WEBVTT

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 ...the Bible, because it's a combination of stories, many of which have made their way into popular culture.

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 Daniel the Lion's Den, the phrase, the writing on the wall, or feet of clay, all those come from Luke and Daniel.

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 And yet, it also contains these prophetic visions that have both fascinated and puzzled people ever since the book was written.

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 Now, before we jump into chapter 2, I want to give you a little bit of a big picture of where we're going in this book.

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 So if you turn in your bulletin, there is an outline of the book of Daniel.

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 I think it's toward the middle or back of your bulletin.

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 And so, let me point out a few things as you look at that.

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 We take about five minutes to sort of view a big picture of the book of Daniel as a whole, and then we'll jump into chapter 2.

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 Because chapter 2 is a mix, not the summary, but the vision in the middle of it.

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 So that's sort of the most common way that most of us think about how Daniel is organized.

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 Right? We have these stories, especially in the first half of the book, that focus on what it looks like for God's people to be faithful in exile as we live in this world.

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 And then we have the visions, which sort of remind us that the world we're living in is not the only world there will be.

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 And that God is going to do something in the future.

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 That is, for one day, come on in and God is establishing His kingdom on earth.

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 So that's sort of the most obvious way that the book is organized when you just read it in English.

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 It is stories and visions.

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 But there's an important detail that we can easily miss.

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 But that's quite significant is that the book of Daniel is written in two different languages.

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 So the first chapter, which we read last week, up to chapter 2, verse 4, is written in Hebrew.

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 Which is what most of the Old Testament is written in.

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 But at chapter 2, verse 4, and if you look down at the Bibles, chapter 2, verse 4, page 737 in the two Bibles,

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 there's a little note that we're at verse 4, then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic.

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 And there's a note, up to the book number 2, and then if you look down at the bottom, it says,

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 the text from this point to the end of chapter 7 is in Aramaic.

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 You might say, what's Aramaic?

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 Well, Aramaic was the international trade language of the day.

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 It was the official language of the Persian Empire.

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 It was sort of broadly spoken throughout the Middle East at that point.

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 Hebrew was the local language that was spoken in Judea, in Jerusalem, where Daniel was from.

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 And then chapter 1, Hebrew, 2-7, Aramaic, 8-12, the end of the book in Hebrew.

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 So the middle is that Aramaic, the intro, and the conclusion is in Hebrew.

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 Now you might think, why would that be, right?

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 Well, I have to get rid of the book in two different languages.

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 That could be confusing, right?

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 Because some people can only understand one language.

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 Some people can only understand the other.

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 Why would you do that?

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 Not many books are written that way.

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 Now there are a few books written that way.

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 One of them is War and Peace by Tolstoy.

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 It's written mostly in Russian, and it's set in Russia,

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 but it has some of the dialogues in French.

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 Because part of the theme of the book is

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 the connection between Russian cultural identity

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 and Western European, and particularly French influence.

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 Right?

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 And that's one of the themes that Tolstoy is dealing with in his book.

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 And so with Daniel.

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 Right?

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 It's a book about faithful Jews, Hebrew speakers,

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 living in a foreign culture, speaking Aramaic.

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 Okay?

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 So here's what I think is the best explanation

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 for why we have this two-language book.

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 If you look at chapters 2 through 7,

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 I think this is the message that the author of Daniel wanted to send

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 to the whole world.

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 That's why he wrote it in the international trade language.

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 He wasn't just writing a message to help faithful Jews

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 who knew the Bible, who already believed in God,

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 who were in exile, know how to live.

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 He was also broadcasting a message to the whole world,

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 wanting to introduce the whole world to the one true God of the Bible.

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 The intro and the conclusion speak more specifically

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 to the concerns of God's people, the Hebrews.

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 Now, why this matters today?

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 Two things.

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 The book has an important message for Christians, first of all.

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 Just as it has an important message for the Jews,

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 for God's people who are in exile,

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 and that's why we see some of it written in Hebrew.

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 Right?

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 Specifically addressing their concerns.

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 But it's also, it has a message for people

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 who aren't already Christians.

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 Right?

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 To introduce the whole world to the ones from God.

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 So whether you're here today,

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 if you've been a Christian for your whole life,

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 and you were born and raised in the church,

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 or whether you're totally new to Christianity,

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 and you're just coming to listen and learn and see

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 what Christians really believe,

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 I think particularly these middle chapters of the book of day

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 will have a message from all of us.

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 So one more analogy might be,

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 if you were a Haitian, someone from Haiti,

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 who was living in Paris,

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 during the time that the French colonized Haiti,

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 and you write a book,

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 and the middle part is in French,

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 and that's the message you want to send

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 to everybody in the French Empire,

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 but you also write some stuff in pre-all,

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 at the beginning and the end,

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 to give particular messages to your fellow Haitians

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 who understand that.

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 So just an analogy, maybe that helps.

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 So how do these chapters do that?

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 Again, I've tried to outline that on the insert of the bulletin,

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 the Aramaic connection of Daniel.

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 It has a very intentional structure.

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 These chapters hang together.

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 So it begins and ends,

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 chapter 2 and chapter 7,

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 with a vision of four kingdoms.

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 We'll look at one of those today,

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 and one of those in a few weeks.

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 And in both cases,

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 there's a succession of four kingdoms

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 who are eventually replaced by the kingdom of God,

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 which will be everlasting.

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 Chapter 3 and chapter 6,

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 probably the most popular chapters of Daniel,

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 are two examples of faithfulness amidst suffering.

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 Daniel's friends in the fiery furnace

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 and Daniel in the lion's den.

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 And then chapter 4 and 5,

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 in both of those chapters,

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 we see God disciplining a proud ruler.

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 In chapter 4,

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 Nebuchadnezzar is humbled,

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 and he's later restored.

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 In chapter 5,

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 Nebuchadnezzar exalts himself,

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 he doesn't humble himself,

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 and he's judged.

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 So what do we take away from these chapters?

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 I think we can take away three things.

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 Chapter 2 and 7 teaches that God alone will reign forever,

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 while all earthly kingdoms will eventually pass away.

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 Chapter 3 and 6,

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 focus on the theme of deliverance.

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 God delivers his faithful servants,

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 who entrust themselves completely to him.

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 And chapter 5,

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 focus on the theme of God exalting the humble,

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 and bringing down the crowd.

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 So that's where we're going in the next six weeks,

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 especially these Aramaic chapters of Daniel.

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 You can also put it as the God reveals,

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 rescues, and rules.

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 And I've noted again,

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 all those verse numbers that are quoted there

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 contain one of those birds or a related idea.

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 So that's been a big picture of where we're going in Daniel.

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 Right?

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 These chapters that are showing up the character

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 of the one true God,

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 and also showing us what it means to live for him

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 as his people.

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 So turn to chapter 2.

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 Chapter 2 is a long chapter,

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 so I'm going to walk through it step by step.

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 I'm going to summarize some parts as we go along.

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 So I'm going to begin by reading verses 1 through 12.

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 So read with me here.

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 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar,

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 Nebuchadnezzar had dreams.

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 His spirit was troubled,

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 and his sleep left him.

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 Then the king commanded that the magicians,

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 the enchanters, the sorcerers,

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 and the Chaldeans be summoned

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 to tell the king his dreams.

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 So they came in and stood before the king.

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 And the king said to them,

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 I've had a dream,

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 and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.

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 And the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic,

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 O king, live forever.

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 Tell your servants the dream,

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 and we will show the interpretation.

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 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans,

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 The word for me is firm.

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 If you do not make known to me the dream

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 and its interpretation,

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 you shall be torn limb for limb,

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 and your houses shall be laid in ruins.

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 But if you show the dream and its interpretation,

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 you shall receive from me gifts and rewards

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 and great honor.

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 Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.

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 They answered a second time and said,

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 Let the king tell the servants the dream,

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 and we will show its interpretation.

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 The king answered and said,

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 I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time.

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 Because you see that the word for me is firm.

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 If you do not make the dream known to me,

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 there is but one sentence for you.

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 You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me

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 until the times change.

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 Therefore tell me the dream.

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 And I shall know that you can show me the interpretation.

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 Chaldeans answered the king and said,

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 There is not a man on earth who can beat the king's demand.

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 For no great and powerful king has asked such a thing

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 of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean.

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 The thing that the king asks is difficult,

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 and no one can show it to the king except the gods,

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 whose dwelling is not with flesh.

