In Gods Hands

Daniels Prophecy 5:1-10

Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.

Here the scene changes. King Nebuchanezzer has gone away having fallen into the prophecies of the Lord. How many of you know that even there, God can keep you. Whether you make your bed in Sheol or ride the winds of the morning, he is there as Book of Psalms 139:8-9 describes. There is comfort to be found here in the middle of a very unsettling time. King Belshazzar has a name unlike that of Daniels as seen in the last chapter. It is more akin to the meaning of Belzeebub, the prince of the demons, by whose power the Lord was accused of using in Lukes Gospel 11:18-19 to do his work. Here, the king is seen drinking wine to excess, partying, and living riotously. With a thousand lords attending this feast, one can well imagine what state the kingdom is in. It is not very good; I say that for a few reasons. First, a lot of people attended a huge feast. There are so many there that the king needed to haul out the sacred serving dishes from the house of the Lord to finish hosting it. Much like his wine is to excess, this man is also suffering from a lack of judgment. You might be saying to yourself that he sounds blessed.

But is he really? He has concubines, wives, princes, and a thousand lords at this banquet. You might be saying it sounds reasonable. Remember, King Darius the Mede ruled the nation of a larger size with less than a hundred men that were not even doing their jobs at one point.

This man does not seem to know when to stop. Not only that but he is ready to swear by the Heavens and the throne of God himself as foretold in Isaiahs Vision 14:12-14. You might be saying, come on now, its just a party. The act of using the sacred vessels from the house of the Lord for common everyday use even on this occasion would have been an insult and a profaning of the Holy. Moreover, these were the things consecrated to be used in the offerings of the people according to 2 Timothy 2:20-21. Here they served mixed wine to all of any importance at this feast. How many of you remember Book of Psalms 75:8 saying that the cup of judgement in the hand of the Lord is mixed. King Belshazzar is creating his own judgment and yet he does not see it. He should have been content with one wife and a few rulers and princes; however, being neither wise nor content, he did more. How much more is soon to be revealed. How many of you know that when a foolish ruler is in office the people suffer. There is no mention made of provision for the people in the land who may have had need of food and drink also. If anything at all, this is going for these princes, lords, wives, and concubines entertainment.

This is what the Scripture means when it says that certain Israeli kings as in Book of Kings 15:26 that did evil when it came to the things of the Lord and you best believe me it is in his sight in whose all this is seen. The people are suffering as the poor of Israel which Isaiahs Vision 14:32 makes it clear of this time. What they suffer from is hunger, thirst, and need because a foolish ruler sat upon the throne. King Belshazzar, much as his demonic namesake did, took more than was needed. He took to excess with the intent to spoil the people. Like Satan, his mission seems to be to steal, kill, and destroy but he is doing it softly. How many of you know that what this man is doing is more than what is necessary to sustain life or even to rule righteously. He is not I can assure you doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly before his God as commanded in Micahs Prophecy 6:8. King Belshazzar has no fear or reverence for anyone but himself. He drinks wine before he even serves his other guests. Indeed, it is a poor sign of worse things to come.

Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

Everyone drank from these sacred vessels. Then, they praised everything but the God of Heaven. This is like having a corporate dinner where the wine bill is over a hundred thousand dollars, and everyone gets a back slap. Not only that, but they are falling down worshipping the vessels, the wine, the walls, the pillars of the house, and each other. Sounds like a right thumping pagan party and even Bacchus, the wine god of the Greek mythology, came too. The text does not say so directly, but it seems to imply a full-blown orgy devoid of any common sense at all. There is nothing wrong with wanting nice things. There is nothing wrong with having them either or keeping them that way. There is a problem, however, when you are ready to pledge your life in service to them as these people have done. Do you not know that what you serve becomes what you worship. His father had so carefully taught the people; now, his son, king Belshazzar was ready to give him the proverbial middle finger and throw away his legacy of faith. I can hear him now cursing out the old man in his mind. As we will see in the next section, Daniel was quite disturbed. I would imagine anyone else with any spiritual sensibility was as well. The good king has gone and now the bad one has come. All that is left are the words of the Lord and some unfinished prophecies. Aling the way, we have only seen some temporary victories. Things do not seem to be working out very well for the Lord and his people in the long run. How many of you know that God can deliver even from situations such as this. These people have eaten and drank as against the life and death of the Lord Jesus; 1 Corinthians 11:29 says they thereby invited damnation upon themselves. As in todays time, God will not let his people go undelivered nor those disrespectful be uncorrected.

In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.

King Belshazzar was shaking; maybe he recognized the fingers of the hand that wrote these things. Maybe he did not, but now seemed to be in the middle of a haunting. How many of you know that God is greater than anything supernatural. God understood the kings intent and wanted him to know that. We always visualize this part of the hand as being the first finger writing upon the wall. The text does not make this clear. What we do see is the king only seeing the part that wrote. Daniel could see the whole hand was that of a man. There is a blinding noted here as the eyes of this king seem dimmed. It is clear he has neither physical nor spiritual sense. His decay started internally with his relationship towards God and moved to the external. The fingers of the mans hand wrote against the candlestick on the palace walls. God came and met him where he was. To this king, such troubles had been made very personal indeed. When you see him you will know. John fell at his feet as one dead in Revelation of Jesus Christ 1:17. How much more will an unrighteous man bow before him however unwilling. May I suggest that his legs were weak under the power of God. Even the demons of James 2:19 believe in him and tremble. One day as in Philippians 2:10-11, every knee should bow, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord nor will it be to our own but to the glory of God the Father the Lord God Almighty before which we have come.

