Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Please open your Bibles to Daniel Chapter 5.

I want to thank the worship team for orienting us toward our Saviour and and through His Word this morning, helping us to see and celebrate Him.

Thank you _____ for reading our text today, which is the heart of chapter 5, and our message today.

Illustration

Imagine for a second you are a teacher in high school, and you are just finishing up the last class of the day, and the bell rings.

There is a general sense of relief and even excitement from the teens, with the exception of one.

A young man about half way down the row on the right hand side does not respond with relief to the bell, and certainly not excitement.

He sort of hangs his head and slumps in his chair a bit.

You try to lighten things up with a little joke, perhaps, ‘Finally!

Someone who truly appreciate my teaching and doesn’t want to leave...’

only the faintest hint of amusement flickers over his face, before going back into a sort of placid indifference.

He responds, ‘Its better than sitting around at home...’

After a couple more questions the student opens up about how he is grounded for a month!—not allowed to go to any of the sports he loves, see any friends, and not allowed any screens or devices, but must come straight home and take part some kind of non-screen activities for the evening.

I wonder what would come into your head in that moment?

Perhaps some judgement regarding the parenting style being implemented here?

Especially if you have not really seen any explicitly bad behaviour from this child.

You might conclude that these parents are overly harsh and exacting.

But let’s rewind this scene and try it again for a moment.

This time, you know the parents of this teen very well.

They are some of the wisest, kindest, and most reluctant to punish parents that you have ever met.

The same scene plays out and in this case, rather than immediately questioning the choices of the parents, you think, “Wow, he must have done something really bad...”

Now, why is the reaction so different?

Simply this: in the first scenario, you have no idea of the character of the parents, you only know the teen and the punishment.

In the second, you know the parents well.

Waverley, in our culture today, God’s judgements are repeatedly condemned as harsh and exacting, and those He judges are assumed to be victims of a tyrant’s irrational and petty rage.

Now, the reasons for this are somewhat complex, but one of the key reasons is that they do not know the tenderness, humility and goodness of our God.

They do not know Jesus.

In today’s text, we see the judgement of God fall, and although the Bible very seldom feels the need to defend God’s judgements, I believe here we are meant to see the great patience of God, as well as the reality that His patience does not last forever.

The reality of God’s long, but limited patience has implications for each and every one of us in here today: whether we are walking faithfully with Christ, walking in rebellion to Christ, or somewhere in between.

My hope is by the end of this message we will be in awe of our Lord’s patience, and see the folly of testing the patience of such a good and glorious Saviour.

I hope that we will see, and feel, that...

All people must humble themselves today, because God’s patience is long and limited.

FCF - Just as Belshazzar is prone to neglect God’s power, mercy, and patience, Christians are today as well.

MP1 - Because God’s patience is long and limited, we must not presume upon God’s patience.

MP2 - Because God’s patience is long and limited, All people must repent today.

MP3 - Because God’s patience is long and limited, God’s people must be patient.

MP1 - Because God’s Patience is Long and Limited, we must not presume upon God’s patience.

Exegesis

To get a sense of the immense mercy, kindness, and patience of our Lord here this morning, we must dig into this text and the many allusions and explicit references to God’s kindness and patience.

First, let’s rewind a bit to consider Belshazzar’s father (or possibly grandfather) Nebuchadnezzar.

First, back in chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar has a dream.

A dream that no one can interpret except the exile from Judah.

exile specifically credits the dream and interpretation to Yahweh, the God of Israel, who we know is Jesus Christ.

The dream reveals that God has given Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar the great honour of being the golden head of the statue.

Even-so, they are just one of several great kingdoms, which will all be eventually consumed by God’s kingdom.

Nebuchadnezzar seems to respond rightly saying, ‘“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.”

(Dan 2:47).

Yet, in the very next chapter, we see Nebuchadnezzar setting up a golden statue.

