Belshazzar's Last Sermon

Let me invite you to turn in your Bibles this morning to Daniel chapter 5. we are plugging along as through in our series through Daniel, and this morning as we continue this study through the book of Daniel, we come to Daniel chapter 5, verse 18, and my goal this morning is to cover verses 18 through 31, and the title of the message, this morning is Belshazzar's last sermon. Belshazzar's last, sermon. With Tuesday being election day, I think it's providential that we come to a passage.

Like we come to today in which we find a government leader being held to account and confronted by God and judged for his actions, in more ways than one, this passage. That we're gonna be looking at today bristles with relevance for each of us, and I think there are things in this passage that will help us to have the mindset that we need as we go into the days of this week. Two weeks ago, we saw how Nebuchadnezzar's grandson, Belshazzar, is the current king ruling over Babylon during the events of Daniel chapter 5.

The events of this chapter take place on The very night that the kingdom of Babylon falls.

And is taken over by the Mido-Persians. We learn from history that the Babylonian army has suffered some humiliating defeats at the hands of the Mido-Persian army. causing Babylon soldiers to retreat behind the walls of the city of Babylon. The Mido-Persian army is now encamped around the city waiting for the right moment to strike.

And based on what we learned from historical records, we know that the exterior walls around the city of Babylon were 40 ft high and 25 ft thick. The Euphrates River runs through the city of Babylon, providing plenty of water for the inhabitants of the city. And there is enough food in the city to keep everyone supplied literally for years. And all this leaves the Babylonians feeling pretty confident.

That they can outlast the Mido-Persian army that now has laid siege to the city. It is in such a moment that Belshazzar throws a banquet for 1000 of his nobles. In verse one, we are told that he was drinking wine in the presence of the 1000. And in verse two, we're told that he gave orders for the gold and silver vessels that had been taken from the Jerusalem temple to be brought into this banquet hall.

And then once these vessels were brought in, we're told that Belshazzar and his wives and his concubines and all the nobles were drinking from the sacred vessels, all the while giving praise to the gods of Babylon. It is then that things get. more spooky than anything you would ever see on Halloween. For as we saw two weeks ago, Belshazzar sees a hand emerge and begin writing a message on the wall.

We learned in verse 6 that he is so shocked by what he sees that his face turns pale. His thoughts alarm him. The knots of his loins become loosed, and his knees literally begin knocking together. He calls for his wise men to come in and interpret the writing on the wall, but they can't interpret it or even read it, which causes Belshazzar to become even more alarmed.

It is then that the Queen Mother comes into the banquet hall and tells Belshazzar about a man named Daniel. She seems to know a lot about Daniel and she speaks about Daniel as if Belshazzar knows very little about him. She speaks of Daniel as a man of great wisdom and great insight, who was elevated to the chief of the wise men or the magicians under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar decades prior, and at the end of verse 12, she emphatically instructs Belshazzar, saying, look at the text, let Daniel now be summoned, and he will declare the interpretation.

Of the writing on the wall.

So Belshazzar calls for Daniel, and in the meantime, he, Belshazzar, seems to remember that Daniel is one of the exiles from Judah. And then once Daniel is standing in front of the king, Belshazzar asks him to interpret the writing on the wall, and he promises to give Daniel, a purple robe and a gold necklace and to make him the 3rd ruler in the kingdom if he could simply read and interpret the writing on the wall. Observe Daniel's response in verse 17, and this is where we left off two weeks ago.

Then Daniel answered and said before the king, keep your gifts for yourself or give your rewards to someone else.

However, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him. So Daniel promises to read the writing on the wall and to interpret that writing for the king, but he's actually going to do far more than that. In fact, he's gonna preach a sermon to Belshazzar, a 4-point sermon, and it won't be until the 4th or final point of that sermon that Daniel is going to give to Belshazzar, the interpretation. Of the writing on the wall, he saves that for his last point.

This may be the only sermon that Belshazzar has ever heard in his life, but even if it is not, it is certainly going to be his last, and it will be devastating. And if you have a copy of the notes with you that you picked up from the back table, the way we're gonna break down our study of this passage is we'll observe 4 moves, 4 moves of Daniel in his message of judgment to Belshazzar. Move number 1, he reminds him, Daniel reminds Belshazzar that God gave Nebuchadnezzar his kingdom and glory.

Observe what Daniel says in verse 18.

