Review:

Today we are continuing our study on the Christian Foundations looking at Daniel 5, asking the questions:

• “What does the everyday Christian life look like?”
• “What’s required for ongoing, genuine relationship with God.”

So far, we have learned that followers of Christ “Determine to be Different” because it is the law. Because of this we will face challenges. But, if we choose to place our “Confidence in God and His Covenant,” we will see that not only, is he still relevant, but so too are his promises. As the world continues to move away from God’s truth, true followers of Christ will have increasing opportunities to practice “Death-defying faith”. However, to those who accept His invitation to “Choose Him”, and remain faithful to His law of love, He shares and requires “Implicit Intimacy” through life-long, genuine relationship.

Accepting God’s invitation to be part of His family is life changing, worldview resetting and axis shifting—our lives go from central focused, to God focused. Choosing God above all else, making him the priority in our lives, is a constant tension we live in. Above all, God requires each of us to independently depend on him, whatever that looks like or plays out in our lives. To trust Him to, not only know what He’s doing and have the capacity to see his plan for us fulfilled, but also have the desire to do so.

Background

Cast and Crew:

• Nebuchadnezzar, who is mentioned but doesn’t play a starring role, died 30 years prior to this in 562BC (D 43)
• Nabonidus who is not mentioned but is very much in the background was Nebuchadnezzar’s successor. It is unlikely there was a biological connection. As was the case in the ANE, a successor to the king was called his son eg Jehu, King of Israel, is identified as “son of Omri”, even though there was no relation and God had called him wipe out the line of Omri. Generations can pass, and still a king can be called a previous king’s son. For example, Jesus is the son of David. It is the same here.
• Belshazzar, who is mentioned, plays a major role. Co-regent with his biological father, King Nabonidus, would one day be king. If all had gone to plan—so Nebuchadnezzar was his “Father”.
• Queen: is likely to be Nabonidus wife and Belshazzar’s mum.
• Daniel: was still known and operating in the kingdom. At this point he was around 66.

Context:

• This is happening in the year 539 BC
• In the last few days prior to this event, the Persians had smashed the city of Opis (80 km north on the Tigris) where Nabonidus was fighting with his army. He fled and was making his way back to Babylon. The Persians crossed the Euphrates, where the city of Sippar opened their doors and welcomed them in. Babylon would be aware this was all happening, and Belshazzar would have known Persia had Babylon next on its hit list.
• It appears that the banquet Belshazzar is throwing represents one final gathering before the significant events that are about to unfold. Belshazzar wasn’t necessarily hiding his head in the sand. Babylon was a defensible city, and he believed their gods were strong enough to defend them.

The Study:

What did Belshazzar do?

²² “But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this [everything that happened to Nebuchadnezzar]. 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 honour the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways.

Daniel 5:22-23

1. He sinned against Yahweh through disobedience and pride, not through ignorance.

Everyone—all kingdoms, people groups and influential rulers—in the ANE knew what everyone else was doing. It was not only an expectation of kings, nobles, wisemen and holy people, it was prudent for Kings to be aware of what their neighbours and potential rivals were doing. From birth, Belshazzar’s education would have included stories of his kingdom and the exploits of the previous rulers. Especially one so great as Nebuchadnezzar. It is inconceivable to think he was ignorant of all the events included during his reign, and the miraculous interventions of Yahweh.

2. He defied God by desecrating the sacred vessels

Everyone in the ANE also understood the significance of sacred vessels. The fact that these were still functional and hadn’t been melted down suggests their sacred nature.

Since the god of Babylon, Marduk, would have been seen as the conqueror—his people were the current reigning authority in the land—the objects belonging to the “conquered” gods would place in Marduk’s temple as booty. Belshazzar may have been using the vessels, to remind Marduk of previous victories and encourage him to act again on behalf of his people.

The problem with this was, Yahweh had already proven himself more powerful than Marduk. The God of Heaven allowed His people to be captured as an act of discipline. He had demonstrated he was not restricted by geography, a timeline, or a people group. Since Nebuchadnezzar had taken Judah into exile, the God of Heaven had repeatedly out classed, not only Marduk, but all the other local gods.

3. He praised idols and so did not honour God. 

Everyone in Babylon knew they were hanging on by a thread. The Persians were breathing down their necks and beating a bloody path to their gates. As we heard earlier, some towns offered no resistance at all. They opened their doors and welcomed them in.

Belshazzar and his officials were hoping their gods would give a repeat performance of their great victories in the heyday Nebuchadnezzar’s great conquests. To that end they were “toasting the gods” and celebrating their past victories. They were not only making their supplications to Marduk, the patron of Babylon, but to the gods of other cities of the region whose images had been collected by Babylon during their reign. Everyone except Yahweh.

How did he do it?

Knowingly and arrogantly

As I said previously, there was no way Belshazzar didn’t know about Yahweh: His miraculous interventions to interpret a secret dream, bless his servants abundantly and continually, redeem them from the fiery furnace, and illicit a declaration of praise and obedience from his own father. The bottom line is, Belshazzar knew who God was and what He was capable of. He chose to depend on other gods, and the defences of his city, not the God of his father. Neither of which did him any good.