I agree with pastor Greg who suggested that this statue is not only an impossibly arrogant gesture apart from anything before hand, but in addition seems to be defiantly saying, “I refuse to believe that I am merely the golden head of the statue, but rather I will be the entire statue...”

Now, does the Lord strike Nebuchadnezzar dead for such haughty opposition to His glory?

No!

If you remember, the Lord patiently endures Nebuchadnezzar’s hostility toward His servants, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and even appeals to Nebuchadnezzar by making a supernatural demonstration of power before him: delivering his servants from the fire, and sending some kind of Christ-like messenger to accompany the men in the fire.

Nebuchadnezzar again has big words for the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.

29 Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.”

(Daniel 3:28 -29)

Surely Nebuchadnezzar has now learned his lesson, no?

In Chapter 4, we see yet again that Nebuchadnezzar must be confronted with another dream—another dream which only Daniel can discern.

The dream was of a beautiful, yet haughty and proud tree.

That proud tree was Nebuchadnezzar himself.

The dream went on to show the tree being cut down and stripped of all its glory, and Daniel gave the application to Nebuchadnezzar: humble yourself before God.

So no, Nebuchadnezzar had not yet learned from the previous episodes, and this dream does not move him to repentance and humility either.

In fact, a short time after he hears Daniel’s interpretation, he walks along the roof of his palace and says, (Dan 4:30) “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?””

At this point, God struck Nebuchadnezzar dead.

He has been given enough chances.

No, he did not!

God humbled Nebuchadnezzar by giving him the mind of a beast, and driving him from among men for a season.

At the end of this adventure, it does indeed seem that Nebuchadnezzar has gained a measure of humility.

But what is important for us today, is that all of these episodes are very public.

Belshazzar should have had very intimate knowledge of all of these things.

Daniel explicitly says this in the section that was read (v.17-23).

But what does he do?

He makes himself the centre of attention at a great party, and intentionally calls for the holy vessels from God’s temple, and praises the false gods of gold, silver, iron and bronze (v.1-4)

Having known all of God’s patience, and glory, and mercy and kindness, surely at this point He ought to be struck dead by God, no? Yes, clearly he should!

But what does God do?

Another supernatural sign, a disembodied hand appears on the wall...

Not in a dark corner, but in front of the lampstand, clearly visible.

Does Belshazzar express some sense of fear of God? No, he calls for pagan diviners, and overlooks Daniel.

He calls Daniel, and although he is in a position of utter helplessness, presumes to be able to elicit obedience from Daniel.

He speaks down to Daniel (one of the exiles, my father brought…).

This time, instead of giving the interpretation of the writing first, Daniel gives the application first, which could be summarized this way: You knew God’s work in your father’s life, but instead of taking into account and walking humbly before God, you exalted yourself.

Specifically and most heinously in this most recent act of bringing the vessels of the Lord into your party as play things.

Belshazzar must surely repent at this point, no?

He does not.

So the Lord takes his life—that very night--and his kingdom, and gives it to Darius, who will reign over the Medio-Persian empire for some years.

Application

I wonder how many in here this morning have been shown God’s kindness, mercy, and patience like Nebuchadnezzar and his son Belshazzar in here today.

God shows up in your life, shows you his goodness and his power, and for a little while you respond.

But then you become complacent, and go back to serving the idols of this world: wood and stone.

Like Nebuchadnezzar, you take what was set apart for the service and worship of Christ, and use it to praise and honour idols.

Instead of using your time, your energy, your money for God and His name, you instead exalt your home, your hobbies, your activities, and really yourself.

Then the Lord comes along and gets your attention with some crisis.

Your marriage becomes really hard.

There is an illness in the family.

Perhaps chronic pain or loss of job...

…and you return to the Lord… for a bit.

The Lord heals the illness, provides an answer to the prayers for a job, or for the birth of a child, etc… and then what happens?

You go back to your old ways.

You go back to serving created things rather than the creator.

Some of us have maybe had this happen so many times, we make it an annual rhythm!