Tag Archives: Bible study

Pastor Wrinkles: The Road Through Romans 1:2:2

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We are continuing our verse by verse study through the Book of Romans.

Yesterday I stated that the Gospel Message was not “new news”, …that Jesus was preached in the Old Testament prophecies.

If you missed that discussion or any other part of our chat you can find it in its entirety on

THE ROAD THROUGH ROMANS PAGE.

We are in Romans 1:2. Paul writes:

 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures.

The information that Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s promise was the newest piece of the gospel puzzle, but the promises had been made and reiterated for thousands of years.

SO…

Today we go back to see how Jesus was preached by the Old Testament writers. As we go back we are dealing with a topic called progressive revelation. You see, God created the plan of salvation before he made the Earth and certainly before He made men. The plan to send Jesus to die and rise again was made before the foundations of the world. It was part of plan A. It was not plan C which God put into effect because plan A didn’t work ( and that thought right there ought to blow your mind).

In spite of the fact that God made the plan in eternity before time, He did not reveal it all at once. Instead He chose to show His hand one card at a time, progressively, as the generations passed. But the first card was thrown down right in the beginning.

in Genesis 3 just after Adam and Eve had sinned, as God pronounced His judgments on everyone involved God said these words to the serpent who enticed Eve.

“Because you have done this,

“Cursed are you above all livestock
    and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
    and you will eat dust
    all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring[a] and hers;
he will crush[b] your head,
    and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:14-15

Bible scholars call this the “protoevangelion” the first mention of Messiah. It is a prophetic word that a man would arise who would be stricken by the serpent but who would in turn crush the serpent completely.

Adam and Eve could hardly have known what it meant. Even the serpent (Satan) could not know. They all probably thought this referred to Eve’s immediate children (which explains why Satan worked so hard to destroy both Cain and Abel),

Today we can look back and see that Christ fits the prophecy perfectly. Writing to the church in Corinth Paul uses these words to show that Christ is the fulfillment of the protoevangelion,”… the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. 25For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. 26And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.” 1Corinthians 15;24-26

Christ was stricken by Satan on the cross. The devil injected Him with every poison sin had created. The enemy thought he had dealt the Son of God a mortal wound. He was sure he had found Jesus’ Achilles heel, but Jesus overcame. now Jesus is crushing the Devil’s head under His nail-pierced feet!

But the good news is even bigger than that! Listen to these words of Paul at the end of the Book of Romans.

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesusg be with you.” Romans 16:20

The protoevangelion is about Jesus. Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is Eve’s offspring. But so are we and the Bible teaches us that “Jesus is the first-born among many brothers” Romans 8:29.  So you see…ALL THOSE WHO BELIEVE ARE EVE’S OFFSPRING!!! ALL WHO BELIEVE NOW HAVE THE ABILITY TO CRUSH THE SERPENT’S HEAD!!! BECAUSE OF WHAT JESUS DID WE HAVE VICTORY OVER THE DEVIL!!!

Now that is good news!

More tomorrow.

Pastor Wrinkles: A Road Through Romans: 1:2:1

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Well we have officially finished verse 1 of the Book of Romans. I predict we may spend just as long or even longer in verse 2. I hope you are having fun.

If you have missed any of our conversations up to this point you can find them on…

THE ROAD THROUGH ROMANS PAGE

Today we begin looking at Romans chapter 1 verse 2

2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures

We stated yesterday that Paul was set apart to be a messenger of the good news from God (the gospel). Throughout this letter to the Romans, Paul is going to share exactly what that good news is but before he gets any further into it he assures his readers that this good news is not new news. It’s old news or rather old promises that in Paul’s day had been recently fulfilled.

Paul didn’t preach a new gospel. Jesus wasn’t an unexpected twist in the road, or at least he shouldn’t have been. He was foretold by the prophets and sages thousands of years before he was born. Paul’s job wasn’t to introduce new material to the world. It was to affirm that Jesus was the old material come to life…prophecy fulfilled.

