hold of your right hand,
who says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid, I am helping you.’
14 Don’t be afraid, despised, insignificant Jacob,
men of Israel.
I am helping you,” says the Lord,
your Protector, the Holy One of Israel.
15 “Look, I am making you like a sharp threshing sledge,
new and double-edged.
You will thresh the mountains and crush them;
you will make the hills like straw.
16 You will winnow them and the wind will blow them away;
the wind will scatter them.
You will rejoice in the Lord;
you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.
17 The oppressed and the poor look for water, but there is none;
their tongues are parched from thirst.
I, the Lord, will respond to their prayers;
I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.
18 I will make streams flow down the slopes
and produce springs in the middle of the valleys.
I will turn the wilderness into a pool of water
and the arid land into springs.
19 I will make cedars, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees grow in the wilderness;
I will make evergreens, firs, and cypresses grow together in the arid rift valley.
20 I will do this so people will observe and recognize,
so they will pay attention and understand
that the Lord’s power has accomplished this,
and that the Holy One of Israel has brought it into being.
The Lord Challenges the Pagan Gods
21 “Present your argument,” says the Lord.
“Produce your evidence,” says Jacob’s King.
22 “Let them produce evidence! Let them tell us what will happen!
Tell us about your earlier predictive oracles,
so we may examine them and see how they were fulfilled.
Or decree for us some future events!
23 Predict how future events will turn out,
so we might know you are gods.
Yes, do something good or something bad,
so we might be frightened and in awe.
24 Look, you are nothing, and your accomplishments are nonexistent;
the one who chooses to worship you is disgusting.
25 I have stirred up one out of the north and he advances,
one from the eastern horizon who prays in my name.
He steps on rulers as if they were clay,
like a potter treading the clay.
26 Who decreed this from the beginning, so we could know?
Who announced it ahead of time, so we could say, ‘He’s correct’?
Indeed, none of them decreed it.
Indeed, none of them announced it.
Indeed, no one heard you say anything!
27 I first decreed to Zion, ‘Look, here’s what will happen!’
I sent a herald to Jerusalem.
28 I look, but there is no one,
among them there is no one who serves as an adviser
that I might ask questions and receive answers.
29 Look, all of them are nothing,
their accomplishments are nonexistent;
their metal images lack any real substance.
Isa.45,
“This is what the Lord says to his chosen one,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold
in order to subdue nations before him
and disarm kings,
to open doors before him
so gates remain unclosed:
2 ‘I will go before you
and level mountains.
Bronze doors I will shatter
and iron bars I will hack through.
3 I will give you hidden treasures,
riches stashed away in secret places,
so you may recognize that I am the Lord,
the one who calls you by name, the God of Israel.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
Israel, my chosen one,
I call you by name
and give you a title of respect, even though you do not submit to me.
5 I am the Lord, I have no peer,
there is no God but me.
I arm you for battle, even though you do not recognize me.
6 I do this so people will recognize from east to west
that there is no God but me;
I am the Lord, I have no peer.
7 I am the one who forms light
and creates darkness;
the one who brings about peace
and creates calamity.
I am the Lord, who accomplishes all these things.
8 O sky, rain down from above!
Let the clouds send down showers of deliverance!
Let the earth absorb it so salvation may grow
and deliverance may sprout up along with it.
I, the Lord, create it.’”
The Lord Gives a Warning
9 One who argues with his Creator is in grave danger,
one who is like a mere shard among the other shards on the ground!
The clay should not say to the potter,
“What in the world are you doing?
Your work lacks skill!”
10 Danger awaits one who says to his father,
“What in the world are you fathering?”
and to his mother,
“What in the world are you bringing forth?”
11 This is what the Lord says,
the Holy One of Israel, the one who formed him,
concerning things to come:
“How dare you question me about my children!
How dare you tell me what to do with the work of my own hands!
12 I made the earth;
I created the people who live on it.
It was me—my hands stretched out the sky.
I give orders to all the heavenly lights.
13 It is me—I stir him up and commission him;
I will make all his ways level.
He will rebuild my city;
he will send my exiled people home,
but not for a price or a bribe,”
says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
The Lord Is the Nations’ Only Hope
14 This is what the Lord says:
“The profit of Egypt and the revenue of Ethiopia,
along with the Sabeans, those tall men,
will be brought to you and become yours.
They will walk behind you, coming along in chains.
They will bow down to you
and pray to you:
‘Truly God is with you; he has no peer;
there is no other God!’”
15 Yes, you are a God who keeps hidden,
O God of Israel, deliverer!
16 They will all be ashamed and embarrassed;
those who fashion idols will all be humiliated.
17 Israel will be delivered once and for all by the Lord;
you will never again be ashamed or humiliated.
18 For this is what the Lord says,
the one who created the sky—
he is the true God,
the one who formed the earth and made it;
he established it,
he did not create it without order,
he formed it to be inhabited:
“I am the Lord, I have no peer.
19 I have not spoken in secret,
in some hidden place.
I did not tell Jacob’s descendants,
‘Seek me in vain!’
I am the Lord,
the one who speaks honestly,
who makes reliable announcements.
20 Gather together and come!
Approach together, you refugees from the nations.
Those who carry wooden idols know nothing,
those who pray to a god that cannot deliver.
21 Tell me! Present the evidence!
Let them consult with one another.
Who predicted this in the past?
Who announced it beforehand?
Was it not I, the Lord?
I have no peer, there is no God but me,
a God who vindicates and delivers;
there is none but me.
22 Turn to me so you can be delivered,
all you who live in the earth’s remote regions!
For I am God, and I have no peer.
23 I solemnly make this oath—
what I say is true and reliable:
‘Surely every knee will bow to me,
every tongue will solemnly affirm;
24 they will say about me,
“Yes, the Lord is a powerful deliverer.”’”
All who are angry at him will cower before him.
25 All the descendants of Israel will be vindicated by the Lord
and will boast in him.
Cyrus testified to his faith in the God of Israel by allowing the people of Israel to return to their land and setting them to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.
Ezra.1,1 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in fulfillment of the Lord’s messagespoken through Jeremiah, the Lord motivated King Cyrus of Persia to issue a proclamation throughout his kingdom and also to put it in writing. It read:
2 “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says:
“‘The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build a temple for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3Anyone of his people among you (may his God be with him!) may go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and may build the temple of the Lord God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 Anyone who survives in any of those places where he is a resident foreigner must be helped by his neighborswith silver, gold, equipment, and animals, along with voluntary offerings for the temple of God which is in Jerusalem.’”
Here we see that Cyrus called the God of Israel “the Lord, the God in heaven.”
Faith and Entropy 