Speaking to Belshazzar, he says, O King, the Most High God granted sovereignty, grandeur, glory, and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar. Your father. Belshazzar was probably expecting his name to be in there, but instead, Daniel speaks of his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar. If you look at what Daniel says in this verse, you see that he's reminding the king that God is the most high God.

He is also reminding the king that this Most High God is the one who granted sovereignty, grandeur, glory, and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar. In the decades prior, Nebuchadnezzar's God-given sovereignty extended over all of the nations represented in the Kingdom of Babylon. A part of his grandeur and glory and majesty was the result of the nations that he decisively conquered and the buildings and the monuments that Nebuchadnezzar would have built, along with the respect and the favor that he seemed to generate from the peoples that he conquered.

Having a powerful military and a powerful police force at his command would have also enhanced the glory of Nebuchadnezzar's rule.

And that's what Daniel's talking about here. Daniel goes on to explain what he means by grandeur, at least in terms of its impact upon others. Look what he says in verse 19, talking about Nebuchadnezzar, he says, because of the grandeur which he, God, bestowed on him, Nebuchadnezzar, all the peoples, nations, and men of every language feared and trembled before him. Whomever he wished, he killed, and whomever he wished, he spared alive.

And whomever he wished he elevated and whomever he wished he humbled. No one was beyond the reach of Nebuchadnezzar's power in this way, and he had no one who would ever dare to stop him from anything that he merely wished. All Nebuchadnezzar had to do was say to his men, kill that man, or elevate this man, and his officers would carry out his wishes without questioning him. Nebuchadnezzar had raw, unbridled power.

It's hard for us to comprehend someone with this power because our system of government features a division of powers in order to keep too much power from falling into the hands of a single person, right? That's part of the genius of our system of government. But it has its drawbacks. Back in 2010, President Obama was talking about how hard he was working to solve our nation's immigration problem.

And explaining his lack of success, he said, and I quote, I am president. I am not king. I can't do these things just by myself. We have a system of government that requires the Congress to work with the executive branch to make it happen.

I'm committed to making it happen, but I've got to have some partners to do it, unquote. What President Obama was confessing to back in 2010 is the struggle of every president of the United States. But Nebuchadnezzar didn't have this problem. All he had to do was say the word and It happened For Nebuchadnezzar was the executive branch and the judicial branch and the legislative branch of government all rolled into one person.

Imagine that. I personally would be terrified to have this power. But this is the power that God had given to Nebuchadnezzar, and with that power came powerful temptations to pride. As the saying goes, power corrupts.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely. And we see how something of that dynamic happened. With Nebuchadnezzar as well. This brings us to the 2nd move of Daniel in his message of judgment to Belshazzar.

Number 2, he, Daniel, reminds him, Belshazzar, that God humbled Nebuchadnezzar when he became proud. He reminds him that God humbled Nebuchadnezzar when he became proud. Observe what Daniel says to Belshazzar about Nebuchadnezzar in verse 20. He says, but when his Nebuchadnezzar's heart was lifted up and his spirit became so proud that he behaved arrogantly, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken away from him.

You will recall from a few weeks ago that Nebuchadnezzar's moment of pride came when he was on the rooftop of his palace and overlooking the city of Babylon. In that moment, Nebuchadnezzar. Despite the warning of God a year prior, turned into the me monster in Daniel 4:30 and said, Is this not Babylon the Great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my Majesty? Those words are more than enough for us to know that pride is at work in Nebuchadnezzar's heart in this awful moment.

But Daniel, right now in Daniel chapter 5 and verse 20 is stating the matter plainly. Telling Belshazzar that Nebuchadnezzar's heart was lifted up and his spirit became so proud that he behaved arrogantly. And Daniel tells Belshazzar, what happened as a result of this pride. In verse 21, speaking of Nebuchadnezzar, he says he was also driven away from mankind.

And his heart was made like that of beast, and his dwelling place was with the wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he recognized that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and that he sets over it whomever he wishes. There's a lot of words here, but there's actually nothing new in verse 21 that we did not learn about Nebuchadnezzar's time of insanity back in chapter 4, except for one little detail, and that is the fact that Nebuchadnezzar dwelt with the wild donkeys during this period of insanity.

We did not learn that in chapter 4.

Wild donkeys were known for being very shy around human beings and very difficult to tame. So it seems that Daniel mentions this detail in order to drive home to Belshazzar the depth of Nebuchadnezzar's humiliation. And Daniel is careful to remind Belshazzar here in verse 21. That Nebuchadnezzar was in this state of humiliation and insanity until the moment arrived that he recognized, look at the text and I would encourage you to underline the words that follow here.

