S) "22 Yet you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this, 23 but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ways, you have not glorified."
Daniel 5:22-23 (NASB)
O) Belshazzar was the son and successor of Nebuchadnezzar. During a very large dinner party, after he'd been drinking, he arrogantly brought out the gold and silver articles, which had been stolen during the exile from Jerusalem. Then, the people began praising their gods of gold, silver, etc. This would be doubly offensive to the LORD. First, it is idolatry. Second, it profanes articles that were supposed to be holy to Him, the only living God. So, the LORD made a hand appear, and write a mysterious message on the wall. No one could understand it, so they brought Daniel to interpret. First, the prophet gave a short history lesson about Nebuchadnezzar being humbled (vv.18-21). Then, Daniel rebuked the king, with the words of the above verses. Afterward, he interpreted the mysterious message, which spelled doom for the king; he died later that night. The writing was on the wall for Belshazzar, both literally and figuratively.
A) There is an interesting division I have observed. People turn out quite like their parents, or else they strive to be quite different from their parents (with varying degrees of success). For myself, there are many character traits I recognize in myself, that I know my dad also had. I recognize many of them, even in my teenage years (manipulation, condescension, arrogance, etc.). By the grace of God, He revealed the evil tendencies in my heart, and I could see how many of those traits had poisoned the marriage my parents had. So, I began seeking God, desperate for Him to heal me. For the most part, God has delivered me. I still have moments... for example, giving my wife a condescending look without even realizing it. But, the most important thing is for me to heed the warnings. The Holy Spirit convicts me, my wife might rebuke me, the Word of God certainly judges me. It is then my responsibility to see the writing on the wall, before anything is lost (or taken from me). That's where Belshazzar's error was, really. He had the same arrogance and pride that his dad held, but he did nothing about it, despite the miraculous suffering it caused his own dad. I can never see my own heart clearly, because the hearts of man are desperately wicked, and sin is deceitful. So, it is imperative that I am listening to wise counsel from other men, that I am respecting my wife's perspective, that I am immersing myself in the Bible, and that I am praying consistently for the help of my God.
P) Father, You are sovereign and almighty. You make the rules. You set the standard for goodness, righteousness, and holiness. I willingly submit myself to Your authority, my God, my King. I choose to fear You, because You should be feared. Father God, I also know that You are good, seeking my good. In grace, You have already been changing me to be more like Jesus. I also know that my character is far from fully developed. Please continue to reveal the areas of my heart that must still be changed, Lord. I don't want my sinful heart posture to cost me relationships, or cost me peace. I don't want my failures to rob You of the glory You deserve, either. You have so richly blessed my life, that I am forever thankful. Take all of the credit, all of the honor and glory that You deserve, God. It all belongs to You. Let Your will be done. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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