Misplaced Glory: Part One
With Thanksgiving Day right around the corner, I am reminded how important it is to be grateful for God’s blessings. I wonder, however, how often we take praise that should be directed toward God and assume it as our own.
I must ask, is there any harm in doing so? Is it a harmless delusion or are there ramifications involved in subverting the praise due to the Almighty?
Today, we begin in Daniel 5:1-13. It is rather a lengthy reading, but indeed what greater book could we read than God’s own words?
“Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
2Belshazzar, 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.
3Then 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.
4They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
5In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
6Then 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.
7The 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.
8Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.
9Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.
10Now 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:
11There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;
12Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.
13Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?”
Most of us are familiar with this historical account. And from this passage, we can easily pick out his faults. Not only did he use the vessels from the temple for lustful consumption, but he is an idolator. We might easily assume, due to his lack of regard for the one true God, that he has no knowledge of the God of Israel.
But…let us consider the man’s background. Belshazzar is the son of Nebuchadnezzar, who served Jehovah in his own way, giving reverence to the prophet, Daniel. This is not to say that he did not have issues with idolatry himself. In fact, at one point in his reign, the object of his worship became not simply an idol of stone or wood….but himself!
Nebuchadnezzar began to praise himself, saying ‘Look at what I have done!’ God humbled the man for his self-glorification by altering the state of his mind. He began as a beast, roaming the fields of his own kingdom, cropping the grass! This lasted for years!
It was only once Nebuchadnezzar had been humbled and realized that all glory was due to God that he was brought back to his rightful mental state and continued to rule his kingdom.
Astonishing though it may seem after having seen his father’s repentance, Belshazzar took the throne after his father’s death and refused to serve the Lord. We are not acquainted with the details of their father-son relationship or whether Nebuchadnezzar had been able to impart anything of his beliefs to his son. However, it is certain that all in the kingdom were perfectly aware of the king’s condition as he groveled in the fields, eating the same as the cattle!
Daniel 5:22-28 continues Belshazzar’s encounter with the Almighty.
Daniel is found reminding Belshazzar of his father’s ordeal: “21And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.
22And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;
23But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
24Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.
25And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
26This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
27TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
28PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”
Consider how you might feel if God sent a preacher to you, saying “God has numbered your career, your ministry, and your family and it’s over. God has judged your life and it isn’t enough. Everything you’ve worked for is being given to your enemies. You and your family are through!”
How many of you would want such words spoken over your life?
Today, words don’t seem to mean as much as they used to. We say we’ll be at the café at 7:00 but arrive at 7:08. We give compliments we don’t mean to serve ulterior motives. We tell half truths to keep ourselves out of trouble or to further our own desires.
Having worked in a long term care facility, I have often heard the old-timers say that one’s word is his bond. Back in the day, your word and your fulfillment of what you had spoken was your measure as a man or woman.
Sadly, although our culture has changed, making written contracts a must, God has not changed and His words are not idle. He means what he said…and His Word was even put into writing!
How can we keep the words, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN from being written over our lives? We must know the signs of misplacing the glory…and change our ways before it is too late. Notice that once Belshazzar received the writing on the wall, it was too late to repent!
Being king, he thought that his actions were justified and even…normal. Could it be that we have fallen into the same misconception when it comes to accepting the praise of man?
I'll continue this vein of thought tomorrow! Meanwhile, think about it!