Until he recognized that, and here are the words, the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind, and he sets over it whomever he wishes. And I encourage you to underline these words because this is now the 4th time that you have seen essentially these words in the last two chapters of Daniel. Write these down or look at them back in Daniel chapter 4, verse 17. Nebuchadnezzar heard in his dream the words, the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whom he wishes.

Then in Daniel chapter 4 verse 25, Daniel says to Nebuchadnezzar, the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever he wishes. And then at the end of Daniel 4:32, we see the words the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever he wishes. And now we see the same language again in Daniel chapter 5 verse 20, where Daniel tells Belshazzar that Nebuchadnezzar was crazy until he recognized that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and that he sets over it whomever he wishes.

I took some extra time this week to study these 4 statements carefully.

And after careful study, I have concluded that What they mean is that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and that he sets over it whomever he wishes. And feel free to come talk to me afterwards if you think I'm stretching anything there. And Daniel wants Belshazzar to know that Nebuchadnezzar. He was crazy until he came to believe this fundamental truth.

And I think this is a perfect Sunday for me to remind you that if you don't believe this truth, you will go crazy. For your lack of belief in this truth will make you crazy, especially this week. In God's sovereign providence, God has given to each of us the power to choose our government officials through the votes that we cast, and I hope that you will take the opportunity this week, if you have not done so already, to exercise that right and to vote in this election. I hope that you will vote for the candidates who are the most aligned with biblical values or that you will at least vote to keep out of office the candidates.

Who would do the most evil. Our votes do matter. So we are being wise stewards. As Christians to cast our votes.

But guys, at the end of the day, You and I must find solace in the fact that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind. And that he sets over it whomever he wishes. And that is just as true today as it was in Daniel's day. It's been so interesting to see how frantic some people.

are becoming in these final days of this election season. There are many people in our country for whom politics is their religion. And this world is all there is. And they simply have no way of coming to terms with the other side winning this election.

And don't get me wrong, as Christians, we can and should feel strongly about the outcomes that we desire in this election, and we can experience disappointment and even deep concern if our candidates lose. But guys, this week, you and I need to act like we know something. And what we know is that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind. And he bestows it.

Upon whomever he wishes. Nebuchadnezzar was crazy until the moment that he came to believe this truth. And you and I cannot but go crazy. If we fail To believe this truth.

Looking back at the story unfolding in our passage today, Daniel has reminded Belshazzar that Nebuchadnezzar had become proud, but God gave him the heart of an animal until he was brought to the point where he recognized the truth about God's sovereign rule over the realm of mankind. But sadly it doesn't seem that what happened to Nebuchadnezzar had the same effect on Belshazzar. And this brings us to the 3rd move of Daniel in his message of judgment to Belshazzar. 3.

He, Daniel, accuses him, Belshazzar, of exalting himself against God in the face of what he knew. He accuses Belshazzar of exalting himself against God in the face of what he knew. It may surprise you to know that in telling Nebuchadnezzar's story in the previous verses, Daniel is not actually saying anything that would have been new to Belshazzar. In verse 22, he looks at Belshazzar and he says, look at the text.

Yet you, his son or biological descendant, this word could speak of son or grandson, any biological descendant, yet you, his son, Nebuchadnezzar's son. Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart even though you knew all this. When we look at evidence from extrabiblical history. We observed that Belshazzar was serving in a government position 2 years after Nebuchadnezzar's death.

Which means that Belshazzar was almost certainly alive and of a mature enough age during the days of Nebuchadnezzar's insanity, and he was definitely alive to witness Nebuchadnezzar's humble posture before God after that episode. So evidently the story of Nebuchadnezzar's humbling was not some story that was passed down second or thirdhand to Belshazzar many years afterwards. But it was something that he witnessed with his own eyes. He saw up close and personal the change that God had wrought in his grandfather, and he should have allowed what he witnessed to humble him.

But it seems that he did the opposite, and we have indication of this in verse 22. Look at the text again. The New American Standard has Daniel saying to Belshazzar, you have not humbled your heart even though you knew all this. And the Aramaic expression.

That is translated even though literally means in front of or because. A meaning that makes what Daniel is describing here even worse. Than what it might at first appear to be. Daniel's point is that Belshazzar refused to humble his heart, not merely in spite of what he knew about his grandfather's story, but because of what he knew.

