The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)

Episode: Day 238: Fall of Jerusalem
Date: August 26, 2025
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz, Ascension

Episode Overview

In this episode, Fr. Mike leads listeners through the readings from Jeremiah 20-21, Daniel 1-2, and Proverbs 15:25-28, focusing on the fall of Jerusalem, the pain and perseverance of the prophet Jeremiah, and the faithfulness of Daniel and his companions in exile. The episode explores how God's people respond to suffering, exile, and the challenge of remaining faithful when far from home.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jeremiah’s Suffering and Lament (Jeremiah 20-21)

• Persecution and Despair
  Jeremiah faces harsh persecution, including being beaten and placed in stocks by Pashur, a chief officer in the temple (00:40–02:00). Despite his suffering, Jeremiah honestly expresses his pain to God, even accusing God of deceiving him and lamenting his birth.

  "O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived... I have become a laughingstock all the day, everyone mocks me."
  — Jeremiah (Read by Fr. Mike) [03:00]

• Authenticity of Prophetic Pain
  Fr. Mike highlights Jeremiah’s heartbreak, noting how deeply personal and raw his grief is:

  "We get a sense now of how profoundly hurt Jeremiah was, like how profoundly rejected Jeremiah was here in chapter 20..."
  — Fr. Mike [18:55]

  He draws a parallel between Jeremiah and Job in their expressions of despair.

• False Prophets & God’s Hard Truth
  Jeremiah’s message stands in contrast to that of the false prophets, who insist Babylon will not conquer Jerusalem. The reality, as pronounced by Jeremiah, is grim: Jerusalem will indeed fall (21:15–23:00). Fr. Mike emphasizes how God commanded Jeremiah not to marry, sparing him further pain during the coming devastation.

  "He didn't want Jeremiah to...see your wife and your children go through the pain that you're going through."
  — Fr. Mike [20:10]

• Message to the King and People
  God offers a stark choice: surrender to Babylon and live, or stay and face destruction. Justice and compassion are demanded of the rulers, with judgment certain if they continue in evil (12:10–14:00).

2. Faithfulness in Exile: Introduction to Daniel (Daniel 1-2)

• Context and Structure of Daniel
  Fr. Mike explains that Daniel and Jeremiah are contemporaries; Daniel has already been exiled to Babylon at this point in Jeremiah’s story (25:15). He notes the narrative structure—first half as stories, second half as apocalyptic visions.

  "The beginning of Daniel is stories, and the second half of Daniel is Revelation... we get some really incredible imagery in the second half."
  — Fr. Mike [24:02]

• Daniel and the Three Companions
  Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, young nobles from Judah, are brought to the Babylonian court to be educated. They refuse the king's rich food, eating only vegetables and water as a sign of fidelity to God’s law. God blesses their faithfulness with wisdom and favor (27:12).

  "God blessed the four of them for being faithful even in a place of exile. That's one of the points of this story—that faithfulness can still happen even in the midst of exile."
  — Fr. Mike [28:30]

• Living Faithfully While Away from Home
  Fr. Mike reflects on living according to God’s will outside the Promised Land, connecting Ezekiel’s recent guidance to Daniel’s practical example (29:00):

  "But what about when you're not living in the land? What about when you're not living in the Promised Land? What do you do then?... Daniel is a great example of someone saying, okay, here is how we can live in exile."
  — Fr. Mike [29:05]

3. Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream and Daniel’s Witness (Daniel 2)

• The Test of the Wise Men
  King Nebuchadnezzar demands that his wise men both recount his dream and interpret it—a seemingly impossible task that puts all their lives at risk. Daniel and his friends pray for God’s mercy, and God grants Daniel the vision and its meaning (32:00–35:00).

  "Daniel says, here's the dream. And I know the dream not because of my wisdom, not because of me, but I know this dream because the God of heaven has revealed this to me."
  — Fr. Mike [35:20]

• The Meaning of the Statue
  Daniel interprets the dream of a statue made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay, representing successive world empires:

  • Head of Gold: Babylon
  • Chest of Silver: Persia
  • Belly and Thighs of Bronze: Greece
  • Legs of Iron: Rome
  • Feet of Iron and Clay: Divided kingdoms

  The vision ends with a supernatural stone toppling the statue, interpreted as the kingdom of God, which will outlast all earthly empires.

  "All of it is overcome by the kingdom of the empire...that God himself establishes—that the kingdom of God is the church. And that goes throughout the entire world."
  — Fr. Mike [37:40]

• Daniel’s Humility and Elevation
  Daniel gives all glory to God for the revelation and is promoted along with his friends. Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges the God of Israel:

  "Truly your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery."
  — Nebuchadnezzar (read by Fr. Mike) [41:25]

4. Proverbs on Righteousness (Proverbs 15:25–28)

• Highlights include warnings against pride, greed, and wickedness, and affirmations of God’s favor toward the righteous and pure of heart (44:20).

Memorable Quotes

• On Prophetic Pain:

  "If I say, I will not mention him or speak any more in his name, there is in my heart, as it were, a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot."
  — Jeremiah (read by Fr. Mike) [04:40]

• On Living in Exile:

  "God bless them for being faithful even in the midst of their exile...faithfulness can still happen even in the midst of exile."
  — Fr. Mike [28:30]

• On the Dream’s Fulfillment:

  "The stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth...a great God has made known to the king what shall be hereafter. The dream is certain and its interpretation sure."
  — Daniel (read by Fr. Mike) [40:05]

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | Content Summary | | ---------- | -------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | | 00:04 | Intro | Fr. Mike welcomes listeners, outlines readings. | | 02:00 | Jeremiah 20-21 Reading | Jeremiah’s persecution, lament, and God’s judgment. | | 17:40 | Reflection: Jeremiah’s Pain | Fr. Mike discusses Jeremiah's emotional suffering. | | 24:02 | Daniel: Historical Context | Daniel & Jeremiah as contemporaries in exile. | | 27:12 | Daniel’s Faithfulness | Refusal of king’s food, faith in exile. | | 32:00 | Nebuchadnezzar’s Demands | The challenge to all wise men; Daniel prays. | | 35:20 | Daniel’s Humility | Daniel credits God for dream revelation. | | 40:05 | Statue Dream Interpreted | Empires and the coming kingdom of God. | | 41:25 | Nebuchadnezzar’s Declaration | King acknowledges superiority of Daniel’s God. | | 44:20 | Proverbs 15:25–28 | Instruction on righteousness and wisdom. | | 45:00+ | Closing Prayer & Reflections | Fr. Mike prays for listeners, recaps key themes. |

Tone and Style

Fr. Mike’s approach is warm, dynamic, and pastoral, offering historical context, relatable analogies, and repeated encouragement for listeners to trust God in times of confusion, exile, or suffering.

• Encouraging:
  "How about I ask for you, please, to pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless."
  — Fr. Mike [End]

Summary Takeaways

• Jeremiah’s honest pain and isolation highlight the cost of prophetic faithfulness.
• In exile, Daniel and his friends model uncompromised faith, prayer, and reliance on God.
• Nebuchadnezzar’s dream heralds the rise and fall of empires, with the assurance that God’s kingdom, established by Christ, will endure.
• Righteousness, humility, and integrity—as in Proverbs—remain constant virtues no matter the circumstance.

For listeners and readers alike, this episode is a vivid portrait of faith refined by trial, hope sustained in exile, and the certainty that God’s purposes transcend the rise and fall of earthly powers.