Verse 2 is important because it hails the unity of Scripture. Too often today critics and “experts” on the Bible talk as if the Good Book is nothing more than a hodge-podge of spiritual ideas held together by chicken wire and red neck stubbornness. Nothing could be further from the truth. The God of the New Testament and the Old Testament are the same God. New Testament theology is built off of Old Testament truth. Sure, there is progressive revelation but the progress is not God’s but ours.

God never has and never will change or progress because He already IS period.He cannot be added to or taken away from. If we learn something new about God it is not because there is something suddenly different about Him, but because we simply had not realized that thing in Him before.

Further, Scripture outlined the truth about the Messiah long before Jesus came on the scene. Men only denied Jesus because they did not know the Scripture or because they had neglected it and created a “Messiah of their own making” rather than a Scriptural Messiah.

Paul’s job in Romans is to dispel those wrong images of Messiah and show Jesus for who he really was and is.

I think it would be awesome to spend a little bit of time looking at the gospel from a few Old Testament references so that we can understand exactly what Paul meant in this verse.

Who is up for a little jaunt back in time?

Pastor Wrinkles: A Road Through Romans 1:1:6

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Today we finish up verse 1 of chapter 1 in the Book of Romans. We are taking our time. I hope that doesn’t wrinkle your socks. I’m in a slow down frame of mind right now and the devotional I am reading is encouraging me to “take it slow and notice things.”

If you have missed any of the things I’ve noticed or if you notice anything I have missed you can catch up and comment by going to

“THE ROAD THROUGH ROMANS” PAGE

Today we are talking about the “Gospel”.

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—

Yesterday we mentioned that Paul was set apart. He was different from other people. Today we learn what He was set apart for. Paul was set apart for the gospel of God. Paul’s purpose for living, the thing that dictated all his behavior and every boundary he lived by was the gospel of God…the good news from God.

We asserted two days ago that Paul was called (invited) and set apart to be a messenger. “The gospel of God” was his message.

What is this good news? Well let’s use some references from other places in the letter to the Romans to explain what that good news is…

For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.21But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Mosesi and the prophets long ago. 22We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

23For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood Romans 3:21-23

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. Romans 5:6-11

If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

35Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36(As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”o) 37No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,p neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39

Now that is good news worth being set apart for!

Pastor Wrinkles: A Road Through Romans 1:1:5

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Here we are five days into our Romans study and still on verse 1. I think we will be to verse 2 on Sunday; So just hang on.

If you have missed our previous conversations on Romans please find them on the

“Road Through Romans Page”

Today we are beginning to speak about one of the major themes in Romans. It is the idea of being “set apart”.

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God.

Right from the get-go Paul tells us he is two things. He is called, which we already said meant he was “invited”; And he is “set apart”. The Greek word Paul uses here is “aphorizo”. It means Paul is-marked off from others by boundaries, he was limited, or separated from others.

Paul starts his letter by saying, “I am different from other people. I am limited in ways other people are not limited. I have boundaries within which I live that other people don’t have.”

Once again it is important to note that these limits were not imposed by God. Paul was invited into them by God. They were necessary but they were not forced. Paul needed the boundaries because they were good for him. In fact we will learn later in this letter that those boundaries are actually part and parcel of the salvation that comes from God. Paul needed the boundaries, the limits because only inside of them could he walk in the fullness of power.

Paul helps us to understand the idea of being “set apart” or limited in his first letter to the Corinthians when he writes,

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. 1 Corinthians 10:23

Paul was set apart not just as an apostle but as a Christian. What that means is that those of us in the rank and file are really no different from the apostle in respect to being set apart. If Paul was different from others, we should be different from others. If Paul had boundaries he had to live within, we should have the same boundaries. If Paul was limited in his choice of behaviors, we should have limits. If Paul had to separate himself from the world, we have to separate ourselves from the world.

Now what in the world do you think that means?

