Day 240: Remaining Humble (2026)

0:00Hey everyone, before we get started today, I want to let you know the Bible in the year has brought the word of God to so many people as you know You're part of this community changing lives in so many incredible ways We're humbled to play this role in God's plan and consider it our ongoing mission to keep bringing the word of God to as many people as possible So what I'm saying is the end of this year is not going to be the end of Bible in a year So far as mentioned has been able to add the podcast to YouTube You might have found it that way Maybe you're watching right now on YouTube and also we're working on translating it into different languages So you could have the Bible in the year and other languages than English But of course this takes a significant investment to bring projects like these you know free of cost to our listening communities And we want to keep them free of cost to all those people who will participate because we want to get toward God out there And because of that we have to rely on generous contributions from listeners like you to help to free these costs And to enable us to continually provide new audiences with this life-changing content So if you would like to help support the Bible in a year mission You can go to ascensionpress.com slash support. That's ascensionpress.com slash support

1:08Hi, 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 will read all the way from Genesis to Revelation And discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today It is day 240 Congratulations for making it this far. We're reading today Jeremiah 23 as well as Daniel chapters 4 and 5 We're also reading Proverbs chapter 16 new chapter for Proverbs verses 1 through 4 as always the Bible translation that I'm reading from is the revised standard version Second Catholic edition 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 slash Bible in a year You can also subscribe to the spot cast by clicking on subscribe and receiving daily episodes and receiving daily updates as it is today day 240 that means you have one hundred and twenty five three six five yet one hundred twenty five more days left But gosh think this is two thirds ish two thirds ish of the way through and just imagine the gift

2:10I just even realize just for right now Not only the gift of being able to journey as this part of this community through the Bible in a year But also the gift of being able to every day whenever you press to play to be able to just hear God's word in your ear and in our hearts What a gift as I said it's day 240 we're reading Jeremiah chapter 23 Daniel chapter 4 and 5 in Proverbs chapter 16 verses one through four The book of the prophet Jeremiah chapter 23 a remnant to be restored after exile Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pastor says the Lord Therefore thus says the Lord the God of Israel concerning the shepherds who care for my people You have scattered my flock and have driven them away and you have not attended to them Behold I will attend to you for your evil doings says the Lord Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them And I will bring them back to their fold and they shall be fruitful and multiply

3:11I will set shepherds over them who will care for them and they shall fear no more nor be dismayed neither shall any be missing says the Lord The righteous branch Behold the days are coming says the Lord when I will raise up for David a righteous branch And he shall reign as king and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land in his days Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell securely and This is the name by which he will be called the Lord is our righteousness Therefore behold the days are coming says the Lord when men shall no longer say as the Lord lives who brought up the sons of Israel Out of the land of Egypt but as the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel out of the North country and out of all the countries where he had driven them then they shall dwell in their own land False prophets denounced concerning the prophets My heart is broken within me all my bones shake I am like a drunken man like a man overcome by wine

4:17Because of the Lord and because of his holy words for the land is full of adulterers Because of the curse the land mourns and the pastors of the wilderness are dried up Their course is evil and their might is not right Both profit and priest are ungodly Even in my house. I have found their wickedness says the Lord Therefore their way shall be to them like slippery paths in the darkness into which they shall be driven and fall For I will bring evil upon them in the year of their punishment says the Lord in the prophets of Samaria I saw an unsavory thing they prophesied by by all and led my people Israel astray But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing They commit adultery and walk in lies They strengthen the hands of evil doers so that no one turns from his wickedness all of them have become like Sodom to me and its inhabitants like Gamora Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets Behold I will feed them with wormwood and give them poison to water to drink

5:21For from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has gone forth into all the land Thus says the Lord of hosts do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you filling you with vain hopes They speak visions of their own minds not from the mouth of the Lord They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord It shall be well with you and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart They say no evil shall come upon you For who among them has stood in the counsel of the Lord to perceive and to hear his word or who has given heed to his word and listened Behold the storm of the Lord Wrath has gone forth a whirling tempest it will burst upon the head of the wicked The anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intent of his mind In the latter days you will understand it clearly I did not send the prophets yet they ran. I did not speak to them yet they prophesied If they had stood in my counsel then they would have proclaimed my words to the people and they would have turned them from their evil way and

