Daniel: The Ultimate Party Pooper

Nebuchadnezzar prays and exult and glorify the King of Heaven

because everything he does is right and all his ways are just.

And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Start chapter 5 verse 1.

King Balthazar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles

and drank wine with them.

While Balthazar 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.

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.

As they drank the wine,

they praised the gods of gold and silver,

of bronze, iron, wood and stone.

Suddenly, the finger 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.

And then moving down to verse 25 over the page.

This is the inscription that was written.

Meany, Meany, Tekel, Parson.

This is what these words mean.

Meany, God has numbered the days of your reign

and brought it to an end.

Tekel, you have been weighed on the scales

and found wanting.

Perseus, your kingdom is divided

and given to the Medes and the Persians.

Then at Balthazar's command,

Daniel was clothed in purple,

a gold chain was placed around his neck

and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler

in the kingdom.

That very night,

Balthazar, king of the Babylonians,

was slain

and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom

at the age of 62.

Thanks.

Thanks, Nick.

Well, we've been looking at the book of Daniel,

which in the context of what Phil has just been sharing

is very relevant in a nation,

an empire like Babylon

with a dictatorial ruler such as Nebuchadnezzar.

Very difficult to live as a Christian,

somebody who followed God,

but yet God used those people

to bring about his purposes in that place.

No king was greater than God.

Kirsty's just handing around sheets there

if you want to take notes this morning.

And we're going to be following along

from chapter five.

As we start into our study this morning,

let's pray

and ask for God's help

as we look at this together.

Amen.

Those who walk in pride,

God is able to humble.

Father, we come before you this morning

in humility

because we are, as we sung earlier,

just a vapor.

We are here a moment.

But you are the God

who reigns from before time begun

and time eternity.

As your creation,

as your people,

we bow before you

and ask that you would speak to us

and you would cause us

to understand what it is

to live before

a mighty king

such as you.

Humble us

and lead us in your ways.

We ask it in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, keep your Bibles, please.

Follow along.

Chapter five.

It all happened so quickly.

He suddenly appears on the scene

and then he disappears

from the story.

Look at verse one.

King Belshazzar gave a banquet

for a thousand of his nobles

and drank wine with them.

And then go to the end of the story,

verse 30.

That very night,

Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians,

was slain

and Darius the Mede

took over the kingdom

at the age of 62.

One moment he's drinking

and dancing,

the next

he's defeated

and dead.

A king in his kingdom

has come crashing down.

Now there's about 25 years

between the end of chapter 24

and the beginning of chapter 5.

Sorry, the end of chapter 4

and the beginning of chapter 5.

King Nebuchadnezzar has died.

Babylon is still the mighty empire.

He's still ruling

with an iron fist.

And the succession of kings

from Nebuchadnezzar onwards

has been a bit unstable.

There's been lots of family feuds.

There's been an assassination.

The usual goings-on

when a leader

of such popularity

as Nebuchadnezzar has died.

But now as we get to chapter 25,

we're introduced to Belshazzar.

It's his time to rule.

Time for another great king.

But chapter 5

is not just a lesson

in Babylonian kings.

This is a warning

about the dangers

of pride.

Belshazzar's life

can be summed up

with this proverb

from Proverb chapter 16, verse 5.

The Lord detests

the proud of heart.

Be sure of this.

They will not go unpunished.

A summary of his life.

The Lord detests

all the proud of heart.

Be sure of this.

They will not go unpunished.

So what do we learn

from chapter 5?

Well, three things

we're going to look at together

this morning.

First,

God is dead,

so let's party.

The story begins

with a great party.

Verse 1,

let's read together.

King Belshazzar

gave a great banquet

for a thousand

of his nobles

and drank wine with them.

This is the party

of all parties.

Invite only.

The who's who

of the Babylonian empire.

The movers

and shakers.

The planners

and developers.

The celebrities.

The socialites.

They're all there.

Not forgetting

the king's wives

and the concubines

that he's provided

for the occasion.

And the wine

is flowing.

But the king

wants to do more

than just throw a party.

He wants to show off

to these guests

his great power.

Look at verse 2.

While Belshazzar

was drinking his wine,

he gave orders

to bring in the gold

and silver goblets

that Nebuchadnezzar,

his father,

or predecessor,

had taken from

the temple in Jerusalem

so that the king

and his nobles,

his wives,

and his concubines

might drink from them.

