Daniel 4  Nebuchadnezzar has another amazing dream.. this time of a tree that reaches to the sky and is flourishing. However, the dream alarms him and he calls for the wise men to interpret it for him.  No one is able to do so until Daniel comes in.  When Nebuchadnezzar tells Daniel the dream.. Daniel became alarmed. He really didn't want to tell the meaning of this.. but he did. 

The tree represented Nebuchadnezzar.. and that tree would be cut down and bound by iron and bronze. This represented what would happen to Nebuchadnezzar.. he would be "cut down".. become like an animal in the field.. eating grass, covered with dew.. for 7 "times".. years!  Daniel gave the king this advice, " O king, may my advice be pleasing to you; break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity." 

However, it does not appear that Nebuchadnezzar took Daniel's advice and 12 months later, as he looked over his beautiful city, his pride took over.. "Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?" (v30)  It was at that moment that the prophecy was fulfilled and the Lord took away.. not only Nebuchadnezzar's sovereignty, but his sanity and he was driven into the fields to eat grass.. "until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes." 

Seven years later.. Nebuchadnezzar finally looked up to heaven and recognized the One true God.. "for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, 'What hast Thou done?'" (v34-35) 

Amazingly, Nebuchadnezzar was restored to his kingdom and became great once again. His final recorded testimony was this: "Now, I, Nebuchadnezzar praise, exalt, and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride." (v37)

Father, may we learn from Your word the truths that it took Nebuchadnezzar 7 years to realize.. that You are the Most High God and You do Your will on the earth.. You raise up the humble and cut down the proud.. You put in place those who You desire to rule on this world.  We have leaders in our own nation who are prideful and arrogant and we pray that they would take Daniel's advice and turn from their sins and seek You with all their hearts.  Help us to always keep in mind that You alone are God and it is Your kingdom that will endure forever.. nothing else can ever come close.  Be exalted, O Lord, for You are just and righteous.  May Your Name be proclaimed in all the earth and every king, ruler, or president bow before You. amen. 

 Daniel 3  Nebuchadnezzar clearly forgot the lesson that Daniel taught him when he told him his dream and its interpretation... however, he didn't forget the part that the statue's head of gold represented him.  So, he had an image made of gold.. 60 cubits high and 6 cubits wide.. about 90 feet high and 9 feet wide.  He commanded that all those that served in his kingdom attend the dedication of this statue. When the music played, all of them were to fall down before the image and worship it. 

We know the story well.. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego..would not bow to this idol or any idol. Even when threatened with certain death, they would not bow.  "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." (v16-18)

They were tied up and thrown into the furnace.. so hot that the "valiant warriors" who had tied them up and thrown them in were killed by the flames.  Yet, the three men were not killed. Instead, they were joined by a fourth man in the fire.. one whose appearance was "like a son of the gods"!

Nebuchadnezzar, himself, called out to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.. to come out of the furnace.. and they did.. fully clothed.. no hairs on their heads were singed.. and they didn't even smell like smoke. Only their bonds were gone.  Nebuchadnezzar knew.. once again.. that the God of Israel was not an ordinary god.. "there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way." he said. ( v29)  He sent out a decree that no one, anywhere, should speak anything offensive about God. 

Are we like Nebuchadnezzar sometimes? Do we forget just how great our God is? Do we trust Him in the fire like we trust Him in the blessings?  

Father in heaven, You alone are God in heaven and earth and there is no other!  May our faith be like that of these three men.. that no matter what we will trust You, serve You, and worship only YOU.  Let our testimony be that You have brought us through the fire.. that You have delivered us from death.. and that You have walked with us through it all..   To You alone we yield ourselves.. our whole hearts, minds, and bodies.  May Your will be done in us this day and every day!  Amen 

 Daniel 2:24-49  Daniel received an answer to his prayer.. God revealed to him the dream that Nebuchadnezzar had.. and the interpretation of it.  The first thing he did was to praise the Lord and the second thing he did was make a plea for the all the other wise men of Babylon!  They may have been rivals.. and later on enemies.. but Daniel still did what no one else could do.. and it saved all of their lives. 

