According to Plan

Ezra 1[i]

The children of Israel were captive in Babylon for 70 years.

When God gave the law through Moses, he warned that if the people did not remain faithful to God, they would be removed from the land and subjected to their enemies.  Throughout their history, God continually warned through His prophets that judgment was coming as the people drifted farther and farther away from God.

Leviticus 26 is one place where God lays out some of the punishments the Israelites would suffer for their hostility toward Him. 

Leviticus 26:33-35 says:

I will scatter you among the nations and bring out my sword against you.  Your land will become desolate, and your cities will lie in ruins.  Then at last the land will enjoy its neglected Sabbath years as it lies desolate while you are in exile in the land of your enemies.  Then the land will finally rest and enjoy the Sabbaths it missed.  As long as the land lies in ruins, it will enjoy the rest you never allowed it to take every seventh year while you lived in it.

These verses explain why the Babylonian captivity lasted 70 years. 

According to the Law of Moses, every seventh year was to be a Sabbath year in which no crops were to be cultivated.  The land was to rest.  For 490 years, the Israelites had not observed the Sabbath year.  Consequently, the land had missed 70 Sabbath years.

Along with the prescribed Sabbath years, God foretold other difficulties.  Leviticus 26:36 says, “And for those of you who survive, I will demoralize you in the land of your enemies.”

This proved true among the captive Israelites.  Conditions varied among the captives.  However, they were allowed to settle into the communities in which they had been relocated.  Jeremiah encouraged them to buy land, plant gardens and settle in for the long-haul (Jeremiah 29:4-11).  Nevertheless, being captives away from home with no temple and no independence was disheartening.  Psalm 137 reflects the discouragement and pain in their hearts.

While God pleaded with His people not to take the path to captivity and chastisement, He also promised that His plans were for their good.  He told them that He disciplined them for their good as a father would discipline a son that he loved.  (Deuteronomy 8:5)  God promised their captivity would have an end and that He would return them to their home.  In Jeremiah 29:10-11 it says:

This is what the LORD says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years.  But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.  For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD.  “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

This is where Ezra 1:1 picks up the story.  The 70 years of captivity are complete, and the Lord is bringing His people home.  Ezra 1:1 says, “In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the LORD fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah.”

God had spoken through Jeremiah at the beginning of the captivity that the captivity would be 70 years.  However, as the 70^th year approached, the people remained captives of Babylon, and nothing appeared to be changing.  Babylon did not have mercy on its captives.  Isaiah 14:17 describes the king of Babylon as having been the one who “demolished the world’s greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners.”

From a human point of view, there was no hope for God’s people.  Then in one night, Babylon was conquered, and the world scene changed.  Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian were now in charge.

This does not surprise the child of God.  God’s word is our sure foundation.  God’s word is more certain than the ground on which we stand.  150 years before the events of Ezra, God told the world that Cyrus the King would order the rebuilding of the temple and of Jerusalem.  Isaiah 44:28 was written 150 years before the events of Ezra 1 and it says, “When I say of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd,' he will certainly do as I say.  He will command, 'Rebuild Jerusalem'; he will say, 'Restore the Temple.” 

It all came about exactly as God decreed.

This does not surprise us.

This same sort of foretelling is exactly what happened with the life of Jesus.  God foretold the events of His life in the prophets of the Old Testament so that Peter was able to say:

“People of Israel, listen!  God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know.  But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed.  With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him.  (Acts 2:22-23)

Peter said that God’s prearranged plan was carried out.

What happened to the people of Israel happened as examples to us.  1 Corinthians 10:11 says, “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.”  (ESV)[ii]

Notice, that this passage makes it clear that we are the ones on whom the end of the ages has come.

God pleaded with ancient Israel not to live in hostility toward Him and warned of the consequences.  God pleads with the world today not to live in hostility toward Him and warns of the consequences.

God foretold exactly what would happen even giving time frames, such as 70 years, as well as naming who would be king.

God has also told our world what is coming.  He has decreed a seven-year period known as the Great Tribulation, the rapture of the Church and numerous other end-time events. 