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 Because of this, the king was angry and very furious,

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 and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon destroy.

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 Over the last several years,

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 the city of New Haven has come to advertise itself

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 as an increasingly attractive place

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 for people to come and live and settle.

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 Perhaps 20 years ago,

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 New Haven had a reputation for high crime rates,

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 boarded up houses,

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 and absentee landlords.

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 Over the last 10 years,

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 the downtown area in particular

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 has seen all kinds of new developments,

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 from bike lanes to biotech companies,

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 restaurants and rental properties.

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 In a couple of years,

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 if the developers have their way,

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 we'll have another neighborhood right in our backyard,

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 where there's a big parking lot now.

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 According to a recent survey,

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 the population of New Haven has grown by 5%

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 in the last decade,

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 and is projected to grow even more than that

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 in the next decade.

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 Now, if you were born and raised here,

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 you know the story is a little more complicated than that.

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 Gentrification always has pros and cons.

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 It hasn't affected all neighborhoods in the same way.

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 But in many ways,

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 New Haven is seen,

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 and I think in some ways rightly so,

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 as an up-and-coming city.

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 And similarly,

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 Babylon,

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 in the time of Nebuchadnezzar,

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 was also an up-and-coming city.

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 It was prospering economically,

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 as the capital of a large and rapidly expanding empire.

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 It was becoming a center of science and education,

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 where the brightest minds from all over the ancient world

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 were brought to study and learn.

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 It was undergoing a renaissance of art and architecture.

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 Precious words of art were being restored.

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 The lost Acadian language was being recovered.

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 Ancient temples were being reconstructed.

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 We went from verse 1,

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 that Nebuchadnezzar,

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 the king of Babylon,

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 was in his second year of his reign.

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 Now, actually,

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 as we count,

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 it was probably the third year of his reign,

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 because the Babylonians counted the first year

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 as what they called the accession year,

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 and then the second year they called the first year,

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 and the third year they called the second year.

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 But anyway,

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 he was about 30 years old at the time,

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 and he was on top of the world.

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 His military campaigns were moving forward with great success.

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 He already controlled Syria,

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 and Palestine.

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 He was receiving annual tribute payments

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 from four major cities in the region.

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 But what we see at the beginning of this passage

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 is that in the heart of Babylon,

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 in the privileged center of the powerful empire,

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 all was not well.

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 There was unrest in the up-and-coming city.

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 Nebuchadnezzar had dreams.

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 And these dreams troubled him to the point of sleeplessness.

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 And we don't know how long this lasted,

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 but if you've ever experienced insomnia,

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 you know that it can start to mess with you pretty quickly.

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 Most people,

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 if you go two or three days without any sleep,

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 most people will start hallucinating.

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 And after that,

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 it goes downhill pretty fast.

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 Even if you're getting some sleep every night,

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 a sustained lack of peaceful sleep

00:12:45.480 --> 00:12:46.920
 can make you feel frazzled,

00:12:47.340 --> 00:12:48.220
 or even desperate.

00:12:49.500 --> 00:12:50.680
 As a Babylonian,

00:12:51.200 --> 00:12:51.740
 as well,

00:12:51.860 --> 00:12:53.360
 Nebuchadnezzar would have seen dreams

00:12:53.360 --> 00:12:55.480
 not just as a disturbance

00:12:55.480 --> 00:12:57.680
 or a projection of his own imagination,

00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:00.779
 but as potentially a mode of divine communication.

00:13:00.779 --> 00:13:03.139
 Part of the Babylonian training

00:13:03.139 --> 00:13:05.879
 that his advisors had gone through

00:13:05.879 --> 00:13:08.720
 included training in the interpretation of dreams,

00:13:09.740 --> 00:13:12.740
 concerning which ones might be divine messages.

00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:13.360
 And so,

00:13:13.620 --> 00:13:15.679
 Nebuchadnezzar calls together his advisors,

00:13:16.559 --> 00:13:18.339
 those who are supposed to have insight into dreams

00:13:18.959 --> 00:13:21.240
 and wisdom of human and divine.

00:13:22.439 --> 00:13:23.360
 But here's the problem.

00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:27.460
 He doesn't just ask them to interpret his dream.

