Daniel 5: A Strong Hand
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Review and Summary of Daniel Thus Far
Structure
Daniel 2:21 ESVHe changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;
Summary statement
Verse:
He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;
The book of Daniel is a plea for God’s people to be faithful as God exercises his authority over the nations.
Statement
The book of Daniel covers the
Recap of Chapter 3In Daniel chapter 3, king Nebuchadnezzar fails to heed the warning of the dream in chapter 2 and constructs a 90 foot golden image and whoever doesn’t worship the image at the sound of the music will be executed by means of the burning fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who are at this point in positions of authority for King Nebuchadnezzer, do not worship the golden image. They are brought before Nebuchadnezzer and tell him plainly that God is able to save them from the burning fiery furnace but if he does not they will not serve Babylonian gods or worship the golden image. In rage, Nebuchadnezzer throws Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the burning fiery furnace but to his shock they are not harmed in any way by the fire. God’s people are saved from the wrath of the evil king and even receive a promotion. While it is an amazing display of God’s power by preventing the death of his servants, the important thing illustrated to us is Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s faith. Their faith, not the their deliverance is the middle of the chiastic structure in chapter 3. Deliverance is not the point, faith is. For us today, our faith will help us be victorious over our great foe: death.Introduction
The book of Daniel is a plea for God’s people to be faithful as God exercises his authority over the nations.
Recap of
Daniel chapter 4 and 5 are the chiastic center of the book of Daniel. The humbling of King Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar represent the double portion of God’s judgment against the Babylonians. King Nebuchadnezzar is humbled through a dream and interpretation of Daniel. This dream focus our attention back to day 6 of the creation story whereby God creates the beasts of the field, man, and gives man dominion, in that order. God exercises his power of King Nebuchadnezzar by striping him temporarily of his kingdom and sanity. The temporary removing of his dominion and sanity represent a reversal of day six in creation. By taking away his kingdom and sanity King Nebuchadnezzar is reduced to the mind and lifestyle of a beast. Nebuchadnezzar’s sanity and kingdom is returned to him and he proceeds to praise God. In his exaltation of God in he uses a phrase that is only repeated once in all of the bible, old and new testament, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven”. God uses the humbling of this mighty king to remind us all that he is “King of heaven” and there is no one like him.
: Humbling of Proud King Belshazzar
Introduction
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Outline of the Text
Scene 1: The Party Pooper [5:1-9]
Prologue (5:1)
This is the 5th section of the book of daniel.
The second part of our dual chiastic structure.
Vessels, Wine and Idolatry (5:2-4)
Vessels from destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzer. ()
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.
“taken out of the temple, the house of God” - author notes this as a signal to the reader something bad is about to happen to Belshazzar.
Drinking the of wrath of judgment theme.
Hand (5:5-6)
v5 - “opposite the lampstand” - meaning in the light of the full room.
v6 - “his limbs gave way” - means “the knots of his loins were loosened”
Some commentators believe that he actually soils his pants.
Gifts (5:7-9)
Daniel Before the King and Offered Gifts (5:13-16)
Daniel Rejects the Gifts (5:17)
Daniel Reminds us of Chapter 4 (5:18-21)
Scene 2: The Unscheduled Main Event (5:10-22)
Daniel summoned (5:10-12)
Queen links the reader back to Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 4.
Repeats “father”
v12 - “solve problems” means “unties knots”
Are Daniel’s services for sale? (5:13-16)
“exiles of Judah”
The vessels weren’t the only thing to come from Nebuchadnezzer.
King is not a fan of this…this is more embarrassing than soiling himself.
In the new exile, God’s prophets are not for sale.
Unlike Balaam ()
v16 - “solve problems” means “unties knots”
Belshazzar offers him the same gift as Pharoah offered Joseph ()
Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck.
Daniel rejects the gifts and solves the problem (5:17-21)
v17 - why is Daniel harsh with the King?
He sees what’s happening with the vessels from the temple.
He’s old…got nothing to lose.