We can take three things away from Ezra 1 that will encourage us as believers as we live in the end of the ages.

Ezra 1:1 says, “In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the LORD fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah.  He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom.”

The first thing is that “God fulfills His word.”

Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God's law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.”  (Matthew 5:18)

We can have great confidence in what is revealed in the Bible.  The world may scoff at the promise of Jesus returning, but we know it will happen.

The second thing is God uses the political establishment to accomplish His purposes.  In this case, God used the King.  It says, “He stirred the heart of Cyrus.” 

All the unsettling political events in our world today are not beyond the control or knowledge of our God.  Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”  (John 14:27, ESV)

God’s foreknowledge and plan give us peace of mind.

Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king's heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he guides it wherever he pleases.”

God moved the heart of Cyrus to make a decree to rebuild the temple.

Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken which resulted in Jesus being born in Bethlehem.

We have confidence in God’s word.  We have confidence in God’s sovereignty. 

The third thing we have confidence in is God’s purpose for His people. 

Through Jeremiah, God said, “I know the plans I have for you.”  (Jeremiah 29:11)

God’s plans showed themselves in God’s people during Ezra’s time by God working in and through His people.  Ezra 1:5 says, “Then God stirred the hearts of the priests and Levites and the leaders of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple of the LORD.”

God stirred the heart of the king, but He also stirred the hearts of His people.  God had a purpose and a part for His people.  The temple did not rebuild itself.  God provided.  Ezra 1 tells how people gave for the purpose; even the King gave for the building of the temple.  God provided money, materials and people to do the work.  God can do all things and does not need our help, but He chooses to work in us and through us.

At the time of Ezra, the Temple was to be built.  During our time, the Church is being built.

Jesus said, “And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.”  (Matthew 24:14)

God is doing this through us.  2 Corinthians 5 tells us we are His ambassadors.  God is providing money, materials and people to do the work.

We have confidence God’s word will be fulfilled.  We have confidence that God is in control.

How is God moving your heart to participate in His plan?

Are you part of providing money?

Are you part of providing materials?

Are you one to contribute skills?

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

[ii] Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

When the Pressure's On

Daniel 6[i]

Daniel chapter 6 gives the famous account of Daniel and the Lions’ Den.  At the time of this incident, Daniel was over 80 years old.  He was a capable leader and administrator, and was in charge of an empire.

This chapter is about the faithfulness of a man to God, and about the faithfulness of God to a man. 

After a lifetime of faithfully serving God, Daniel is tested.

We are all tested.  There is no age limit.  There are no exemptions for position or authority.  There are no exceptions.

James 1:2-3 tells us:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  (ESV)[ii]

From these verses, it should be clear that we can all expect to be tested.  The question is, “How will we come out of the test?”

I do not know what “Lions’ Den” you are facing or may be about to face, but doubtless you have one looming on the horizon.

It might be at work.  It might at home.

The Bible teaches us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the unseen forces of the evil one.  Daniel teaches us three lessons that will help us stand firm in face of the “Lions’ Dens” of our lives.  Daniel shows us what it looks like when a person has their spiritual armor on.

The first lesson Daniel teaches us is that we must establish our foundation.

At the close of Daniel 5, Darius the Mede took over the Babylonian Empire.  “Darius decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a high officer to rule over each province.”  (Daniel 6:1)  These “high officers” were called “satraps.”  Then, according to Daniel 6:2, Darius appointed three “administrators” to supervise the 120 satraps.  Daniel was one of these administrators.

Daniel soon distinguished himself among the administrators so that the king was planning to put Daniel in charge of the whole kingdom.  Daniel 6:3 says this was so because “an excellent spirit was in him.”  (ESV)  Other translations have translated this word as “an extraordinary spirit was in him.”  On this point, the New Living Translation misses by interpreting this as: “because of Daniel’s great ability.” There is a difference between great ability and an exceptional spirit, and in the end, the exceptional spirit is far more valuable.  Great ability without character often spells disaster as Daniel’s fellow administrators demonstrate in Daniel 6.

