The Handwriting on the Wall
Daniel 5:1-31
There is a new king in Babylon; but not for long. Historians report
that the night that Babylon fell to the Persian there was great feasting and
celebrating inside of the city. What was King Belshazzar thinking? What
terrible leadership. At this ridiculous party, the king orders the sacred
vessels that Nebuchadnezzar has stolen from Jerusalem brought to the party so
that he and his party guests might drink from them. It would appear that he is
trying to make his position known. He obviously deals with pride just as his
father (or perhaps grandfather) had. In the midst of these terrible orders his
people obey like blind lemmings. The dutifully follow a fool.
“Then the profane revelers add another insult to the one true and
triune God: ‘they praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and
stone’. These are the gods in whom they trust. They give these gods credit for
their defeat of Israel and for their ability to humiliate Israel’s God by means
of their abuse of his temple vessels. While the pagans understand their gods to
be more than mere metal, wood, or stone, Daniel heightens the sense of their
foolishness by the implicit comparison of their real identity (only lifeless
metal, wood, or stone) with the true, living God, who had demonstrated his
power over all idols during Nebuchadnezzar’s reign. The praising of these pagan
gods is a direct affront to Israel’s God by implying that he is subordinate to
gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. This is a more direct
insult to God than Nebuchadnezzar, despite his arrogance, had ever made.”*
* Steinmann, A. E. (2008). Daniel. Concordia Commentary (273).
Saint Louis, MO: Concordia Pub. House.
God finally reaches out – literally – and pronounces judgment upon
these blasphemous actions. He sends a hand – just a hand – to write upon the
wall of the party room. Of course the king does not know what they words mean
and calls for his “wise men”. (You know, it’s amazing these guys get to keep
that title. So far, nothing has come out of their mouth that has been helpful
at all!) They have nothing of value to add, as they don’t know what the words
mean. Daniel is summoned once again and offered what would today be the role of
Secretary of State if he can interpret the words. In a rather comical response,
he tells the king to keep his “gifts” for himself. God’s wisdom is not for
sale. The words are then interpreted and the outcome is not good. God has
judged Belshazzar, he has come up wanting, and the kingdom will be divided
between Babylon’s two enemies, Persian and Medes. That night, Belshazzar dies.
While God’s people are in exile, God is still in control. His people
earned that exile by their own idolatry. But God has not forsaken them; nor is
He remaining silent. Even in Babylon, God’s people are expected to live for Him
and represent Him to the world. Daniel does a masterful job of this, rising to
levels of great power along the way. Even though we are daily being drawn
further and further away from God culturally, we need not walk away from Him
personally. We can still be of great influence for the Name of Christ, no
matter our situation. Christ’s blood has freed us to live our faith out loud,
and so we will!
Comments
Post a Comment