Daniel came before the king.. and in complete humility answered him.. "As for the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians, nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. However there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days.. " 

Daniel makes it clear to Nebuchadnezzar that it is God who revealed the mystery and God who revealed the answers to Daniel. "But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me for any wisdom residing in me more than in any other living man, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind." (v30)

Daniel describes the vision.. Nebuchadnezzar saw an awesome statue of "extraordinary splendor" with a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, a torso of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of iron mixed with clay.  While he was looking a "stone was cut out without hands and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them." (v34) 

Then, Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar the meaning of the vision.. he was the head of gold.. a superior kingdom, but his kingdom would end and would be followed by another "inferior" kingdom, which also would end and be followed by a third, even less powerful kingdom.  We know that these are the kingdoms of the Medes and Persians, followed by the Greeks.  After that, a fourth kingdom would rise up.. iron.. representing the Romans.. and finally a mixed kingdom.. iron and clay would replace the Romans. 

The iron and clay mixture made up the toes of the statue. " And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle."  Daniel goes on to say that they substances will be mixed.. but "they will not adhere to one another.. "  Sure sounds like the nations of the world today, doesn't it?

Then.. "in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever." (v44) 

God made this vision known to Nebuchadnezzar.. and revealed it to Daniel.  It was recorded for our benefit. As Nebuchadnezzar tells Daniel, "Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries.. " (v47).  We are assured that God will fulfill His plan.. His Kingdom is coming and Christ will rule this eternal kingdom.  He is the Rock.. He is the King.. He is the Lord our God!

Father in heaven, we look up.. waiting for that day when the final Kingdom will come and Christ will reign! May our hearts be ready.. may we be determined, like Daniel, to live faithfully for You every day until all Your mysteries are revealed and we see Your Glory! Accomplish all that You desire in us and through us until that day, we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen. 

 Daniel 1 In this introduction to Daniel we find out the facts.. 

Daniel was from Judah, taken into exile along with Jehoiakim the king.  He was a young man who came from a noble or royal family.  He was chosen to participate in a "re-education" program by Nebuchadnezzar, because he was " good-looking.. showing intelligence.. endowed with understanding.. and discerning knowledge.. who had ability for serving in the king's court.."  He was a very special young man. Also chosen for this privileged position were Hannah, Mishael, and Azariah... better known by their new names.. "Shadrach.. Meshach.. and Abednego."

Daniel had a determined heart.. from the beginning he had made up his mind not to compromise his faith in God. He refused to defile himself with the choice foods offered by the king, Nebuchadnezzar .  We learn that God intervened in Daniel's situation by allowing him to find favor in "the sight of the commander of the officials." So, Daniel and his friends were allowed to eat the vegetables and drink water instead of the king's choice foods and wine.  The results were that even after 10 days "their appearance seemed better and they were fatter that all the youths who had been eating the king's choice food." 

God also blessed Daniel and his friends with more "knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams."  These four were the best of the all those who had spent the three years in training for the king's service and became his personal servants.  The king consulted them "for every matter of wisdom and understanding.." and found them far advanced then all his magicians. 

Daniel 2 takes us straight into the first revelation given to Daniel. It was an impossible request:  Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and he wanted the wise men to not only interpret the dream, but to tell him what he had dreamt.  Of course, no man could do such a thing.  How could anyone tell you what you had dreamt?  The order went out that all the wise men would be destroyed because they could not do this impossible thing.  But.. Daniel, with "discretion and discernment" asked for time...  and was granted it by the king. 

Daniel went to God with this impossible request.. for God is the only One who could reveal this mystery. God answered his prayer and before anything else, Daniel offered a prayer of praise!

" Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. And it is He who changes the times and epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men, and knowledge to men of understanding. It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him. To Thee, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for Thou hast given me wisdom and power; even now Thou hast made known to me what we requested of Thee. For Thou hast made known to us the king's matter." ( v20-23)

Father in heaven, You are the God who changes times and epochs.  You are the same God who did all that You showed Daniel in this dream.  You are the One who will accomplish the final part of this dream when the "stone" comes to crush all the kingdoms of the earth and reign forever. Let Your Kingdom come! Let Your Light shine through the darkness of this world. May every knee bow before You. amen 

 Galatians 6  As we walk by the Spirit and not by our own human, fleshly natures.. our lives will look more like what Paul describes in this chapter.. 

V1 .. We will lovingly, gently restore those who have given into temptation.  We will be reminded to look to our own lives, for we know that temptations are always going to try us.. 

V2 We will make an effort to come alongside those who have heavy burdens.. showing the love of Christ; 

V3-4  We will  not act like we are better than anyone else. We will "examine" our own lives and deeds in the light of Christ's Word and not in comparison with others.