The word the book of Daniel uses for “excellent” here in verse 3 is used in the Bible only in Daniel and it is instructive to note where it is used.  It is used in chapter 2 verse 21 where it describes the statue that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream as having “exceeding brightness.”  (ESV)  It is used in chapter 3 verse 22 where it describes the furnace heated seven times its normal heat as being “extremely hot.”  (NASB, KJV “exceeding hot”)

Something about Daniel set him apart.  He was exceptional.  He was extraordinary.  It was his spirit, and the amazing, exciting thing is that what made Daniel extraordinary is available to each of us.

Let’s go back and consider how Daniel started.  In Daniel chapter 1, we meet Daniel as a young captive in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar.  He and three of his friends decide not to defile themselves with the King’s food.  From that point on, Daniel and his three friends were extraordinary.

They knew what they believed.  They knew whom they believed.  They had a solid foundation.  The same foundation is available to anyone and everyone, but few actually build on it. 

Jesus describes it like this:

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  (Matthew 7:24, ESV)

Psalm 119:1 says:

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD!  (ESV)

Psalm 19:7 says:

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.  (ESV)

We must know what we believe.  Our modern education has taught us to be skeptical about everything.  We must not be unsure, wishy-washy or skeptical about our God and Father.  Daniel was extraordinary because he was sure about his God.  Notice, all the Scriptures I just quoted promise blessedness and solidity to the life built on the solid foundation of God’s word.  Confidence in God is the foundation.

Trust in God is the first lesson Daniel teaches us and it is the foundation for the remaining two.

The second lesson Daniel teaches us is we must keep our spiritual equilibrium.

In other words, we must keep our balance. 

Do not be perturbed or prodded into desperate action when the pressure is on.  Keep your cool.  Jesus said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled, believe in God.”   (John 14:1)

Daniel’s fellow administrators conspired against Daniel.

This reminds me of a quote I like by Joseph Heller, author of “Catch 22.”  He says, “Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.”

Well, Daniel was not paranoid, but they were certainly after him.  When they could not find a fault in character, (refer back to lesson number 1) they decided to use Daniel’s relationship to God against him.

Let me say at this point, this will always happen. 

The enemy of our souls does not like us to trust in God and will always attack.  This is why 1 Peter 1:7 says that the tested genuineness of our faith is more precious than gold.  We will be asked to compromise our faith at work, in school and even at home, but do not do it.  In 2 Timothy 3:12 the Scriptures say, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

This is where Daniel stood strong.  He would not defile himself with the king’s food, and he would not stop praying.  Not even the threat of the Lions’ Den could force Daniel to stop praying or alter his relationship with God one little bit.

Some things are more important than life, and prayer is one of them.  How many of us would choose to die rather than stop praying?  If not, we will never stand.  In Isaiah 7:9 God told Ahaz, “If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.”  (ESV) 

Equilibrium or balance means having our priorities right, keeping first things first.  Are you too busy to pray, or are you too busy not to pray?

What is the priority?

This is the second lesson, maintaining our spiritual equilibrium.  The third is similar to it and it is simply, give glory to God.

By “give glory to God,” I mean use your mouth to tell others where your confidence lies.  

Daniel’s testimony was consistent.

His enemies knew the only way to find anything against Daniel was in regard to his faith because Daniel’s life was consistent.

The King knew that Daniel served God faithfully.  Therefore, he told Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.”  (Daniel 6:16)

Since Daniel’s testimony was consistent, it was natural for the King and those around Daniel to accept that his deliverance came from God.

As a result, the King made a decree saying:

“I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel.  For he is the living God, and he will endure forever.  His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end.  He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth.  He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”  (Daniel 6:26-27)

This is the fruit of a life lived for God and a consistent testimony.

However, at this point, I need to attach a warning.  The nation of Israel did not always live consistent with the Word of God, and they earned this rebuke from God, “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.”  (Romans 2:24)  Jesus also quoted Isaiah saying, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”  (Matthew 15:8)  We are quick to recognize that what a person does speaks louder than a person’s words.  In order to have a powerful testimony, a person must not only speak the truth, he or she must also walk with the Lord.

