Prepare to speak and hear the truth

  After Daniel clearly spoke about who God is, and showed that the Most High is the one who gives knowledge and insight, he then reveals what the king wants to know, he reads and then explains the writing on the wall;

‘the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honoured.

*24*“Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. *25*And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. *26*This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; *27*Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; *28*Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” 

*29*Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. 

*30*That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. *31* And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.’

Daniel 5:23–31.

Daniel, having preceded the revelation with a revelation of God's presence in his life and that of the king's family, tells Belshazzar that he has limited time left, that God has found him lacking, and that the kingdom he should have been caring for is going to be torn apart. Do you think that this is really what the king wanted to know?! These things are probably the worst news a king could get; He is going to die soon, his kingdom too is going to suffer and God is not pleased with him. However, Belshazzar does not get into a rage, he does not order for Daniel to be punished and killed, instead he gives Daniel the honours that he promised! Even though he has just been told that everything he has worked for is going to be ripped apart, and cease to be. So Belshazzar must have seen the validity in what Daniel shared, otherwise why would he have treated him so kindly? Maybe even the horrendous truth is better than the terrible unknown. 

The truth may be hard to hear and to tell, but it will do us good if we take it onboard. 

When someone comes to you for advice, or when you need it - do you seek the truth or placation and comfort from wherever you can get it? Or do you pray and ask God for revelation, for truth? 

If you really want solutions to the difficulties you are facing, if you really want to help your friends in times of trouble - then surely you owe ourselves and them the truth. No matter how painful and hard it is. Jesus tells us in the New Testament, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free'(John 8:31-31). What a marvellous promise! The truth does not bind or terrify, but it sets us all free - no matter how hard it may be to hear or tell, it is necessary for freedom. Maybe that is why Daniel was able to be honoured - because he was a man of God and a man of truth, telling a desperate king the honest truth, and Belshazzar could rest from his worry, because now he knew. I know that i prefer to know rather than be surrounded by unanswered questions and confusion, there's something about truth that puts us at ease. It gives us freedom.

When sharing the truth though, it is not acceptable to be harsh - either with ourselves or others. Daniel is great at framing the truth he needs to reveal. He prepares the king by explaining God’s interest, forbearance and existence before he interprets what the king says he wants to know. It is like he prepares a prologue for what he is about to reveal. This ensures his hearers that Daniel is relying on God for insight, and gives some background to God's previous work that may yet remain unseen. He gives an intro to the truth. 

Like Daniel, when we have a message from God to share with someone we should be clear to the person where our information is coming from. Prepare them to hear the truth that it is from God, tell them that you have prayed and that you believe God has spoken. Demonstrate the history of your understanding, and their experience of God (even if they do not see it, like Belshazzar), show that God has always cared about them and wants to speak into their lives now to help them. I think that most of us should probably spend more time considering how we reveal God's truth to people, rather than just going straight into it. Give consideration to your words, prepare a prologue through prayer. Sometimes the truth is hard to hear and share. Daniel understood that and prepared his audience to hear the cold, hard truth by displaying who has given the message, and how God has been active already, so that the hearers have time to contemplate the God whom this message is coming from before they receive the message. If you think about it, it is how medical practitioners deal with patients - they remind them of the tests, results and then the diagnosis and implications. It is not always the best news to hear, but there's a relief in the truth because it sets us free.

It doesn’t matter if you have something from God that will be encouraging, or an admonition like Daniel, but making it clear where your insight is coming from is key - otherwise however will they know that there is a God who cares for them? The truth can set people free, are you ready to share it with others? Next time God reveals something to you for someone, take time to construct your thoughts and frame the truth so that people can see the God of love, hope and freedom behind the truth.

Have you carefully considered the existence of God?

After the wise men of the kingdom had failed to read the mysterious writing and interpret it, Daniel is remembered. Therefore he is called upon for assistance, as a last resort just as in Nebuchadnezzar’s time. Both times the kings prefer to seek ‘wise’ worldly counsel than seek the truth of God. In this case, Belshazzar doesn’t even seem to know who Daniel is. When Daniel enters, the king tells him what he has heard of him, and again makes the promise of gifts and authority, this is Daniel’s response:

17*Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. *18*O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. *19*And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. *20*But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. *21*He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. *22*And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, *23*but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honoured. 