In Jewish culture they have boxes which house belongings of the deceased tying their spirit to this world. Stories have been told of base and mean people who upon possessing such boxes have found swarms of insect infestations, personal difficulties, or financial troubles. Here, God is making himself known as more than a spirit tied to a place. He is everywhere, even in the kings palace. God is not concerned with the affairs of men as we are. He interrupts a party and the very things the king was praising to warn him of his curse. How disturbed the king must have been to finally see that God was neither finished with his father nor was the God of his dreams dead. Now he has become the God of king Belshazzars nightmares so to speak. There is an undoing to be seen here. At the word of the Lord, the kings bones began to unjoint themselves and his tissues to unknit themselves. There is power in this speech. Inasmuch as the king had eaten and drank unworthily of the Lords dishes, so he had done as unto Christ. Now God will judge him accordingly. Because of the light seen, King Belshazzar will be judged that much more severely for having heard and known it.

The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.

I can hear the king crying now for help, but none could rescue him. What he promises the wise men was more than his father would but still less than these men could. He is not asking them to do some great thing. All the king asks is that these men tell him what this writing says. All those with any spirit of divination came in. None of them possessed the wisdom of God. It has been a long time since king Nebuchanezzer taught the captives to speak Chaldean. Shortly after, the wise men answered him in another language to tell him false and misleading things. Now this hand writes words in Aramean, a future corruption of Chaldean. Is it any wonder that these wise men knew nothing. They have been shown up three times now by something they could not do. If they did not know the language of faith, Johns Gospel 3:12 makes it clear they would know nothing of the world to come. May I say that God knows for he alone can tell the end from the beginning as in Isaiahs Vision 46:9-10. God is just beginning but for king Belshazzar there is an ending.

The wise men could not read the writing nor the interpretation. I find it hard to believe that with all their knowledge they could not. However, as I have said before, these men knew neither how to serve the Lord or speak Chaldean. Essentially, they have little use or purpose. All the wise men came for the position and the promotion but not for the interpretation. There is a lot I can say about these wise men, but I will have restraint. As I have said before, the Spirit of God was making a beginning while king Belshazzar was at his ending. Since time means little to God, how many of you know that he can be starting his work while man is making an end. See, it matters not if we come or go. What matters is that the Lords name is glorified unto the ends of the earth for all of time. He uses us to accomplish his purposes for good or for evil like he uses the angels both fallen or not. However, it is all about his purposes rather than ours.

Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied. Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:

Oh yes, now the one who tried to wrestle with God is troubled. This is how the cup in the hand of the Lord works. He gives it to those who trouble you to drink as in Isaiahs Vision 51:22-23; then he says to them who have oppressed you, bow down that we might go over only when our God has called you out and brought all things to an end, how many of you know that you aint bowing down no more then. When he has brought you out there amen. King Belshazzars countenance is changed because of the face of the Lord towards him. The face of the Lord is as one seeking his destruction. Whether the king knows this or not, he plainly sees that his gods of the created things have no powers over him now. This is someone like the God his father served, who has doubtless given him nightmares. Book of Psalms 34:16 promises that the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth. Thus does he know whatever is done there therein. Not hardly surprising now is it then that our God should have done such a thing there now, amen. That the God who cannot behold sin now must bring all things to an end.Now all his lords were shocked to see such things happening, yet they could do nothing. See, here comes the wife. Unlike the other wives and concubines, she could find something comforting to say at a time like this. Here this wife is very gracious to her husband even if he has not always been kind to her. In the Lords house, sometimes you will find grace at the hands of those who have been wronged the most. For as Book of Psalms 127:1 says, does not the Lord build the house thereof.

After all this, she could still be kind. She tells the king not to fear, but only to hear and call for Daniel. She remembered their father calling him whenever there were problems or difficulties. See, man forgot Daniel as they had Jesus in the grave or Joseph in prison, but God had not. This is how it will be at the end as it is now also. In the time of the tribulation there will be favor and grace in that house. Even with all the judgment and man appointing himself, God will still pour out his Spirit upon those he will per Acts of the Lord 2:17. Even when the dead small and great stand before him or the Antichrists body is given over to the fire of him seated on the throne, there will be peace. Someone shout God favored me. Look how gentle God is even in judgment. This judgement is certainly just; it is also kind. He could weep over Jerusalem in Matthews Gospel 23:37 but give his Son for the sin of the world. One day, when he judges the world, we will see his goodness and mercy on display. Book of Psalms 23:6 compares them to two watchdogs that follow the church all the way through to the Fathers house. He is surely just and holy. But nothing could be sweeter than to hear someone very much wronged say, do not be afraid, there is Daniel here. How many of you know that God is in the house today. He is here with us even now, even in this, and therefore there is nothing to fear.