Corresponding to the necessity of words matching up with life, one must also live boldly.  Meekness and mildness are virtues, but cowardice is not.  Jesus said:

So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.  (Matthew 10:32-33, ESV)

Daniel serves as an example of a person whose life matched his words, and who was not ashamed to acknowledge his allegiance to God.

Daniel was faithful to God and God was faithful to Daniel.

                     

We are all tested.  When the pressure is on, we reveal what we are trusting in.  “Tested genuineness” of faith is more precious than gold.  (1 Peter 1:7)

What do the tests of life show us about ourselves?

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

[ii] Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

When All Seems Lost

Isaiah 11[i]

Isaiah wrote to a prosperous, proud nation. 

Sure, they had their problems.  Years of civil war between the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah had divided the descendants of Jacob; call it family in-fighting.  However, economically they were well off.  A descendant of David sat on the throne in Jerusalem, and the temple of God continued as a centerpiece of national life.

In their apparent prosperity, they hid a cesspool of corruption.  Isaiah pointed this out when he said:

See how Jerusalem, once so faithful, has become a prostitute.  Once the home of justice and righteousness, she is now filled with murderers.  Once like pure silver, you have become like worthless slag.  Once so pure, you are now like watered-down wine.  Your leaders are rebels, the companions of thieves.  All of them love bribes and demand payoffs, but they refuse to defend the cause of orphans or fight for the rights of widows.  (Isaiah 1:21-23)

Because of this corruption, Isaiah also says:

For Jerusalem will stumble, and Judah will fall, because they speak out against the LORD and refuse to obey him.  They provoke him to his face.  The very look on their faces gives them away.  They display their sin like the people of Sodom and don’t even try to hide it.  They are doomed!  They have brought destruction upon themselves.  (Isaiah 3:8-9)

Time proved the truth of Isaiah’s prophecies.  History shows that Isaiah spoke for God.  Jerusalem fell.  The people went into exile, and the house of David no longer ruled the nation.  A descendant of David has not sat on the throne of the nation of Israel for approximately 2,600 years.

Isaiah 11:1 calls the house of David, “the stump of the line of David.”[ii]

A stump is what is left when a tree is cut down.  A stump is all that remained after the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem in 586 BC.

Joseph and Mary were descendants of David.  However, they were not royalty.  He was a carpenter.  Of course, Joseph was not Jesus’s father, but as the husband of Mary and since Jesus had no earthly father, Joseph establishes Jesus’s legal right to the throne of David.

When it seemed that all was lost for the house of David, God brought forth a Son, the Messiah.  Isaiah 11:1 calls Him a “shoot.” 

Isaiah says of Him:

And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.  He will delight in obeying the LORD.  He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay.  (Isaiah 11:2-3)

During His 33 years in Judea, Jesus demonstrated the truth of this statement.  Isaiah foretold his work on the cross when he said:

But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.  He was beaten so we could be whole.  He was whipped so we could be healed.  All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.  We have left God’s paths to follow our own.  Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.  (Isaiah 53:5-6)

This shoot out of the stump of the line of David has paid the price for the sins of all mankind.

However, His work is not yet done.  2 Timothy 2:13 tells us, “Evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”  (ESV)

Isaiah 11 speaks of a day, yet to come, when all rebellion against God will be put to rest, and perfect justice and peace will rule throughout the whole world.  Isaiah says:

In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.  The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all.  The cow will graze near the bear.  The cub and the calf will lie down together.  The lion will eat hay like a cow.  The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.  Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.  Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the LORD.  (Isaiah 11:6-9)

Some people mock this idea.  2 Peter 3 speaks of this when it says:

Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires.  They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again?  From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”  (2 Peter 3:3-4)

However, in verse 9 Peter explains the delay.  He says:

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think.  No, he is being patient for your sake.  He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.  (2 Peter 3:9)

When it seemed all was lost, when David’s line seemed cut off and dead, God brought forth a Savior. 

The world situation will continue to go from bad to worse, but then Jesus will return to rule the earth.

