Welcome back to the deep dive, everybody. Today
we're going way back, like way, way back to an
ancient text. Oh yeah, really old stuff. We're
gonna be checking out the final words and like
the last moments of a guy named Topit. You know,
somebody sent this in, a listener sent this in.
Right. And they're really interested in, you
know, sort of timeless wisdom. Yeah. You know,
how did people, how did people back then think
about dying? How did they deal with death? Yeah,
exactly. How do they look at the end of their
life and their legacy and all of that? Yeah.
And so we have these excerpts here from the end
of the Book of Tobit. Right. This is the conclusion
of the Book of Tobit and it details his final
instructions that he gives to his son Tobiah.
Okay. And then it goes on to talk about his deaths
and then even a little bit about Tobiah's life
after that. So it really is like the conclusion
of his life and his final words. Exactly. So
our goal today is to kind of unpack this. What
are the key pieces of advice that he gives? What
was going on? What was happening around him as
he kind of prophesies about the future and what
do we What can we take away from this today?
Like, why does this matter? Right. Why is this
relevant? Why are we spending time talking about
this today? Yeah, yeah. And so one of the first
things I noticed is that, you know, the text
says that Tobit dies in peace at the age of 112.
Wow. And is buried with honor in Nineveh. 112.
That's a long life. And it sounds like kind of
a good life too. Like that he had a good death.
You know, it sets the stage, I think, for the
advice he's about to give. It does, yeah. I think
that detail about the peaceful death and being
buried with honor suggests that he was a man
of significance to his community. Yeah, yeah.
And that I think it lends credence to the advice
that he's about to give. Yeah, it makes it feel
like it's coming from a place of meaning, you
know. Right, right. And also, we have to remember,
he lived for a while after he regained his sight,
and he experienced a period of renewed prosperity.
Yeah, yeah. He went through this really hard
time with blindness, like 58 years. 58 years.
And then he was able to get his sight back. Yeah,
and he was able to become financially well off.
Right. And the text really highlights... you
know, the fact that he continues to give alms
and to fear God. Right. It's not just like, oh,
I got my sight back. Now I'm just going to live
it up. Yeah. You know? He's still, he's still
got his priorities straight. Yeah. He's continuing
to live righteously. Yeah. So I think it just
gives even more weight to what he has to say.
Exactly. Now, things get a little interesting
amidst all this peaceful stuff, like the death
and, you know, all of that. Yeah. He gives this
urgent warning to his son, Tobiah. Right. He
commands him to leave, to leave Nineveh, to leave
and go to media and take his family with him.
And this is really a key piece of advice that
he gives. Yeah. And the reasoning behind it is
really fascinating to me because it has to do
with his belief in prophecy. Yes. And specifically,
he mentions Nahum, a prophet who spoke against
Nineveh centuries earlier. Right. But he also
kind of groups in other prophets as well, other
Israelite prophets that spoke of the downfall
of Nineveh and Assyria. And what I find so compelling
is the certainty in his words. Yeah, the conviction.
It's not just a suggestion. He's giving a command
based on And it's complete belief that these
prophecies will happen. Yeah, he says to Tobiah,
I'm quoting here, he says, I know and believe
that whatever God has said will be accomplished.
It will happen and not a single word of the prophecies
will fail. Wow. I mean... That is quite a declaration.
Quite a powerful declaration of faith and really
the power of prophecy. Right. And I'm trying
to put myself in their shoes, you know? Like
what would it be like to live with that certainty?
Yeah, to have that level of conviction about
the future. Yeah. It's really fascinating to
think about. And, you know, it's not just about
Nineveh. He kind of broadens the scope to the
future of Israel, doesn't he? He does, yeah.
He talks about the Israelites being scattered,
being taken away from their homeland. Over. He
predicts that the land itself will become desolate.
Yeah. He even mentioned specifically Samaria
and Jerusalem becoming barren. Yeah. And then
perhaps the most dramatic prediction is that
the house of God will will be desolate. It will
be burned. Right. And this is a major thing,
right? Like the house of God, the temple, is
super central to their faith. Exactly. It's at
the heart of their identity. Yeah. And he says,
and I'm quoting again, as for our kindred who
dwell in the land of Israel, they will all be
scattered and taken into captivity from the good
land. All the land of Israel will become a wilderness.
Even Samaria and Jerusalem will be a wilderness.
