Daniel's reward

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading is a short one to follow up on yesterday's long reading. Daniel revealed the mystery of the king's dream to him and the King rewards him. As we know, prophets are not always appreciated for their wisdom. This king will prove fickle, but for the moment, the thing to note is that God makes Daniel thrive in exile.

God bless,
Sam

Daniel 2:46-49

⁴⁶Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, worshiped Daniel, and commanded that a grain offering and incense be offered to him. ⁴⁷The king said to Daniel, “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!” ⁴⁸Then the king promoted Daniel, gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. ⁴⁹Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.

royal dreams

Good morning friends,
In Saturday's reading the King ordered all his wisemen to tell him what he had dreamed and to interpret it. When they told him his request was impossible, he ordered them all to be killed. When Daniel finds out about this decree, which includes his friends and him, he asks for time from the king's officials and asks Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to pray for him. Then he prays to God for wisdom and to know the dream. It won't surprise us that God comes through for Daniel.

Blessings on your week,
Sam


Daniel 2:13-19, 24-30

¹³The decree was issued, and the wise men were about to be executed; and they looked for Daniel and his companions, to execute them. ¹⁴Then Daniel responded with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the king’s chief executioner, who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon; ¹⁵he asked Arioch, the royal official, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. ¹⁶So Daniel went in and requested that the king give him time and he would tell the king the interpretation. ¹⁷Then Daniel went to his home and informed his companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, ¹⁸and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions with the rest of the wise men of Babylon might not perish. ¹⁹Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night, and Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

²⁴Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will give the king the interpretation.” ²⁵Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and said to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who can tell the king the interpretation.” ²⁶The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to tell me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?”

²⁷Daniel answered the king, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or diviners can show to the king the mystery that the king is asking, ²⁸but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has disclosed to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen at the end of days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed were these: ²⁹To you, O king, as you lay in bed, came thoughts of what would be hereafter, and the revealer of mysteries disclosed to you what is to be. ³⁰But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me because of any wisdom that I have more than any other living being, but in order that the interpretation may be known to the king and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.

dreams of doom

Good morning friends,
First, a note about worship tomorrow: we'll being doing a back to school themed worship. Please bring a backpack or briefcase, a stethoscope or calculator: something that represents starting the school year (if you're a student) or your work if you aren't. We'll conclude worship by blessing your work and study.


Today's reading is a great story about the abuse and fear that comes with power. Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that scares him, so he desperately wants to understand it. At the same time he is afraid that his wise men will make something up; he's feeling vulnerable. So he commands and threatens them to not only interpret the dream, but also to tell him what he dreamed to prove that they have insight. Much of the Book of Daniel is stories that suggest that even though the king has nearly absolute power, he is not really in charge. His power is threatened often by underlings who seek to manipulate him and by the fact that, even when we pretend otherwise, human power is always limited.

Blessings on your weekend,
Sam

Daniel 2:1-12

In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed such dreams that his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him. ²So the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. When they came in and stood before the king, ³he said to them, “I have had such a dream that my spirit is troubled by the desire to understand it.”

⁴The Chaldeans said to the king (in Aramaic), “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will reveal the interpretation.” ⁵The king answered the Chaldeans, “This is a public decree: if you do not tell me both the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins. ⁶But if you do tell me the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation.”

⁷They answered a second time, “Let the king first tell his servants the dream, then we can give its interpretation.” ⁸The king answered, “I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see I have firmly decreed: ⁹if you do not tell me the dream, there is but one verdict for you. You have agreed to speak lying and misleading words to me until things take a turn. Therefore, tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can give me its interpretation.”

¹⁰The Chaldeans answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can reveal what the king demands! In fact no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. ¹¹The thing that the king is asking is too difficult, and no one can reveal it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with mortals.” ¹²Because of this the king flew into a violent rage and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.

exile is the beginning

Good afternoon friends,
We read on Sunday about the defeat of Judah and the exile of the people. Scripture has a bunch of lamentations about that defeat; in many ways it was a devastating ending to the dream that had been Israel. Today we read the story in a different light, as the introduction to the Book of Daniel. God didn't abandon his people in exile. Things changed, but God didn't change. Daniel is a fascinating book that starts with six chapters of mostly funny stories about how God blessed and used Daniel and his friends to testify to God's love and power in Babylon. It ends with six chapters of visions that are often understood as visions of the end of time. Today's story has a special place in my heart as a vegetarian too. I hope you enjoy.

God bless,
Sam

Daniel 1: 1-13

In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. ²The Lord let King Jehoiakim of Judah fall into his power, as well as some of the vessels of the house of God. These he brought to the land of Shinar, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his gods. ³Then the king commanded his palace master Ashpenaz to bring some of the Israelites of the royal family and of the nobility, ⁴young men without physical defect and handsome, versed in every branch of wisdom, endowed with knowledge and insight, and competent to serve in the king’s palace; they were to be taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans.

⁵The king assigned them a daily portion of the royal rations of food and wine. They were to be educated for three years, so that at the end of that time they could be stationed in the king’s court. ⁶Among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, from the tribe of Judah. ⁷The palace master gave them other names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

⁸But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the royal rations of food and wine; so he asked the palace master to allow him not to defile himself. 

⁹Now God allowed Daniel to receive favor and compassion from the palace master. ¹⁰The palace master said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king; he has appointed your food and your drink. If he should see you in poorer condition than the other young men of your own age, you would endanger my head with the king.” ¹¹Then Daniel asked the guard whom the palace master had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: ¹²“Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³You can then compare our appearance with the appearance of the young men who eat the royal rations, and deal with your servants according to what you observe.”