00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:30.560
 He asks them to tell them what he dreamed.

00:13:31.740 --> 00:13:32.560
 And you might ask,

00:13:32.820 --> 00:13:36.440
 why would Nebuchadnezzar make such an unreasonable request?

00:13:36.560 --> 00:13:39.100
 Of course you can't tell somebody what they dreamed

00:13:39.100 --> 00:13:40.940
 if they can't tell you what they dreamed.

00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:43.879
 Perhaps,

00:13:44.340 --> 00:13:45.620
 had he forgotten his dream?

00:13:46.379 --> 00:13:47.820
 Maybe he was so troubled by it

00:13:47.820 --> 00:13:50.279
 he couldn't stop obsessing over it

00:13:50.279 --> 00:13:52.060
 until he figured out what it was.

00:13:53.360 --> 00:13:55.460
 But there might be another factor involved as well.

00:13:56.480 --> 00:13:59.680
 It's very possible that he was testing his advisors

00:13:59.680 --> 00:14:02.200
 because he didn't trust them.

00:14:03.440 --> 00:14:03.720
 You see,

00:14:03.779 --> 00:14:04.360
 the magicians,

00:14:04.519 --> 00:14:05.139
 the enchanters,

00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:05.899
 the sorcerers,

00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:06.500
 the caldeans,

00:14:06.580 --> 00:14:10.500
 they claim to have special knowledge and insight

00:14:10.500 --> 00:14:13.919
 into things both human and divine.

00:14:15.480 --> 00:14:17.159
 And perhaps the king had become suspicious.

00:14:17.159 --> 00:14:17.360
 He said,

00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:20.659
 I think they're just making this stuff up.

00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:22.639
 So I'm going to call it a blow.

00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:25.600
 I'm going to ask them to tell me something

00:14:25.600 --> 00:14:27.700
 that only I know.

00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:30.519
 And there's no way they can just guess it

00:14:30.519 --> 00:14:32.820
 or make something that sounds good.

00:14:33.820 --> 00:14:36.399
 Tell me my dream that I had last night.

00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:39.539
 William of May,

00:14:40.220 --> 00:14:41.019
 verse 3 to 11,

00:14:41.100 --> 00:14:42.980
 we see this escalating conversation

00:14:42.980 --> 00:14:45.679
 that goes back and forth three times

00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:48.139
 between Nebuchadnezzar and his advisors.

00:14:48.519 --> 00:14:48.659
 Right?

00:14:48.799 --> 00:14:51.240
 First they're calm and respectful.

00:14:51.679 --> 00:14:52.439
 And then,

00:14:52.860 --> 00:14:53.720
 verse 5 and 6,

00:14:53.819 --> 00:14:55.740
 Nebuchadnezzar's tone rapidly escalates,

00:14:56.419 --> 00:14:57.659
 threads of terrible punishment,

00:14:58.019 --> 00:14:59.559
 offers a great reward.

00:14:59.559 --> 00:15:01.479
 And then he gets hysterical.

00:15:01.559 --> 00:15:03.539
 He accuses them of lying and corruption,

00:15:04.459 --> 00:15:07.139
 trying to gain time until the times change.

00:15:08.179 --> 00:15:09.799
 Maybe he's suspicious of a plot

00:15:09.799 --> 00:15:11.500
 that undermines authority,

00:15:11.619 --> 00:15:13.259
 or maybe he's just paranoid.

00:15:14.519 --> 00:15:15.619
 His advisors say,

00:15:15.679 --> 00:15:17.839
 you're making a completely unreasonable request

00:15:17.839 --> 00:15:20.519
 that no human being should be expected

00:15:20.519 --> 00:15:21.419
 to fulfill.

00:15:21.419 --> 00:15:23.439
 And then,

00:15:23.759 --> 00:15:24.339
 verse 12,

00:15:24.439 --> 00:15:25.799
 he commands that they all be destroyed.

00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:28.659
 So what do we have here in Babylon?

00:15:28.860 --> 00:15:29.799
 We have Nebuchadnezzar,

00:15:30.219 --> 00:15:32.439
 the young, ambitious, successful leader,

00:15:33.860 --> 00:15:34.319
 anxious,

00:15:35.179 --> 00:15:35.559
 restless,

00:15:36.299 --> 00:15:36.699
 suspicious,

00:15:37.599 --> 00:15:39.620
 desperate to be in control and in the know,

00:15:40.019 --> 00:15:41.879
 prone to anger and violence.

00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:43.959
 And then his advisors.

00:15:45.539 --> 00:15:46.179
 On the one hand,

00:15:46.219 --> 00:15:46.980
 they're the victims

00:15:46.980 --> 00:15:50.219
 of Nebuchadnezzar's unrealistic demand.

00:15:51.419 --> 00:15:53.079
 They're being asked to do something

00:15:53.079 --> 00:15:55.000
 that's clearly beyond

00:15:55.000 --> 00:15:57.719
 their capacities as human beings.

00:15:58.319 --> 00:15:59.179
 On the other hand,

00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:02.199
 all of their supposed expertise

00:16:02.199 --> 00:16:05.000
 and claim insights keeps home.

00:16:06.620 --> 00:16:08.120
 They admit as much in verse 11.

00:16:08.219 --> 00:16:08.500
 They say,

00:16:08.579 --> 00:16:11.339
 the gods don't live near which us.

00:16:12.519 --> 00:16:14.099
 Only they can give you the answer.

00:16:15.079 --> 00:16:15.779
 They're far away.

00:16:17.019 --> 00:16:18.860
 They seem incompetent,

00:16:18.860 --> 00:16:19.579
 they face it,

00:16:19.939 --> 00:16:20.860
 nearly useless.

00:16:21.419 --> 00:16:22.259
 They say,

00:16:22.259 --> 00:16:23.159
 they're not in the center.

00:16:23.159 --> 00:16:23.979
 You see,

00:16:24.059 --> 00:16:25.679
 both Nebuchadnezzar and his advisors,

00:16:27.059 --> 00:16:28.219
 they live in a universe

00:16:28.219 --> 00:16:29.519
 where the puncher God

00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:30.939
 is not at the center.

00:16:32.299 --> 00:16:34.199
 And even though they're on top of their world,

00:16:34.319 --> 00:16:35.799
 their world is beginning to crack

00:16:35.799 --> 00:16:37.319
 and fall apart.

00:16:39.159 --> 00:16:39.479
 You see,

00:16:39.519 --> 00:16:40.939
 when God is not at the center,

00:16:42.299 --> 00:16:44.059
 our lives inevitably begin

00:16:44.059 --> 00:16:46.019
 to revolve around something else.

00:16:46.019 --> 00:16:48.399
 maybe our reputation,

00:16:48.399 --> 00:16:50.659
 maybe our confidence,

00:16:51.659 --> 00:16:53.279
 maybe our sense of being in control,

00:16:54.279 --> 00:16:55.519
 our future ambitions.

00:16:56.460 --> 00:16:59.159
 But however important those pursuits may be,

00:17:00.159 --> 00:17:02.720
 they can't bear the weight we put upon them

00:17:02.720 --> 00:17:06.019
 when they become the center of our universe.

00:17:06.019 --> 00:17:09.299
 And so we live with an underlying anxiety

00:17:09.299 --> 00:17:10.680
 and restlessness

00:17:10.680 --> 00:17:12.920
 because we know that our lives

00:17:12.920 --> 00:17:15.779
 are built on fragile foundations.

00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:18.000
 Ernest Becker,

00:17:18.539 --> 00:17:19.059
 in his book,

00:17:19.139 --> 00:17:20.039
 The Denial of Death,

00:17:20.539 --> 00:17:21.139
 wrote this.

00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:21.480
 He said,

00:17:21.480 --> 00:17:23.460
 I think that taking life seriously

00:17:23.460 --> 00:17:26.120
 means something such as this,

00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:29.000
 that whatever man does on this planet

00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:29.960
 has to be done

00:17:29.960 --> 00:17:31.299
 in the lived truth

00:17:31.299 --> 00:17:33.200
 of the terror of creation,

00:17:33.960 --> 00:17:35.640
 of the rumble of panic

00:17:35.640 --> 00:17:37.460
 underneath everything.

00:17:38.519 --> 00:17:39.240
 Otherwise,

00:17:39.640 --> 00:17:40.420
 it is false.

