“I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. (Daniel 5:14)

“But you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your Lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.” (Daniel 5:23‬)

Verse 14 is Belshazzar’s attempt to compliment Daniel because he wants Daniel’s help. Notice how confused Belshazzar is about Daniel’s faith or beliefs. “The spirit of the gods is in you.” Here, he reveals his own belief in “the gods” and assumes the same of Daniel. Of course, Daniel believes in “the one true God, and no others,” which will be revealed in the rest of the story. 

Verse 23 is Daniel’s reply to Belshazzar’s actions and words. First, Daniel notes that Belshazzar and his friends drank from the holy items taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. These items were sanctified (set-apart) for holy use in the Temple. Second, Daniel notes that Belshazzar and his party goers “have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know” rather than “the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways.”

From 1965 to 1982, Daniel’s words described me. I didn’t know that I was offending the one true God. I was just living life, having fun. But like Belshazzar, I stood rightly condemned before a holy God (Jn 3:18). I’m thankful for a classmate who regularly invited me to church, where I heard the gospel and believed. 

Unfortunately, “That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed.” (5‬:‭30‬) He was just living life, and as the most powerful man in the world, probably thought he had time … lots of time. In his death, not only did he (and the Babylonians) lose his kingdom, but he also lost his soul. 

Father, help me to make the most of the unknown time I have remaining. Amen.

“The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, ‘The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins.’” (Daniel 2:5)

“Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. The king answered and said to Daniel, ‘Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.’” (Daniel 2:46‬-‭47‬)

Nebuchadnezzar was smart to require the magicians, sorcerers, and enchanters to tell him both his dream and its interpretation. The threat to tear them limb from limb was pretty significant. 

In frustration, the enchanters said, “The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” ‭(2‬:‭11‬) As the command to destroy them all went out over the land, they asked for Daniel. Of course, Daniel was able to meet the king’s demand to reveal the dream and its meaning. A few things stood out to me.

First, Daniels reveals the God of heaven, the one true and living God:

“Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:” (2‬:‭27‬-‭28‬)

Second, Daniel revealed God’s plan to establish a kingdom that will supersede all other kingdoms, including Nebuchadnezzar’s.

“And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.” (2‬:‭44‬-‭45‬)

Daniel’s interpretation hit the spot, and Nebuchadnezzar said, 

“Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.”

Father, help me respond as appropriately as Daniel did when I recognize your hand in my daily affairs. Amen.

“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.” (Daniel 1:1-2)

Yes, we are still covering the exile of Judah. We have gone back to 605 BC, when Daniel and others were taken to Babylon in the first wave of deportation. The temptation is to say, “Really? Are we ever going to get past the exile? Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Ezekiel were not enough?” The short answer is, “Yes and no.”

Yes, we will move on to other things. Eventually. And, no, those books were not enough.” How do I know they weren’t enough? Well, God gave more. 

What stands out to me is, “And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand.” Here, we see God’s sovereign ability to work with and within the geopolitical developments in the world. Sometimes we may be tempted to say, “I’m not concerned with politics because that’s worldly. I want to focus on spiritual things.” While a focus on spiritual things is good and admirable, God is also connected to the political goings on. 

In Daniel, we see that God utilized or caused (depending on one’s theological position) the rise of the Babylonian empire to discipline Israel. That is a sanitized description of how God worked in this scenario. While God did use Babylon to discipline Israel, there was a lot of bloodshed and suffering that took place. Enter the critic: “If God is so good, why didn’t he discipline Israel in a way that didn’t require blood and suffering?”

Notice that the critic’s question is not different in spirit than the the Bible reader’s spirit in his frustration at reading more about the exile. Both are suggesting that God should have done things differently. One person is a fan of God. The other is a critic of God. Yikes! As a fan of God, I don’t want to sound like a critic. 

Father, help me to appreciate all that you do in the way that you do it. Amen.