About his grandfather's story. In other words, Belshazzar's takeaway from what happened to his grandfather was to be angry against God for what God did to his grandfather and to therefore feel resolved to lift up his heart in anger and defiance against this God, thinking the God who did this to my grandfather. To humble him will never Be a god that I worship. As the saying goes, the same sun that melts the wax can harden clay.

And we see that here. The divine judgment that melted Nebuchadnezzar and humbled him. Actually only served to harden Belshazzar in his pride. Which explains.

What Daniel goes on to say, and by the way, just think about it for a moment. Imagine this happening to your grandfather. God makes your grandfather crazy for seven years, deposes him from his throne in order to humble him. Imagine processing that Belshazzar processed that in a way that made him angry against God and defiant against this God.

While Nebuchadnezzar was praising God for how good God was to him and humbling him. Look at what Daniel goes on to say in verse 23 when he says to Belshazzar, 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.

In commanding the vessels from the Jerusalem temple to be brought into this banquet, Belshazzar was willfully committing an act of blasphemy, essentially daring God to respond. Belshazzar's point in this sacrilege.

was essentially this My grandfather Nebuchadnezzar allowed himself to cower before this God of Israel, but I won't do that. In fact, I will defy this God and commit the sacrilege and dare him to respond. So look at me, everyone, and see how brave I am compared to Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar let himself be humbled by this God, but I will not And he takes the vessels of the temple and uses them to drink from in this drunken banquet as he and his nobles and his wives and concubines offer their praises to the gods of Babylon with these sacred temple vessels.

Which in Daniel's mind is so absurd. Because these gods of gold and bronze, iron, wood, and stone are gods. Look at the end of verse 23, which do not see, hear, or understand. They're just dumb idols.

In contrast to the true God who does see and does hear and does understand perfectly well what Belshazzar is doing. Daniel then levels this devastating critique of Belshazzar at the end of verse 23. Saying, look at these words, but the God in whose hand are your life breath and all your ways, you have not glorified. I want you to notice Daniel's reference to God's hand.

In this statement On this awful night, Belshazzar has seen the hand of God writing on the wall, but Daniel here is reminding Belshazzar that this is not the first time that he's experienced the hand of God, for it has been the hand of God all along that has been graciously giving to Belshazzar every breath that he has taken every day of his life. And it's that same hand of God that gives you every breath. That you breathe as well. You might be interested to know that the average human being.

Inhales 85 million gallons of air over the length of their lifetime. 85 million, that's the equivalent of 36 Goodyear blimps of air. Per person over the course of their lifetime. And that full volume.

Of all that air is a gift from the loving hand of God to each of us just as it was God's gift to Belshazzar. Daniel is reminding Belshazzar that God has been intimately involved in sustaining his life. In each one of the hundreds of millions of breaths that he has taken throughout his life. And Belshazzar has received these hundreds of millions of Generous handouts of air from the hand of God.

And never thanked God for his kindness. And instead is now arrogantly exalting himself in defiance against this god whose hand has been so good to him. What an ungrateful fool. And it has not just been Belshazzar's breath that has been in the hand of God, but Daniel reminds him that in the hand of God have been all his ways.

So every breath that he has ever taken, every function of every organ in his body has been a gift from God to him. Every ability that Belshazzar possessed, every legitimate pleasure that he has experienced in his life, and every privilege and power that he has enjoyed as king, all those things have been gifts from the loving hand of God to him, just one after another after another. And notice the full statement that Daniel makes to Belshazzar. Saying, but the God in whose hand are your life breath and all your ways, you have not glorified.

Belshazzar has failed to glorify the God who's been so abundantly good to him. And even the God who gave him the gift of a grandfather who allowed himself to be humbled by God and who praised the God of heaven. What a legacy. That Belshazzar had and God had given him that legacy.

And yet, Daniel says you have not glorified this God. And before we shake our heads at Belshazzar for not glorifying God the way that he should have, let's remember that. Paul says in Romans 3:23. telling us that all have sinned and fallen short of what?

The glory of God. Turns out that Daniel's indictment of Belshazzar is the same indictment of God's word against all of us. We all have sinned and failed to glorify the God who has been so unbelievably kind to us, the God in whom we live and move and have our being. God fashioned each one of us in our mother's womb.