Daniel 5:17–23.

Daniel has certainly not become a frail old frightened man has he?! Even though he is in his 80s, living in this besieged city and has just been dragged in front of the king and his partying audience, Daniel still tells it like it is! He still tells the truth as uncomfortable and unwelcome as it may be - he stands with integrity and faith. He makes it clear from his introductory speech where his knowledge and understanding come from, and does not hold back his disappointment in Belshazzar’s lack of faith. In fact he holds Belshazzar to account for what he has and hasn’t done both in the present and the past. He reminds Belshazzar of the  well-documented story of his ancestor, Nebuchadnezzar, and points out that Belshazzar has not considered the reality of the Most High God even when, in his very own family, he knows how it is told that God has shown himself, yet Belshazzar has remained purposefully ignorant and disrespectful. 

Daniel points this out before he gets into why he has been brought there - not what Belshazzar was expecting - he just wanted to understand the writing, not be told off! Yet Daniel gives this background to demonstrate that God has been working all the way through, and Belshazzar has missed it. 

Before Daniel makes any attempt to relieve the terror the king is under, he shows why this has happened - because God has seen Belshazzar's wilful ignorance and disobedience, and wants his attention. Belshazzar is challenged for not seeing the truth, for not remembering or exploring the events that occurred with Nebuchadnezzar. He has had opportunity to see who God is through his family, through the stories Nebuchadnezzar has told, even through the very items that he defiled at the celebration - all these things point to who God is, but he chose to ignore and disregard them. Now is the time he is being called to account for it.

It is clear from this account that God expects us not to only learn from our own mistakes, but also the experiences, mistakes and successes of others. God has shown you things in others lives, maybe even in your own family history, so that you can learn from them and avoid the pain and disruption that disobedience and ignorance offers. Belshazzar didn’t, and that is brought against him, he and his kingdom suffer for it. 

It is God’s expectation that we learn from others; that we listen to their God stories and that we make an effort to discover whether God is real. Have you done that? Do you take people's faith stories and carefully consider them? do you allow them to build faith or even build curiosity? or do you just disregard them as Belshazzar did? 

One day you too will be called to account for your own life; for whether you have accepted, rejected or disregarded the existence of God, I wonder how you will fare...

how do you explain the inexplicable?

 We have read how Belshazzar was terrified by the mysterious hand writing on the wall, now we see his response as he responds to the shock;

7*The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” *8*Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. *9*Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his colour changed, and his lords were perplexed. 

Daniel 5:7–9.

Can you see his desperation?

The king is so alarmed that in the midst of the celebration he ‘cries aloud’, surely an unnerving response for a king. Then he orders the infamous wise men to come, they are summoned by the king’s command in the midst of the celebration. These worldly experts are are faced with the terrified king, a grand audience and are requested to read and interpret some mysterious writing. Doesn’t sound like such a tough job - to read something, but they cannot. They too are puzzled by this writing and the terror of the king increases as he realises his own intellect and that of the 'experts' has been outwitted. Where else can he turn?

The very people that are meant to be able to help, to bring answers and comfort have nothing. Known for their arts, knowledge and understanding, what a disappointment the 'wise' must have been to themselves and the king as they are shown not to be able to even read! What a contrast to what the king, the thousand people present and even the wise men expected. 

This is what can result when we rely on worldly things - whether that be understanding, material goods or even 'experts' - we, at some point, will be disappointed and let down. The king already felt; scared, confused and terrified, he became more so as he realised that all the resources he was dependent on failed. There are times when all the explanations, reasonings and insights are not enough, when they do not provide answers that suffice - .what then?

Are you prepared to put aside your dependence on your own understanding, and consider that there is something ‘out of this world’ going on? That even, perhaps, there IS a God that is trying to get your attention by allowing you to see that your resources - however vast, experienced, and dependable they have previously seemed - are not enough. Or do you decide to bury those events deep inside and not even face them because you cannot comprehend them? Having to live without the answer. 