Well, what's all that about?

Well, when a king

went and conquered

another nation,

what they would do

is they would take items

that represented

the nation's god

and then place them

before their own god

as a sign of victory.

We're actually told this

in chapter 1.

If you flick back

to chapter 1 of Daniel,

it's the way the book

is introduced to us.

Chapter 1, verse 1.

So, verse 1 says,

In the third year

of the reign of Jehoiakim,

who was king of Judah,

Nebuchadnezzar,

who was king of Babylon,

came to Jerusalem

and besieged it.

So he attacked it.

Verse 2,

when the Lord delivered

Jehoiakim,

king of Judah,

into his hand,

along with some

of the articles

from the temple of God.

These Nebuchadnezzar

carried off

to the temple

of his god

in Babylonia

and put them

in the treasure house

of his god.

You see,

not only is the king

of Judah defeated,

but the temple,

which was the very symbol

of God's presence

and power,

has been pilfered.

The articles,

in this case,

the gold and silver goblets,

have been taken

from the temple,

which represented

or symbolised

God's presence

with his people,

and they've now

become trophies

in the treasure house

of the Babylon's god.

So we can imagine

the headline

in the Babylonian times

after that battle.

Judah's god defeated,

dead,

and buried.

Back to chapter 5.

So when Belshazzar,

in the middle of his party,

orders for the gold

and silver goblets

to be brought,

which came from the temple,

you remember,

he's making a very,

very proud statement.

He's basically saying

to all his guests

that have gathered,

I'm king.

I'm the one in charge.

I'm in power.

God is dead.

So let's party.

Verse 4.

As they drank the wine,

they praised the gods

of gold,

silver,

of bronze,

iron,

wood,

and stone.

Now isn't that

just a little picture

of how the world lives?

worship what you like.

Do whatever satisfies you.

If it brings you pleasure,

enjoy it.

After all,

it's your life.

You're answerable to no one.

You're not bound by any morals.

You do what you like.

After all,

God is dead,

isn't he?

So let's live life

as a party.

But God's not going

to allow people

to carry on

presuming he's dead

or assuming

he has no power.

The consequences

are far too serious.

Look at verse 5.

In the middle

of this party,

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

as the hand

watched the hand

as it wrote.

His face

turned pale,

and he was so frightened

that his knees

knocked together

and his legs

gave way.

Now the NIV,

the translation

that we're using here

is a little bit

too polite here.

Literally,

it's saying

he pooped his pants.

He's lost control

of his bladder.

The dancing stops.

The music fades.

The laughter

and the singing

are replaced

by this deathly fear

as they watch

this hand

on the wall.

How does he respond?

Well,

in his foolish

ignorance,

verse 7,

the king called out

to the enchanters,

the astrologers,

and the diviners

to be brought

to him.

Remember,

these are the ones

we've seen

all the way

through chapters 1 to 4,

and every time

they failed.

But yet,

he turns to them again.

And he said

to the wise men

of Babylon,

whoever reads the writing

and tells me

what it means,

will be clothed

in purple,

will have a gold chain

placed around his neck,

and he will be made

third highest ruler

in the kingdom.

Then all the king's

wise men came in,

but they could not

read the writing

or tell the king

what it meant.

Isn't it ironic

that the gods

he was just praising

back in verse 4

are now deaf

and dumb

to his cry

for help?

The gods

that supposedly

gave Babylon

their great victories

in battle

and made them

such an enormous

and great empire

are hopeless

and helpless

to do anything?

Verse 9,

So the king,

Belshazzar,

became even

more terrified

and his face

grew more pale.

Another change

of trousers

for the king.

His nobles

were baffled.

The most powerful

king in the world

is paralysed

with fear

and there's nothing

that he can do

about it.

He's hopeless

and he's helpless.

And the question is,

why is he reduced

to such a cowering mess?

Well,

I think the purpose

is

so that he would

cry out to God

something he fails

to do.

And sometimes

that's the case

for us.

Life leaves us

hopeless

and helpless.

The gods

that we trust in

fail us.

People that we

depend on

leave us.

Jobs that give us

security

are lost.

Things that gave us

pleasure

are stripped away.

Our health fades.