What were the consequences?

• God intervened in a miraculous way… again.

Just a side note: the reason Belshazzar may have been absolutely petrified (apart from seeing a disembodied hand writing on the wall) was because in those times casualty counts from battles were made by cutting off the right hand of all the dead. One theologian suggests that as Belshazzar was using God’s vessels as a reminder to Marduk that Yahweh was dead. And so, a severed hand coming to life to write a judgement on the wall, would be like a decapitated head looking at him and declaring his fate.

• Belshazzar was judged and found wanting
  • Daniel was made third highest in the kingdom, against his wishes, for a few hours
  • That very night Belshazzar was killed as his own people opened the gates and gave access to the Persians.
  • Yahweh continued his perfect plan A with Darius and Daniel.

So What?

God does not have grandchildren

Like Belshazzar, we cannot ride our parents’, grandparents’, mentor’s, preacher’s coat tails into heaven. Whilst we can be influenced and encouraged by others, as independents, we need to make our own decision to be dependent on God. No one else can make that decision for us, or on our behalf.

Continual Crossroads and T-Intersections

At some point in our lives, we all come to a T intersection—not a crossroad, but an abrupt halt at which point we have to make a choice: left or right, up or down. For some it’s a dead end at the bottom of a pit. Consequences—of our own doing or others—lead us to a dire situation. We can no longer continue along the same path. We either choose to submit fully to God, or submit to sin, Satan and the world.

However, as we navigate the maze of life as children of God in an increasingly hostile world is, this T intersection is not a one-off occurrence. We may not be confronted with dire straits every day. But every day… every moment of every day, we are confronted with choice: God or sin.

Sacred Vessels

It may be helpful to remember, we are the sacred vessels of God. We are designed, created, and purposed for the glory of God. The Holy Spirit dwells within us therefore we are holy unto the Lord. For us not to be guilty of the same sin as Belshazzar, we need to humbly come before God and ask Him:

• What is my purpose in You?
• What is your plan for me?
• How can I serve and administer Your glory and grace? 

Belshazzar used God’s sacred vessels to pour out libations and offerings to other gods. We need to seriously consider how we are using the gifts and talents we have been gifted for the glory of God. Are we in fact glorifying God with what we have been given? Or are we using those gifts to glorify someone or something else. Or ourselves? Are we fulfilling our specific task? Or are we striving to emulate someone else’s, or even overshadow someone else’s?

One Dinner Set

Continuing the analogy of vessels, God is not going to create a complete dinner by making 144 side plates. He has created different vessels for different purposes to make a functional whole. Paul said it like this:

As sacred vessels, our job is to glorify God and enrich the body, by doing our job well.

Different and the Same

There are guiding principles for all of us: spending time in the presence of God, reading God’s word, spending time with God’s people.

Yet how we practice our devotion, obedience, humility, surrender, and dependence will differ because we have different gifts, talents, life experiences, different personalities, intelligences, capacities, learning styles, cultures.

So, whilst we are unified in our goal to serve and love the Lord, it’s unfair to expect the way we fulfil our role within the body and be salt and light in the world would be the same.

Striving to be like someone else (other than Christ), to emulate another’s ministry (other than Christ’s), or chase after another’s achievements (other than Christ’s) dishonours the person we were made to be. And more importantly, it dishonours God.

Legalistic Harness

Striving to be like someone else is not only fruitless, it’s an exercise in hard labour and ultimate futility.

If you live around here, if don’t own a horse, you will have seen them in paddocks where they may or may not be moving in one of their four natural gaits: walk-4 beat; trot-2 beat; canter-3 beat; gallop-4 beat. What you won’t ever see, is a horse “pacing”. That is the artificial gait men came up with: a parallel two beat.

In their wisdom, some people came up with the great idea of not only forcing an animal to move in an unnatural way, they’d strap them into harnesses, attach buggies to them and then race them.

When we strive to be like someone else (other than Christ) that is what our life is like. We are strapping ourselves into a harness that is not only unnatural, it’s uncomfortable, debilitating, unproductive, and ultimately doesn’t glorify God.

Freedom to Be the Me I was Created to Be

• “What does the everyday Christian life look like?”
• “What’s required for ongoing, genuine relationship with God.”

God invites us to step into relationship with him as the person he designed, created and purposed us to be. Together we have the privilege to call him our Father because that is who he is: not our grandfather. Our Creator God delights in us exploring our unique gifts and talents, utilising our life lessons and experiences to demonstrate His love to others, and to build up and encourage the body we belong to.

When we live in the freedom of who we are designed, created and purposed to be, we are experiencing genuine relationship with our Father as his children, not clones, demonstrating to the world exactly what the everyday Christian life looks like: humbly obedient, God honouring, independent dependent unique children of the One True God.

Questions to ponder:

1. Can you identify your specific gifts and talents?
2. Where/how do you serve our Father and the body?
3. Do you struggle with jealously of another’s gifts/service?
4. Could you be guilty of taking another’s place or shadowing their contribution?

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