Daniel 5:1-31 Dare to Honor God

Theological Proposition/Focus: God deserves honor that is far beyond anything else.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: We must be careful to ensure that we honor God and reject blasphemy and sacrilege

Introduction:

Setting the Stage:

Setting the stage for Daniel chapter 5 is a challenging task. We ended Daniel 4 with Nebuchadnezzar still on the throne and finally, it seems, having learned his lesson on pride. Chapter 5 picks up much later.

After Nebuchadnezzar died his son Abel-Marduk (known as Evil-Merodach in the Bible) took the throne. Abel-Marduk was not the oldest son of Nebuchadnezzar but for some reason was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar as the heir. After two years his brother-in-law Neriglissar usurped the throne and had Abel Marduk executed. Neriglissar reigned for just under 4 years until he died. The son of Neriglissar reigned for only 3 months before his cousin Belshazzar led a coup, killed him, and put Belshazzar's father Nabonidus on the throne.

Ok, if that is not enough family drama for you I don't know what is. Let me summarize. Belshazzar was a grandson to Nebuchadnezzar (the NIV use of "father" in verses 2, 11, 13, and 18 can also mean ancestor in general). But more than just being a grandson, the reality we face is that Belshazzar comes to power through a whole lot of drama. In many ways, Belshazzar has taken power. I think it is fair to read this as a man who does not have a lot of respect for what was done in the past. Belshazzar does what he wants and doesn't really care about consequences, if he doesn't have it, he simply takes it.

One theme that sort of emerges in the text is a theme that pits Nebuchadnezzar's "old way of doing things" against Belshazzar's new "hip" way of doing things. Nebuchadnezzar was hardly a godly ruler but what we will see is that the lines Nebuchadnezzar wouldn't cross are lines that Belshazzar almost takes pride in crossing.

Image: Overturning the right tables

Here is the reality we often find ourselves living within. Youth always wants to be radical, to change things up and there is something good about change. We need youth to keep things from getting stale. However, there are lines that should not be crossed. JL has remarked to me that it is important to have some older wise counselors to tell you which tables not to flip over when you are busy flipping over tables.

Well, I like to imagine that I am not too old, and I know that I am not wise but I do know one table we just be careful never to overturn. the table known as honoring God.

Body

Let's start with the first point.

Don't forget God (1-12).

King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. 2 While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. 3 So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.

5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. 6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.

7 The king summoned the enchanters, astrologers and diviners. Then he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant. 9 So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled.

10 The queen, hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “May the king live forever!” she said. “Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. 12 He did this because Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.”

Sometimes people forget that God is the God of the universe (1-4).

Within the frame of history, the first five verses of Daniel 5 are very interesting. The events of Daniel five take place October 12, 539 BC. The Persian empire is about to overrun the Babylonian Empire. Just a few days earlier Cyrus the Persian defeated the Babylonian army led by Nabonidus approximately 50 miles from Babylon. Likely Belshazzar knew that an attack on the capital was imminent. So, why throw a party? Perhaps to rally and encourage the leaders, maybe as a culture of feast today for tomorrow we die. In reality the reasons are only speculation. What we know is that the wine flowed abundantly and Belshazzar opted to bring in the artifacts that his Grandpa had stolen from the temple of God.

So, the empire is on the verge of collapse. Belshazzar may know it but he may think he is invincible. Either way, Belshazzar decides that in an act of propaganda he is going to force a comparison between himself and his grandpa. Nebuchadnezzar captured the articles from he temple of God so Belshazzar will profane the articles. Grandpa had the decency to hold these articles in honor Belshazzar in his arrogance and disrespect profanes.

Was it arrogance? Was it foolishness? Whatever it was it led Belshazzar to make a fatal mistake. He dishonored the God of the universe and there are significant consequences for such acts. Grandpa had failed many times, but his failures had a slightly different tone. Belshazzar has shown more than just ignorance of God but rebellion against God. Belshazzar combined blasphemy with idolatry. He very much spits in the face of God.

Even when God clearly reveals Himself people try to any other explanation (5-9).

In chapter 5 Belshazzar appeared without introduction, now in verse 5 a hand, surely the hand of God, appears without introduction. Belshazzar is shocked, the walls of the palace were covered with gypsum and the writing would have shown clearly on the wall. But what is the message? Belshazzar calls for the incompetent wise-men of Babylon to help. The problem, the wise-men of Babylon cannot figure it out. In fact, they cannot even read the writing. Why? I don't know why they couldn't read it but the events are clearly the work of God.