00:17:43.759 --> 00:17:45.099
 Whether you go to ancient Babylon

00:17:45.099 --> 00:17:47.120
 or modern New Haven,

00:17:48.339 --> 00:17:49.620
 there's anxiety,

00:17:49.619 --> 00:17:51.659
 there's restlessness,

00:17:52.879 --> 00:17:54.119
 there's even desperation.

00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:55.979
 Not just in the hood,

00:17:56.899 --> 00:17:58.599
 among people who are struggling to survive,

00:17:59.539 --> 00:18:00.779
 but in the halls of power,

00:18:01.679 --> 00:18:03.339
 among people who are headed for success.

00:18:04.439 --> 00:18:05.279
 If you go to Yale,

00:18:06.019 --> 00:18:06.739
 and if you've been here

00:18:06.739 --> 00:18:07.799
 more than two or three weeks,

00:18:08.579 --> 00:18:09.899
 I think you know what I'm talking about.

00:18:11.199 --> 00:18:12.119
 The anxiety

00:18:12.119 --> 00:18:13.959
 and insecurity

00:18:13.959 --> 00:18:15.939
 that's often hidden

00:18:15.939 --> 00:18:18.219
 under the appearance of competency

00:18:18.220 --> 00:18:20.200
 and self-sufficiency

00:18:20.200 --> 00:18:23.000
 is extremely abrasive.

00:18:24.640 --> 00:18:25.700
 If you're single,

00:18:27.160 --> 00:18:28.200
 there's the restlessness

00:18:28.200 --> 00:18:29.900
 of the day you see.

00:18:31.200 --> 00:18:32.279
 The constant comparison

00:18:32.279 --> 00:18:33.339
 to people's bodies

00:18:33.339 --> 00:18:34.720
 and personality types,

00:18:35.579 --> 00:18:36.640
 or more broadly speaking,

00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:38.140
 the fear of missing out,

00:18:39.319 --> 00:18:40.960
 the leafless longing for intimacy,

00:18:41.660 --> 00:18:42.740
 but deathly afraid

00:18:42.740 --> 00:18:43.620
 of commitment

00:18:43.620 --> 00:18:45.420
 and unable to reconcile

00:18:45.420 --> 00:18:47.299
 those two desires.

00:18:49.160 --> 00:18:50.120
 Or if you're married,

00:18:52.720 --> 00:18:54.339
 we sometimes experience

00:18:54.339 --> 00:18:55.740
 a desire to be in control

00:18:55.740 --> 00:18:56.660
 of our spouse.

00:18:58.279 --> 00:19:00.039
 Or if we have a feeling

00:19:00.039 --> 00:19:01.019
 that we deserve,

00:19:01.140 --> 00:19:01.799
 we have the right

00:19:01.799 --> 00:19:02.599
 to be fulfilled

00:19:02.599 --> 00:19:03.460
 by our spouse

00:19:03.460 --> 00:19:04.440
 that leads us to make

00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:05.380
 unrealistic

00:19:05.380 --> 00:19:07.440
 and even inhuman demands,

00:19:08.759 --> 00:19:09.819
 like Nebuchadnezzar did

00:19:09.819 --> 00:19:10.619
 of his advisors

00:19:10.619 --> 00:19:13.439
 and then explode

00:19:13.439 --> 00:19:14.059
 in fury

00:19:14.059 --> 00:19:16.159
 or withdraw in silence

00:19:16.159 --> 00:19:17.740
 when our spouse

00:19:17.740 --> 00:19:18.299
 does not meet

00:19:18.299 --> 00:19:19.579
 those demands.

00:19:21.799 --> 00:19:22.299
 You see,

00:19:22.339 --> 00:19:23.159
 all these symptoms

00:19:23.159 --> 00:19:25.519
 just point to a deeper reality

00:19:25.519 --> 00:19:27.079
 that something else

00:19:27.079 --> 00:19:28.319
 has displaced God

00:19:28.319 --> 00:19:28.960
 at the center

00:19:28.960 --> 00:19:30.200
 of our lives.

00:19:30.200 --> 00:19:33.160
 something else

00:19:33.160 --> 00:19:34.480
 has taken center stage

00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:35.700
 in our affections

00:19:35.700 --> 00:19:36.759
 and our allegiances.