Our mental abilities

deteriorate.

We're left afraid

and fearful.

And why?

Well,

maybe

it's so that

we will cry out

to an all-powerful,

all-loving

God.

God.

The God

who is not

dead,

but the God

who lives

and reigns

forevermore.

So,

the first thing,

God is dead,

let's party.

Second,

God has spoken,

so listen up.

Living our life

as if God is dead

is serious,

so God speaks

into the situation.

It starts off

with an idea

from the Queen.

Look at verse 10.

The Queen,

hearing the voices

of the King

and his nobles,

came into the

banquet hall.

Oh King,

live forever,

she said.

Don't be alarmed,

don't look so pale.

She's got an answer,

verse 11.

There's 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.

This was their way

of explaining

God's divine

interventions.

King Nebuchadnezzar,

your father,

your father,

the king.

Remember Nebuchadnezzar,

that all-powerful,

great,

ruling king?

I say,

appointed him

chief of the magicians,

enchanters,

astrologers,

and diviners.

This man,

Daniel,

whom the king

called Belshazzar,

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.

Go and get Daniel.

He's the one

who can tell you

what the writing means.

You see,

from the very beginning

of Daniel,

we've seen that Daniel

has been God's voice

to the king of Babylon.

God has spoken

through the man

that he has placed

at the very heart

of the kingdom.

And he can speak

straight into

the king's life.

The so-called wise men,

the enchanters,

the astrologers,

they've all consistently

failed.

They've had nothing

to be able to say.

Man-made religion

is always empty.

But Daniel delivered

every single time

with absolute clarity

because God was speaking

through his man

to the king.

The question here is,

is Belshazzar

going to listen

to what Daniel

has to say?

Well,

with some reluctance,

it seems that the king

does call for Daniel.

Verse 13,

So Daniel was brought

before the king

and the king said to him,

Are you Daniel?

One of the exiles

that my father,

the king,

brought from Judah?

I've heard that

the spirit of the gods

is in you

and that you have

insight and intelligence

and outstanding wisdom.

Well,

if he thinks

that Daniel

does have

outstanding wisdom,

why has Daniel

been discharged

from being ruler

over all of Babylon

and demoted

from being chief

of all the wise men,

a position

that King Nebuchadnezzar

has given him?

He's not in that position

any longer

under Belshazzar.

It seems

that Belshazzar

has removed

anyone to do

with God

from his presence.

He's making

a clear statement.

We don't want

any God talk

around here.

We don't want

this religious business

in the palace.

To the king,

Daniel was,

as we read

in verse 13,

just an exile

from Judah.

He's a conquered slave.

He's despised.

He's rejected.

He's a nothing.

He's a nobody.

He's not worth

listening to.

We don't need Daniel.

But Daniel

is God's voice

to the king.

God has something

to say.

And God

intervenes

into the king's

life and brings

Daniel yet again

right to the very

heart of power

so he can speak

to the king.

Verse 17.

Then Daniel

answered the king,

You may keep

your gifts

for yourself

and give your

rewards to someone else.

You're not going

to bribe me

or tempt me

or make me

a little puppet.

Nevertheless,

I will read

the writing

for the king

and I'll tell

him what it means.

God spoke

to Belshazzar

through Daniel

and God

also speaks

to you

and to me.

His word

is crystal clear

but it seems

sometimes

that the world

does not want

to listen

to God.

We have

despised

and rejected

God's voice

to us,

the one we

call Jesus.

The prophet

Isaiah spoke

about Jesus

who was to come.

Listen to these

words from

Isaiah 53.

He was

despised

and rejected

by men,

a man of sorrows

and familiar

with suffering,

like one

from whom

men hide

their faces.

He was despised

and we esteemed

him not.

That's about

Jesus.

You want us

to listen

to Jesus?

That despised,

rejected,

that crucified

loser?

You can't

expect us

to take seriously

what Jesus

has to say,

can you?

He's

outdated.

He's

old-fashioned.

Times have

moved on.

We don't

need

Jesus

anymore.

And so

the world

in its

arrogant

sophistication

has demoted

Jesus

to the ranks

of myth

and lies,

just as

Belshazzar

had demoted

Daniel

to a nobody

and a nothing.

God's not

worth listening

to anymore.

We don't

want this

God talk

around here.

