Sermon - Daniel 5:10-17 - As the World Sees or as God Sees - Littleby Baptist Church - May 17, 2020
Daniel 5:10-17
23 years after the death of King Nebuchadnezzar, his
grandson Belshazzar decided to throw a huge feast for all the nobles of Babylon
with Medes and Persians attacking outside. Instead of monitoring the situation
and preparing to defend Babylon, he is partying it up without regard of what is
happening to his people or what the future may hold. Belshazzar believed that
the great city of Babylon had more than enough supplies to outlast the invaders
and that there was no way they would ever get through the wall.
Belshazzar was so confident that Babylon would prevail over
the attackers that he pulled the holy vessels from the Temple of God out and
used them to worship their man make fake gods. He did this to show that Babylon
was superior to Judah back in the day and would be triumphant over the Medes
and Persians today. This sacrilegious act of elevating the do-nothing fake gods
and even himself over the God of the Hebrews was that final straw.
A hand appeared out of nowhere and wrote on the wall. The
arrogant king was filled with terror as he watched the hand write something he
could not read. He summoned all of his wisemen, who even after being offered
the third highest position in the land could not tell the king what it meant.
All the wisdom of this prideful king got him nowhere. All
the knowledge, wisdom, and input from the fake pagan gods were no help at all.
Once again, we see that human knowledge and wisdom will fall short.
1 Corinthians 1:24-25
“24 Yet to those who are called, both
Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, 25 because
God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger
than human strength.”
Anything that may be seen as God’s foolishness is still
greater and wiser than all the wisdom any human or even a group of pagan
wisemen can muster. None of them could understand who was doing this or what
they were trying to say.
An arrogant king mocked and challenged the Almighty God, God
responded, and man is confused, scarred, lost and has no clue what to expect or
do.
Daniel 5:10
“10 Because of the outcry of the king
and his nobles, the queen came to the banquet hall. “May the king live
forever,” she said. “Don’t let your thoughts terrify you or your face be pale.”
The king, and the nobles were all crying out in fear over
not understanding what was going on. The queen, or more likely the queen
mother, who is believed to be the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar and the mother or Belshazzar
hears all the commotion and comes down to the banquet hall to see what is going
on.
From a cultural perspective she was not following protocol
when she come to the banquet hall without be summoned or recognized, and even
more she spoke to the king without being given permission. When I read her
words, I can’t help but think that she was correcting or even chiding her son
for not being composed as a king should.
Daniel 5:11-12
“11 There is a man in your kingdom
who has a spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your predecessor he
was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom like the wisdom of the
gods. Your predecessor, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the
magicians, mediums, Chaldeans, and diviners. Your own predecessor, the king, 12 did
this because Daniel, the one the king named Belteshazzar, was found to have an
extraordinary spirit, knowledge and intelligence, and the ability to interpret
dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems. Therefore, summon Daniel, and he
will give the interpretation.””
In some ways the queen mother is reminding the king about things
he really should already know. This being his kingdom he should know those who
are widely respected and who could help him. He should know who Nebuchadnezzar
turned to for guidance. You would think being Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson that he
might know the stories of how God used Daniel to interpret dreams.
The queen mother goes on to remind the king about Daniel and
how he had ‘a spirit of the holy gods’, and had insight, intelligence, and
wisdom. She continued by pointing out that he had the ability to interpret dreams,
explain riddles, solve problems, and more.
With Daniel serving Nebuchadnezzar for many years, his
daughter would have seen Daniel many times and may have been present during the
telling of the dream and its interpretation or the interpretation that was
pointing to the coming judgement. The queen mother had witnessed what she calls
‘a spirit of the holy gods’, but what we know to be the work of the One True
God. What she had witnessed in Daniel’s life and ministry, was the work of
God’s Spirit in him and through him.
As we have studied the book of Daniel we have seen that God’s
Spirit worked in and through Daniel. Those who witnessed, like the queen
mother, saw that wisdom, intelligence, knowledge, insight, the ability to solve
riddles and problems, and more.
John 16:13
“13 When the Spirit of truth comes,
he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he
will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come.”
The Spirit of truth that was at work in Daniel while he
served in Babylon, is in all of us who follow our Lord. That same Spirit that
guided Daniel, that same Spirit that will help us to be witnesses, will guide
us, teach us, and help us to see the truth.