00:19:37.539 --> 00:19:38.100
 And deep down,

00:19:38.200 --> 00:19:38.900
 we know that we are

00:19:38.900 --> 00:19:39.920
 building our lives

00:19:39.920 --> 00:19:41.600
 on a fragile web

00:19:41.600 --> 00:19:43.100
 that has been on

00:19:43.100 --> 00:19:44.120
 to one day unravel.

00:19:46.799 --> 00:19:48.000
 So we feel anxious

00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:48.940
 and restless.

00:19:49.940 --> 00:19:50.700
 That's a problem

00:19:50.700 --> 00:19:52.779
 that this chapter presents.

00:19:52.860 --> 00:19:53.259
 It's a problem

00:19:53.259 --> 00:19:54.840
 we see in verses 1-12,

00:19:55.180 --> 00:19:57.019
 unrest and the up-and-coming city.

00:19:57.360 --> 00:19:58.720
 But then in verse 13-30,

00:19:58.860 --> 00:19:59.740
 we see wisdom

00:19:59.740 --> 00:20:02.599
 from a prayerful exile.

00:20:03.839 --> 00:20:04.700
 Verse 13,

00:20:05.339 --> 00:20:06.140
 we learn that Daniel

00:20:06.140 --> 00:20:06.700
 and his friends

00:20:06.700 --> 00:20:07.559
 are caught in the middle.

00:20:08.680 --> 00:20:10.000
 They too could be killed

00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:11.240
 along with the rest

00:20:11.240 --> 00:20:11.880
 of the wise men

00:20:11.880 --> 00:20:12.359
 of Babylon.

00:20:12.519 --> 00:20:13.140
 Now most likely

00:20:13.140 --> 00:20:14.620
 they just finished

00:20:14.620 --> 00:20:16.099
 their three-year

00:20:16.099 --> 00:20:17.700
 training program.

00:20:18.620 --> 00:20:19.740
 They were the newbies

00:20:19.740 --> 00:20:21.279
 among the wise men

00:20:21.279 --> 00:20:21.720
 of Babylon.

00:20:22.039 --> 00:20:23.240
 They were the junior faculty,

00:20:23.420 --> 00:20:24.579
 not the tenured professors.

00:20:25.079 --> 00:20:26.059
 They were the residents,

00:20:26.279 --> 00:20:27.279
 not the attendings.

00:20:27.620 --> 00:20:28.880
 But soon they would be gone.

00:20:29.740 --> 00:20:31.140
 Along with everyone else.

00:20:31.700 --> 00:20:32.880
 If the king's decree

00:20:32.880 --> 00:20:33.880
 was carried out.

00:20:34.700 --> 00:20:36.420
 If someone didn't do something.

00:20:37.660 --> 00:20:38.980
 But despite Daniel's use

00:20:38.980 --> 00:20:40.339
 and inexperience

00:20:40.339 --> 00:20:41.000
 of vulnerability,

00:20:41.880 --> 00:20:42.700
 he didn't panic.

00:20:43.799 --> 00:20:45.099
 He didn't run away.

00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:47.140
 He didn't freeze.

00:20:47.140 --> 00:20:48.740
 Instead,

00:20:49.280 --> 00:20:50.280
 verse 14-18,

00:20:50.280 --> 00:20:51.480
 he did three things.

00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:53.500
 He asked for clarity

00:20:53.500 --> 00:20:54.480
 from Ariok,

00:20:55.140 --> 00:20:56.180
 the captain of the king's

00:20:56.180 --> 00:20:56.759
 prop guard,

00:20:56.880 --> 00:20:57.500
 who was responsible

00:20:57.500 --> 00:20:58.240
 for carrying out

00:20:58.240 --> 00:20:58.960
 the king's decree.

00:20:59.200 --> 00:20:59.380
 He says,

00:20:59.960 --> 00:21:01.200
 just so I can be clear,

00:21:01.720 --> 00:21:02.940
 what's really going on?

00:21:02.940 --> 00:21:06.820
 And why does this have to happen now?

00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:08.820
 He asked for clarity.

00:21:09.480 --> 00:21:10.420
 Then he asked for time.

00:21:10.620 --> 00:21:11.140
 Verse 16,

00:21:11.220 --> 00:21:12.000
 he asked for a time

00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:13.299
 to meet with the king.

