In Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar has gathered his advisers, officials, and administrators from all over the kingdom on the plain of Dura (v. 2). Per Daniel 1, this included people from “all of the nations and peoples of every language” (v. 7). The scope of attendees suggests that this gathering was no small thing. But there’sContinue reading “When Temptation Calls Your Name”
Category Archives: Opening the Bible
Sleepless in Babylon
King of the world! That’s what Nebuchadnezzar is. He could literally say, “Jump!” and everyone would ask, “How high?” After all, he’s defeated the Assyrians, Egyptians, and his kingdom knows no rival. He is on the top of the world! But the king of the world can’t get a good night’s sleep. He can controlContinue reading “Sleepless in Babylon”
Sincerely, But No Longer Yours
In Daniel 2 we have the first of the five visions found in the book. God initially gave the vision to Nebuchadnezzar in a dream and enables Daniel (in contrast to the king’s spiritual advisors), not only to tell the king what that dream was, but to explain its significance. This is kind of thingContinue reading “Sincerely, But No Longer Yours”
When Troubles Come
Chapter two of Daniel is part of the historical section of the book (1-6) that features what are often referred to as “court stories.” These stories typically show how Daniel and his friends allow God to work in their lives to solve some type of dilemma with the end result being positive recognition for theContinue reading “When Troubles Come”
Be One of Them!
Despite the faithlessness of the Jewish people (see Daniel’s prayer in chapter 9), God remained faithful. His would send the Messiah through them as He had promised, and He would be a descendant of David (Psalm 89). In chapter 1, we see several manifestations of Yahweh’s faithfulness. 1. He is still present. God’s presence was especiallyContinue reading “Be One of Them!”
Introduction to Daniel
Many people find the book of Daniel intimidating due to its (predictive) prophecies that are often taken out of context and used in support of a wide range of teachings—many quite unbiblical. That’s a shame, because the book is rich and rewarding for those who are willing to push past the hype and work withContinue reading “Introduction to Daniel”
Changing the Kingdom
The greatest selling book of all time is the Bible. The Guinness people estimate the number to be somewhere between five and seven billion. (The Koran’s figures, by comparison, are in the neighborhood of 800 million). There’s a reason for the Bible’s unique status—there is simply no story like the one found in Scripture! There’sContinue reading “Changing the Kingdom”
James & Righteousness
The word “righteous” occurs seven times in the five chapters of James’ letter. It is a word that summarizes well James’ down-to-earth approach and overlaps with Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 5-7 where a major focus is righteousness (5:20, 6:22). His use of the word in his letter falls into four categories. 1. There is theContinue reading “James & Righteousness”
A Wonderful Servant, But A Lousy Lord
In 5:1-6, James addresses unrighteous landowners who had repeatedly taken advantage of their workers by withholding wages (5:4) and using their influence to obtain legal judgments against them (2:6, 5:6). Additionally, they showed antagonism toward their workers’ faith as they “blasphemed” the name of Jesus (2:7). These words are a continuation his message to theContinue reading “A Wonderful Servant, But A Lousy Lord”
Living in the Light
We recently had new flooring put down in our house. It wasn’t a choice but a necessity. Our washing machine expired and as a parting gift left us with a couple of inches of water throughout much of the house, ruining the flooring. We decided to go with a lighter colored flooring. (Okay, Janice pickedContinue reading “Living in the Light”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 