King Belshazzar was not prepared to do that - he did all he could to seek out what this event meant. He used all of his resources, and those of others he knew, and still he was left ‘greatly alarmed’, and others also became ‘perplexed’ as there seems to be no reasonable explanation. Where do you go then?

Do you know God's presence?

At the beginning of Chapter 5 of Daniel we meet a different king of Babylon, Belshazzar. He is the last king of Babylon and is having a massive party, getting carried away, and he has begun to drink from the vessels from the jewish temple when this happens;

'5*Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. *6*Then the king’s colour changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. *7* The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. 

Daniel 5:5–7.

That is rather scary, right?! 

A floating, disembodied hand, writing on the wall right in the midst of this raucous celebration. King Belshazzar may have considered that he was seeing things, or maybe that he had drunk too much…..but clearly it was no magic trick, no figment of the imagination - It was so real that he could not explain away what he saw as his whole body responded in shock; Trembling, falling, looking as if he would faint. What a change from the pompous, proud, partying king that was lavishly celebrating and cavorting with those present! From the centre of celebration, the host is transformed into a quivering wreck. 

What a change this brought upon the celebration too. Suddenly all the fun and feasting disappears in a moment and horror has been exchanged for enjoyment. I wonder what the other people present must have thought as they saw the ghostly shock of the king, and heard his terrified cries for help. To see the king suddenly in this state would have been disturbing and require urgent action. Such an out of character response as an unknown terror had struck the king’s heart and mind. Something had to be done, but there was no-one present that could help relieve Belshazzar’s troubled mind. They might have offered comforting words, attempted to placate him, or offer him another drink, but no-one there could solve the puzzle of the writing or soothe the fright. So, the king rightly acknowledges that he needs outside help. There’s no-one in his immediate sphere, even though there are over a thousand people present, who can help resolve this matter, and he knows that he will not feel alright until this mystery is solved.

It is probably quite difficult for us to imagine being in the same situation - I do not expect many or any of us to see a floating hand writing on the wall. God clearly did this to get Belshazzar's attention. It may extreme, but it was necessary as God knows that Belshazzar would need conclusive evidence that there is another world outside the one he had built. A kingdom that is higher and capable of impossible things like a disembodied hand writing on the wall.

So, my question for you today is; are you aware of God's presence? or does God have to perform extreme things for you to see Him?

God does and will perform signs, wonders and miracles - are you seeing them? Do you expect them? Or are you someone that explains things away in your own mind so that they do not seem supernatural, but natural consequences? Are you waiting for your own writing on the wall experience in order to truly believe?

Facing Challenges

 I am not quite sure what happens between the end of chapter 4 and the start of chapter 5 in Daniel, but it does seem that we jump a number of years. It feels like the Nebuchadnezzar story ends abruptly. We do not hear about the rest of his reign, or about his successor. The narrative just ceases.

As we arrive at chapter 5 we realise that we have been fast-forwarded to the end of the Babylonian empire - the last evening in fact - of the last king of Babylon. So, clearly a significant number of years have passed after the last full stop. It is estimated that this happened about 70 years after Daniel and the other jewish captives were exiled to Babylon. We pick up the story in chapter 5, the very end of this epic empire that has reigned for so many years, conquered so many nations, and now itself is waiting to be conquered;

King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand. 

*2*Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. *3*Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. *4*They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. 

Daniel 5:1–4.

Now this sounds like a night to remember, a party of parties doesn’t it? The king has over a thousand people celebrating, eating and drinking. They are getting carried away with themselves - using the holy vessels for unholy tasks. Not that Belshazzar thinks there’s anything significant about these items. He is just having a great big party at his place in Babylon……..at the same time that the city was under siege. 

Don’t you find that crazy?

The city of Babylon is under siege and has been for some time, and what is the king doing? Hosting a lavish party!

Not fighting. Not protecting his kingdom. Not leading the army but eating, drinking, celebrating.

The king is having a big celebration when there’s a battle raging outside the walls of the city. Capture is imminent and he is hosting a bounteous banquet. I wonder if he invited so many people just to drown out the sound at the attacking enemy.