He has given to us every breath that we have breathed. He has thought more thoughts about each one of us than the numbers of grains of sand in all of the earth. God knows the number of hairs on our head because he wants to know them. And he created us for relationship with Him.

And we have failed to reciprocate his love and to glorify this God who has been so amazingly good to us. This is our sin, and this is the sin of Belshazzar. He has sinned against the knowledge of what God had accomplished in the heart of his grandfather. He ascended against the goodness of God in his life.

And as a result of his ungrateful arrogance, this hand of God that has up to this moment been lavishing all this good upon him. has now turned its back to him. And is now writing a message of judgment. On the wall.

And this brings us to the 4th move of Daniel's. Of Daniel in his message of judgment to Belshazzar. Move number 4. Daniel reads and interprets the message of God's judgment.

On the wall, he reads and interprets the message of God's judgment. On the wall Finally, getting to the matter of the writing on the wall, Daniel says the following in verse 24. Then, then the hand was sent from him. And this inscription was written out.

Now, this is the inscription that was written out. Mene Mene Tekouarsin. Mene Menetko ufarsin. When you see the you.

At the beginning of that final word, that you is simply the Aramaic word for and. A N D and the IN ending of that final word is simply the plural ending. Literally, Daniel is reading each of these words as passive participles meaning numbered. Numbered, weighed.

And divided Remember that Belshazzar has asked Daniel to do two things. Number 1, to read the inscription, and number 2, to give its interpretation. Daniel has just read the inscription, but then in verse 26, he moves on to the interpretation, saying, look at the text. This is the interpretation of the message.

Mene. God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it. To kale, you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. Parace Your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.

So the first word Mene shows up twice on the wall for emphasis. Daniel's point is that the days of Belshazzar's kingdom have been counted all the way out. To the last day and effective today, the last day to be counted, has been reached. That's his message.

The word tiko speaks of weighing, and in this case it is Belshazzar who has been weighed. Daniel is depicting Belshazzar as being put on a set of scales on one side with God's moral law on one side and Belshazzar on the other side, and Belshazzar has been found deficient. Lastly, the word Pa. Speaks of Belshazzar's kingdom of Babylon being divided or broken into pieces and given to the Medes and the Persians.

Which may explain why the plural form of the word was on the wall far seen. I should point out here that there is clearly an intentional play on Words with the word Pais, given that this word features the same consonants as the word for Persians. Who would be Babylon's conquerors. All in all, these words are chilling.

Imagine hearing these words. And they represent God's revelation of judgment to Belshazzar. But what makes these words all the more chilling. Is that what is said to Belshazzar here can be said of every one of us, at least on some level.

First of all, God has numbered our days, and one day we will reach our final day, and we will breathe our last. Second, we have been weighed on the scales of God's justice, of God's law, and we each have been found deficient. And 31 day after we die, all that is ours will be divided. And given over to others.

In fact, speaking of being found deficient. In the ancient Greek Septuagint of verse 27. It has Daniel saying to Belshazzar, you have been weighed on the scales. And Hutareo, Hutareo.

Is the Greek word that is used. And this very same Greek word is used in Romans 3:23 when speaking about you and me, where Paul says, for all have sinned and husterreo of the glory of God. We have been found deficient. Of the glory of God.

So the indictment of Belshazzar here is the very indictment of the Bible against each one of us. If you're looking for yourself in our passage this morning, you are Belshazzar, and so am I. That's the message of scripture. Yet thankfully in the New Testament, God doesn't stop with this bad news about each of us, but goes on to give us the good news about His Son Jesus Christ, who was weighed on the scales of God's moral law, and he was found to be what, sufficient.

Yet he allowed himself to be crucified upon a cross to provide atonement for our sins. So that we who believe in Jesus might now have forgiveness of our sins and be made righteous in God's sight. This Jesus God raised from the dead. And then ascended to his own right hand and gave to Jesus a kingdom that will never come to an end.

It will never be broken into pieces. It will never be given to another kingdom that follows. It is when you and I get into Christ by believing in Him. That we receive Christ's perfect righteousness, such that now after believing in Jesus, when we are placed on the scales of God's law, we are no longer found to be deficient.

Because of Jesus' perfect righteousness that is credited to us by faith. So if you don't want the judgment that befell Belshazzar, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And be saved Realize that the very hand that has given you every breath you've breathed has also given you Jesus. Through whom you can now experience eternal life if you would believe in Him.

