Daniel 5: 13-31
King Belshazzar, the son of Nabonidus who had claimed the throne through his marriage to Nebuchadnezzar's daughter, had been left in Babylon to insure order and safety while his father fought battles elsewhere.
Even while Cyrus' army was besieging the city, they knew that the fortifications could not be breached, so they ignored it, having several years provisions stored up for just such a time; and Belshazzar was having a party.
But he brought in the gold vessels from Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, and mocked the Lord God by drinking wine in them and praising the gods of Babylon.
Then the hand wrote the words that no one could read (see yesterday).
(13) Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Are you that Daniel who is one of the exiles from Judah, whom my [grand]father the king brought from Judah?
Belshazzar has never even met Daniel before this.
(14) "Now I have heard about you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight, and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you.
He has only heard about him, but never saw his face before now.
(15) "Just now the wise men and the conjurers were brought in before me that they might read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not declare the interpretation of the message.
(16) "But I personally have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Now if you are able
Okay, he's heard about Daniel, that he is able. But then says, if you are able. He is still skeptical of this old man.
to read the inscription and make its interpretation known to me, you will be clothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will have authority as the third ruler in the kingdom."
And he makes the same promise he gave the rest of the wise men.
(17) Then Daniel answered and said before the king, "Keep your gifts for yourself or give your rewards to someone else;
Daniel doesn't want any of this falderal.
however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him.
He is willing to give God's message to this foolish monarch. But he will first review some of this king's own history.
(18) "O king, the Most High God granted sovereignty, grandeur, glory and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your [grand]father.
(19) "Because of the grandeur which He bestowed on him, all the peoples, nations and men of every language feared and trembled before him; whomever he wished he killed and whomever he wished he spared alive; and whomever he wished he elevated and whomever he wished he humbled.
(20) "But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became so proud that he behaved arrogantly, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken away from him.
(21) "He was also driven away from mankind, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his dwelling place was with the wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of Heaven until he recognized that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and that He sets over it whomever He wishes.
All this is recorded in Daniel 4 that is covered April 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 on this blog.
(22) "Yet you, his [grand]son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this,
Belshazzar has heard all the history of his mother's father and the world-wide edict he published as king.
(23) "but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of Heaven; and have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ways you have not glorified.
Even though he knew the whole story, he evidently didn't believe it.
(24) "Then the hand was sent from Him and this inscription written out.
Now this Most High God is responding to him. And this is what He says:
(25) "Now this is the inscription that was written out: 'MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.'
These are the words: MENE means a counting, like counting money.
TEKEL means to weigh a coin to find out its worth; money again.
UPHARSIN is the plural form of PERES, which means "to divide."
Now he'll tell him what God is saying to him.
(26) "This is the interpretation of the message: 'MENE'--God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it.
God has already counted out his whole kingdom, and has come to the end of it.
(27) 'TEKEL'--you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.
Belshazzar himself has been weighed, and he's been found to be wanting, lacking, deficient.
(28) 'PERES'--your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians."
Daniel uses the past participle, and is telling him that it's too late; his kingdom has already been taken from him and divided up between Medes and Persians.
(29) Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.
Belshazzar did what he said he would, in front of all his nobles, as though it would do Daniel any good. Daniel didn't care. And it was all over with, anyway.
(30) That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain.
They had no idea of the out-of-the-box plan Cyrus' men had devised: to divert the very river itself to expose the formerly underwater sub-structure of the fortifications and sneak in all the troops necessary to take the whole city.
And this cowardly monarch was executed.
(31) So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.
And the next section of Nebuchadnezzar's dream statue became a reality. (See about this statue on April 5, 6, and 7, 2020.)
God has planned it all out. He knows who will turn to Him, and who will work against Him. And He uses us all and all of our choices, whether good or bad, to work out what He has planned for us all. Even the bad, He works for our good. And He will get all the credit, all the glory.
O my Father, You are God, and only You. And You are good! Everything You do is good, even when it looks bad to us.
O Father, please help us see things with Your eyes, to understand with Your understanding, and to trust You more and more with all of the things we face daily.
Father, You have told us that these things would come: that there would be pandemics and climate changes and even astrological anomalies. There will always be tyrants who want to politically enslave the people for their own benefit, and leaders of nations who want to rule the whole world. Show us how to recognize these things as You bring them to pass, and to not be blind to them until it's too late.
Prepare us, my Father, to be ready to face Your wrath as You pour it out all around us. Keep us strong in spirit, and encouraged emotionally, and safeguarded in our physical health. Prosper us materially and financially to assist those who have needs. Let us be Your compassionate angels to help those who find themselves caught up in the deceptions of the evil one and this world he rules.
My Father, send out Your Good News to all the nations of the world, so that every living person will be able to hear how much You love us all, and sent Your Son for the salvation of the world, and everyone in it who will.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come even now, Lord Jesus!
