Series: Resilience
Message: Strength
Preacher: Japhet De Oliveira

Refresh: Open with prayer. Read or listen to Psalm 17:10-15.

Read: Daniel 5 and 6 - As you read in the ESV translation, note 1-3 insights/questions that arise. 

Reflect: Chapter 5 is the only place that records historically the fall of Babylon. According to Zdravko Stefanovic, in his commentary, Daniel Wisdom to the Wise, p.178, at the center of the chapter is a face-to-face encounter between two men who most likely bore the same Babylonian name. Before 1861, Belshazzar’s name was only found in the Bible. Many believed the Bible’s account was fictitious and used it as an example of not being inspired by God. Once archeological findings discovered the Nadonidus Chronicle, Verse Account of Nabonidus, Prayer of Nabonidus, and Nabonidus Dream Cylinder all listing Belshazzar as Nabonidus’s oldest son and crown prince, the thoughts about Daniel changed. 

In a report by NPR September 22, 2016, “Computer Scientists Solve Mystery of the Ein Gedi Scroll by 'Virtual Unwrapping,’” one of the oldest scrolls found, reveal the incredible accuracy of the Bible. The text of Leviticus is spot on the same as what we have today. More and more findings like this indicate that the Bible is a trustworthy book, with insights for our life at that time, today and the future. 

Recalibrate: 

1. What elements of the Bible have you discovered that help you believe it is inspired by God?
2. What stories make you laugh, make you cry, make you think differently?

Respond: Pray for understanding.

Research: Evidence that the Bible was inspired by God and has value for our lives today.  Read “What the Bible Says About” by Mark A. Finley.