Eyes For The Kingdom And A Voice For God

EYES FOR THE KINGDOM AND A VOICE FOR GOD

Read Daniel 5:1-30

Read Daniel 5:1-30

You have been weighed in the balances and found wanting. Daniel 5:27

It is truly amazing how many English-American idioms come from the Book of Daniel. When people are put through great tests and trials we speak of them being “in the fiery furnace.” If a person is to go into an environment full of tension, opposition and hostility, we say he’s “in the lion’s den.” When we acknowledge human frailties we say they have “feet of clay.” And if everyone can see the end of something and its inevitable demise, we say, “The handwriting is on the wall.” Of all the stories of Daniel, chapter five is my favorite. It is the most poignant, full of drama and pathos. At no time in the book is Daniel as heroic as he is in the courtroom of the king, interpreting the hand of God writing on the wall of the palace.

Here is the chronology of events: Nebuchadnezzar II, who loved and admired Daniel, had died in 562 B.C. He was succeeded by Amel-Marduk, Nergal-Sharezer and Labashi-Marduk, his sons, who ruled from 562 to 556 B.C. (a mere six years). In 556 B.C., Nabonidus usurped the throne and in 550 B.C. he made his son, Belshazzar, co-regent with him. On October 6, 539 B.C., the Medes and Persians, under the command of Darius the Mede, came into the city through an aqueduct in the wall and captured the city of Babylon while Belshazzar partied in a drunken orgy. Babylon fell without a fight.

It appears that Daniel had been forgotten by Nabonidus, put away in retirement (for he would now be in his eighties), and seldom if ever consulted on state issues. Indeed, Belshazzar seems to not even know who Daniel is. It is the queen mother (Beshazzar’s mother) who remembers Daniel and sends for him.

Now, an aged Daniel, wise, sober and godly, stands before a young court of drunken Babylonians. The contrast could not be more dramatic. The hand of God had written on the wall of the banquet hall: “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin.” Literally, “numbered, numbered, weighed and divided.” Here is the sober meaning:

• Numbered, numbered: Written twice to emphasize both urgency and shortness of time. The days of Babylon had been numbered and would soon come to an end.
• Tekel: Weighed as in a balance or scale, and found to be wanting, lacking, too light-weight. Babylon lacked the substance to remain a world power of dominance. They failed to measure up to the task of dominion.
• Peres: Divided. That night Babylon would fall and would be divided between the Medes and the Persians.

Daniel’s fearless deliverance of this word of divine judgment illustrates two things. First, Daniel was old and ready to die and be with God. He feared not what a drunken king and raucous court might do to him. Second, and of more importance was this: Daniel had eyes for the Kingdom of God, a vision he had received eleven years earlier (7:1). And his voice still belonged to the Ancient of Days, even after 66 years of public service. Daniel loved God, he loved the Kingdom of heaven, and he loved Babylon, his adopted home. And the best way to serve the best interests of Babylon was to speak for the King of heaven about the Kingdom of God.

Each Christian bears this same responsibility. The days of our nation are numbered. We are closer to the end than to the beginning of the American Hour. Our culture is being weighed by God, and the more godless it becomes the more the scales tip against her. We are a divided people, with divided hearts, who someday may well be divided among the nations. It is my humble opinion that this is already taking place––not militarily, but economically, as the nations of the world buy up our land, our businesses and our banks. We are slowly but surely coming under the control of other nations.

We must speak out for God, His co-regent, Jesus Christ, and this eternal Kingdom. Numbered: They shall reign forever and ever. Weighed: Christ has been placed on the scales of time and been found more than sufficient for the salvation of mankind. He lacks nothing. Divided: The Kingdom of God is dividing the wheat from the chaff and gathering the elect of God from all the nations, while it unites the world in a City whose architect and builder is God. The handwriting is on the wall. Who will help our neighbors read and understand its message?

PRAYING FOR THE PCA

CEP: Give praise for the Women’s Advisory Sub-Committee, WIC Trainers, PresWIC and local women’s leadership. Pray that the Lord will guard their hearts and sustain them as they pour themselves out In Kingdom service.

CC: Above all else, please pray that Covenant College will stay true to its mission to prepare students to serve the church and the world as courageous, biblically grounded, Gospel-centered agents of Christ’s transforming truth and grace.

MNA: Pray that the MNA approved Church Renewal Resources will be truly helpful and well-utilized by our churches.

PCAF: Ask that the Lord will bless the work of the PCA Foundation’s Administrative Assistant, Joan Henry, and the Accounting/Administrative Assistant, Jim Standridge, and that they will be encouraged as they provide vital assistance to the Foundation.

RH: Pray for the Lord’s provision for Ridge Haven and all the families desiring to send children to camp.