Category: The Book of Daniel
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The Heart of the Matter
February is supposed to be all about hearts and stuff – which, as a very single person, I take very little interest in (unless it translates into chocolate gifts on my desk). But in the spirit of the season, I can talk about hearts and stuff, but only on my terms: the heart (and stuff)…
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Who You Callin’ Names?
What’s in a name? That all depends who’s saying it. My family and closest friends call me “Wen”; colleagues generally go with “Wendy”; students default to “Dr. Widder” (though technically, they shouldn’t…I’m still awaiting the Final Word) or “Professor Widder” (which, technically, should be “Visiting Assistant Professor Widder,” but who’s going to remember what they…
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Cutting the Statue Down to Size
The statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is “mighty and of exceeding brightness” (2:31, ESV), and generally gets the most attention when people consider Daniel 2. Its commentary on world history and its prophetic value for understanding future events have been charted and recharted by end-times enthusiasts. Without discounting the importance of the dream, let me suggest…
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“Are you nuts?!” Why, yes, thank you, I just might be…
One of my favorite Steve Martin scenes takes place in the bread aisle of the supermarket where he has been sent on an errand to buy hot dog buns. Annoyed by the fact that hot dogs come in packs of eight and buns come by the dozen, he flips out and rips open the bun…
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A Word Is Worth a Thousand Pictures (give or take…)
Most of us are fairly obsessed with how we look. Think about how much time you spend every day making sure you smell respectably well, your clothes match, your hair is under control, your teeth are food-free, your fly is up, and so on. Appearance is pretty important to us. However, this is not the…
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Finding Our Footing
Welcome to the new year! My Christmas tree is still up (until after Epiphany), but I’m definitely ready to start jogging off the Christmas calories and to start blogging again. In case you’ve forgotten, we’re in Daniel 2, a chapter in which King Nebuchadnezzar has a disturbing dream and turns a bit maniacal because of…
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All (Animal) Guts, No Glory
It’s your lucky day. A while back I threatened to give you more information about some men in the king’s court, specifically, the “magicians and enchanters” (1:20). We’ve reached the second appearance of these characters, so the time has come, ready or not. After his lousy night of sleep, King Nebuchadnezzar called in the experts,…
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Insomnia, Indigestion, and the Inside Scoop
A grumpy king means trouble for everyone, and in the second chapter of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar is out for blood on account of a bad night’s sleep. Actually, sleep deprivation isn’t the cause of his tirade (though it probably didn’t hurt); it’s what caused the sleep deprivation that has him so upset. He had some…
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Of Xmas and Other X-things
’Tis the season for getting upset about people using “X” in place of “Christ” in “Christmas.” I don’t deny that a good number of people do want to take “Christ” out of “Christmas,” but using “Xmas” isn’t really the way to do it; nor should “Xmas” be a huge issue to campaign against. Here’s why.…
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The Language Puzzle
The second chapter of Daniel marks the beginning of a puzzle that has perplexed students of the Bible for a very long time. It’s not quite as bad as the “puzzles” that plague the dreaming king Nebuchadnezzar in chapters 2 and 4, and it’s definitely not as bad as the puzzles that plague Daniel from…
Three Rubies Press 