6:26From the evil of their doings Am I a God at hand says the Lord and not a God of our off? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him says the Lord? Do I not feel heaven and earth says the Lord? I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesied lies in my name saying I have dreamed I have dreamed How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesied lies and who prophesied the deceit of their own heart? Who think to make my people forget my name by their dreams which they tell one another even as their fathers forgot my name for Baal Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully What has straw in common with wheat says the Lord is not my word like fire said the Lord and like a hammer Which breaks the rock in pieces? Therefore be hold I am against the prophets says the Lord who steal my words from one another Behold I am against the prophets says the Lord who used their tongues and say says the Lord

7:31Behold I am against those who prophesied lying dreams says the Lord and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness when I did not send them or charge them So they do not profit this people at all says the Lord When one of this people or a prophet or a priest asks you what is the burden of the Lord you shall say to them You are the burden and I will cast you off says the Lord and as for the prophet Priest or one of the people who says the burden of the Lord I will punish that man and his household Thus shall you say everyone to his neighbor and everyone to his brother what has the Lord answered or what has the Lord spoken But the burden of the Lord you shall mention no more for the burden is every man's own word and you Provert the words of the living God the Lord of hosts our God Thus you shall say to the prophet what has the Lord answered you or what has the Lord spoken But if you say the burden of the Lord thus says the Lord because you have said these words the burden of the Lord

8:36When I sent to you saying you shall not say the burden of the Lord there for behold I will surely lift you up and cast you away from my presence you and the city which I gave to you and your fathers And I will bring upon you everlasting reproach and perpetual shame which shall not be forgotten The book of Daniel chapter 4 Nebuchadnezzar's second dream King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples nations and languages that dwell in all the earth peace be multiplied to you It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the most high God has wrought toward me How great are his signs how mighty his wonders his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and his dominion is from generation to generation I Nebuchadnezzar was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace I had a dream which made me afraid as I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me

9:37Therefore I made it decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream then the magicians the enchantress the caldians and the astrologers came in and I told them the dream But they could not make known to me its interpretation At last Daniel came in before me he who was named Belta Shazar after the name of my God and in whom is The spirit of the holy gods and I told him the dream saying oh Belta Shazar chief of the magicians Because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is difficult for you Here is the dream which I saw tell me its interpretation the visions of my head as I lay in bed were these I Saw and behold a tree in the midst of the earth and its height was great The tree grew and became strong and its top reached to heaven and it was visible to the end of the whole earth Its leaves were fair and its fruit abundant and in it was food for all The beasts of the field found shade under it and the birds of the air dwelt in its branches and all flesh was fed from it

10:42I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed and behold a watcher a holy one came down from heaven He cried aloud and said at thus Hew down the tree and cut off its branches strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches But leave the stump of its roots in the earth bound with a band of iron and bronze amid the tender grass of the field Let him be wet with the dew of heaven Let his lot be with the beasts in the grass of the earth Let his mind be changed from a man's and let a beast's mind be given to him and And let seven times pass over him The sentence is by the decree of the watchers the decision by the word of the holy ones to the end that the living may know that the most high Rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the loliest of men this dream I King Nebuchadnezzar saw and you O Balthashezar Declare the interpretation because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation

11:46But you are able for the spirit of the holy gods is in you Daniel interprets the second dream Then Daniel whose name was Balthashezar was dismayed for a moment and his thoughts alarmed him the king said Balthashezar let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you Balthashezar answered my Lord May the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies The tree you saw which grew and became strong so that its top reached to heaven and it was visible to the end of the whole earth Whose leaves were fair and its fruit abundant and in which was food for all under which beasts of the field found shade and In whose branches the birds of the air dwelt it is you O King who have grown and become strong Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven and your dominion to the ends of the earth and Whereas the king saw a watcher a holy one coming down from heaven and saying Hugh down the tree and destroy it but leave the stump of its roots in the earth bound with a band of iron and bronze

12:49In the tender grass of the field and let him be wet with the dew of heaven and let his lot be with the beasts of the field till seven times pass over him This is the interpretation of King It is a decree of the most high which has come upon my Lord the King That you shall be driven from among men and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field You shall be made to eat grass like an ox and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven and seven times Shall pass over you till you know that the most high rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree your kingdom shall be sure for you from the time that you know that heaven rules Therefore O King let my counsel be acceptable to you break off your sins by practicing righteousness and your Eniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your tranquility All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar at the end of 12 months He was walking on the roof of the royal palace in Babylon and the king said is not this great Babylon

