Sermon - Daniel 5:18-31 - Measured - Littleby Baptist Church - May 24, 2020

Daniel 5:18-31

King Belshazzar, the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, has not been making wise choices. He started out throwing a grand party for all of the nobles in Babylon. One of the probable motivators was in defiance to the Medes and Persians attacking the city. He believed that his city could not be conquered and acted in arrogance.

Then we see him take it to the next level. He pulled the holy vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Holy Temple many years prior and passed them around for the nobles to drink from. If that was not enough, Belshazzar and the nobles used these holy vessels to worship gods made from gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. He used the Holy Vessels from the One and Only God of the Heavens to worship fake man made pagan gods.

Next thing Belshazzar knows is a hand appears out of nowhere and writes on the wall. The king was filled with terror as he watched the hand write something he could not understand. He summoned his wise men, and they were clueless on what all of this meant. Human knowledge and wisdom got the prideful king absolutely nothing, even offering the best reward he could did not help.

At the advice of the queen mother, the king appears to reluctantly summon Daniel. While explaining the situation to Daniel, he pretty much talked down to him the entire time. The king saw a foolish, weak, insignificant, old, ex-slave who had no value. The king was judging Daniel through worldly eyes. Through God working in us, through the Holy Spirit guiding us, we can see the value in Daniel, his life, and the examples he has given us. We see a man who took a stand and depended on God. We see a man of prayer, a man of wisdom, and a man of faith.

Through the work of God’s Spirit, Daniel has been gifted with the wisdom he has needed time and time again. As we faithfully follow our God, that same Holy Spirit gifts us with what we need to carry out the task before us.

Last week we ended with:

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.”

Regardless of what the king had said, or how he said it. Daniel knew this was a message from God and he was the messenger. He was going to faithfully serve his God and did not need or want the reward.

Daniel 5:18-19

“¹⁸ Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, greatness, glory, and majesty to your predecessor Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹ Because of the greatness he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages were terrified and fearful of him. He killed anyone he wanted and kept alive anyone he wanted; he exalted anyone he wanted and humbled anyone he wanted.”

Daniel starts by giving Belshazzar a little history lesson, letting him know that Nebuchadnezzar achieved his greatness through the Most High God giving it to him. It had nothing to do with what Nebuchadnezzar accomplished on his own, it had everything to do with ‘the greatness he gave him.’ Without God’s intervention, Nebuchadnezzar would not have achieved all that he had.

Daniel 5:20

“²⁰ But when his heart was exalted and his spirit became arrogant, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken from him.”

I wonder if Belshazzar is really listening at this point and trying to understand what Daniel is saying, or is he half heartedly paying attention and wondering when Daniel is going to get to the point. Daniel is trying to get the king to open his eyes to the fact that he is following in Nebuchadnezzar’s footsteps. Nebuchadnezzar became prideful, arrogant, and hardened his heart. Belshazzar has been going down that same path.

Daniel 5:21

“²¹ He was driven away from people, his mind was like an animal’s, he lived with the wild donkeys, he was fed grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky until he acknowledged that the Most High God is ruler over human kingdoms and sets anyone he wants over them.”

Daniel continues to remind the king that Nebuchadnezzar was judged for his behavior, until he finally acknowledged that the Most High God is the ruler over all. Nebuchadnezzar had to acknowledge that it was not by his own power that these things were achieved, it was God’s intervention. Daniel was trying to get the king to see that repentance was needed.

I wonder if Belshazzar was starting to get the point, or was he still waiting for Daniel to get to the interpretation.

Daniel 5:22

“²² “But you his successor, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this.”

Nothing Daniel said was new to Belshazzar. He knew all of this. He was aware of what happened to his grandfather. He knew the history, he knew the judgement, and he knew how Nebuchadnezzar was ultimately restored. Yet, here he is facing judgement for the same behavior. He followed in his grandfather’s footsteps to a point, but he stopped short of what was really needed.

