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The King and the Beast - The Book of Daniel · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And at the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar,
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  Speaker 1: lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned
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  Speaker 1: unto me. Daniel 4.3 Lord, as you elevate my life,
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  Speaker 1: increase also the humility in which I live by. Help
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  Speaker 1: me to continually understand that everything I have is a
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  Speaker 1: result of your goodness. and not of me being in control.
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  Speaker 1: Continue to put checkpoints in my life that will alert
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  Speaker 1: me when my heart is becoming prideful and conceited. Protect
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  Speaker 1: me from the madness that can occur when I think
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  Speaker 1: that my splendor and open doors around me came from
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  Speaker 1: my strength and by my wisdom alone. May my life
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  Speaker 1: serve as a billboard that publicly displays and proclaims Your
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  Speaker 1: goodness to everyone who sees me. I acknowledge today that
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  Speaker 1: it is you and you alone that brings fulfillment and
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  Speaker 1: success into my life. When I lose focus, I will
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  Speaker 1: thank you in advance for realigning me like Nebuchadnezzar in
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  Speaker 1: Daniel 4, so that I can see you with a
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  Speaker 1: clear and sober mind. Today, I thank you that the
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  Speaker 1: beast of pride and arrogance has been overcome by the
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  Speaker 1: precious power of your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for making prayer a priority in your day.
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  Speaker 1: To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story.
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  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Christ Compassion Community These three characteristics connect all believers. Here
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  Speaker 2: at Christian Healthcare Ministries, we prioritize our shared faith-based values
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  Speaker 3: The King and the Beast In our last story, Shadrach, Meshach,
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  Speaker 3: and Abednego refused to worship the statue Nebuchadnezzar set up
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  Speaker 3: and were thrown into the fire as punishment. The flames raged,
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  Speaker 3: but they were unharmed. The Lord had protected them, and
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  Speaker 3: Nebuchadnezzar awed at the power of their God. In this story,
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  Speaker 3: Nebuchadnezzar will come in contact with his inner beast and
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  Speaker 3: come to realize the true nature of his relationship with God,
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  Speaker 3: inspired by the book of Daniel.
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  Speaker 4: Hello, this is Pastor Jack Graham with another episode of
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  Speaker 4: the Bible in a Year podcast. I'm really glad that
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  Speaker 4: you've joined us today. In our last reading, we heard
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  Speaker 4: about how God protected Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the
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  Speaker 4: fiery furnace. They refused to bend or to bow to
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  Speaker 4: the king's idol, and God used their faithfulness to make
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  Speaker 4: His glory known once again to Babylonians' king. In today's reading,
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  Speaker 4: we'll learn how Nebuchadnezzar is humbled by the Almighty God
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  Speaker 4: with whom he continues to wrestle. His descent into madness
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  Speaker 4: like an animal will finally bring him to a point
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  Speaker 4: of confession and acceptance that that there is no other
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  Speaker 4: God but Yahweh the Lord. Let's listen now to the
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  Speaker 4: reading of God's Word.
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  Speaker 3: Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of the ancient world, conqueror of kingdoms, and
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  Speaker 3: slayer of kings, came in contact with the living God.
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  Speaker 3: He learned from the wisdom and favor of Daniel. He
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  Speaker 3: witnessed God protect Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace.
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  Speaker 3: So the mighty king praised the Lord of heaven and earth.
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  Speaker 3: he sent a decree forth to the people of Babylon, saying,
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  Speaker 3: He is the Most High God! His kingdom is an
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  Speaker 3: everlasting kingdom! Yet the mind of King Nebuchadnezzar was still
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  Speaker 3: fogged by years of pride and warmongering. He knew of
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  Speaker 3: God's mighty works, but had not yet come in contact
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  Speaker 3: with the personal reformation of his spirit. The king would
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  Speaker 3: soon learn the weight of God's power.
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  Speaker 1: It was late.
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  Speaker 3: The night was heavy upon the horizon. Clouds covered the
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  Speaker 3: stars above, and the east wind blew violently through the valley.
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  Speaker 3: Thunder rolled in from the distance, and the city was
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  Speaker 3: stirring beneath. King Nebuchadnezzar tossed and turned in his bed,
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  Speaker 3: tormented by yet another dream. He saw a tree sprouting
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  Speaker 3: forth from the earth. Its height was tremendous, and its
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  Speaker 3: trunk was strong. Its branches reached beyond the clouds for
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  Speaker 3: all the world to see. Its leaves were deep and
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  Speaker 3: beautiful green. Its fruit was abundant and provided food for
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  Speaker 3: all the lands below it. Animals found refuge in its shade,
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  Speaker 3: and the birds of the air made its nest in it.
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  Speaker 3: The king watched as the heavens opened up around it,
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  Speaker 3: and a voice boomed from the skies, saying, Chop the
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  Speaker 3: tree to the ground. Strip its leaves and scatter its fruit.