13:53Which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty While the words were still in the king's mouth there fell a voice from heaven O King Nebuchadnezzar to you it is spoken the kingdom has departed from you And you shall be driven from among men and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field and you shall be made to eat Grass like an ox and seven times shall pass over you until you have learned that the most high rules the kingdom of men and Gives it to whom he will Immediately the word was fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar He was driven from among men and it grass like an ox and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as Eagles feathers and his nails were like birds claws Nebuchadnezzar praises God At the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted my eyes to heaven and my reason returned to me and I blessed the most high and praised and honored him who lives forever For his dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom endures from generation to generation

14:56All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing and he does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand or say to him what have you done? At the same time my reason returned to me and for the glory of my kingdom my majesty and splendor returned to me My counselors and my lords sought me and I was established in my kingdom and still more greatness was added to me Now I Nebuchadnezzar Praise and extol and honor the king of heaven for all his works are right and his ways are just and those who walk in pride He is able to abase Chapter 5 Belshazzar's feast King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand Belshazzar when he tasted the wine commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem Be brought that the king and his lords his wives and his concubines might drink from them Then they brought in the gold and silver vessels which had been taken out of the temple the house of God in Jerusalem

16:00And the king and his lords his wives and his concubines drank from them They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver bronze iron wood and stone the handwriting on the wall Immediately the fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace Opposite the lampstand and the king saw the hand as it wrote Then the king's color changed and his thoughts alarmed him his limbs gave way and his knees knocked together The king cried aloud to bring in the enchantress that Kaldien's and the astrologers the king said to the wise men of Babylon Whoever reads this writing and shows me its interpretation shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold about his neck And shall be the third ruler in the kingdom Then all the king's wise men came in but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed and his color changed and his lords were perplexed The queen because of the words of the king and his lords came into the bank wedding hall and the queen said

17:03O king live forever let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change There is in your kingdom a man in whom is the spirit of the holy gods in the days of your father Light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him and King Nebuchadnezzar your father Made him chief of the magicians in chancers Kaldien's and astrologers because an excellent spirit Knowledge and understanding to interpret dreams explain riddles and solve problems were found in this Daniel whom the king named Belshazzar Now let Daniel be called and he will show the interpretation Daniel interprets the writing on the wall then Daniel was brought in before the king the king said to Daniel You are that Daniel one of the exiles of Judah whom the king my father brought from Judah I have heard of you that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you Now the wise men the enchanters have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation But they could not show the interpretation of the matter

18:05But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation You shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold about your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom Then Daniel answered before the king let your gifts be for yourself and give your rewards to another Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation O king the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father Kingship and greatness and glory and majesty and because of the greatness that he gave him all peoples nations and languages trembled and feared before him whom he would he slew and whom he would he kept alive whom he would he raised up and whom he would he put down But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly He was deposed from his kingly throne and his glory was taken from him He was driven from among men and his mind was made like that of a beast in his dwelling was with the wild donkeys

19:06He was fed grass like an ox and his body was wet with the dew of heaven until he knew that the most high God Rules the kingdom of men and sets over it whom he will and you his son Belchazar have not humbled your heart Though you knew all this but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven and the vessels of his house Have been brought in before you and you and your lords your wives and your concubines have drunk wine from them And you have praised the gods of silver and gold of bronze iron wood and stone which do not see or hear or know But the God in whose hand is your breath and whose are all your ways you have not honored Then from his presence the hand was sent and this writing was inscribed and this is the writing that was inscribed Menay menay tekel parcine This is the interpretation of the matter Menay God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end Tekel you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting

20:07Perez your kingdom is divided and given to the meads and Persians Then Belchazar commanded and Daniel was clothed with purple a chain of gold was put about his neck And proclamation was made concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom That very night Belchazar the caldian king was slain Andarius the mead received the kingdom being about 62 years old The book of Proverbs chapter 16 verses 1 through 4 Solomon's Proverbs on life and conduct The plans of the mind belong to man but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established The Lord has made everything for its purpose even the wicked for the day of trouble