Perhaps the king realised the futility of fighting. Or maybe he felt secure behind the walls, or he might just have been ignoring the fact that there was a real problem that needs dealing with and he was ‘burying his head in the sand’. Whatever the thought process behind it, it is not how we would expect a king to respond. Belshazzar shows no regard for the wider state of affairs, he is only concerned about what he is experiencing right now, so he is levelling up the ‘fun’ factor at his party. He has put aside the wider, national issues to immerse himself in celebration. 

We can look at this situation and shake our heads, or even feel aghast at Belshazzar’s response, but don’t we sometimes do the same? 

Do you ever feel like something is too big or scary to handle? Do you sometimes want to escape the battles of life and have a bit of fun?

It is not a shameful thing to admit that you feel like that - everyone gets fed up sometimes, but don’t forget the revelation of chapter 4 - that there is a Most High God that intervenes in lives, who is right and just. If you live our life with Him at the centre, and focusing on Him throughout challenges then you’ll make it through. Trust in God and take responsibility. You may not be a king, leading a nation, but you are responsible for leading your own life. You will make mistakes, you will face challenges -  are you facing up to them? 

God is right and just

 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. 

Daniel 4:37.

‘His works are right’ - we may not understand the workings of God’s plans, they way situations unfold or resolve, but that doesn’t mean that God has got it wrong. What it does mean is that we have not seen things the way God does. 

It is good for us to remember that we do not see the whole creation view that God does, that we do not have His mind, or the ability to appreciate the time frame He is working with. We only see, and are only really concerned with, the little part we have to play. We do not like it when things do not go how we expect or how want them to go, what we think is the best outcome. It is then that we can question God, question whether He is good, or if He even exists. That is because we lose sight of who He is and who we are. We become overwhelmed with circumstances and begin to mistakenly believe that we, in fact, know best, and are in control. We forget that He is the Most High, He is the King of heaven, He is right. 

It does us good to remind ourselves that we are not whom the world revolves around. We are not the most important, nor the know-it-alls that we think we are. We are created creatures of grace. God is looking, He is in control and ‘His works are right’ even when it seems to us the worst. 

‘His ways are just’ - This means that God is fair to all, and is morally right. Whatever God is doing, it is just. It may not seem so to us at the time, but it will come to pass that justice will be done. Not according to our standards, but according to His.  

There are many historical events that may seem unjust, and horrific, yet this statement tells us that God’s ways are just - so who has had influence at those times? Sometimes we can attribute some of the tragic circumstances to God, forgetting that there is an enemy that is working and moving around us just as God is. Yet, even at those times, you can see and hear stories of hope, of goodness, of the miraculous, of righteousness and justice. One thing to remember is that our time frame and expectations for justice are wildly different to God’s. We see and know in part (1 Corinthians 13), so we cannot rightly judge as we do not see the innermost being, nor the eternal consequences of each action or decision. God can. One day every person will give an account of himself before God - do you trust God to be just then? If you believe in Him and accept Jesus as your saviour, then justice has already been served over your own life. God is so concerned with being just that all our wrongs deserve death as they separate us from our holy God. So Jesus died, cruelly, in agony. It may not seems just to you, right or fait, but don’t you rely on it for your salvation?

‘Those who walk in pride he is able to humble’ - I think that there is a fine line between confidence and pride. Particularly in the society where we are trained from our young years that we can do anything. This builds confidence, but can also build pride, so it is important that we can distinguish between them, as clearly, pride is something to avoid if you do not want to be humiliated. 

Confidence is an assurance we have in our capability. Pride is also a confidence in yourself, and having a deep satisfaction in who you are that leads to feeling dignified, arrogant and superior. That is why it is dangerous. Pride results in thoughts of being better than others. Confidence accepts abilities, doesn’t brag about them and is not afraid to give credit where it is due. The confident will admit that things took time, are gifts from God, are taught well by others, that they have limits. Pride displays that everything they can do is because of them, because of how great they are and all that they have done. 

Be warned -  ‘those who walk in pride he is able to humble’. 