For a time, the house of God will be desolate
and will be burned." So it's a pretty stark picture
that he's painting, isn't it? It is, yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. It's not a very hopeful picture, but it's
important to remember that this is not all that
he says. Yeah, yeah. This isn't the end. This
isn't the end of the story. He does talk about
an eventual restoration. Oh, okay. So there's
hope. There is hope, yes. Okay. So after all
this bad stuff, he's saying, like, good stuff
is going to happen. He's saying that God will
show mercy. Okay. And will bring the Israelites
back to their land. Okay. And that they will
rebuild the house of God. Right, right. But there's
a catch, isn't there? There's a catch, yes. Because
he says that... it won't be like the first temple
until a future time, like he says until the appointed
times are completed. Right, right. He's basically
saying that there is going to be a rebuilding,
but it's not the final restoration. Yeah, yeah.
So this isn't like the ultimate, everything's
perfect again. This is just like step one of
a longer process. Exactly, exactly. Like God's
plan is much bigger than just this rebuilding.
Yeah, yeah. And I like that he acknowledges that.
Yeah. That it's not just like, oh, everything's
fixed. We're done. Right. It's going to take
time. Yeah. And there's more to come. Yeah. And
speaking of more to come, his vision expands
even further, doesn't it? It does, yeah. Because
he starts talking about all nations turning to
God. Right. All the nations of the world. Well,
just not just Israel anymore. Right. Right. He's
really broadening the scope here. He's saying
that everyone will turn and worship the true
God? Yeah. and they'll cast aside their idols.
Okay, so he's painting this picture of a future
where everybody is recognizing God. Exactly,
the whole world recognizing and worshiping the
one true God. Yeah, yeah. And he says, all the
nations of the world will turn and reverence
God in truth. All will cast away their idols,
which have deceitfully led them into error. They
will bless the God of the ages in righteousness.
It's such a powerful image, isn't it? It is.
It really is. And it kind of makes you wonder,
like, what would that look like? Yeah. What would
that kind of transformation look like? Yeah.
How would the world be different if that happened?
Yeah. And he goes on to talk about the faithful
Israelites being gathered together in Jerusalem.
Right. And they're going to be dwelling in the
land promised to Abraham. Yeah. Living there
securely. Yeah. And he makes this real clear
distinction, doesn't he? Yes. Between... between
the righteous who will experience joy and the
wicked who will disappear. Right. So it's not
just like everybody goes to this happy place.
Right, right. There's a separation. There's consequences.
It's about justice. Yeah. Divine justice. Yeah.
And he actually says, and I'm quoting again,
All the Israelites, truly mindful of God, who
are to be saved in those days, will be gathered
together and will come to Jerusalem. In security
will they dwell forever in the land of Abraham,
which will be given to them. Those who love God
sincerely will rejoice, but those who commit
sin and wickedness will disappear completely
from the land. Wow. It's pretty intense. Yeah.
Yeah, powerful stuff. But along with these prophecies
about the future, he also gives some really practical
advice to his children. Right. Yeah. It's not
all just like, oh, this is going to happen in
the future. Right, right. There's also this focus
on how to live in the present. Right. in the
here and now. Yeah. And he basically commands
them. He says, serve God sincerely and do what
is pleasing in his sight. Right. And then he
also says, you must instruct your children to
do what is right and to give alms, to be mindful
of God and at all times to bless his name sincerely
and with all their strength. Yeah. So there's
this real focus on... individual faith. Yeah.
But also the responsibility to pass those values
on. Yeah. To like teach your kids. Exactly. It's
not just about you. Yeah. It's about it's about
creating a like a legacy of faith. Right. And
good works. Yeah. Yeah. And he also emphasizes
the importance of leaving Nineveh. Right. Right.
He goes back to that. He does. He reiterates
that after he and his wife are buried that Tobias
should not even stay one night within the city
walls. Right. because he sees the city as full
of wickedness and treachery. Like, he's really
concerned about what's going on there. And he
doesn't mince words, does he? No. He says, um,
now, as for you, son, leave Nineveh. Do not stay
here. The day you bury your mother next to me,
do not even stay overnight within the confines
of the city, for I see that there is much wickedness
in it, and much treachery is practiced in it,
and people are not ashamed. Wow. So he's really
like, you gotta get out of here. Yes. He's very
serious about this. Yeah. And then he shares
this interesting story about Naden and Ayakar.
Oh, yeah. As a way to really, really kind of
highlight... It's like kind of like drive home
this point. Exactly. Yeah. About the consequences
of evil and the importance of living rightfully.
Yeah, yeah. So tell us this story. What happened
with these guys? So Naden betrayed Ayakar, the
very man who had raised him. Oh, wow. That's
harsh. Yeah. And Tobit points out how... how
Naden's actions ultimately backfired on him.
While Ahikar, who was known for giving alms for
helping the poor, was saved. So it's like a real
-life example of what he's talking about. Exactly.
