但以理書3:1-7

3:1 尼布甲尼撒王造了一個金像，高六十肘，寬六肘，立在巴比倫省杜拉平原。

3:2 尼布甲尼撒王差人將總督、欽差、巡撫、臬司、藩司、謀士、法官，和各省的官員都召了來，為尼布甲尼撒王所立的像行開光之禮。

3:3 於是總督、欽差、巡撫、臬司、藩司、謀士、法官，和各省的官員都聚集了來，要為尼布甲尼撒王所立的像行開光之禮，就站在尼布甲尼撒所立的像前。

3:4 那時傳令的大聲呼叫說：「各方、各國、各族（原文是舌：下同）的人哪，有令傳與你們：

3:5 你們一聽見角、笛、琵琶、琴、瑟、笙，和各樣樂器的聲音，就當俯伏敬拜尼布甲尼撒王所立的金像。

3:6 凡不俯伏敬拜的，必立時扔在烈火的窯中。」

3:7 因此各方、各國、各族的人民一聽見角、笛、琵琶、琴、瑟，和各樣樂器的聲音，就都俯伏敬拜尼布甲尼撒王所立的金像。

1 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 And the herald proclaimed aloud, "You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace." 7 Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

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尼布甲尼撒王造了一個金像，並命令眾人都要俯伏敬拜金像，否則將有重懲。這個金像的建立，與其說是為了宗教目的，不如說是為了政治目的。巴比倫王希望營造出「萬眾一心，服從王權」的景象。這種耗費大量資源，只是希望維繫自己權位鞏固的行為並不罕見，我們會有這種誘惑嗎？

我們從這段敘述，發現人士政治性的動物，也是宗教性的動物，藉由造神來強化自己的地位，更可怕的是人為了求一時的安全與利益，情願被蒙騙，接受有權勢之人所造的神。我們也從這裡看見世界的控制力，就是威脅人的性命和剝奪人的財富，就可以達到控制人的手段。

但是基督徒若是敬拜真神，世界的手段—就是以性命和財富做威脅，就影響不到，因為基督徒相信生命和財富的主權在上帝，而不是世上的權勢，世上的權勢是上帝賦予的，本使要實行上帝的公義與眷顧，不是用來控制人的！因此，基督徒會勇敢抵抗那些濫用權勢的人，盼望上帝主權的實現！

提多書2:2

勸老年人要有節制、端莊、自守，在信心、愛心、忍耐上都要純全無疵。

Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

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    對於今日人口老化現象越來越明顯的時代，牧養老人是越來越重要的課題，所以保羅這段話給我們很重要的引導。因為年長者畢竟比牧者的人生經歷個豐富，牧者對年長者只能用建議或提醒的語氣。

    年長者有個特色就是老練成熟，但是因為年紀大了不能太激動，所以要節制，才不會造成身心靈的傷害，不可以再向年輕一般激動了。另外年長者通常是教會的楷模，所以要端莊、自守，要有健全的信心、愛心、忍耐。但是牧者不可用應該來要求，要用鼓勵的說：您能、您可以！

    願我們常常鼓勵長者，讓他們靠主過快樂的晚年，讓他們覺得自己活得有尊嚴！因為上帝看重他們！

但以理書2:46-49

2:46 當時，尼布甲尼撒王俯伏在地，向但以理下拜，並且吩咐人給他奉上供物和香品。

2:47 王對但以理說：你既能顯明這奧祕的事，你們的上帝誠然是萬神之神、萬王之主，又是顯明奧祕事的。」

2:48 於是王高抬但以理，賞賜他許多上等禮物，派他管理巴比倫全省，又立他為總理，掌管巴比倫的一切哲士。

2:49 但以理求王，王就派沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌管理巴比倫省的事務，只是但以理常在朝中侍立。

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him.  The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.”  Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.  Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king's court.

