The Hand of God

We’ve been going through the book of Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar played a prominent role in chapters one through four, but he suddenly disappears from the narrative, and a distant successor, Belshazzar, comes to prominence for the space of a single chapter. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel+5&version=ESV

The Book of Daniel is a series of stories, disjointed, and filled with signs and wonders. Many scholars and critics over the years have suggested that these stories cannot be true; that they are legends created centuries later and added as Jewish propaganda. The story of Belshazzar in chapter five was a perfect example, they claimed. There was no written evidence for the kingship of Belshazzar. The last king of Babylon was a man named Nabonidus, so how is it that this story assumes that Belshazzar was the king giving a feast on the very night Darius would invade and conquer the empire? Recent discoveries, however, show that Daniel is more accurate in detail than the ancient historians, who were writing about the “big picture.” (For more explanation, visit this site: https://creation.com/archaeology-belshazzar). Belshazzar would have been the ruler/crown prince/regent of Babylon on that night. Not only that, he would have been young, spoiled, and eager to establish his own authority and prominence. This fits with the actions and reactions of these two men–the fact that Belshazzar would casually raid the storehouses for golden goblets that had been untouched in the days of his more powerful predecessor; that he could only offer Daniel the position of “third highest ruler”; the fact that, while Daniel is not contemptuous, he shows less deference to this “king” than he did to Nebuchadnezzar. In fact, he refers more to the glories of Nebuchadnezzar and the judgments of God than he does to the current state of Babylon or ANY of its other rulers.

There is a huge time gap between the earlier chapters and this one. Nebuchadnezzar’s reign was long; his son and grandson reigned after him (though both their reigns were much shorter). Belshazzar’s father, Nabonidus, reigned for over 15 years before losing the empire. The young Daniel of chapters one and two is now likely to be in his 70s or 80s! He has served faithfully under at least five rulers, but he is still considered an “exile” (see verse 13 of chap. 5), a foreigner, and a captive. In Daniel’s life of faith, service, and prayer, he has seen the “hand of God” working in his life and in the lives of those around him. Daniel has learned to trust in God’s provision, to submit to God’s direction, and to wait expectantly for God’s wisdom.

Belshazzar is terrified of the “Hand of God” as it writes on the wall of his father’s royal palace. He is the son of privilege and mysticism–the Babylonians were known for using signs and wonders to plan campaigns, seek power and wealth, and predict success. Their gods were capricious and full of wrath. But Belshazzar had never been visited by the God of the Universe. He had never taken the time to “number his days”, or consider his ultimate destiny.

Compare the judgment of God against Belshazzar (Mene, Mene, Tekel, Peres–God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end; you have been weighed in the scales and found wanting; your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians) with this psalm of Moses (Psalm 90)https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+90&version=NIV. Two take-away points:

• Belshazzar’s days were numbered and he was found wanting. Daniel’s days were numbered, too. Daniel waited years, living as an exile and second class citizen, serving kings and powers who ignored, or even scorned his God. His life was prolonged, yet he continued to serve with no freedom or personal reward in sight. And his trials and oppression are not over yet! (There is a den of lions in Daniel’s future!) But God doesn’t look at our lives in terms of power, success, wealth, health, position, or other outward factor. God sees the small acts of service, the daily discipline of worship, the humble trust and dependence we place in Him. Daniel’s story has not been about accomplishment. Daniel never built anything; he never accumulated anything; he never preached mighty sermons, or wrote beautiful songs of worship. And even though God used him to solve riddles, interpret dreams, and prophesy, Daniel had nothing to put on a scale. Yet he was not found wanting, as Belshazzar was.
• Daniel was not afraid of the Hand of God because he had learned to number his own days (See Psalm 90: 12-17), and he was able to gain wisdom, satisfaction, peace, and hope in knowing that the Lord God would establish even the smallest works of Daniel’s hands and make him glad for as many days as he had been afflicted. May we pray for, praise, and pursue the Hand of God in our lives today.