21:08Father in heaven we give you praise and glory we thank you so much Thank you for this day. Thank you for a new day. Thank you for bringing us to this moment where we get to Not only hear your word We get to be united. We get to be united as a group of people as a community of people Our listening to your word and our bound together not only by your love for us our love for you Your your word and also this bond of prayer that we lift each other up in prayer every single day Because we need your grace. We need each other. We cannot make this journey on our own You have not left us orphans you have called us your sons and daughters You have become our father You made us brothers and sisters from all across the world Lord God from every race every ethnicity from every nationality Where united by your Holy Spirit And we are truly brothers and sisters belonging to you our true dad our true father Thank you. Please hear our prayer in Jesus name Amen and the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit amen

22:09I love gosh you guys every reading today was just Fire as they say just gold Chapter 16 verse 3 of Proverbs is one of those that I have had on a like a book marker ever since I was a kid little kid Little kid there's two Proverbs that I've had in front of me virtually my entire life and chapter 16 verse 3 is one of those It's commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established that has been before my eyes almost every day Since I was maybe in second grade commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established That sense of just being able to say God this is for you and everything I do I want to do it for you Just like Brian Adams saying Maybe not exactly like Brian Adams saying but what a gift today to be able to go through Jeremiah You know Jeremiah the weeping prophet is going to talk a lot about a good shepherds and bad shepherds He's going to talk a lot about the true prophets and the lying prophets and he in today is no different like today is no exception But there's this this section in chapter 23 where God is speaking and God says am I God at hand?

23:15This is chapter 23 verse 23 am I God at hand says the Lord and not a God far off and is this a so key Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? Do I not feel heaven and earth and he says I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesied lies in my name saying I have dreamed I've dreamed um and it goes on to talk about not only those people who prophesied their own thoughts As opposed to no prophesy the words that I've spoken and and this is so so critical because uh, you know We were commanded in the commandments to not take the name of the Lord in vain And I've heard people explain this not only means uttering the name of God without meaning or or kind of carelessly But it also I've heard people describe it it also means To not to prohibit if you to be a commandment against Doing something in the name of the Lord that the Lord would never endorse right that the doing something in the name of God that actually Is really truly actually only done in my own name or in the name of someone else and the name of a a political thing or

24:16The name of a cultural thing the name of a any any other kind of preference when I've done as I've ascribed Or I've maybe invoked God's name upon this thing that I prefer and That is seems to be what's happening here in chapter 23 where Jeremiah is pointing out these prophets are not prophesying what God has said They're simply prophesying their own thing. They're simply prophesying their own heart their own mind their own ideas And of course that is not prophecy at all really. It's that simply them talking not God talking and and that recognition that We're called in so many ways to humble ourselves before the Lord and to let him teach us that's what chapter Four and five of Daniel is all about right chapter four and five of Daniel is all about King Nebuchadnezzar being humbled this King Nebuchadnezzar being humbled before the Lord and King Nebuchadnezzar Not only being humbled before the Lord But being humbled before the Lord and then being taught by God This is so critical that he's not simply humbled for humility sake, right? He is humbled before the Lord

25:21His power is taken away. His majesty is taken away even his reason is taken away So that he can realize that the most high is truly God that there's someone even above Nebuchadnezzar He there's no one I mean, I'm sure his entire life Nebuchadnezzar was the number one person He's the top dog his entire life and God is making it known actually Actually, there are those above you and he God himself the most high is The highest he's the most high and so this this recognition that Nebuchadnezzar learned this is really remarkable and such a gift for all of us to note Then of course in chapter five we have the story of Belchazar and the The handwriting on the wall that is interpreted noting that he was going to be taken down right he was going to be surpassed by the Persians and so as we get to the end of chapter five of Daniel We have this transition and the transition is that the Persians have now come into Babylon and they're now going to be They're now going to be the top dogs and that's such a

26:22A great thing kingdoms coming and going like nations rising and falling kings being Lifted up and kings being brought down is the way the world goes and we can be so I'm maybe not you So many of us can be so preoccupied with The stories of like what's happening in the world? What's happening in politics? What's happening in in the culture as opposed to realizing this is what always happens People come and people go nations rise nations fall kings come kings go and What we're called the do is humble ourselves before the Lord to serve the Lord our God to love him with everything We are everything we have and to love our neighbor as ourselves And so we've got praise today and ask him to help us do that to help us Yep, we pay attention. We have a finger on the pulse of the world But at the same time our hearts belong to the Lord and our service and worship belongs to him And our care belongs to those people around us. So that's a lot I mean that's that's plenty I think for most of us and so we need help even to do that So we need grace we need God's help we need prayers and so I am praying for you please pray for me

27:27My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow god bless Holy holy You