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  Speaker 3: But leave the stump and bind it with iron. Let
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  Speaker 3: it dwell with the beasts and become like them. So
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  Speaker 3: King Nebuchadnezzar watched as the mighty tree was sliced by
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  Speaker 3: the mighty hand of God, and its body fell to
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  Speaker 3: the earth, shaking it for miles. The king woke up
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  Speaker 3: in a terror. He was sweating and could not get
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  Speaker 3: the image of the tree's lifeless stump out of his mind.
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  Speaker 3: The king sent for his wisest counselor, Daniel. He described
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  Speaker 3: the dream in great length, leaving no detail out. Daniel
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  Speaker 3: listened intently to the king. Growing more and more concerned
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  Speaker 3: with each detail, the king was frantic as he described
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  Speaker 3: the dream. Something in his mind had snapped, and it
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  Speaker 3: was clear what was about to happen. The king could
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  Speaker 3: sense the look of alarm on Daniel's face.' Do not
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  Speaker 3: be frightened,' the king said.' Tell me what it means.''
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  Speaker 3: I pray that this dream is for your enemies and
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  Speaker 3: not for you,' Daniel said softly.' However, that may not
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  Speaker 3: be the case.' Daniel sat the king down and began
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  Speaker 3: to interpret its meaning for him. The mighty tree is you,
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  Speaker 3: my king. Your greatness has spread across the land. Your
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  Speaker 3: kingdom is the source of food and shelter for all
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  Speaker 3: on the earth. However, the stump is also you. You
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  Speaker 3: will be humbled, my king. You shall be driven to
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  Speaker 3: the wilderness because you have yet to learn of true humility.
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  Speaker 3: You have yet to understand that it is God who
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  Speaker 3: raises a king. Yes, you know of God now, but
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  Speaker 3: you still oppress and murder. You seek your own gain,
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  Speaker 3: and you destroy all you desire. Turn from this, and
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  Speaker 3: there may be hope for you. King Nebuchadnezzar smiled at
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  Speaker 3: Daniel and sent him away. He feigned repentance. He feigned benevolence. However,
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  Speaker 3: the king continued to do all that seemed good in
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  Speaker 3: his eyes. He was consumed with self-worship. A year had passed,
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  Speaker 3: and the king was walking on the rooftops of his palace.
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  Speaker 3: The sun was peeking over the horizon, and his entire
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  Speaker 3: country was painted with beautiful colors of gold and white.
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  Speaker 3: He breathed in the fresh air and said, Look at
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  Speaker 3: all I have built with my majesty. While the words
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  Speaker 3: were dancing out of the king's mouth, a voice fell
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  Speaker 3: upon him from heaven. Nebuchadnezzar, your kingdom shall be stripped
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  Speaker 3: from you. You shall dwell with the beasts until you
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  Speaker 3: truly know that it is the Most High who rules
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  Speaker 3: all kingdoms. And in that instant a madness came upon
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  Speaker 3: the king. He writhed and panted like a dog, and
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  Speaker 3: his mind wandered into a place of true insanity. He
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  Speaker 3: ran like an animal into the wilderness and lived among
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  Speaker 3: the beasts. Over time his hair grew long and his
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  Speaker 3: nails grew like claws. He ate grass like an ox
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  Speaker 3: and was greasy and wet with the filth of the earth.
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  Speaker 3: For seven years Nebuchadnezzar was mad like an animal. His
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  Speaker 3: beastly demeanor revealed the sickness that had been in his
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  Speaker 3: heart all along. He was a beast of a king.
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  Speaker 3: He followed every debased desire that came into his heart.
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  Speaker 3: He murdered and stole. He raped and he pillaged. He
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  Speaker 3: was a beast long before the madness. Many years had passed,
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  Speaker 3: and Nebuchadnezzar was wandering the forest in the coolness of
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  Speaker 3: the morning. He was ravaging on plants and berries when
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  Speaker 3: the sun peered in through the treetops. The beast lifted
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  Speaker 3: his eyes towards the sun, and the warmth of God's
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  Speaker 3: mercy saturated him. His mind began to clear. He saw
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  Speaker 3: God for who he truly was, generous and marvelous. Nebuchadnezzar
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  Speaker 3: emerged from the wilderness, and his throne was restored to him.
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  Speaker 3: He now ruled with a clearer mind. His reason had
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  Speaker 3: returned to him, and he used his newfound wisdom to
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  Speaker 3: rule with humility.
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  Speaker 4: Today's scripture begins with a reminder of all God had
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  Speaker 4: already done to make himself known to King Nebuchadnezzar. The
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  Speaker 4: strength and wisdom of the young men like Daniel who
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  Speaker 4: served God, how God had protected the men in the furnace,
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  Speaker 4: even the king's own decree that the people would worship
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  Speaker 4: only the Lord. And yet, even with all of this,
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  Speaker 4: Nebuchadnezzar's heart was not where it should be. God ultimately
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  Speaker 4: does not look to our words or outward appearance of belief.
