From King Nebuchadnezzar’s very moo-ving experience in Daniel 4 we jump over 20 years to chapter 5, on Saturday, October 12, 539 BC.
We are still in Babylon, about fifty miles south
Bagdad Iraq today.
Daniel is about 60 years old.
King Nebs is dead. He reigned from 606 BC to his death
Oct. 7, 562 BC.
Then, Nebs son, Evil-Marduk, (Amel-Marduk) pronunciation: eh-veel
meh-roh-dahk took the throne.
Aramaic meaning: Soldier of Merodak.
Regardless of his name, he was undoubtedly influenced
by Daniel’s Godly character and his father’s change from the heart of a cow, to
the humble heart of a king whose last recorded words are “I,
Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of
whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk
in pride He is able to put down.” Daniel 4:37.
The only Biblical records of Evil-merodach, focus
on a single act that is opposite of evil, and reveals that no matter what name the
world gave him, he rose to a Higher calling.
2 Kings 25:27-30,
"In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in
the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he
released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison on the twenty-seventh
day of the twelfth month. And he spoke kindly to him and set his throne
above the thrones of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin
changed out of his prison clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table
for the rest of his life. And the king provided Jehoiachin a daily portion
for the rest of his life, for as long as he lived." (also, Jeremiah
52:31).
Sadly, he only
reigned for a couple years until murdered by Neriglissar, his brother-in-law,
married to his sister, Nitocris.
Neriglissar died four years later, in battle. Their mentally
diminished son, Labashi-Marduk briefly inherited the throne but in a matter of
months was killed in a coup and Nabonidus took the throne. He just happened to
be married to the ex-queen, ex-queen mother, recently widowed, Nitocris.
She’s the one common denominator in the untimely
deaths of her king brother and king husband and king son. Maybe Nebuchadnezzar
should’ve named her, Evil-Nitocris.
Nabonidus and Evil-Nitocris had baby
Belshazzar, (Dan. 5:1).
However, for centuries critics discredited Daniel
because there were no historical records of Belshazzar.
The Bible doesn’t need historical records for
confirmation, the Bible is confirmation because it is HIStory. And like always,
eventually, archeology and science catch up with the Bible.
In 1854 John Taylor discovered a cuneiform clay
cylinder where Belshazzar is mentioned by name.
It reads:
“As for me, Nabonidus, king of Babylon,
save me from sinning against your great godhead and grant me as a present a
life long of days, and as for Belshazzar, the eldest son -my offspring- instill
reverence for your great godhead in his heart and may he not commit any cultic
mistake, may he be sated with a life of plenitude.”
Nabonidus didn’t
care about being king. He pursued archeology and priestly endeavors of pagan
worship. He lived hundreds of miles away and rarely returned to Babylon.
So, he made Belshazzar, coregent, co-ruler from
556-539 BC.
Perhaps he stayed away from his queen for his own safety,
maybe queen Evil-Nitocris stayed in Babylon to run the show behind the scenes.
Okay, so Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson, Belshazzar, is on
the throne.
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.
Nebuchadnezzar was Belshazzar’s grandfather.
Father is used to infer
he was a descendant of king Nebby.
Like Jesus is the Son of David. Or Abraham is called
Father Abraham.
Additionally, there wasn’t a good word for grandpa or grandson
in Hebrew or Babylonian languages.
Okay, so, Belshazzar’s having a big party and says, Hey,
somebody get the gold and silver cups Grandpa Nebby took from the temple in Jerusalem...
Quick Fact: Did you know that archeologists
discovered in the ruins of Nebuchadnezzar's palace a large 56'x173' throne
room, the probable location of Belshazzar's feast.
3 Then 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.
They say the women were present for the sole purpose of
turning the party into a drunken orgy.
Booze and sex. Like
every weekend in honky-tonks and hip hops and college frats.
BUT IT DOES NOT STOP THERE.
Sin never satisfies. They
could not stay in their lane and simply enjoy their sinful pleasure. All sin
leaves you emptier than before, craving what cannot fulfill.
Make no mistake, behind all sin is a demonic attempt
to poke God in the eye, to spit in His face. To defile that which is sacred.