I hope you see a pattern in how God works.  When all human effort and wisdom fail, God does the impossible.  Where our sin is the darkest, His grace shines brightest.  When our need is greatest, His strength shows clearest.

God does not take pleasure in our suffering.  God says he takes no pleasure in anyone’s death.  (Ezekiel 18:32)  Humanity brings suffering on itself.  You and I bring some suffering and hardship on ourselves.  Our sin brings us heartache.  God does not wait because of some morbid desire to see us suffer.

God lets us choose.  He lets us go our own way if that is what we want.  He calls to us.  He pleads with us.  He sends messengers like Isaiah to tell us what is going to happen.  When we finally stop to listen and call on His name, He steps in.

He stepped into the World at the Manger in Bethlehem.  He will step into your life any time you ask Him.  However, it always means the death of all other hope.  We cannot call on God and hold on to our pride as Israel tried to do in the days of Isaiah.  We cannot hold on to the Savior and be our own savior at the same time.  We cannot hold on to the hope that we are somehow good enough to be saved and acknowledge there is only one way to be saved at the same time.  It is one or the other.  Either I am a sinner in need of a Savior or I am not.  History demonstrates that we usually get desperate before we acknowledge our need.

Millions of Jews are still waiting for the promised shoot from the stump of the line of David.  People all around the world celebrate Christmas, and yet those who have the most interest in Him still do not recognize Him.  What will it take?  It will take the Great Tribulation foretold in the book of Revelation for the Jewish nation to finally recognize their Messiah.

What are you holding on to today?  Are you hoping you are good enough to earn eternal life?  The Bible clearly tells us all that we are not.  Are you hoping you are strong enough to fix all your problems?  If you are, why did God send His Son to bear all of our sorrows?  Either God is our hope and salvation, or He is not.  Oh, how happy is the person whose hope is in the Lord!  Cast aside all foolish pride and call on Him today.

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

[ii] NLT marginal reading

The Most High God Rules

Daniel 5[i]

Nebuchadnezzar was Babylon’s greatest king.  At his death, his son, Awel-Marduk, became king in his stead.  After only a couple years, the husband of one of Nebuchadnezzar’s daughters, Neriglissar, murdered Awel-Marduk.  After 4 years, Neriglissar was succeeded by his young son, who, after only a few months as king, was murdered by Nabonidus, who happened to be the husband of yet another of Nebuchadnezzar’s daughters.

Nabonidus was the last ruler of the Babylonian empire.  He spent much of his time away from Babylon on foreign expeditions, and left his son and co-regent, Belshazzar, in charge of the kingdom in his absence. It is interesting to note at this point that for many years critics of the Bible pointed out that the only place Belshazzar appeared in history was in the Bible.  However, in 1854 and 1881, archeological finds of the historical records kept by Nabonidus have established the identity of Belshazzar,[ii] and the authenticity of Daniel’s account.

When Daniel chapter 4 ends, Nebuchadnezzar is king over Babylon.  Daniel chapter 5 is an account of the last night of the Babylonian Empire.  Nebuchadnezzar died in 562 BC, and Babylon fell in 539 BC.  Therefore, Daniel chapter 5 begins roughly 23 years after Daniel chapter 4 ends.

The book of Daniel starts in 605 BC when Daniel was a young man.  When chapter 5 takes place, it is 539 BC, 66 years later.  If Daniel was 14 years old when the story started, he is 80 years old when he stands before King Belshazzar.  Daniel saw the comings and goings of the Babylonian Empire and the changes in dynasties from a unique vantage point.  He was advisor and prime minister under the great king, Nebuchadnezzar, and continued to serve in the administration of the Empire when the Medes and Persians took over.  From his vantage point, he drew the following conclusion:

The Most High God rules over the kingdoms of the world and appoints anyone he desires to rule over them.  (Daniel 5:21)

This is the point of Daniel chapter 5.  God rules over the affairs of humanity.

This is precisely where many people object to Christianity.  If God is good, why is there evil?  However, God has given us free will.  We bring the evil on ourselves.  This is what happens with Belshazzar in Daniel 5.

