Dan. 5:1-6, 22-31. The power of God's word

Dan. 5:1-6, 22-31. The power of God's word

5:1-6, 22-31
1 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them.
2 While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.
3 So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.
4 As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote.
6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.
22“But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this.
23 Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways.
24 Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.
25 “This is the inscription that was written: mene, mene, tekel, parsin
26 “Here is what these words mean: Mene : God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
27  Tekel : You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
28  Peres : Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
29Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.
30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain,
31 and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.

<Sermon Summary>
  King Belshazzar held a great feast, poured wine from the vessels taken from the temple in Jerusalem, and praised idols. At this time, fingers appeared and wrote letters on the walls of the palace. The king, possessed by fear, called on Daniel, recommended by the queen, to find out the meaning of the letters. Daniel, who was over 80 years old, recalled what happened to King Nebuchadnezzar before and rebuked King Belshazzar for his arrogance. The words written on the wall (God's word), Mene Mene tekel Ubarsin, mean, "When God saw that the king was lacking, he divided the king's kingdom in two and gave it to the Medes and Persians, and the king's kingdom came to an end." According to Daniel's interpretation, according to God's word, that night, King Belshazzar died, and Darius the Mede became king.

1. God spoke to King Belshazzar in their feast (1-6)
  King Belshazzar invited a thousand nobles to a great feast to show off once again the glory of Babylon. He drank wine from the holy gold and silver vessels that King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem (3) and praised his idol gods (4). How blasphemy was this? It was truly blasphemy when he drank worldly wine for holy use in worshiping God. And he did idolatry, praising idols. Without knowing God, he became proud of himself and fell into pleasure and debauchery. But God did not destroy him with thunder or lightning. He quietly had human fingers write letters on the walls of the palace, and he spoke in writing. When King Belshazzar saw the writing finger, his countenance changed and he trembled in fear (6). He woke up from a drunken mood and was troubled, his thigh joints loosened, and his knees trembled and bumped into each other (6).
 How are we? Aren't you proud of God? Are you reverently on your knees before a holy God, praying, fearing and worshiping the Lord, and listening to His word? Even if we are not perfect, we bless you to listen to the word of God.

2. God revealed King Belshazzar’s sins through Daniel (22-23): Daniel told the sins of King Belshazzar in the light of Nebuchadnezzar's history. 1) The king acted arrogantly (22). He exalted himself above God. 2) He blasphemed God. He drank in the world's pleasures from the holy vessel of God's temple. 3) He praised idols (23). He praised idol gods who could neither speak nor hear, nor see nor walk. And he wanted the king to know that God “claims the king’s breath!” (23). Actually, being alive is not a big deal. When God takes our breath, we are left with a body that is dust. Knowing this, we say, “God, give me a good breath.” You must pray humbly.

3. Mene Mene Tekel Uparsin (24-31)
  These are the letters written by the fingers. These are the words(revelation) of judgment and the destruction of the king and the Babylonian kingdom that God has given. Daniel, God’s old servant, interpreted this. He was an expert in the Word. 1) ‘Mene’: ‘to be counted’, that is, ‘God has already counted the days of Belshazzar’s reign and set its end’ (26). 2) ‘Tekel’: ‘he run on the scales’ (27), ‘He weighed the king on the scales and it was not enough to meet God’s standard’ (less than the content). God weighs our actions (1 Sam.2:3). 3) 'Uparsin': 'divided', 'the kingdom of the king is divided and delivered to the Medes and Persians'. King Belshazzar thought he lived by counting himself and weighing himself with the world. But God is the one who counts, weighs, divides, and ends him.
  In the end, on that very night, God caused the king to die, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom. Mene Mene Tekel Uparsin! God counts us, weighs us, and brings us to an end. But we want God to only do Mene Tekel to us. May God not do Ubarsin. Rather, after counting and weighing me, we want us to put something more on top of our life, or make it stronger or better. What should we do? If we live according to God's will, won't God make it that way? Let's know that we are all living according to the word of God.

  Dear saints, I bless you that all of us are grain saints recognized by Jesus, and that you will be honorably used as a vessel that weighs spiritual, religious, and the Word on the scales of God. Amen.