V5  We will take responsibility for ourselves and not become a burden to others. 

V6 We will gladly share with those who teach and lead us in the Truth.

V 7-10  We will live for the Lord, understanding that the principle of reaping and sowing is always true.. we will "sow to the Spirit" and not to the flesh.  We will keep doing good, according to the Lord's will and for His glory. 

V14 We will not boast in anything else but acknowledge that it is the "cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" that is everything!

V16  We will walk with peace and be merciful. We will know the grace of our Lord Jesus in our spirits.

Glorious Father, our Abba, grant us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation that we might know You more.. that we might walk in the fullness of Your Spirit and do the good works You have prepared for us to do. Enable us to be about Your mission.. doing good.. that which is beautiful and valuable; virtuous, honest and worthy.. that which pleases You and brings glory to the Name of Jesus Christ in whom we boast.. for He is our Savior who gave His life that we might live eternally. amen. 

 Galatians 5  In Christ, Paul says, we have been set free.. "for freedom".  We are no longer slaves to the law or to sin. We cannot be justified by trying to follow the Jewish laws.. or any laws.  We cannot be saved by our own efforts.. for that is from the flesh.. the unregenerate, sinful flesh.. that has no hope of making us pure, of forgiving our sins... of giving us eternal life. 

Christ saved us by His grace and we are justified as we put our faith in Him.. "For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness." 

Paul says that those who were teaching the Galatians that they had to be circumcised and follow the Law were leading them astray.. causing them to leave the path of grace.. the path of Christ.. and the freedom that He died to provide for them.  They.. and we.. are not called to that other path, but to freedom.. freedom to love and serve.. freedom to walk in His Spirit and not in our flesh. 

Paul gives us another contrast.. a clear picture of a life that serves the flesh and a life that has been made new by the Spirit of God:

A life of flesh is "evident".  We can't miss the evidence in our own lives or in the lives of others;  "immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these.. "  Pick up a newspaper, turn on the tv.. click on a social media site.. there it is in living color! 

But, a life that has been transformed by the Presence of the Spirit of God will not look like that at all!  Instead, the evidence will be very clear.. "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.. " These are the traits that are seen in the life of one who has received Christ.. who has been "crucified" with Him.. whose passions and fleshly desires no longer rule in their lives. 

"If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit."  Paul says in verse 25.  If we have been "born again" by believing in Jesus Christ and receiving  new life by the Spirit.. then.. we can.. and must continue on that path.. walking.. following.. deporting ourselves in His power.. in His Presence.. as His companion... every minute.. every hour.. and every day.  

Andrew Murray wrote, "The Holy Spirit is my lifelong companion! He had full possession of me! He cherishes me in God's love, makes me aware of God's presence, and leads me in prayer that brings fellowship with Him in love!" 

This is what Paul desired for his readers.. it is what our heavenly Father.. our Abba, desires for each of us and He made it possible through Jesus Christ, His precious Son and our wonderful Savior.

Father, thank You. Transform us.. renew us.. fill us!  Continue that great work of sanctification, Holy Spirit as we follow You, walking in the Light of the Word and in the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord... our "hope of righteousness"..  In His name we come.. Amen. 

 Galatians 4 In this chapter Paul teaches the great contrast between the believer in Christ and the person who is under the Law. 

Under the Law.. 

I am like a child who is no different from a slave.. under the control of managers.. "held in bondage under the elemental things of the world."

I am obsessed with things like "days and months and seasons and years". 

I am like the child of the "bond woman".. not an heir, cast out.. and in slavery. 

But.. "when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." 

As God's child.. 

I have His Spirit in my heart and cry out to my Father in heaven, "Abba"!

I am His child and an heir.. through His doing.

I come to know Him because He knows me..

I am like the child of the free woman.. a child of promise!

Paul is so perplexed with the Galatians because they have been persuaded to turn back to a life of slavery instead of embracing the life of freedom they were given.  Why would anyone do that?

Can we see it.. as clearly as Paul did?  Do we allow ourselves to be persuaded that slavery to "whatever"  is God's choice for us?  What is holding us back from grasping the truth that God sees us as His sons and daughters because Christ came to redeem us?

Father, reveal to us those things that keep us from receiving the fulness of Christ's amazing redemption. May we be filled with the truth of Your Word, by Your Spirit, that we have this precious intimacy with You.. Abba..Daddy.. Papa..Father.  You love us with this amazing love.. that You want us to know.. help us to know it even more. Amen.