Don't lift up your heart against this God who's been so good to you, but humble yourself before Him and embrace his Son as your Lord and Savior. Count yourself blessed to hear this good news this morning about Jesus. Who allowed his hands to be nailed to a cross for you. And whose blood pouring forth from those hands on the cross speaks a far better message to you.

Than the one Belshazzar received. On this, the final night of his life. Here in Daniel 5, Belshazzar hears only a message of judgment from God, a message which essentially says you've been weighed on the scales and found deficient. The final day of your kingdom has been counted, and your kingdom will end this very night and be given to others.

Well, how does Belshazzar respond to this message of judgment? In verse 29, we read, then Belshazzar gave orders, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put on a necklace of gold around his neck and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom. And it's interesting that evidently, Daniel does not resist these honors now that he has delivered his message. It seems he resisted the promise of these gifts on the front end because he wanted to make it clear that he will be speaking truth to the king without any intention of currying the king's favor.

But now that he's done with the sermon, he receives these gifts from Belshazzar. Even though he knows that the rulership being granted to him under Belshazzar will end up being very short-lived, at least in its current form. Although I should point out that some commentators, and I think rightly suggest that this might have actually turned out to be a very timely promotion for Daniel. To the position of being the 3rd highest ruler in the kingdom.

Given the fact that history teaches us that when the Medes and Persians took over Babylon, they left most local leaders in place. This was how they rolled when they would conquer. A nation, so it is possible that Daniel would have been left in some form of this position once the Persians took over, especially after the Mido-Persians would have learned the story of how Daniel predicted their victory. Over Babylon This will actually be hinted at in the next chapter.

But either way, though Belshazzar is doing a good thing here and being true to his word and honoring Daniel, what is missing from verse 29 are any words of praise from Belshazzar to the God who sent this message. And that should stand out. What's missing here is what ought to stand out to you. Toward the end of chapters 2 and 3 and 4, we find Nebuchadnezzar speaking high praise regarding the true God of heaven, but we hear no words of praise.

No words of praising God coming from the lips of Belshazzar here at the end of chapter 5, and that should tell us all we need to know about his heart. What happens to Belshazzar and to Babylon. In verses 30 and 31, the text says that same night, Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was slain. So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of 62.

And we'll say more about Darius the next time that we are in Daniel. As for how Babylon was taken, you'll be interested to know that the ancient Greek historians Herodotus and Xenophon both record in their histories that the city of Babylon was invaded by the Persian army while the Babylonians were feasting in a time of drunken revelry. Herodotus mentions that a festival was in process on the night that Babylon fell, and Xenophon indicates that the Persians chose this particular night to attack because they knew that there would be a festival going on.

But the question that you might be asking is how did the Medo-Persians conquer this fortified city of Babylon, which was surrounded by walls that were 40 ft high and 25 ft thick.

How did they pull that off? Well, as I mentioned at the beginning of this message this morning, the great Euphrates River ran into the city. And that's how the Mido Persians got in. Some distance upstream, we learned this from Herodotus and Xenophon.

Some distance upstream, the Medo Persians dug a channel and redirected the Euphrates River into some. Swampy marshland and this redirection of the river left the water level much lower. At its entry point into the city of Babylon. The ancient historian Herodotus says that the Persian army waded through the water about thigh deep.

And entered the city while everyone was dancing and carousing. During their festival, and by the time the people of Babylon realized what was happening, it was too late for them to do anything about it. In the end, it was the arrogance of the Babylonians that did them in. And it's the very sin.

That did Belshazzar in As well When we put Daniel 5 alongside of Daniel 4. We see something of God's sovereign election at work. Given how differently he worked in the lives of these two Babylonian kings. Nebuchadnezzar was a proud and arrogant man who sinned against the knowledge that God had graced him with during prior instances.

God judged Nebuchadnezzar, yet also showed Nebuchadnezzar mercy and eventually saved him. Belshazzar was a proud and arrogant king also who sinned against the knowledge that he had, and God judged him with no mercy. Because God will have mercy on whom He will have mercy and compassion upon whom he will have compassion. And the truth is that you and I are no more deserving of mercy from God than Belshazzar was.

But God has been gracious to us like he was to Nebuchadnezzar, and for this we should be eternally grateful. Amen. On another front Somewhere near the core of Belshazzar's sin was his profaning of the sacred vessels from the Jerusalem temple. Can we not look around us today and see the same thing happening in our culture?

