Scene Setter: It is 539 BC, Nebuchadnezzar has been dead for 24 years. His son, Evil-Merodach, ruled for 2 years, was assassinated by his brother-in-law, Neriglessai who was a general in Nebuchadnezzar's army when they took Jerusalem. Neriglessai ruled for 4 years and died. His son ruled for 9 months and was murdered. Nabonadus is now the ruler of Babylon and is married to Nebuchadnezzar's daughter. He did not spend much time in Babylon, but chose to stay in other parts of the Empire, so his son Belshazzar is the co-regent and ruler of the city of Babylon. Babylon is known as the "gateway to the gods". The city is the largest city in the world at this time. It covered 3 1/2 square miles. 2 1/2 miles were located within the city walls. The walls were 75' thick at the base and 330' high. It was surrounded by a large moat and had 100 strongly fortified gates. The city was stocked with enough food for many years and the Euphrates River flowed through the city and was their water source. The river had large metal grates that prevented invaders from entering by boat. The city was considered invincible. During this story the city was under siege by the Medes/Persians, but the people were not afraid because of how fortified the city was. So during the siege Belshazzar threw a big party!
Daniel 5:1-4 (ESV) "King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand. Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote."
During this wild party King Cyrus' general Ugbaru, went upstream from Babylon and diverted the flow of the Euphrates river, thereby reducing the water level well below the water gates. This occurred at night during the Big Party, so no one (of consequence) noticed! Ugbaru's army waded into the city, under the water gates (knee deep water), clamored up the banks inside the city and took it totally by surprise with very little resistance. How do we know all this (it is not recorded in the bible)? This story was recorded by the Greek historian Herodotus. So while Belshazzar is hosting his Big Party, the Persian army was infiltrating the city...virtually un-noticed.
Meanwhile back at the party...
Daniel 5:5-25 (ESV) "Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. Then the king's color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared to the wise men of Babylon, 'Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.' Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. The King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed, and his lords were perplexed. The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, 'O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change. There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father-your father the king-made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.' Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, 'You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not show the interpretation of the matter. But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writings and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.' Then Daniel answered and said before the king, 'Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored. Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. And this it the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN."
The inscription: MENE, MENE = numbered
TEKEL = to weigh
PARSIN = to divide
The interpretation Daniel 5:26-28 (ESV) "This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians."
Remember Nebuchadnezzar's dream? The head of gold/ chest of silver. It is coming to fulfillment
Daniel 5:29-31 (ESV) "Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old."
Darius and Cyrus were the same man.
The prophets said this would happen...no one believed that it would until it happened.
The point of this story is exactly the same as....
Chapter 2 Nebuchadnezzar's dream/image...YAHWEH is Sovereign!
Chapter 3 Shadrach, Meshach, and A!bednego... YAHWEH is Sovereign!
Chapter 4 Nebuchadnezzar's insanity....YAHWEH is Sovereign!
Chapter 5 Handwriting on the wall...YAHWEH is Sovereign!
and we will see in Chapter 6 Daniel and the Lion's Den...YAHWEH is Sovereign!
The point...God is Sovereign! Sometimes we struggle with this because we question why God permits bad things to happen. The prophets struggled with this as well. God uses everything for His glory.
Habakkuk 1:1-7/12b-13 (ESV) "The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw. O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you 'Violence!' and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted. 'Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own. They are dreaded and fearsome; their justice and dignity go forth from themselves.' 'O LORD, you have ordained them as a judgement, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof. You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?'"
Why do you allow unrighteous people to thrive and punish the righteous?
Remember God's Sovereignty does not eliminate your free will
Daniel 4:27 (ESV) "Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity."
Daniel was telling Nebuchadnezzar...if you change this insanity would not come upon him.
Daniel 5:22-24 Daniel told Belshazzar that he had not humbled his heart, but he had been proud and he knew of the warnings given to his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar.
Application
Wisdom Suggests
1. You should recognize God for who He is!
2. You should humble yourself before Him! If you do not humble yourself...He will humble you. Every person who defies the Lord will be humbled. Every great nation, every great Emperor falls.
3. You should surrender to His will.
4. You should choose to serve Him.
There is no need to complicate this!!!
2 Timothy 2:20-21 (ESV) "Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work."
God is going to use you to accomplish His purpose. You decide how He will use you. "You can be a flowerpot or a chamber pot."
Joseph-slave in Egypt/Pharaoh...flowerpot/chamber pot
Gideon-"the least in Israel"...flowerpot
Samson-defiled his calling....chamber pot
Jonah- ran from God...chamber pot
The people in Romans 1 who refused to thank Him
God used all of these to accomplish His purpose! He is going to have the final say! You may have a bold and great kingdom, but it will fall, you will wither and die and will stand before Him in judgement.
Genesis 1:27-28 (ESV) "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'"
We don't just sit back and let it be done...we do it in...
1. Recognition of Him
2. Appreciation of gifts and opportunities
3. In conjunction with His will
4. In partnership with Him
One more thing...
You should do all this under the Lordship of His Son Jesus Christ.
John 5:23 (ESV) "that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Father who sent him."
Some have never surrendered to Him as Savior and Lord. Give this sermon some consideration. All of us need to periodically revisit our commitment to Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment