The Dangers We Face

Daniel 5:1–31 NLT

1 Many years later King Belshazzar gave a great feast for 1,000 of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. 2 While Belshazzar was drinking the wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups that his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. He wanted to drink from them with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines. 3 So they brought these gold cups taken from the Temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 While they drank from them they praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. 5 Suddenly, they saw the fingers of a human hand writing on the plaster wall of the king’s palace, near the lampstand. The king himself saw the hand as it wrote, 6 and his face turned pale with fright. His knees knocked together in fear and his legs gave way beneath him. 7 The king shouted for the enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers to be brought before him. He said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed in purple robes of royal honor and will have a gold chain placed around his neck. He will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom!” 8 But when all the king’s wise men had come in, none of them could read the writing or tell him what it meant. 9 So the king grew even more alarmed, and his face turned pale. His nobles, too, were shaken. 10 But when the queen mother heard what was happening, she hurried to the banquet hall. She said to Belshazzar, “Long live the king! Don’t be so pale and frightened. 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has within him the spirit of the holy gods. During Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, this man was found to have insight, understanding, and wisdom like that of the gods. Your predecessor, the king—your predecessor King Nebuchadnezzar—made him chief over all the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers of Babylon. 12 This man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, has exceptional ability and is filled with divine knowledge and understanding. He can interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.” 13 So Daniel was brought in before the king. The king asked him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles brought from Judah by my predecessor, King Nebuchadnezzar? 14 I have heard that you have the spirit of the gods within you and that you are filled with insight, understanding, and wisdom. 15 My wise men and enchanters have tried to read the words on the wall and tell me their meaning, but they cannot do it. 16 I am told that you can give interpretations and solve difficult problems. If you can read these words and tell me their meaning, you will be clothed in purple robes of royal honor, and you will have a gold chain placed around your neck. You will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom.” 17 Daniel answered the king, “Keep your gifts or give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means. 18 Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, majesty, glory, and honor to your predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar. 19 He made him so great that people of all races and nations and languages trembled before him in fear. He killed those he wanted to kill and spared those he wanted to spare. He honored those he wanted to honor and disgraced those he wanted to disgrace. 20 But when his heart and mind were puffed up with arrogance, he was brought down from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21 He 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. 23 For you have proudly defied the Lord of heaven and have had these cups from his Temple brought before you. You and your nobles and your wives and concubines have been drinking wine from them while praising gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor know anything at all. But you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny! 24 So God has sent this hand to write this message. 25 “This is the message that was written: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is what these words mean: Mene means ‘numbered’—God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end. 27 Tekel means ‘weighed’—you have been weighed on the balances and have not measured up. 28 Parsin means ‘divided’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” 29 Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was dressed in purple robes, a gold chain was hung around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom. 30 That very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed. 31 And Darius the Mede took over the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.

Memorial Day is a time each year when we pause to remember those who laid down their lives for family, friends and freedom. One week after the Pearl Harbor attack President Franklin D. Roosevelt said,

Daniel

“Those who long enjoy such privileges that we enjoy forget in time that others have died to win them.” Freedom is never really free; it’s almost always bought with the blood of patriots

The biggest battle we, as Americans, are facing today is the battle for the very soul of our nation.

We can see this all around us in the news every day… on our neighborhoods… our schools. The erosion of our society has been a slow process that has sped up in the last few years.

It doesn’t really matter whether Republicans or Democrats control the government, the nation that most of us love and admire continues to erode and decline.

The position we are in today is because of what we tolerated yesterday. The position we will be in tomorrow will be because of what we tolerate today.

History tends to repeat itself over the centuries. In Daniel’s day, he saw a lot of what we see today. describes the collapse of a culture. Babylon was strong militarily and the people were comfortable behind the strong walls of the city. However, this mighty nation crumbled from within.

In , Babylon make four huge mistakes. They lost all remembrance. The lost all sense of reality. They lost all sense of restraint. And they lost all sense of respect.

My prayer is that we would be challenged to be a people of repentance and turn back to the Lord. Anything we do without God is empty.

Learn the lessons from the past. ()

Daniel 5:18–23 NLT

18 Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, majesty, glory, and honor to your predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar. 19 He made him so great that people of all races and nations and languages trembled before him in fear. He killed those he wanted to kill and spared those he wanted to spare. He honored those he wanted to honor and disgraced those he wanted to disgrace. 20 But when his heart and mind were puffed up with arrogance, he was brought down from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21 He 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. 23 For you have proudly defied the Lord of heaven and have had these cups from his Temple brought before you. You and your nobles and your wives and concubines have been drinking wine from them while praising gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor know anything at all. But you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny!

Belshazzar’s problem, as with many people today, was that he had lost all sense of remembrance. He had forgotten the lessons from the past. He had forgotten the lessons his predecessor had learned the hard way.

Daniel 4:37 NLT

37 “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud.”

Pride comes before a fall and that’s what Belshazzar was doing… lifting himself above God.

Daniel 4:30 NLT

30 As he looked out across the city, 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.’

This the same thing Neb was doing when God struck him and let him roam around like a wild animal. Pride always leads to a fall. God hates pride… ask Adam and Eve… David… Peter...

The USA used to honor God unashamedly and openly. You see that in the monuments in Washington and other places. It’s printed on our money… in God we trust. There was a time when we gave God the credit for our successes and blessings and turned to Him in prayer during our difficult times.

“A nation that does not remember what it was yesterday does not know what it is today, or what it is trying to do. We are about a futile thing if we do not know where we came from or what we have been about.” President Woodrow Wilson

While America is still the greatest country on the planet, thanks to the men and women w remember and honor today, in many ways we have forgotten our past. We have forgotten what made our nation the greatest nation on earth - ever. We have forgotten what made us the nation that people from all over the world would risk everything to come here.

What makes us different from our neighbors? Canada was settled by French Explorers looking for gold. Mexico was settled by Spanish explorers who were also looking for gold. America was settled by people looking for freedom… freedom from monarchy and freedom of religion. They were looking for a home where they could worship their God without persecution.

America was settled by people of Faith

We have fallen a long way from where we began. It’s not uncommon for Federal Courts to try to eliminate manger scenes at Christmas. You have city governments banning travel to states passing heartbeat laws. A couple was threatened with eviction for leading a Bible study in their assisted living. Local governments have tried to ban Chic-Fil-A from airports and colleges because they support Biblical Beliefs and a Biblical Marriage. However CFA does not discriminate. Lower courts said is was ok for a school system to force students to repeat an Islamic prayer while prayer (Christian Prayer is outlawed)

Unfortunately there are too many similarities between ancient Babylon and modern day America. Just like Babylon, there will be an expensive price to pay when we forget who were once were.

America is becoming more like Ancient Babylon

We need to be anchored in reality.

Perspective - Outside the walls of the city of Babylon, the Medes and the Persians had surrounded the city. However inside the Babylonians were partying and having a great time because they thought their history of dominance and power were enough. They trusted in the walls around the city which they thought were invincible. Those walls were 60 miles in circumference. But everywhere you looked, the enemy was surrounding the city. But the walls were high and thick and impossible to penetrate. They had water and 20 years of rations inside the walls. No problem.

Belshazzar lost all sense of reality and threw a giant party with thousands in attendance all the while, destruction is at the wall.

When we feel secure in our own strength, danger is on the other side of the wall. People think that because they got away with something, they can get away with it again.

The king (Belshazzar) was so caught up with himself… with his position and power that he forgot that the real strength of the kingdom wasn’t the walls or the military… but in the people inside the walls.

Babylon fell because they had become corrupt in the inside with no sense of remembrance or reality.

I love America, but some think God needs America to carry out his plan here on earth. And he has for years. American missionaries have taken the Gospel all over the world… built hospitals all over the world… built schools and orphanages… freed people from oppression… We have won all the wars and we are the lone super-power, although China is coming on. But God doesn’t need America to do what he is going to do. Here is what God is saying today.

1 Corinthians 10:12 NLT

12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.

We, myself included, think we are invincible but at one time, Israel was the most powerful nation on the planet. They were one nation under God. There motto really was in God we trust.

Three thousand years later, God gave birth to another nation. God gave America a law built on Israels ancient commandments. Now is the time to remember who we are at our roots and where we have come from.

It’s time for us to look at the reality of what’s going on around us and pray… for God to forgive us and for us to turn back to God … only then will God heal and restore our land. It will not come from either political party.

We must live moral lives.

Daniel 5:2 NLT

2 While Belshazzar was drinking the wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups that his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. He wanted to drink from them with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines.

When people or nations don’t remember… when they lose any sense of reality, the will also stray from any moral absolutes and lose all sense of restraint.

The Babylonians were too blind to see the correlation between the moral decay of their culture and the national decline.