The Spirit of God working in Daniel was obvious to those who
were around him, and if the Holy Spirit is working in our lives people will be
able to tell.
The queen mother obviously noticed and thought highly of
Daniel and was surprised that the king had no clue who he was. Daniel was in
his eighties, so he may had retired from public service. Maybe the king did not
want him around and choose to surround himself with advisors of his own. Maybe
the disdain the king is showing for the Hebrew God and the holy vessels has led
him to not rely on any of those who dame to Babylon as Hebrew exiles.
Daniel 5:13
“13 Then Daniel was brought before
the king. The king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the Judean exiles that
my predecessor the king brought from Judah?”
Not sure I would have noticed it, but a couple of the
commentaries I was reading pointed out the difference in how Daniel is treated.
The queen mother talks about Daniel with respect and focusing on what he has
accomplished, the wisdom he has shown, and in her context that he was touched
by the gods. The king on the other hand was focusing on how Daniel was a Judean
exile. Big contrast between the queen mother and the king.
By ignoring or rejecting Daniel, the king was ignoring or
rejecting the wisdom that God had given His messenger over the years.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29
“26Brothers and sisters, consider your
calling: Not many were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not
many of noble birth. 27 Instead, God has chosen what is
foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the
world to shame the strong. 28 God has chosen what is
insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to
nothing what is viewed as something, 29 so that no one
may boast in his presence.”
The king is of the world and when he looked at Daniel, he
saw a foolish, weak, insignificant, old man, who once was a slave. In the king’s
eyes, Daniel had no value. Instead the king put his faith in those the world
viewed as wise, those who had political power, and those who were wealthy.
Seeing things through worldly eyes paints a significantly
different picture than when looking at things as God looks at them. The king
saw Daniel as not worth his time or effort. When I read the Bible and what it
tells us about Daniel’s life, I see something of value. I see a man who took a
stand and depended on His God. I see a man of prayer, a man of wisdom, a man of
faith.
Daniel 5:14-16
“14 I’ve heard that you have a spirit
of the gods in you, and that insight, intelligence, and extraordinary wisdom
are found in you. 15 Now the wise men and mediums were
brought before me to read this inscription and make its interpretation known to
me, but they could not give its interpretation. 16 However,
I have heard about you that you can give interpretations and solve problems.
Therefore, if you can read this inscription and give me its interpretation, you
will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain around your neck, and have the
third highest position in the kingdom.””
I would expect the king to be looking for any and all
options to help him understand what was going on, but we continue to see
indifference from him towards Daniel.
14 - ‘I’ve heard that you have a spirit of the gods in you…’
16 - ‘I have heard about you that you can give
interpretations and solve problems. Therefore, if you can…’
The king spoke poorly to Daniel, but at the same time admits
that his people could not help him. He tells Daniel that ‘if he can’ provide
the interpretation he will be given the same reward as he had offered to the
others.
Proverbs 9:10
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the
knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
Through his repeated display for his contempt for the Most
High God, the Holy Vessels, and the Lord’s messenger it is obvious that the
king has shown that he does not fear God and does not believe in Him. He does
not fear of the Lord our God, He has no knowledge of the Holy One, and he shows
no wisdom and no understanding. The king may be grasping at straws, but he does
not have any faith in Daniel or his God.
Daniel 5:17
“17 Then Daniel answered the king,
“You may keep your gifts and give your rewards to someone else; however, I will
read the inscription for the king and make the interpretation known to him.”
If I was Daniel, I would be done with the king. The king was
given one of the greatest kingdoms on the earth, he committed blasphemy against
God, has the nerve to sit here and talk to Daniel like he is nothing.
Daniel will help the king, but not in service to the king.
Daniel will provide the interpretation as he continues to faithfully serve his
God. Through the work of God’s Spirit, Daniel has been gifted with the wisdom
he has needed time and time again and we see it here again in this
conversation.
As we faithfully follow our God, the Holy Spirit gifts us with
wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, performing of miracles, prophecy,
distinguishing of spirits, speaking in tongues, and the interpretation of
tongues.
The Holy Spirit grants us the gifts we need to carry out the
task before us. I do not know what each of us will face this coming week, but I
do know that our God is Faithful. If the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit
will gift as needed, we can count on it.
As followers in Christ we need to trust in our Lord, trust
that He will be with us always, and trust that the Spirit of God will equip us
for the task at hand.
God Bless,
Robert
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