Pastor Wrinkles: A Road Through Romans 1:1:4

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This is installment four of our verse by verse study through the book of Romans. At this rate I calculate we will finish the study sometime in the course of eternity. If you have missed the previous portions of our study on verse 1, they can be found on the “Road Through Romans Page”

Today we are talking about the word “apostle”

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— Romans 1:1

We have learned quite a bit about this man named Paul in only seven words!

Today we learn that Paul is an apostle. The Greek word means Paul considers himself-a delegate, a messenger, one sent forth with orders.

The classical Christian definition of an apostle refers to the twelve apostles of Christ but in a broader sense it applied to other eminent Christian teachers such as Barnabas, Timothy or Silvanus.

There were four biblical qualifications for apostleship: (From WebBible Encyclopedia)

  1. that they should have seen the Lord, and been able to testify of him and of his resurrection from personal knowledge (John 15:27; Acts 1:21-22; 1 Cor. 9:1; Acts 22:14-15)
  2. They must have been immediately called to that office by Christ (Luke 6:13; Gal. 1:1).
  3. It was essential that they should be infallibly inspired, and thus protected against error and mistake in their public teaching, whether by word or by writing (John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Thess. 2:13).
  4. Another qualification was the power of working miracles (Mark 16:20; Acts 2:43; 1 Cor. 12:8-11). The apostles therefore could have had no successors. They are the only authoritative teachers of the Christian doctrines. The office of an apostle ceased with its first holders.
Some would argue the last point made in item number four by turning to Ephesians Chapter 4 and noting that “apostle” is listed as one of the enduring offices of the church. They would say that the office of apostle today is different from the office of the Biblical apostles. To me the point isn’t really worth arguing. The answer isn’t going to directly effect 99.999% of the church, because even if the office still exists most of us will never ever be called to it.
That said there is a part of apostleship every Christian does bear in their spiritual DNA. We might not bear the authority of the office but we do bear the authority of the message. All Christians are delegates of the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth and we have a message to bring to the nations. Further we have been given orders that whoever we are and wherever we go we are to share the message. We are called to remember, the order to share the message is not a suggestion but a commission!

Pastor Wrinkles: A Road Through Romans 1:1:3

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We have begun our verse by verse study through the book of Romans. Today we mark our third installment of our time together. If you have missed any of our previous discussions they can be found on the Road Through Romans Page.

Now on to today’s thought

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— ” Romans 1:1

Today I simply want to focus on the word “called”. Paul declared himself to be a servant, a slave of God, and the scope of that was explained in yesterday’s post, but this word “called” defines the boundaries of that slavery.

The word “called” which Paul uses here in Romans 1:1 is the word kletos. It means to be invited.

You see Paul was a slave of Christ but he was not forced into slavery. He was invited into it. God’s servants are not servants by force. They are servants by free will. I do not serve God because he has made me serve Him. I serve Him because I have chosen to do so.

Slavery to God comes with its consequences. It has its price to pay. But I don’t serve God in spite of the price. The price is not my focus. The blessings are what I set my eyes on. I serve God because of the love that serving Him releases into my life and because of the incredible blessing walking in that love creates in the present and will create in eternity.

We are invited into this slavery not forced to it. Answering the invitation may remove certain “rights” from my life but I have to say you cannot beat the benefit package. I may endure a cross now and even more so in the future but there is a joy that is set before me that makes any cross worth it all.

Pastor Wrinkles: A Road Through Romans 1:1:2

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Today we continue our study, verse by verse, through the Book of Romans. If you missed yesterday’s edition you can find it on

THE ROAD THROUGH ROMANS PAGE

Today we are working through the second phrase of Romans 1:1

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus.”

The first bit of identification Paul gives his readers among the Romans is that he is a “servant”. The Greek word is Dulos and its connotation is a little different from the modern definition of “servant”.

 Here is what Paul really means when he says he is a servant-

” I Paul am …a slave, a bondman, a man of servile condition.

 I Paul am…one who gives himself up to Christ… whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men.