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  Speaker 4: He looks to the heart, straight to the heart. And
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  Speaker 4: Nebuchadnezzar's heart was still focused on his own interest and
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  Speaker 4: his personal glory. He was full of pride. So once more,
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  Speaker 4: we find the king disturbed with a dream. He saw
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  Speaker 4: a great tree that gave shade and food to all
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  Speaker 4: the animals. It stretched out far and wide, a majestic sight.
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  Speaker 4: But then God's voice came down from heaven, commanding the
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  Speaker 4: tree to be cut down. its stump and roots bound
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  Speaker 4: to the ground where it would remain to live with
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  Speaker 4: animals and plants. But then God's voice came down from
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  Speaker 4: heaven commanding that the tree be cut down, but its
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  Speaker 4: stump and roots bound to the ground where it would
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  Speaker 4: remain to live with the animals and plants. The dream
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  Speaker 4: clearly symbolized someone and the king was greatly troubled. He
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  Speaker 4: first called his wise men and astrologers, but they had
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  Speaker 4: no answers. So he summoned Daniel who received the interpretation
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  Speaker 4: from God. He told Nebuchadnezzar that the tree was the
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  Speaker 4: king himself. His vast empire was indeed majestic, providing for
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  Speaker 4: people the world over. But the king needed pruning. His
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  Speaker 4: lust for power and praise were clouding his vision. And
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  Speaker 4: though he had seen God work and even had some
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  Speaker 4: appearance of belief, Nebuchadnezzar had yet to acknowledge the supremacy
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  Speaker 4: of God and submit truly to him. Because of this,
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  Speaker 4: He would be driven away from society, forced to live
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  Speaker 4: like a wild animal. His mind would go mad and
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  Speaker 4: his outward state would mimic his inward baseness. But God
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  Speaker 4: in his mercy would restore the kingdom to Nebuchadnezzar when
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  Speaker 4: he recognized God for who he was and humbled himself
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  Speaker 4: before him. The king heard the interpretation but did not
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  Speaker 4: change his heart. One year later, as he was walking
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  Speaker 4: on the roof of his palace, filled with pride for
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  Speaker 4: his accomplishments, God's word came to pass just as Daniel said.
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  Speaker 4: The king was overtaken by madness, and for seven years
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  Speaker 4: he lived like a beast of the field, until finally
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  Speaker 4: he looked to the heavens and his sanity returned. God
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  Speaker 4: had broken this man, but this was not an act
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  Speaker 4: of cruelty. It was a work of grace, the reaching
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  Speaker 4: out of a loving God to bring this man to himself.
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  Speaker 4: Though he was not an Israelite, Nebuchadnezzar was created for
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  Speaker 4: the purposes of God. And it had always been God's
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  Speaker 4: heart for every person, including this man, to turn to him.
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  Speaker 4: Here we see our great God going to great lengths
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  Speaker 4: to reach one man. This man had such great power
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  Speaker 4: and influence that his life would have tremendous repercussions and
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  Speaker 4: echoes throughout all of history. Nebuchadnezzar testified to God's greatness.
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  Speaker 4: And in Daniel 4, 34, We read some of his
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  Speaker 4: words about the Lord. His dominion is an eternal dominion.
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  Speaker 4: His kingdom endures from generation to generation. At last, the
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  Speaker 4: king had humbled himself before the Lord. And just as
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  Speaker 4: God had promised, the kingdom was restored to him. The
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  Speaker 4: ripple effects of his transformation would be felt in the
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  Speaker 4: Babylonian kingdom and even beyond in the centuries to follow.
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  Speaker 4: Dear God, we are reminded in this story that you
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  Speaker 4: will go to great lengths to bring us to yourself. Lord,
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  Speaker 4: may we humble ourselves before you. And we pray that
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  Speaker 4: our lives would always reflect your love and grace. May
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  Speaker 4: we repent of our sin and submit to your will
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  Speaker 4: and live in the abundance of life in Christ, in
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  Speaker 4: whose name we pray. Amen. Once again, thank you for
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  Speaker 4: listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Pastor
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  Speaker 4: Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Let me encourage you to
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  Speaker 4: download the Pray.com app and make Bible study and prayer
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  Speaker 4: a real priority in your life. And if you are
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  Speaker 4: enjoying this podcast, share it with someone you know, someone
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  Speaker 4: you care about, because sharing God's Word has a powerful
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  Speaker 4: impact upon people's lives. And if you want more resources
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  Speaker 4: as to how you can find faith, grow in your faith,
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  Speaker 4: develop as a disciple and follower of Jesus, be sure
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  Speaker 4: to visit me at jackgraham.org. We have plenty of resources
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  Speaker 4: that will encourage you and equip you for life. God
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  Speaker 4: bless you.