We don't

want you

talking about

God in

your school

or in

your college.

Keep your

religion to

yourself.

You've come

here to

work.

Don't bring

religion into

the conversation.

What's he

got to do

with it?

Jesus.

But let's

give Jesus

the last

word on

this.

As Jesus

faced his

own trial

before Pilate,

another king,

listen to

what Jesus

had to say

in John

John 18:37

18

verse 37.

This is

Pilate

speaking to

Jesus.

He says,

you are

a king

then,

said Pilate.

Jesus

answered,

you are

right in

saying I

am a

king.

In

fact,

for this

reason I

was born

and for

this I

came into

the world

to testify

to the

truth.

Everyone

on the

side of

truth

listens

to me.

Everyone

on the

side of

truth

listens

to

Jesus.

Jesus

is God's

king.

He is

God's

voice.

Do not

close your

ear to

what he

has to

say.

Listen

to him.

So God

has spoken.

Listen

up.

God,

thirdly,

will judge.

Be

humble.

the sad

reality

is

because

Belshazzar

had

silenced

Daniel

and

pushed

him

away,

he's

actually

removed

God's

voice

from

his

ears.

The

very

word

that

could

save

Belshazzar's

life,

he's

rejected

it.

So all

that is

left for

Belshazzar

to hear

and listen

to is

a word

of

judgment.

There are

four things

we need

to listen

to if

we want

to avoid

the same

fate.

I haven't

got them,

so listen

up.

Here we

go.

Know

your place

before

God.

Know

your place

before

God.

Verse

18.

This is

Daniel

speaking to

Belshazzar.

O

King,

the

Most

High

God

gave

your

father

Nebuchadnezzar

sovereignty

and greatness

and glory

and splendor.

Because

of the

high

position

God

gave

him,

all

the

peoples

and

nations

and men

of every

language

dreaded

and feared

him.

Did

you see

what it

says

there?

God

gave

Nebuchadnezzar

his position

and power

and God

could take

it from

him

as he

pleased.

And it's

no different

for us

in our

lives.

All that

we have,

our work,

our families,

our joys,

our pleasures,

everything we

love and

enjoy comes

from God

who's given

it to us.

In fact,

look at the

end of

verse 23.

This is

the God

who holds

in his

hand

our life

and all

our ways.

From the

moment we

are born

to the

second we

die,

everything

in our

life is

ruled and

controlled by

God.

So lesson

number one,

know your

place before

God.

Lesson

two,

be careful

of arrogant

pride.

Be careful

of arrogant

pride.

King

Nebuchadnezzar

had become

proud of

his position.

Look at

verse 20.

But when

his heart

became arrogant

and hardened

with pride,

he was

disposed

from his

royal throne

and stripped

of his

glory.

He was

driven away

from people

and given

the mind

of an

animal.

The point

is simple.

God

will humble

the arrogant

God.

And he

will humble

us

unless we

acknowledge

that he

is the

most high

God,

the one

who rules

over our

life,

who rules

over every

king and

over every

nation.

Remember the

testimony of

King Nebuchadnezzar?

The first

verse in our

reading this

morning

comes at the

end of chapter

4 verse

37.

And those

who walk

in pride

he is able

to humble.

So,

number two,

be careful

of arrogant

pride.

Number three,

learn humility

before it's

too late.

Learn humility

before it's

too late.

Here's the

tragedy of

this story.

Verse 22.

This is a

great tragedy.

Verse 22.

But you,

his son,

O Belshazzar,

have not

humbled

yourself,

though you

knew all

of this.

Though you

knew all

of this.

Belshazzar

was not

without excuse.

He knew

all about

Nebuchadnezzar.

He had

heard how

God had

humbled him

and how

God had

restored him.

He had

heard the

stories of

what God

had done.

He knew

all of

this.

But,

verse 23,

instead you

have set

yourself up

against the

Lord of

heaven.

You had

the goblets

from the

temple brought

to you,

and you

and your

nobles,

your wives,

and your

concubines

drank wine

from them.

you praised

the gods

of silver,

of gold,

of bronze,

iron,

wood,

and stone,

which cannot

see or

hear or

understand.

But you

did not

honour the

God who

holds in

his hand

your life

and all

your ways.

God is

so gracious

to us.