They crossed the line to defile the sacred from the
house of God.
Sin lusts to defile the sacred.
Sin lusts to defile the sacred pulpit. Deceived
preachers in their lust for approval defile Sacred Scripture to promote propaganda.
Like puppets they parrot the same lies. Lately, it’s anti-Israel, anti-border,
anti-guns. They are prochoice, pro LGBTQ+.
They are those to whom Jesus speaks in John 8:43-44. Why
do ye not understand My speech? even because you cannot hear My Word.
44You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father
you will do...
He speaks of them when He says: Not everyone who
says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he
who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that
day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in
Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will
declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice
lawlessness!’ Matthew 7:21-23.
Sin lusts to defile the sacred children.
Perverts prance in libraries and elementary schools. Sesame Street promotes
perversion. Evil witch doctors mutilate children, spitting in God’s face in the
name of transgender.
Sin lusts to defile the sacred sanctity of
life. They are not satisfied to just wallow in their own sin.
They march into the Church, to defile marriage and family and all that is holy.
When any nation becomes so arrogant that they mock God
like this, the handwriting is on the wall, their demise is
at the gate.
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.
While they were having a party, getting drunk, the
hand appeared and wrote on the wall. This is where we get the phrase: “The
handwriting on the wall.”
Do we also see a bit of Godly irony? Handwriting on
the plaster to the plastered.
Some believe the lampstand was the Menorah
taken from the temple in Jerusalem.
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.
The laughter stopped. The wine, women and song were
through.
The king was undone, emotionally, (countenance)
mentally (thoughts), physically (joints, knees).
HE LOST IT. If he was standing, he collapsed.
The floating, disembodied hand was scary, but the words
held him spellbound with terror.
A handwritten note was all it took to change
everything.
Life is fragile like that.
Test results. Terminal. 2-3 months.
There was an accident.
Missing in action
Affair.
Divorce.
Miscarriage.
It is too late.
One word can change everything. Especially, if like
Belshazzar, your life is built on sinking sand.
Matthew 7:24-27 “Everyone then who hears
these WORDS of Mine and DOES them will be like a wise man who built his
house on the ROCK. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds
blew and beat on that house, but it did NOT fall, because it had been FOUNDED
on the ROCK. And everyone who hears these WORDS of mine and does NOT DO
them will be like a FOOLISH man who built his house on the SAND. And
the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that
house, and it FELL, and GREAT was the FALL of it.”
On Christ the Solid Rock, you can hear the worst and
still stand strong and say like our dear friend recently said
Well, I’m heaven bound! It’s a fast-paced cancer already spread to
colon, liver and lymph nodes. I have a few months to live. I choose to shout
glory hallelujah as my savior reaches down and takes me home! Shirley Mackenzie.
7 The king
cried aloud...
And fell to the ground, repented of his sins, and
begged for God's mercy?
Nope.
7...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.
He called in the fortune tellers.
Why do we do that? Why do we look for life among the dead? Why do we look for wisdom among the foolish? Why do we
run to Google, our friends, the doctor, before God?
Why do we pay no attention to God’s free
wisdom, but pay everything we own to doctors, lawyers, and shrinks?
The wisdom of this world is foolishness to
God, 1 Cor. 3:19.
10 The queen,
(mother)
because of the words of the king and his
lords, came to the banquet hall.
The queen is likely, Nitocris, Belshazzar’s mom. (See,
as we suggested previously, she may have stayed home while king Nabonidus
stayed far away out of harm’s way).
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.”
Do people say that about you? That in you is the
Spirit of the Holy God, that light and understanding
and wisdom are found in you?
If you are filled with the Holy Spirit then you should
exhibit His fruit which is: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Galatians
5:22-23.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are: Wisdom,
Knowledge, Faith, Healings, Miracles, Prophecy, Discernment, Tongues,
Interpretation. 1 Corinthians 12:4, 8-11, 28.
If you are a Christian Jesus says this about you:
Matt. 5:14-16, You
are the light of the world... Let your light so shine before men, that
they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
James 1:5-7, If
any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all
liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him
ask in faith...