Daniel was straight and to the point, you ‘have not humbled your heart.’ That probably got the kings attention, as he was probably not used to people talking to him like that.

Daniel 5:23

“²³ Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of the heavens. The vessels from his house were brought to you, and as you and your nobles, wives, and concubines drank wine from them, you praised the gods made of silver and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or understand. But you have not glorified the God who holds your life-breath in his hand and who controls the whole course of your life.”

Daniel is not pulling any punches. The king has shown that he has no regard for the One True God. In his act of using the holy vessels to worship the manmade gods, he was basically making a bold statement that he was equal to if not greater than God. He was challenging the only God who holds course of his life and his every breath in his hand.

Job 12:10

“The life of every living thing is in his hand, as well as the breath of all humanity.”

God is in complete control of Belshazzar’s life, Daniel’s life, and He is in complete control of our lives. While some, like Belshazzar, do not understand what that means or choose to flat out ignore it, God is in absolute control.

Daniel on the other hand has given us examples of what it means to trust in God. He shown us that we should take a stand when needed, we have seen him go to our Lord in prayer, and we have seen the Holy Spirit guide him.

I pray that each of us walk in faith and let the Holy Spirit work in us, shape us, guide us. I pray that we are open to His leading and that we do not turn away from Him.

Daniel 5:24-28

“²⁴ Therefore, he sent the hand, and this writing was inscribed. ²⁵ “This is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. ²⁶ This is the interpretation of the message: ‘Mene’ means that God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end. ²⁷ ‘Tekel’ means that you have been weighed on the balance and found deficient. ²⁸ ‘Peres’ means that your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.””

Belshazzar has been weighed, he has been measured, and he was found wanting. His pride and arrogance coupled with his elevation of the fake pagan gods over the One True God was more than enough. This was not a simple act of someone struggling with a sin and failing to overcome it, this was a blatant attack on God. Belshazzar had hardened his heart, and this was the last straw in a life of turning away from God.

Belshazzar challenged the One and Only God and is being judged for it. The crime has been committed, the verdict has been given, and judgement is coming.

I would never want to hear that I have been measured by God and found deficient.

Matthew 7:21-23

“²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. ²² On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ ²³ Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’”

Sadly, their will come a day that people who think they have done enough by being a good person, saying a prayer one day, or even going to church on a regular basis, they will realize that it was not enough. We are not saved by what we do, we are saved by turning to Jesus, repenting of our sins, and following Him. It is not a checklist to be done, it is a life change. Some will think they are doing great, but when judgement day comes, they will hear that they had been weighed, measured, and are lacking. They may have heard the good news, may have walked up to the altar, they may have said a pray, and even played the part. But their faith was only been skin deep.

When we read things like:

Hebrews 4:12

“¹² For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Hebrews 12:1

“12 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us”

I could easily go on, about putting on the full armor of God, being witnesses, making disciples, being filled with the Holy Spirit, Loving God, Loving Others, caring for others, providing for those in need… these are not things that come from skin deep faith, these things are part of recognizing that Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith, and the more we follow Him, the more our faith grows.

Those who have faith that grows are part of the Family of God, they will not be found deficient, and will not hear those dreadful words of ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’

Daniel 5:29-31

“²⁹ Then Belshazzar gave an order, and they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a gold chain around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. ³⁰ That very night Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans was killed, ³¹ and Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.”

As foretold judgement came.

Every one of us will stand before our Lord someday. The question is, will we be seen as God’s child or will we be standing their trying to get through on our own merits?

Belshazzar thought he was in control, but the truth is even a king had to answer to God. Are you ready to answer to the One True God or do you need to make a choice today that leads to a faith that grows; a faith that leads to Eternal Life.

If you have yet to make the decision to follow Jesus, go to Littlebybaptist.org and you will find a short message about salvation. Watch it, and you choose to join the family please reach out to me, I would love to hear from you. 

God Bless,

Robert