Bible Study Notes for Lord’s Day,
September 6, 2009
Daniel 5
You Should Have Known Better
Introduction Daniel and his three friends are in captivity in Babylon.
God especially gifted them to serve in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar,
in order to bring a godly influence and righteous change in pagan
Babylon.
Ch 1 - Daniel distinguishes himself in his request to not eat food
dedicated to the idols of Babylon, and God blesses him for it, making
a good first impression on Nebuchadnezzar.
Ch 2 - Nebuchadnezzar had a dream none of his wisemen could interpret,
but gave Daniel the dream and the meaning, causing to the king to
get on his face and worship, not his gods, but the true and Living
God.
Ch 3 - Yahweh is starting to get through to Nebuchadnezzar, but
Ch 3, when Nebuchadnezzar made a golden image of himself, and demanded
that all the people worship it, shows that repentance can take some
time, and also shows God’s determination and the faithfulness
of His people. Nebuchadnezzar’s continued pride, believer’s
faithfulness, God’s faithfulness, Nebuchadnezzar’s repentance
Ch 4 - Nebuchadnezzar’s final stand of pride, the final straw,
God gives him one last chance.
Ch 5 - Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson has taken over. Daniel is
still there.
Daniel 5
1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his
lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. 2 While he
tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and
silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the
temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords,
his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3Then they
brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of
the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his
lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank
wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron,
wood and stone.
5 In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and
wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s
palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 6 Then
the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him,
so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked
against each other. 7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers,
the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the
wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and tells
me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain
of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the
kingdom.” 8 Now all the king’s wise men came, but they
could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation.
9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, his countenance was
changed, and his lords were astonished.
10 The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came
to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, “O king, live
forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance
change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit
of the Holy God. And 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, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers.
12 Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting
dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this
Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called,
and he will give the interpretation.”
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 captives
from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have
heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and
understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15Now the wise
men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they
should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation,
but they could not give the interpretation of the thing. 16 And
I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and explain
enigmas. Now if you can read the writing 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.”
17 Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Let your
gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will
read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom
and majesty, glory and honor. 19 And because of the majesty that
He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared
before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished,
he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished,
he put down. 20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit
was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and
they took his glory from him. 21 Then he was driven from the sons
of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was
with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his
body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most
High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever
He chooses.
22 “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart,
although you knew all this. 23 And you have lifted yourself up against
the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house 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, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear
or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns
all your ways, you have not glorified. 24 Then the fingers of the
hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.
25 “And this is the inscription that was written:
MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
26 This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered
your kingdom, and finished it; 27 TEKEK: You have been weighed in
the balances, and found wanting; 28 PERES: Your kingdom has been
divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” 29 Then Belshazzar
gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a
chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning
him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain.
31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two
years old.
Notice:
22 “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart,
although you knew all this. 23 And you have lifted yourself up against
the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house 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, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear
or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns
all your ways, you have not glorified.
1. Belshazzar’s Grandfather knew and respected God
2. Yet Belshazzar turned away from God to other gods
3. He should have known better
4. He and his nation came under God’s judgment
Likewise:
1. Our Grandfathers and Grandmothers knew and respected God
This nation was built by Christian people on Christian principles.
America has not been perfect, but when our people have realized
they were wrong about something, they changed it. Think about slavery
as an example.
Harvard, Yale, Princeton were all built to train ministers. Educated
men and women could read the NT in Greek.
Our Grandfathers and Grandmothers knew and respected God, and He
blessed them to build the greatest nation in the world, the greatest
nation that has ever been. Character, standards, morality, peace,
prosperity, blessing, even blessing other nations, helping those
in need.
2. Our nation is turning away from God to other gods
Putting our faith in things which cannot really help us - things
“which do not see or hear or know.” Anything but God.
Now it’s becoming pretty obvious to scientists that random
chance could not have produced the universe, Earth, and life as
we know it, that it had to be created. Will they admit that it was
God? No, now it was space aliens.
In many ways our society, our institutions are forgetting God.
What a tragic mistake, when we could have “the God who holds
your breath in His hand and owns all your ways”
Instead, we have revisionist history, secularization of our institutions.
God, the Bible, prayer, Christianity are downplayed, mocked, ridiculed,
opposed, persecuted.
Kid’s TV programs - no mention of God or faith. No Bible, no
prayer, no worship, no evangelism, no salvation, no need of salvation.
Instead, “The following CBN broadcast (The 700 Club) does not
reflect the views of ABC Family.” What? They’re against
prayer? The Bible? A Christian worldview? The Golden Rule? Helping
people in need? Words of knowledge for healing?
Look what we’re losing: 11 There is a man in your kingdom in
whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father,
light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods,
were found in him; 12 Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge,
understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining
enigmas were found in this Daniel
23 And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and
iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the
God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you
have not glorified.
It’s so sad to see this happening in our once great nation.
3. We should have known better
“You knew all this.” We see the blessing, peace and prosperity
of America. We see the lives, lifestyle, standard of living of our
forefathers and mothers. We know of their faith in God. And yet
we think we can just throw it all away, like an old hat, and invent
something else, and it’ll be better?
In 1844, a Frenchman wanted to start a new school in New York, based
on secularism. The people were horrified, and it went to court,
all the way to the Supreme Court, and they ruled that you cannot
properly educate a child without teaching about God, Christian principles,
sin and salvation, the Holy Spirit. And yet look at our public schools
today - they are just like the school the Frenchman tried to start.
We should have known “the God who holds your breath in His
hand and owns all your ways”
1892 Supreme Court
Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and
embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible
that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent
our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian.
Are our children being taught today that “God who holds your
breath in His hand and owns all your ways”? What’s going
to happen to successive generations?
Belshazzar wasn’t given second and third chances like Nebuchadnezzar.
Why? Should have known better. Generations are responsible to build
upon the knowledge of previous generations.
I’m sure God is looking at America today, saying, “You
should have known better.”
4. If we continue, we also will be judged
It’s already started. We see the writing on the wall. Men and
women of God are reading it, know it’s a warning from God,
and trying to say something about it, but nobody’s listening.
Conclusion
22 “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart,
although you knew all this. 23 And you have lifted yourself up against
the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house 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, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear
or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns
all your ways, you have not glorified.
Pastor Steve Boggan
Living Waters Christian Fellowship
Heritage Ranch by Lake Nacimiento, CA
Website - livingwaters.cc