The very

fact that

we are

here this

morning means

that we

have heard

the voice

of God

through his

word and

none of us

here today

are without

excuse.

Do not

refuse to

be humble

or honour

God.

Learn

humility

before it

is too

late.

And then

last,

we will

all stand

before God

as judge.

We will

all stand

before God

as judge.

Belshazzar's

fate,

well it was

revealed to

him in the

writing on

the wall,

verse 25.

This is the

inscription that

was written.

Meenie,

meenie,

tekel,

parson.

This is

what the

words mean.

God has

numbered the

days of

your reign

and brought

it to an

end.

You have

been weighed

on the

scales and

found wanting.

Your kingdom

is divided

and given

to the

Medes

and Persians.

And then

it seems

as if

Belshazzar

has made

some last

desperate

attempt to

gain approval

with Daniel

and some

kind of

acceptance

with God.

This is

desperate,

desperate

measures.

Verse 29.

Then at

Belshazzar's

command,

Daniel was

clothed in

purple,

a gold

chain was

placed around

his neck,

and he was

proclaimed the

third highest

ruler in the

kingdom.

Maybe in

his thinking,

if I do

this for

Daniel,

maybe this

isn't going

to happen

to me.

But it's

too late.

It's

too

late.

God's

judgment

has

already

been

spoken.

His

word

can't

be

reversed.

Verse 30.

That

very

night,

that

very

night,

Belshazzar,

king of the

Babylonians,

was slain

and Darius

the Mede

took over

the kingdom

at the

age of

62.

The

Babylonian

empire

was wiped

away,

never to be

back again.

in power.

One

moment,

drinking and

dancing.

A few

hours later,

defeated

and dead.

A king

and his

kingdom

came crashing

down.

You know

what, as we

finish,

we're all

going to

face God's

judgment one

day.

Every one

of us here,

myself

included.

And we

will have

to give

an account

for our

life.

But you

know what?

We can

do it

with absolute

confidence

and assurance.

Flick with

me, if you

like, to

Hebrews

Hebrews 9 · chapter mention

chapter 9.

These are the

words we

started with

at the very

beginning this

morning.

Hebrews

Hebrews 9 · chapter mention

chapter 9.

9.

What's the

page number?

1206.

1206.

Hebrews

Hebrews 9 · chapter mention

chapter 9.

Verse 27.

Read these

words with

me.

Just follow

along.

Hebrews 9

Hebrews 9:27

verse 27.

Just as

man is

destined to

die once

and after

that to

face the

judgment.

That's the

reality.

It will

all happen

one day.

What are we

going to say?

What will be

our answer?

But here's the

confidence that

comes in verse

28.

Just as we

die once,

so Christ

was sacrificed

once to

take away the

sins of

many people,

people like

you and

me.

And he

will appear

a second

time, not

to bear

sin, but

to bring

salvation to

those who

are waiting

for him or

those who

are trusting

in him.

One day

the party

of our

life is

going to

be interrupted

just as

abruptly as

it was for

Belshazzar.

One day

our life

will come

to a

close.

We will

breathe our

last.

The days

of our

life will

end.

We will

stand before

God.

We will

be weighed

on the

scales of

justice.

But don't

leave it

till it's

too late.

God is

graciously

patient,

longing and

waiting for

all to turn

to him.

If on the

other hand

you are

trusting and

you are

assured of

meeting God

and you're

looking forward

to his

salvation to

come,

don't leave

it till

it's too

late

before you

share this

message with

those who

are walking

in pride

today and

do not

know of the

salvation that

is to be

found in

Christ.

Do not

leave it

till it is

too late

with your

colleagues at

work,

your friends,

your family.

The writing

is on the

wall.

Do not

ignore what

God has

said.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Our Father

God, we

thank you

that you

are a

living God.

We thank

you that

you are a

speaking God.

We thank

you that you

are a

judging God.

Thank you

that in your

judgments you

will put

everything right.

And we

thank you

that because

of Jesus

we can

stand before

you with

confidence,

assurance,

unashamed

because Christ

has forgiven

us.

Please help

us to

walk humbly

before you.

Help us to

do that well

this week

as we seek

to share

the good

news of

Christ

with others.

we ask

for your

help to

do this.

In

Jesus'

name.

Amen.

Amen.