Daniel chapter 5 starts out with a proud king, Belshazzar. 

He is having a party, and calls for the gold and silver cups that Nebuchadnezzar had brought from the temple in Jerusalem.  This was an act of defiance.  The aged and wise Daniel said to Belshazzar:

When his [Nebuchadnezzar’s] heart and mind were puffed up with arrogance, he was brought down from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.  ²¹He was driven from human society.  He was given the mind of a wild animal, and he lived among the wild donkeys.  He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he learned that the Most High God rules over the kingdoms of the world and appoints anyone he desires to rule over them.

²²“You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself.  ²³For you have proudly defied the Lord of heaven and have had these cups from his Temple brought before you.  (Daniel 5:20-23)

According to Daniel, Belshazzar proudly defied the Lord of Heaven by having these cups brought out, and he knew better.  He knew what his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar went through.

The party’s whole focus was having a good time.  The text says the king drank wine with 1,000 of his nobles.  The cups were brought out to drink wine.  With the focus on wine, the purpose of the feast is clearly pleasure.

History is unclear whether the city was under siege or if Belshazzar had no idea that a great army was gathering outside his city.  However, it shows the human tendency to grow overconfident, proud and arrogant.  Belshazzar and his nobles felt secure inside the walls of their city, and were boastfully confident in their own wisdom and strength.

The text says that as the nobles, Belshazzar’s wives and concubines drank, they praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.  (Daniel 5:4)  Their confidence was in gods that did not and do not exist.  These idols were empty, vain statues that showed the foolishness of those who made them.  However, their pride and confidence rested on the mighty empire they ruled, the magnificent city they lived in and the symbols of success they enjoyed such as the spoils of war, abundant wine to drink and the ability to host magnificent feasts.  They thought they achieved all of this by their own cunning, strength and power.  Therefore, they proudly defied the God of heaven.

Modern man is no different. 

I am not a financial wizard.  However, the financial crisis of 2008 is an example of how we can become proud and arrogant, worshipping gods of our own making. 

James speaks of our over confidence when he says:

¹³Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year.  We will do business there and make a profit.”  ¹⁴How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow?  Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.  ¹⁵What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”  ¹⁶Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil.

The planning is not evil.  The boasting is evil.  It is human to think of ourselves in god-like terms, as if we can make things happen.  To live life without acknowledging the God who gives us life, is evil.  To drink the wine He provides while boasting in our own greatness without gratitude to Him, is evil.

There is accountability when we live in a world ruled by the Most High God.  If we are the highest power in our universe, there is no accountability.  We can do as we please and do not have to answer to anyone.  Humans are quick to forget what the Lord says in Psalms 94:8-11:

⁸Think again, you fools!  When will you finally catch on?  ⁹Is he deaf—the one who made your ears?  Is he blind—the one who formed your eyes?  ¹⁰He punishes the nations—won’t he also punish you?  He knows everything—doesn’t he also know what you are doing?  ¹¹The LORD knows people’s thoughts; he knows they are worthless!  (Psalm 94:8-11)

He knows our thoughts.  In Psalm 139:4, it says that he knows what we are going to say before we say it.  However, we live and carry on as if He does not know or care and we are the masters of our own destiny.

Belshazzar carried on until it was too late. 

Daniel read the writing on the wall to Belshazzar and explained it to him.  First, Daniel explained the meaning of the history that Belshazzar had lived through.  Daniel explained that God had humbled Nebuchadnezzar until Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged that God rules over the affairs of men.  Next, Daniel explained that Belshazzar was ignoring these lessons and should have known better.  Finally, Daniel interprets the message written by the hand on the wall.

The message was a pronunciation of judgment.  This was not a “turn, repent and be saved” message.  This was an “it is over” message.

Belshazzar ignores this news and pronounces Daniel the third highest ruler in the empire.  Nabonidus is number one.  Belshazzar is number two, and Daniel is number three.  Wow, the seat of power for an hour or two!

This points out another human tendency.