It's like, look, this actually happened. Right.
This isn't just a theoretical idea. He's like,
this happened in our history. Exactly. It's a
powerful example of how... how wickedness can
lead to destruction and how righteousness can
lead to life can lead to being saved. And he
quotes, see my son, all that Nadin did to Ahikar,
the very one who reared him. was not Ahikar brought
down alive into the earth. Yet God made Nadin's
disgraceful crime rebound against him. Ahikar
came out again into the light, but Nadin went
into the everlasting darkness for he had tried
to kill Ahikar. Because Ahikar had given alms,
he escaped from the deadly trap Nadin had set
for him. But Nadin fell into the deadly trap
himself and it destroyed him. So he's really,
really showing the contrast between these two
people and their actions. Exactly. And then he
brings it all together with this really powerful
statement about the consequences of generosity
and wickedness. Yeah. Yeah. This is his last
lesson, isn't it? Yeah. His final message to
his children. Yeah. What does he say? He says,
so my children, see what almsgiving does and
also what wickedness does. It kills. But now
my spirit is about to leave me. I mean, it's
a pretty powerful way to end his counsel. It
is. It really sticks with you. It really makes
you think about the choices that we make. Right.
And the consequences of those choices. Right.
Yeah. And then we shift gears a little bit. The
story shifts and we start focusing on Tobiah.
Right. You know, what does he do after his father
dies? Well... He does what his father told him
to do. Okay. He buries his parents and then he
moves to media with his family. Yeah. He takes
that warning very seriously. Yeah. So he, he
doesn't mess around. He's like, all right, dad,
I'm out of here. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And then
we get a little snapshot of his life in media.
Right. We learned that he takes care of his wife's
parents. Okay. He eventually inherits their estate.
And he lives to be 117 years old. Oh, wow. So
he also has a long life. Yes. Okay, so it seems
like he found that safety and prosperity Yeah,
that his dad had talked about it seems that way.
Yeah. Yeah, but but here's the kicker, right?
Yeah, he actually lives to see the destruction
of Nineveh. He does he sees his father's prophecy
fulfilled, right? Right, so it wasn't just like
a crazy old man talking exactly like this really
happened and And he's there to see it. He's there
to witness it. Yeah, that's wild And it's interesting
that the text specifically mentions that he praises
God for this outcome. Oh, wow. So he's not like,
oh, that's terrible, my home dad. No, he rejoices.
He's like, yes, this is what was supposed to
happen. He says, but before he died, he saw and
heard of the destruction of Nidava. He saw the
inhabitants of the city being led captive into
media by Syaxarys, the king of media. Tobiah
blessed God for all that he had done against
the Nidavites and Assyrians. Before dying, he
rejoiced over Nineveh and he blessed the Lord
God forever and ever. It really brings everything
full circle, doesn't it? It does. Like the prophecy,
the warning, like it all comes to pass. It's
really, really a powerful ending to the story.
So what are your big takeaways here? What sticks
out to you the most? Well, I think it's amazing
how strong Tobit's faith was. Yeah. Like he truly
believed in these prophecies. Yeah. even though
he wouldn't live to see them fulfilled himself.
Right. He was willing to uproot his family. Exactly.
To send them away. Yeah. Based on what he believed.
On his conviction. Yeah. And for you listening,
what are you taking away from this? What resonates
with you? Is it the faith? Is it the importance
of righteousness? Or maybe it's the contrast
between generosity and wickedness? Yeah. Yeah.
What about his warnings about, like, societal
decay? and the hope for restoration. Right. Those
are all really important things in this story.
And they're still relevant today. Yeah. And it
makes you think, doesn't it? Like, what does
it mean to live with that kind of conviction?
Right. What does it mean to believe in something
so strongly that you're willing to act on it,
even if you don't know for sure what the outcome
will be? Yeah. I mean, Tobit's decision to...
send his family away was based on faith, not
on what he could see happening right in front
of him. So how do we balance our present realities
with our beliefs about the future? That's a great
question. That's a really great question. Something
to ponder. It is. It's something we can all think
about. If you want to keep exploring this, by
the way... You can look into the historical context
of those prophecies, like the one from Nahum
that we talked about. You can also look at the
history of Nineveh and the kingdom of Israel
and see how all of this actually played out.
Exactly. And see how it aligns with what Tobit
predicted. Yeah. As always, you know, our deep
dive just scratches the surface. Yeah, there's
so much more to explore. But hopefully it sparks
some good thoughts, some good questions. Exactly.
And yeah. Thanks for joining us as we delved
into the final moments of TOEVIT. Thanks for
being here. See you next time.