00:21:15.240 --> 00:21:15.980
 And third,

00:21:16.580 --> 00:21:17.420
 he asked for prayer.

00:21:18.279 --> 00:21:19.320
 Verse 17 and 18,

00:21:19.400 --> 00:21:20.080
 he asked for prayer

00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:25.879
 for prayer.

00:21:25.880 --> 00:21:55.860
 Thank you.

00:21:55.880 --> 00:22:25.860
 Thank you.

00:22:25.880 --> 00:22:55.860
 Thank you.

00:22:55.880 --> 00:23:25.860
 Thank you.

00:23:25.880 --> 00:23:55.860
 Thank you.

00:23:55.880 --> 00:24:25.860
 Thank you.

00:24:25.880 --> 00:24:55.860
 Thank you.

00:24:55.880 --> 00:25:25.860
 Thank you.

00:25:25.880 --> 00:25:55.860
 Thank you.

00:25:55.880 --> 00:26:25.860
 Thank you.

00:26:25.880 --> 00:26:55.860
 Thank you.

00:26:55.880 --> 00:27:25.860
 Thank you.

00:27:25.880 --> 00:27:55.860
 Thank you.

00:27:55.880 --> 00:28:25.860
 Thank you.

00:28:25.880 --> 00:28:55.860
 Thank you.

00:28:55.880 --> 00:29:25.860
 Thank you.

00:29:25.880 --> 00:29:55.860
 Thank you.

00:29:55.880 --> 00:30:25.860
 Thank you.

00:30:25.880 --> 00:30:55.860
 Thank you.

00:30:55.880 --> 00:31:25.860
 Thank you.

00:31:25.880 --> 00:31:55.860
 Thank you.

00:31:55.880 --> 00:32:25.860
 Thank you.

00:32:25.880 --> 00:32:55.860
 Thank you.

00:32:55.880 --> 00:33:25.860
 Thank you.

00:33:25.880 --> 00:33:55.860
 Thank you.

00:33:55.880 --> 00:34:25.860
 Thank you.

00:34:25.880 --> 00:34:55.860
 Thank you.

00:34:55.880 --> 00:35:25.860
 Thank you.

00:35:25.880 --> 00:35:55.860
 Thank you.

00:35:55.880 --> 00:36:25.860
 Thank you.

00:36:25.880 --> 00:36:55.860
 Thank you.

00:36:55.880 --> 00:37:25.860
 Thank you.

00:37:25.880 --> 00:37:55.860
 Thank you.

00:37:55.880 --> 00:38:25.860
 Thank you.

00:38:25.880 --> 00:38:55.860
 Thank you.

00:38:55.880 --> 00:39:25.860
 Thank you.

00:39:25.880 --> 00:39:55.860
 Thank you.

00:39:55.880 --> 00:40:25.860
 Thank you.

00:40:25.880 --> 00:40:55.860
 Thank you.

00:40:55.880 --> 00:41:25.860
 Thank you.

00:41:25.880 --> 00:41:55.860
 Thank you.

00:41:55.880 --> 00:42:25.860
 Thank you.

00:42:25.880 --> 00:42:55.860
 Thank you.

00:42:55.880 --> 00:43:25.860
 Thank you.

00:43:25.880 --> 00:43:55.860
 Thank you.

00:43:55.880 --> 00:44:25.860
 Thank you.

00:44:25.880 --> 00:44:55.860
 Thank you.

00:44:55.880 --> 00:45:25.860
 Thank you.

00:45:25.880 --> 00:45:55.860
 Thank you.

00:45:55.880 --> 00:46:25.860
 Thank you.

00:46:25.880 --> 00:46:55.860
 Thank you.

00:46:55.880 --> 00:47:25.860
 Thank you.

00:47:25.880 --> 00:47:55.860
 Thank you.

00:47:55.880 --> 00:48:25.860
 Thank you.

00:48:25.880 --> 00:48:55.860
 Thank you.

00:48:55.880 --> 00:49:25.860
 Thank you.

00:49:25.880 --> 00:49:55.860
 Thank you.

00:49:55.880 --> 00:50:25.860
 Thank you.

00:50:25.880 --> 00:50:55.860
 Thank you.

00:50:55.880 --> 00:51:25.860
 Thank you.