The nation of Israel ignored God’s warnings until the country was finally destroyed.  The kingdom of Judah ignored God’s warnings until the country was finally destroyed.  Jesus warned the Jews of His day of the coming destruction of Jerusalem, but they also ignored the warnings.  This same pattern will continue to the end.  The Great Tribulation will be a seven-year period when God gives humanity one last chance.  The vast majority will be like Belshazzar and his nobles, partying until the very end.

God has always kept a remnant for Himself.  For example, Daniel was a godly man in an ungodly nation.  After the seventy years of exile, thousands of Jews returned to Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah, people who had remained faithful to God.

Jesus said:

¹³“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate.  The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.  ¹⁴But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.  (Matthew 7:13-14)

The question for each one of us today is, “Will we choose to acknowledge God today, or will we blindly rush on to destruction?”

The Bible is clear.  We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  (Romans 3:23)  The handwriting is on the wall.  The Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death.”  (Romans 6:23)  However, this is not an “It is over” message.  Because, this handwriting says, “But the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23)  All one has to do to avoid the penalty of death is to accept this free gift of God.

The Lord Jesus will be returning soon.  He promised to return.  Meanwhile, the world is feasting, drinking wine, watching movies and celebrating its gods of gold, silver, iron, wood plastic and chrome.  The first time he came as a baby, and died to be our Savior.  He rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and will return as a victorious conquering King.  Those who are not ready will find themselves, like Belshazzar, lost and without hope.

We all need to humble ourselves and call upon the Name of the Lord now, while there is time.

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

[ii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylinders_of_Nabonidus.  Note also, Schultz, Samuel J., The Old Testament Speaks, Harper & Row, San Francisco, 1980.  pg. 370

Nebuchadnezzar's Huge Idol

King Nebuchadnezzar built a huge idol.

Dr. W. A. Scott writes:

We are not without historical confirmation of the narrative as to the existence of gigantic idols of gold among the Babylonians.  Herodotus writes that in his day there was at Babylon an idol image of gold twelve cubits high; and, what is still more remarkable, another authority, obviously speaking of the same statue, mentions that every stranger was obliged to worship it before he was allowed to enter the city.[i]

Herodotus was a Greek historian who wrote about 100 years after the events of Daniel.

Pride.  Pride is why Nebuchadnezzar built his idol.  He said:

Look at this great city of Babylon!  By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.[ii]  (Daniel 4:30)

He made a name for himself, a name that is remembered to this day.

Nebuchadnezzar had at least four godly men in his service:  Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.  God used these men to confront Nebuchadnezzar’s pride.

However, Nebuchadnezzar was king.  He had authority over all the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials.  (Daniel 3:2)  He insisted that all the high officers and officials worship the image that he had set up.

What is the point of that?

Pride.

He could tell them what to do and they had to do it; such power, such control!

Consider how he responded when he was refused.  He did not get his way.

Three men, three Hebrew men, refused to bow down before his idol.  His goal was blocked.  He wanted to demonstrate his absolute power and these three had the audacity to refuse.

Nebuchadnezzar was furious.  He threw a kingly fit.  What is the point of heating the furnace seven times hotter?  It is unreasonable.  The scriptures tell us that his face was distorted with rage!  (Daniel 3:19)  His command (read tirade) was so urgent that they heated the furnace so hot it killed the soldiers throwing the three Hebrews into the fire.  (Daniel 3:22)

Before we go on to consider how this situation worked out, let’s consider how this applies to our lives.

We all build idols.  Our idols are not 90-foot tall statues of gold, but we still expect others to bow to them.

Galatians 5:17 says:

The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants.  And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires.  These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

These idols I am speaking about are the desires of the sinful nature that are opposite of what the Spirit wants.  The real idol is self.  Whether Nebuchadnezzar’s image was a statue of himself or an image of one of his gods, it represented his high opinion of himself.  We, as believers, have been crucified with Christ.  (Galatians 2:20)  God should be on the throne of our lives, but sadly, too often self is on the throne.

