Year 0, Day 5: Daniel 5

Belshazzar’s Blunder

This is such a unique passage among the stories of Daniel.  There are some many things going on that it is hard to keep them in balance.  But in the tradition of past blogs – what grand tradition is established over the course of two days! – let’s start with Belshazzar.

• Mistake Number 1: Don’t misuse the “Lord’s stuff.”
• Mistake Number 2: Don’t insult a prophet of God by “buying his favor.”
• Mistake Number 3: When the Lord writes a message with His own hand on your wall, repent!

Okay, now I’m just having fun, although there is seriousness in all three of those thoughts. 

The Lord’s Stuff

I genuinely do not believe God minds us “using His stuff.”  After all, He did give us creation as our sandbox.  But the Lord does care about how we use His stuff.  An analogy is good here.  Let’s say I ask you to borrow your car for a day.  For one reason or another you lend me your car only to find out that I drove that vehicle hard, I drove it off-road where it should not have gone, and then I can home and I used its headlights to spotlight my house until the battery was drained completely.  Now, I would not really do such a thing.  But I would imagine that such treatment of your stuff would not please you all that much, nor should it. 

I think God is much the same.  God doesn’t mind lending us His stuff – even His holy stuff.  But when we approach God and take what rightfully belongs to Him, let’s do it with the reverence that it deserves.  At the very least, let’s use God’s stuff to build His Kingdom. 

It is this lack of consideration on Belshazzar’s behalf is what gets him in trouble.  Daniel says as much when he reminds Belshazzar about Nebuchadnezzar’s being humbled before the Lord.  Yes, that’s right.  We’re back to pride again.  Belshazzar’s pride got in the way of allowing him to respect another’s property.

Buying a Man of God

I give Daniel a fair amount of credit in his response when offered the rewards for interpreting God’s message.  Essentially, Daniel says, “I don’t want your stuff, you cannot buy my voice.  But since God has determined that I do it, I will interpret the handwriting.”  Again, kudos to Daniel for giving a hard message to a king!  Here again we see Daniel doing the work of the Lord for the sake of the calling.  Daniel isn’t doing it for his benefit or even for Belshazzar’s benefit.  Daniel does it because he understands his identity in God.  His obedience follows his identity.

I don’t find fault with Daniel in that he is adorned as the king promises, because sometimes you just cannot refuse a gift.  It isn’t a major part of the story, and as we shall see in the future chapters it doesn’t cause Daniel a crisis in faith.  So I learn the lesson that Daniel has for me without fretting about the fact that he is rewarded in spite of telling Belshazzar that he doesn’t want it.

Lack of Repentance

Also notice that Daniel records no repentance for Belshazzar.  Daniel finishes the proclamation and the king adorns him in purple.  That night, the king dies.  For me, that is the truly tragic part of this story.  Sometimes it is hard to discern God’s will and sometimes it is hard to get it right.  But when God physically manifests Himself, one would think you might want to listen!  Again, I think we can see here the king’s arrogance.  Is he so proud that he is content in simply knowing the prophecy without actually believing that a God who can supernaturally write upon a wall can actually follow up on the threat?

But again I must find the challenge for me.  In a sense, I too have God’s handwriting.  I have the Holy Scriptures.  In fact, I don’t just have a copy of them – I have at least a dozen different copies of them.  I have them in my office, in my car, in my house.  I have no excuse for not heeding God’s handwriting, either. 

Sure, God may not have scrawled a message across a wall, but perhaps God has done something far more significant.  There are literally thousands of copies (or at least portions of copies) of our scripture coming out of antiquity.  Do you know that most people consider having six or seven extant copies of an ancient writing as having a profound amount?  We have thousands of copies (or portions of copies) of the Bible.  That God can bring thousands of partial and complete manuscripts out of a time when we have less than a dozen copies of any other single ancient work of writing is significant.  Do I really need handwriting on the wall?  Or can I not simply look at that fact and be humbled by God’s work?

So let me take my own advice.  When presented with an obvious work of the Lord, repent.  So I do repent, Lord.  May you take away my sins – both known and unknown, done and left undone.

God’s peace, and I truly hope you have a blessed day of the Lord!