“until he know that the Most High God rules the kingdom mankind and sets over it whom he will.”
4th time this is repeated in chapters 4 and 5.
He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will.
and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.”
that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.
The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’
Scene 3: The Party is Over. (5:22-31)
Vessels, Wine, and Idolatry (5:22-23)
“you knew all this” or “you should have known all this”
v23 - “hand” reference to this event and God’s storied history of a mighty hand over all his enemies
Hand (5:24-28)
“from his presence” = heaven
Writing:
“MENE, MENE” - mina, heaviest weight
Interpreted - “numbered”
“the writing is on the wall”
“your days are numbered”
“TEKEL” - shekel, lightest weight
Interpreted - “weighed”
“PARSIN” - half-mina
Interpreted - “divided”
You think your the best, but you’re nothing. And what you have will be given away.
Also,
Gifts (5:29)
Humbling of Proud King Belshazzar (5:30)
Epilogue (5:30-31)
“received the kingdom” - passive, also it is not presented as a “new” kingdom. Refers us back to , the vision is of a horrifyingly unified evil kingdom. One kingdom transferred.
Observations from and
God is the “King of heaven” and “Lord of heaven” .
“King of heaven” -
“Lord of heaven” -
these two titles, found in the twofold chiastic center of the book of Daniel are the main point of the book. No matter what scenario is before us we can have confidence that both the King and Lord of heaven we’ll reign.
God can humble and judge whomever he wills.
Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar operated with the same level of hubris yet one was humbled and one was judged.
The apostle Paul recounts this in
As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
We shouldn’t pre-screen our evangelistic efforts. The gospel will do that what it will.
Both Nebuchadnezzar are immediately judged by God.
In both chapters God speaks judgment.
In chapter 4, a reflection on the creation story, a voice from heaven speaks.
Where have we seen this before in the scriptures?
In the creation story, the phase “God said” is repeated 10 times.
In chapter 5, a reflection on the exile from Egypt, a hand from heaven writes.
In the giving of the law, the tablets were inscribed, in this case the wall was inscribed.
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
The judgment is immediate.
Nebuchadnezzer:
While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you,
Belshazzar:
Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote.
The judgment is first to the father then to son.
10th Plague:
So Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.
Belshazzar is not Nebuchadnezzar’s son.
“father” is repeated 6 times. Specifically that Nebuchadnezzer is Belshazzar’s father.
Belshazzar is the son of Nabonious.
Nabonious is actually the king of Babylon right now...
He had a falling out with the Babylonian priesthood because he favored and elevated the moon god, Sin, over the main god, Marduk.
He left Babylon about 552 BC to build and recover temples to Sin.
Belshazzar was then King of Babylon.
Where have we seen this before in the scriptures? 10th Plague
Hand...”a mighty hand” will lead Israel out of exile.
10th Plague:
So Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.
Application
The providence of God demands humility from external circumstances.
We must observe what happens to us but also what happens around us.
How many times have we driven by a car wreck and ONLY been frustrated that it slows our commute? How many times have we seen something tragic and said internally or out loud “glad that isn’t me”? Or I can’t believe so and so did that sinful thing…I’d never do something like that? You might be too ugly to have an actual affair, but you sure can have one in your heart. Be aware of what God put’s in and around your life because it is a mirror into your own heart. The proper glimpse into our heart is with repentance and humility.
Jesus and the Tower of Siloam in
There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?
Tower of Silaom
Divine Providence from the 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689)
Confessing the Faith: The 1689 Baptist Confession for the 21st Century V. Divine Providence
The perfectly wise, righteous, and gracious God often allows His own children for a time to experience a variety of temptations and the sinfulness of their own hearts. He does this to chastise them for their former sins or to make them aware of the hidden strength of the corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts so that they may be humbled. He also does this to lead them to a closer and more constant dependence on Him to sustain them, to make them more cautious about all future circumstances that may lead to sin, and for other just and holy purposes. So whatever happens to any of His elect happens by His appointment, for His glory and for their good.16
Cyrus Cyliner:
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