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For example, with self on the throne, we will set a goal, and believe we have the power to make it happen.  It may be something as benign as a nice family outing.  However, any member of the family can block that goal.  When the five-year-old decides he does not like the family outing, the goal is blocked and self sees the offense against its power.  The family spends the next few days in the fiery furnace of self’s kingly rage.

Or, for another example, with self on the throne, we set out to control the people, circumstance and events in our lives.  This control might express itself in perfectionism.  The books on the table are always arranged just right.  The silverware in the drawers are always lined up and stacked just so.  The kitchen counter is always clean and neat.  The person, usually a family member, who ruins this perfection is thrown into the fiery furnace and suffers under self’s kingly rage.

Or for yet one more example, perhaps self has exalted self to law giver and judge.  We are always right.  James 4:11 speaks of this when it says:

Don't speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters.  If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God's law.  But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.

We judge our brothers and sisters and even know their motives.  When others do not do right in our eyes, we send them to hell, the ultimate fiery furnace.  We write them off.  We do not speak to them.

Anger most often shows up when our goal or goals are blocked.  When we find ourselves getting angry, it is a good practice to ask, “What goal is being blocked?”  Ask God to help using the words of the Psalmist:

²³Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴Point out anything in me that offends you,

and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

(Psalm 139:23-24)

Nebuchadnezzar did not see that he was wrong.  He was the mighty king of Babylon and had the right to require the worship of his subjects.  However, God used those who were powerless to shame this powerful man.  (1 Corinthians 1:27)

These three Hebrew men told Nebuchadnezzar:

O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.  ¹⁷If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us.  He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.  ¹⁸But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.  (Daniel 3:16-18)

I love the boldness and faith of these men.  They stood up against something that was clearly wrong.  God says, very clearly, “You must not have any other god but me.”  (Exodus 20:3)  These men were also willing to pay the price for their boldness.  The king had the authority to throw them into the blazing furnace, and in their response, these men showed they were willing to face those consequences.

I want to be sensitive in drawing the application in our lives, but if we love someone, we will not pander to their huge idols.  Relationships are often the battlegrounds for huge power struggles.  If I find myself, like Nebuchadnezzar, in a rage, my problem is me: no one else, me.  In contrast to this, God calls us to a standard of Love.  He commands us to love our neighbor as our self.  1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says:

⁴Love is patient and kind.  Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵or rude.  It does not demand its own way.  It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  ⁶It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  ⁷Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

With self on the throne, this is impossible.  However, the fruit of the Spirit is love. 

Sometimes being loving means we have to stand up against something that is wrong, no matter what the consequences.

There are times in life when we, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, are thrown into the furnace, even for trying to do the right thing. 

At times like this, it is helpful to remember 1 Peter 4:12-14:

¹²Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.  ¹³Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.

¹⁴So be happy when you are insulted for being a Christian, for then the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you.

Do you see these words, “So that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory revealed to all the world!”  This is exactly what happened with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

Being angry because my goal is blocked, and standing up for my faith in Jesus Christ are not the same thing.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were used by God to confront the pride of Nebuchadnezzar because they chose to obey God rather than man.  God honored these men, because they honored God.  They consistently honored God.  When all the other captives accepted the food and drink provided by the Babylonians, these men decided to honor God and ate vegetables and water.  They put God above their bodily comfort.  When these men were faced with bowing before another god or dying, they chose dying.  They put God before their lives.

When you and I honor God more than self, He honors us.  When you and I honor God more than our job, He honors us.  When you and I honor God more than family, He honors us. 

We must seek to honor God above all else, especially self.  Jesus said:

²⁶“If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life.  Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.  ²⁷And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.  (Luke 14:26-27)

Look at the results of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s actions.  The proud king, Nebuchadnezzar, acknowledged the greatness of God.  The Name of the God of the Hebrews was proclaimed throughout the lands under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar as he issued a decree that to speak against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego was a capital offense.

Pride would lead us to set up meaningless, fruitless and empty idols, huge idols.  However, if we would live fruitful, powerful lives, we must honor God above all else.

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[i] http://biblehub.com/sermons/auth/scott/gigantic_idols.htm

[ii]  Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.