I Paul am…devoted to Christ to the disregard of my own interests.

You see, Christianity is not an episode of Downton Abbey. Paul’s not talking about polishing Jesus’ silver or shining Jesus’ sandals.

Christianity is about falling so desperately in love with the Lover of our souls that we will do anything to live for Him even if that means dying.

Jim Elliot a Christian missionary and martyr wrote these fateful words shortly before his death at the hands of the very people he was ministering to. “He is no fool who gives up those things which he cannot keep to gain those things which he cannot lose.”

That in a nutshell is being a servant of Christ.

Sure it’s a lot scarier.This is the Christianity which has drawn billions to the throne of God. Come and join Paul. Be a servant of Christ. The cost is never higher than the return.

“I assure you that when the world is made newi and the Son of Manj sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then. “

Matthew 19:28-30

Pastor Wrinkles: A Road Through Romans 1:1:1

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I have been toying with the idea of a verse by verse study for the last several weeks. My only hesitation has been that my schedule for the last several months has left me little time for blogging. I sense that is all changing now. I feel like I will have more time to give to the writing (which is a good thing because this art has been too long neglected to the detriment of my heart).

So today we begin a verse by verse devotional study through the Book of Romans. We are going to go slow and I am going to set up a page under the Pastor Wrinkles Heading so people can catch up if they fall behind.

So Here we go:

“Paul…” Romans 1:1:1

I told you we were going to go slow. Before we go any further we have to look at the first word of this letter. It is a name. It is the author’s name. We know a lot about this man. His name alone has the power to draw us closer to God.

We know he was a servant of Christ (more on that tomorrow).

We know he was an apostle (more on that on Thursday).

We know he was a Jew.

We know he was a Pharisee (one of the bad guys sort of).

We know by his own admission he started out as a persecutor of the church.

We know he considered himself one of the worst sinners in history because of that.

We know his name really wasn’t Paul. You see God changed his name from Saul to Paul. When this man met God his whole identity was changed. He went from persecutor to pastor. He went from enemy of the faith to apostle of the faith. He went from sinner to saint.

THAT’S HOW IT SHOULD BE FOR US!

In another letter Paul wrote, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Cor. 5:17

This is what it means to be born again. Maybe we won’t get a new name like Paul did but we will get a new identity in Christ. Anything less is less than Christianity.

Have you met the new you? If not ask Jesus to introduce you. He knows the new you very well.

Insane Attachments

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“Contemporary culture lacks both the inward reality and the outward life-style of simplicity. We must live in the modern world, and we are affected by its fractured and fragmented state. We are trapped in a maze of competing attachments. One moment we make decisions on the basis of sound reason and the next moment out of fear of what others will think of us. We have no unity or focus around which our lives are oriented.

Because we lack a divine Center our need for security has led us into an insane attachment to things.- Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline/ Simplicity

Dare To Be A Daniel Pt. 2: Pt. 1

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Here is the Scripture passage for my next sermon, Dare To Be A Daniel Pt. 2. This is a continuation of Pastor Risto’s message from last week.

DANIEL 2

In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. 2 So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers[a] to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king, 3 he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.[b]”

4 Then the astrologers answered the king,[c] “May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

5 The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. 6 But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”

7 Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

8 Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: 9 If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.”

10 The astrologers answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. 11 What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.”

12 This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.

14 When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. 15 He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. 16 At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.

17 Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven 20 and said:

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
    wisdom and power are his.
21 He changes times and seasons;
    he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
    and knowledge to the discerning.
22 He reveals deep and hidden things;
    he knows what lies in darkness,
    and light dwells with him.
23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:
    You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
    you have made known to us the dream of the king.”

Daniel Interprets the Dream

24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.”

25 Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.”

26 The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?”

27 Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these:

29 “As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. 30 As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.

31 “Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. 32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. 34 While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.

36 “This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. 37 Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; 38 in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.

39 “After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. 40 Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. 41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.

44 “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.

“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”

48 Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. 49 Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.