The story in Daniel Chapter 4 is perhaps not unfamiliar to many of us. King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of the great Babylonian empire, the king of kings, being turned into a beast, how spectacular is that? It's not until we read through this chapter for ourselves that we realise something even more spectacular: this whole chapter is told by King Nebuchadnezzar himself. Daniel Chapter 4 is King Nebuchadnezzar's own personal testimony! Isn't King Nebuchadnezzar the infamous evil king? How is it that in this chapter he gives praise to the almighty God? Perhaps the first thing that should catch our attention from today's chapter is the repeated phrase in verses 17 and 32. The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He wills. This phrase can even be said to be the theme of the whole Book of Daniel. This book is mostly set in the time of exile, when there seemingly was no longer any king over the people of God. Yet, in the Book of Daniel we see that though there was no earthly king ruling over Israel, God made it clear to these foreign kings that He is the almighty God. He was still the one who was truly the King. The outcome of this is that the evil king Nebuchadnezzar, probably the greatest and most powerful man during his time, writes this testimony for all peoples, nations, and languages to hear (Daniel 4:1-3). Imagine being a subject in the Babylonian empire, and receiving this declaration from king Nebuchadnezzar praising and glorifying the God of Israel. Though God's people sin against Him and are punished by being taken into exile, the name of God is still magnified. God is not put to shame. Today through baptism we have entered into the Kingdom of God. Yet, it is key for us to consider whether God truly is the King of our lives. It's natural to make many plans for our future, out of a desire to lead our dream lives. But for us Christians, the sovereignty and authority of God is something that we must be well-aware of and fully willing to submit to. If God doesn't let me get that job, are we able to accept it? If God closes the path towards our dreams, are we will to say "Let Thy will be done"? If God takes away all that we have, are we able to be like Job and say "Blessed be the name of the Lord"? If all this is causing us to struggle, remember this: God loves us. He knows what's best for us, He knows what we need. He has already given His life for us, and given us His precious Spirit to dwell within us. Having faith in God's love towards us gives us strength to submit to our King with full assurance that this is the best path for us, this is the way to blessing and to eternal life. Since our God is the highest and rules over the kingdom of man, what then should our response ought to be? Nebuchadnezzar begins and ends his testimony by praising and glorifying God. Giving praises to God is something that we have been often taught but perhaps we have not given enough thought to or taken seriously enough. Yet, throughout the Bible, it's clear that praises are a key part of our worship to God (just read the Book of Psalms). What might we praise God for? Like Nebuchadnezzar, we can praise God for His greatness and His almightiness. Just consider the stars, or the intricacies of the human body. We can praise God for His love and wisdom as seen in His creation as well as in His word. The more we study into the holy scriptures, the more we are filled with awe at how complete, connected, and wonderful these life-giving words are. We can also glorify God for His salvation which He has so freely given to us. Imagine how different our lives might be today if not for His grace and mercy! It's when we decide to finally take the importance of praising God seriously and intentionally set aside some time in our daily prayers to praise God, that we truly experience the blessing that comes along with it. We go through life being filled with joy and gratitude, knowing that we have such a great and powerful Heavenly Father who loves us. In fact, it was when Nebuchadnezzar took the glory for Himself rather than giving all glory to God, that the infamous transformation into a beast took place. This brings us nicely to the final point of reflection for this devotional. Pride - when we take glory for ourselves rather than giving glory to God. Nebuchadnezzar's testimony serves as a stark warning for us. Even just a sentence or thought of pride can greatly displease God. How often have we unknowingly taken credit for ourselves for any achievements we have, or for any divine work that we do? Being puffed up with pride and not keeping to one's proper domain is precisely the sin of satan (1 Tim 3:6, Jude 6-7). If we are filled with pride, what difference is there between us and satan? In fact, while satan exalted himself, God on the contrary lowered Himself, coming in the likeness of man and humbling Himself even to the point of death (Phil 2:5-8). Whose example do we want to follow, that of God or of satan? Let us take warning from the story of Nebuchadnezzar and carefully consider who's example we want to follow. Indeed, God opposes the proud while giving grace to the humble. He blesses the meek, that they might inherit the earth

King Nebuchadnezzar made a huge image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits (about 30 meters height and 3 meters width). This gold image may have been inspired by his dream. Instead of having only a head of gold (Daniel 2:32, 38), it was gold from head to toe. The king might want his kingdom to last forever. King Nebuchadnezzar missed the point of Daniel’s warning in chapter 2 and his devotion to Daniel's God was short-lived. He neither feared nor obeyed the God who was behind his dream. The king commanded that anyone who does not bow down and worship his image will be burned in his furnace (Daniel 3:6). But Daniel’s three friends - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refuse to bow to the king. The king was furious and offered them an ultimatum before throwing them into the burning fiery furnace. “And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”, he says (Daniel 3:15). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were pressured to deny God, but they chose to be faithful to Him regardless of the consequences. They demonstrated unwavering faith even when faced with death. They believed that God could save them, but even if He did not, they would not bow to the golden image (Daniel 3:16-18). In our daily lives, we often face challenges and pressures that test our faith. The story of Daniel’s three friends reminds us to trust in God’s power and plan regardless of our circumstances and whether God will intervene on our behalf or not. We, too, can face challenges with the same steadfast faith, knowing that God will be with us. Our eternal reward is worth any suffering we may have to endure first (Romans 8:18; 1 Peter 1:6-7). God's deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego was a great victory of faith. They were protected from harm, comforted in trial, rewarded, and God was glorified. God is always with us, especially during our most difficult times. When we go through trials, we are not alone. No matter how difficult our situation may be, God’s presence provides comfort, strength and protection, just as He was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the furnace. After witnessing the miraculous deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, King Nebuchadnezzar praised God and issued a decree honouring God (Daniel 3:28-29). Our faith and actions can be a powerful testimony to others. Let us live out our faith steadfastly through our daily actions to make a positive impact on those around us and to bring glory to God.