We live in a profane culture full of people who take the sacred name of God and the sacred name of Jesus and use them in vain and thus dishonor God. God made man male and female to bear his sacred image, and people in our society today will take their male or female body and have it surgically altered so that it might resemble a sex that God never intended. Many in our society today view it as a sacred right to take a baby that is being fearfully and wonderfully made by God in its mother's womb and kill that baby.

A couple of years ago, our own governor Gavin Newsom put up billboards and red states.

Around our country and the billboards read, need an abortion? California is ready to help. And then in smaller lettering underneath those words. The billboard has Jesus' words from Mark 12:31, which says, love your neighbor as yourself.

There is no greater commandment than these. That's a horrible abuse. Of a sacred verse. From a sacred book being put Into the service.

Of the murder of the unborn. Well, these things are obvious and we are right as Christians to call them out. But what about ways that you and I might abuse sacred vessels? And use them for sinful purposes.

Do you ever do that? In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verses 3 and 4, Paul calls upon Christians to abstain from sexual immorality, and then he urges each one of us to listen to this, quote, know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, unquote. So we should realize as Christians that our bodies are sacred vessels belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ, having been purchased by Him. And belonging to him.

Our bodies are also the temple of the Holy Spirit. Which makes our bodies sacred vessels that belong to him and therefore we should seek to possess our bodies in sanctification and in honor. Which means that every time a believer uses their eyes to look upon something that is less stimulating and sinful, Or uses their brain to entertain sinful thoughts, or uses their tongue to gossip and to slander others, or uses their tongue to berate another person. Believers in such moments are misusing a sacred vessel that was meant for holy purposes.

And using those vessels to harm. And do things that are unholy. As believers, let us not do these things, and if we do, let us repent swiftly and with courage, knowing that there is the grace of forgiveness through Jesus. Speaking of the sacred vessels of Daniel 5, you'll be interested to know that in Jeremiah 27.

Verse 22 God actually foretold how these very vessels would be carried off into Babylon. And then God says, they will be there until the day I visit them, then I will bring them back and restore them to this place, speaking of Jerusalem. So you can be sure that God's eyes are on the sacred vessels here in Daniel 5. You can be sure that he is taking notes and taking names regarding anyone who would dare to mess with his vessels.

And in our passage this morning, we see God judging Belshazzar for messing with these sacred vessels that God's eyes are upon. And you should know that God views His people as sacred vessels as well. In fact, in Acts chapter 9, verse 15, Jesus described Saul of Tarsus as a chosen vessel. of his to bear his name to others.

In 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 21. Paul speaks about how a pastor or any Christian for that matter, can be a vessel for honor and useful to the master prepared for every good work. And if God views His people as His sacred vessels useful to Him in this way, Then you can bet that God is paying very close attention to how Anyone treats his people. To mistreat his people is to mess with his sacred vessels.

And he will be the judge of those who are guilty of this. And finally, the thing about the temple vessels here in Daniel 5 that we most ought to know is that these sacred vessels were all a part of a system that in its entirety foreshadowed and pointed to whom? To Jesus. Which is a huge part of the reason why God takes Belshazzar's sin so seriously.

God's response to Belshazzar's sin reminds us that God will take seriously what all of us do with Jesus. Will you count Jesus as holy? Or will you view him as some common ordinary thing that can be disregarded? At the end of the day, the most important thing about you and me.

Is what did we do with Jesus? And may God give to each of us the grace. To honor the Lord Jesus. With the honor he is due.

Let's pray together Lord God, we are so thankful for A text like this that puts before us truth that We especially need on this day. I pray that you would help us to rest upon the certain knowledge that you are the Most High God. That you rule over the realm of mankind. That you set over it whomever you wish.

And that no matter what happens during the days of this week, Lord, you are in control and you're still on your throne and there is still a path of faithfulness for us. Help us, Lord, to be a light and if others are panicking around us, help us. To display the very confidence of Christ. Daniel is speaking to a king on the night that a kingdom falls.

And Daniel is not panicky. But he speaks your truth with confidence. To the royalty that stands before him. Though kingdoms rise and fall.

Though heaven and earth may pass away, Lord, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God, and your kingdom endures forever. So help us to be your people. Who belonged to another kingdom. A kingdom that is coming.

And may our prayer be, May your kingdom come. And your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Praying that prayer because we know that one day it will be answered. We ask all of these things, Lord.

In the mighty name of Jesus. And all God's people said, Amen.