That is the worst punishment for someone who is proud, consider Nebuchadnezzar. He once was full of pride, boastful of ‘great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power’. A confident, but pride-filled man until everything was stripped from him; power, majesty, his role, his sanity. Nebuchadnezzar had the attitude that he had all he did because of his character and works; his kingdom, his riches, his authority. Then he was humbled. Once he acknowledged that he can just as easily have; riches or poverty, weakness or strength, reason or insanity and that none of it was according to his will, effort or influence, but all according to the will of God, his reason returned and he honoured God. 

Are you in a position where, like Nebuchadnezzar, you are waiting to be humbled? If so, ask God and trust Him to help you out now.

Nebuchadnezzar learnt about God's righteousness, justice and power through different experiences, but predominantly through the last recorded event. It was a journey that took many years, but he eventually had this revelation that there is a Most Hight God with these qualities. Which of these do you need to hold onto today?

Forgiveness and Restoration

As we have been reading through Daniel, we have seen how Nebuchadnezzar (the king of Babylon) has; conquered nations, acted in anger, been disturbed by dreams and had a period of mental illness. A lot has happened. A lot that he has been in control of, even the orchestrator of, and for the latter part, a significant period where he was not in control, not even of himself. 

That period of time has been reviewed in Chapter 4, and the consequences of that time are recorded at the end of the passage:

34*At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honoured him who lives forever, 

    for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, 

            and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; 

    35*all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, 

            and he does according to his will among the host of heaven 

            and among the inhabitants of the earth; 

    and none can stay his hand 

            or say to him, “What have you done?” 

*36*At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendour returned to me. My counsellors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. *37*Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. 

Daniel 4:34–37.

These verses talk about the restoration of both Nebuchadnezzar, and the kingdom. Both have returned to their previous state with him as king, but clearly he is fundamentally changed. He now knows there's a king greater than himself, he now sees that he was walking in pride and self-sufficiency, and now realises that life isn't all about him.

Yet, as we read, we see that the scripture seems to have skipped over the, ‘seven periods of time’ that Nebuchadnezzar was without ‘reason’. It is mentioned, but there is no detail about what occurred for the nation during that period - it must have been quite a scary and unsettling time for a secure, conquering nation such as Babylon. Prior to this they were triumphant, capable and strong with a leader whom they held in high esteem. Then one day, this king became incapable of leading the nation, even leading himself, he started to act in strange ways, living with the beasts and without reason. That must have really rocked the stability of the leaders, the nation - the shock of seeing their king incapacitated for an undeterminable period of time. 

Then, it seems as suddenly as he lost his reason, Nebuchadnezzar is found to be in his right mind. His ‘reason returned’, so his leaders invite him back into his kingly role. This surprises me. It would have been known what had happened with Nebuchadnezzar, surely. The leaders and counsellors would certainly have been aware of the insanity of the king - fallen from glory, humbled to the level of the ‘beasts'. Yet, once they see he is returned to his right mind, they seek him to become leader again, they want him elevated again to his kingly role. What a demonstration of forgiveness and restoration! 

Not something the Babylonians are famous for, but the people give Nebuchadnezzar another chance. The lords and counsellors clearly still trusted in him and wanted him to lead even though they had experienced his downfall. 

What a lovely picture of hope that can give us - When we mess up, when we make mistakes, even when ignore what we know we should do, and turn our backs to God - there is hope of restoration. There is hope of forgiveness and purpose, even of regaining what we have lost through our own fault, our own ignorance, our own disobedience. If we, like Nebuchadnezzar, lift our eyes to heaven, bless, praise and honour the Most High, then we too can experience that hope, that forgiveness and restoration. 

God loves to give us a second chance, even a third or fourth …etc... maybe you need to hear that today, and give yourself another chance to get it right. Or, maybe there’s someone else or some others you need to give another chance. Like the people did for Nebuchadnezzar - they even sought to give him another opportunity. It must have been difficult when they had been hurt and let down, but they demonstrated forgiveness and restored him to his original status. 

It is an example of how God forgives and restores us too. When we lift our eyes to see Jesus on that cross, dying for all that we have ever done to turn our backs on God, we can know complete forgiveness, restoration and hope.