But you did not honour the God who holds in His hand your life and all your ways. Dan 5:23
No matter what happens around us we need to fear/honour God. The Jews were ‘exiles’, living in a foreign land with little or no control over their own lives. The Church is also in exile on the earth today(Heb 11:13,14) but God and His angels care for us just as they did with the Jews in Babylon.
God’s intervention in the lives of two Babylonian kings;
Nebuchadnezzar(father of Belshazzar)
1 Daniel, Jewish exile, interpreted his dreams from God.
2 One night, possibly alone on his palace roof, pride rose.
3 Judgement for a season, 7 years living alone in the fields.
4 Worshipped the one true God of Israel.
5 Restored to GREATER GLORY, after he humbled himself and acknowledged God as Sovereign in the affairs of men.
Belshazzar(son of Nebuchadnezzar)
1 Daniel interpreted the ‘writing on the wall’ to him.
2 One night, at his public banquet, pride rose in him.
3 Final judgement came to Belshazzar.
4 Praised the gods of silver and gold… who cannot see or hear or understand.
5 His kingdom was divided(loss of power) and his life ended
Daniel was a prisoner in exile but God gave him revelation to speak to kings, their own wisemen couldn’t help them. God put Daniel in a position of authority to the rulers, though he was a captive in exile.
‘GOD GAVE Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendour. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death;…to spare, he spared;…to promote, he promoted;…to humble,he humbled. But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory’. Dan 5:19
All authority is delegated from God and also removed by Him. We may not understand why tyrants are allowed to rule but God eventually deals with all in authority, they are not beyond His reach. Daniel served the kings of Babylon to his best ability, though they’d captured his people, but he also remained faithful to the Lord.
But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself THOUGH YOU KNEW ALL THIS. Instead you set yourself up against the Lord of Heaven. Dan 5:22,23
God expected king Belshazzar to have learn’t from his father’s humbling and his heart change towards the Lord. When he flagrantly dishonoured the vessels of God in a public gathering, judgement came at once and he died.
God kept Judah for seventy years(span of a human life today!) and brought them back safely to their land. He is watching over His people on earth to bless us and bring us safely home when that day comes. Therefore, we too need to, ‘honour the God who holds in His hand our life and all our ways’.
God bless and keep you in the palm of His hand today.