God sent Israel into the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1:1-2). After a victory, the Babylonians usually took the most talented and useful people back to Babylon and left only the poorest people behind (2 Kings 24:14). God promises that He would never forsake Israel, and His promises never fail. So even in exile, God is in control. Among these exiles were Daniel and his three friends – Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Daniel 1:6). The chief of the eunuchs changed their names because the king wanted to make them to be Babylonian. Daniel was named Belteshazzar, Hananiah was named Shadrach, Mishael was named Meshach and Azariah was named Abednego. The new names would help them to be assimilated into their culture. Despite being exiled in a foreign land under oppressive circumstances, Daniel and his friends remain firm in their convictions. Their obedience and faithfulness to God not only protects them and sets them apart, but also leads them to God’s favor, and makes them wise. Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the King’s food, or with the wine that the King drank (Daniel 1:8). When he made up his mind not to defile himself, he was being true to a lifelong determination to be what was right and not to give in to the pressures around him. It is easier to resist temptation if we have thought through our convictions before the temptation arises. Daniel and his three friends made their decision to be faithful to the laws of God before they were faced with the King’s delicacies. We, too, are often assaulted by pressures to compromise our standards and live more like the world around us. If we have not previously decided where to draw the line, we will get ourselves into trouble. Before such situations arise, we must make our commitments and decide what we will do. Then when temptation comes, we will be ready to say no. Often our faithfulness to God comes with trials. But Daniel 1 encourages us to remain faithful and gives us assurance that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39). Like Daniel, we must resolve to obey God. Despite any challenges, God is in control.

為何猶大人被擄? 1) 敬拜偶像:瑪拿西在聖殿院內為天上的萬象築壇，且在殿內立雕刻的亞舍拉像，造成被擄的原因之一(王下21:10-15)。 2) 不守安息日:百姓不尊重安息日，不以安息日為聖日，也是被擄的原因之一(耶17:27) 3) 焚燒神的書:約雅敬不但不聽從神的警誡，還將神的書用刀割破，仍在火盆中燒盡，這也是被擄的原因之一(耶36:20-31) 4) 不聽警誡:猶大人自君王至百姓都離棄真神，隨從別神，雖屢次受先知警誡，卻戲笑神的使者，藐視祂的言語，致終無法可救。 1) 挑選的條件：1從王室和貴冑中選出，2沒有殘疾，3相貌俊美，4通達各樣學問，5知識聰明俱備。 2) 優厚的待遇：訓練三年，派定王所用的膳食和酒，職位的保障:在王面前侍立。 ) 但以理(神為審判者之意)改为伯提沙撒(彼勒保衛其生命之意)巴比倫神的名。 哈拿尼雅(神是賜恩者之意)改为沙得拉(阿古的僕人之意)巴比倫人所拜的月神 米沙利(誰能比神之意)改为米煞(誰能比羅達之意)巴比倫神的名。 亞撒利雅(耶和華所扶助之意)改为亞伯尼歌(尼歌的僕人之意)巴比倫神的名。 我們要效法他們留下的榜樣，不要忘記我們是神的子民，永遠是站在神這邊，榮耀真神。 1) 因為王膳可能有不潔之物，也可能祭過偶像，王酒會使人放肆犯罪。 不要等到誘惑來到才来考慮，憂疑不決，往往已經太遲。 2) 神使但以理在太監長眼前蒙恩，除了神的帮助，他謙虛有禮的請求並清楚解釋原因也是重要的。 3) 但以理憑著信心提出試試十天，他當機立斷提出折衷辦法以避免抗拒王令，这是智慧的表現。 1) 神在各樣文字學問上賜給他们聰明知識，為何要賜給他們？因為神要在巴比倫用祂的選民，要藉他們傳達神的話並顯出神的大能，使外邦人認識真神。因此神賜給他們比別人更高的智慧聰明。 2) 巴比倫王见他们的智慧聪明比通國的術士勝過十倍，所以留他们在王面前侍立。 神恩其不更加浩大怎能不報？當王旨和神旨衝突時，你會站那邊? 在工作上能自覺使命作神的僕人，為神作見證，不要被世界的榮華富貴和享樂迷惑只作世界的僕人。