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    尼布甲尼撒王聽完夢的講解，向但以理下拜，並給予他賞賜，派他管理巴比倫全省與巴比倫的一切哲士。

「奉上供物和香品」：這是波斯人和巴比倫人對尊貴人士的敬禮，表明巴比倫王對於但以理所代表背後的上帝之崇敬。此處但以理應該是體諒巴比倫的習俗，寧可接受巴比倫王的敬拜儀式（其真正的意義是把但以理當耶和華的代表來敬拜）。在異文化中，要怎樣拿捏尺度，實在是一件不容易的。但是不管如何，上帝的名受到尊崇！

其實基督徒，也當如此來見證我們的主，讓我們用上帝給的恩典，使人認識上帝奇妙的作為，見證上帝的同在！也因為如此，教會要走向世界，道化這個世界，而不是被世界同化。

但以理書2:31-45

2:31 「王啊，你夢見一個大像，這像甚高，極其光耀，站在你面前，形狀甚是可怕。

2:32 這像的頭是精金的，胸膛和膀臂是銀的，肚腹和腰是銅的，

2:33 腿是鐵的，腳是半鐵半泥的。

2:34 你觀看，見有一塊非人手鑿出來的石頭打在這像半鐵半泥的腳上，把腳砸碎；

2:35 於是金、銀、銅、鐵、泥都一同砸得粉碎，成如夏天禾場上的糠秕，被風吹散，無處可尋。打碎這像的石頭變成一座大山，充滿天下。

2:36 「這就是那夢。我們在王面前要講解那夢。

2:37 王啊，你是諸王之王。天上的上帝已將國度、權柄、能力、尊榮都賜給你。

2:38 凡世人所住之地的走獸，並天空的飛鳥，他都交付你手，使你掌管這一切。你就是那金頭。

2:39 在你以後必另興一國，不及於你；又有第三國，就是銅的，必掌管天下。

2:40 第四國，必堅壯如鐵，鐵能打碎剋制百物，又能壓碎一切，那國也必打碎壓制列國。

2:41 你既見像的腳和腳指頭，一半是窯匠的泥，一半是鐵，那國將來也必分開。你既見鐵與泥攙雜，那國也必有鐵的力量。

2:42 那腳指頭，既是半鐵半泥，那國也必半強半弱。

2:43 你既見鐵與泥攙雜，那國民也必與各種人攙雜，卻不能彼此相合，正如鐵與泥不能相合一樣。

2:44 當那列王在位的時候，天上的上帝必另立一國，永不敗壞，也不歸別國的人，卻要打碎滅絕那一切國，這國必存到永遠。

2:45 你既看見非人手鑿出來的一塊石頭從山而出，打碎金、銀、銅、鐵、泥，那就是至大的上帝把後來必有的事給王指明。這夢準是這樣，這講解也是確實的。」

31 "You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. 32 The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

36 "This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, 38 and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold. 39 Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. 41 And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, 45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure."

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    但以理將夢境重新還原給尼布甲尼撒王，還加上解說，好讓他了解上帝的心意。因為這事關乎未來的事，或許沒有人明白，說不定連但以理也不明白，這其中的奧秘。

    但是從但以理解夢的事情，我們發現對於上帝話語的詮釋是很重要的，而且不同時代的人，對這樣的夢境也有不同的看法，甚至不同的神學官對此夢境有不同的解釋。

    就重視末世觀的人來說，就是世界無論如何變化，最後上帝國必定實現，就如「於是金、銀、銅、鐵、泥都一同砸得粉碎，成如夏天禾場上的糠秕，被風吹散，無處可尋。打碎這像的石頭變成一座大山，充滿天下。」(35)「當那列王在位的時候，天上的上帝必另立一國，永不敗壞，也不歸別國的人，卻要打碎滅絕那一切國，這國必存到永遠。你既看見非人手鑿出來的一塊石頭從山而出，打碎金、銀、銅、鐵、泥，那就是至大的上帝把後來必有的事給王指明。」(44-45)

    可見上帝國的預言早就在舊約裡，所以以色列人和基督徒一樣，盼望上帝永遠掌權的國度，能快快實現！這也是啟示文學要述說的信息！