If you are a Christian, those qualities, like Daniel,
should be a part of your character. If not, let’s talk and pray and ask the
Lord for an attitude adjustment.
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?
Belshazzar didn’t even know Belteshazzar (Daniel).
He could’ve known him. Should’ve known him. Didn’t know
him. Wasn’t interested enough in the things of God to know the man of God. Rather
than building a relationship with God and His people, he had more important things
to build, on sand.
Until the handwriting was on the wall.
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. 15 Now 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.
Danny might’ve chuckled, “yeah, I know, they never could
answer your grandpa either.”
The world has no answers.
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.”
Belshazzar was coregent (co-ruler) with his dad, Nabonidus.
So, the best he could offer was third.
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.
Now, that is the peace and security and
satisfaction we want in our relationship with Jesus.
The world has nothing to offer.
But, there is no question My God can’t answer.
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.
Belshazzar knew all this because he was about fourteen
when his grandpa Nebs went nuts for seven years.
He would have remembered that, and especially the change
for the better after his grandpa came back to his senses and acknowledged and
gave glory and honor and praise to the Most High God who rules in the kingdom
of men.
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;
They chose to worship the creation rather than the
Creator.
...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.
Definitions: numbered, numbered, weighed, divided.
26 This is the
interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your
kingdom, and finished it; 27 TEKEL: You have been weighed
in the balances, and found wanting; 28 PERES: Your kingdom
has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”
Then the king fell to the ground, repented of his sins,
and begged for God's mercy?
Nope.
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.
His heart was so numb and so dumb he just went about
business as usual.
That is why it is so dangerous to not heed the Voice
of the Lord. How shall we escape if we neglect so great a Salvation as His
non-stop knocking?
Day in, day out His handiwork calls us to Him. Each
time we neglect to respond, is a rejection of His call, and one day, like
Belshazzar, we’ll see the handwriting on the wall—but then, it’ll be too late.
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.
King Cyrus of Persia, set Darius the Mede as the new
king over Babylon.
History tells us that very night was Saturday, October
12, 539 BC.
Belshazzar and crew thought they were safe behind the impenetrable
walls of Babylon. They were 300’ high, 80’ thick, so thick that chariots would
race on top. The Euphrates River went through the city, and around the walls as
a mote.
No one could ever breach such walls and mammoth iron
and bronze gates.
Or so they thought.
The Medo-Persian Empire spent months outside their
walls. With thousands of warriors and workers they dumped sand into the
Euphrates and diverted its flow. Then, they walked in under the gates, under
the walls, on the dry riverbed.
The Jewish Talmud, (commentary on Hebrew Scripture)
says Daniel met Cyrus at the gate, and read to him out of Isaiah 44-45, where
it calls Cyrus by name, 150 years before he was even born.
Just as prophesied in Scripture, King Cyrus allowed the
Jews to go back to their homeland and rebuild the temple.
Isaiah 44:27-28,
Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry!
And I will dry up your rivers’;
28 Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My
shepherd,
And he shall perform all My pleasure,
Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,”
And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’
Isaiah 45
“Thus says the Lord to His anointed,
To Cyrus, whose right hand I have
held—
To subdue nations before him
And loose the armor of kings,
To open before him the double doors,
So that the gates will not be shut:
2 ‘I will go before you
And make the crooked places straight;
I will break in pieces the gates of bronze
And cut the bars of iron.
3 I will give you the treasures of
darkness
And hidden riches of secret places,
That you may know that I, the Lord,
Who call you by your name,
Am the God of Israel.
4 For Jacob My servant’s sake,
And Israel My elect,
I have even called you by your name;
I have named you, though you have not
known Me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;
There is no God besides Me.
Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, wow! You are amazing, revealing the end from the beginning,
calling Cyrus by name before he was born. Lord, although our names may not be
written in Your Bible, we thank You for the honor and joy of being able to have
our names written in Your Book that grants us entry into Your heaven. If our
name is not there, please convict us to get it there by repenting and receiving
and committing our whole to loving and following You, forever. Then, please,
flow through us to help others find their way to You, too, before the handwriting
on the wall tells us, it’s too late.
Thank You.
We love You, forever.
Amen.
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