Daniel 5:24-28; Weighed and Found... ~ 20211031 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
10/31_Daniel 05:24-28; Weighed and Found...; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20211031_dan05_24-28.mp3
The night Babylon fell,
Daniel 5:1 King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand. 2 Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. 5 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. 6 Then the king's color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together.
The king shouted for the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. But in spite of his offers of reward, ‘all the king’s wise men ...could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation.’ So Belshazzar’s color changed again and he was greatly alarmed.
The queen mother entered the panicked party and pointed the king to the disregarded Daniel, who was highly esteemed during the reign of ‘king Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father the king.’
So Daniel was brought. Skeptical Belshazzar put Daniel in his place, reminding him of his position as an exile, a captive of the conquered people of Judah. He extended the same offer of reward to Daniel ‘if’ he could read the writing and make known the interpretation.
Daniel’s Rebuke
Daniel 5:17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation.
Daniel will interpret the writing on the wall, but first he issues a strong rebuke to the king.
Daniel 5:18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. 19 And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. 20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. 21 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. 22 And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, 23 but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.
Folly of Idolatry
The king was an idolater, praising ‘the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know.’
In Isaiah 44 the Lord challenges idolaters:
Isaiah 44:6 Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. 7 Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. 8 Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.”
Isaiah goes on to mock the idolater in verse 9
Isaiah 44:9 All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. 10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? 11 Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.
Idolatry ends in the idolater being put to shame. The idolater becomes just as blind as the idol he worships. Next Isaiah highlights the ironic folly of the one who makes an idol:
Isaiah 44:12 The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. 14 He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!” 18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
Daniel rebukes Belshazzar for praising inanimate gods; gods which do not see or hear or know.
Daniel 5:23 but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.
The king was an idolater. He may or may not have been an idolater in the sense we often think of it, bowing down before carved images of the deities that he served. What we are told is that he ‘drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.’ He may not have been religious at all; rather his trust was in tangible things like financial security, military strength, and impenetrable defenses. He certainly liked to drink wine with his lords, his wives and his concubines. He was proud, and he pursued his own pleasure. Those were his gods. He was an idolater, and he was a fool.
All Seeing, All Hearing, All Knowing, Living God
At the Exodus of God’s people out of the hand of their captors, God contrasts himself with idols that do not see or hear or know. He says to Moses from the burning bush:
Exodus 3:7 Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey...
Our God is a God who sees, who hears, who knows. He is the God who comes down to deliver.
Belshazzar is a fool to trust in silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood and stone, and to pursue his own pleasures, when he knew that there is a God who sees all, who hears all, who knows all, and who intervenes in the affairs of mankind. He knew there is a living God in whose hand is his breath, and whose are all his ways. But he refused to honor him. The fool says in his heart ‘there is no God’ (Ps.14:1; 53:1).
Judgment of Tongues
Daniel 5:24 “Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN.
Daniel reads the writing as Aramaic, which is what chapters 2 – 7 are written in, the common language of Babylon. We have the Aramaic transliterated as ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN’, so it sounds foreign to us, but to them it would have sounded familiar, like something they would frequently hear from merchants in the market; ‘numbered, numbered, weighed, divided.’ Why none of the wise men of Babylon could read something written in their own language is not explained. But if you are familiar with the history of Babylon (or Babel of Genesis 11) where the people said ‘let us make a name for ourselves’ so God confused their languages; then this confusion of language in judgment on a king who lifted up himself against the Lord of heaven is not surprising. In fact, we see this confusion of languages threatened as a sign of judgment against God’s own people who have gone astray throughout the Old Testament.
Deuteronomy 28:47 Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart... 49 The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand,
Isaiah 28:11 For by people of strange lips and with a foreign tongue the LORD will speak to this people, (cf.1Cor.14:21)
Jeremiah 5:15 Behold, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, declares the LORD. ...a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say.
So the Psalmist prays against his enemies:
Psalm 55:9 Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues; for I see violence and strife in the city.
The words to Belshazzar were in his own language, but he could not understand the meaning without someone to interpret them. And we see Daniel not merely reading the words, but communicating the message God was speaking through those words.
Weighed and Found...
Daniel confronts the king; ‘you knew, you were proud, you exalted yourself, you desecrated God’s vessels, you committed idolatry, you dishonored God’
Daniel 5:24 “Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; 28 PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
Numbered, numbered, weighed, divided. Your days are numbered and brought to an end. You have been weighed in and come up short. Your kingdom is divided and fallen. Just as God gave the kingdom to Nebuchadnezzar, now he is giving it to the Medes and Persians.
Weighed and Found Wanting
Belshazzar was evil. He didn’t learn from the experience of others. He knew, but he didn’t act appropriately based on the knowledge he had. He took for granted the good things that were given to him by God. He failed to honor God as God or give thanks to him. He disrespected and disregarded God’s messenger. He even took what belonged to God and acted as if it belonged to him. He was weighed in the balances and found wanting.
We are aghast at the brazen insolence of Belshazzar, but isn’t that us? Doesn’t that describe you? We fail to learn from the experience of others. We don’t live consistent with the knowledge we have. We take for granted the good gifts God gives. How often do we fail to honor God as God or give him the thanks he deserves? How often do we act as if what we have been given is ours to use however we please?
If I were to be weighed in the scales I too would be found wanting. We all come up short. We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. None is righteous, no not one.
Weighed and Found Worthy
Well, all but one. Jesus was weighed in the scales and found worthy. On two occasions, at the beginning and end of his ministry his Father declared from heaven, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Mt.3:17;17:5). Jesus
1 Peter 1:22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
Mark 14:55 Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none.
Three times Pilate attested publicly to his accusers ‘I find no guilt in him’ (Jn.18:38;19:4,6).
Jesus was weighed in the scales and found worthy. Jesus said:
John 5:30 ...I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
John 8:29 ...I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”
God
Acts 17:31 ...will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
The Father attested to the perfect righteousness of his only Son Jesus by raising him from the dead.
We are told in 2 Corinthians 5
2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin...
Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
The Father placed my sin on the sinless Jesus, and Jesus paid my price in full.
Clothed in His Worth
2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Jesus was weighed and found worthy, and when we are found in him, we are made worthy; we become the very righteousness of God!
Isaiah 61:10 ... for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, …
Philippians 3:7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—
Because I am in Jesus, the Father looks at me and says “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”!
***
2021.10.31 Sermon Notes
Daniel 5:24-28 – Weighed and Found...
The folly of idolatry
Isaiah 44:6-20
Belshazzar’s idolatry:
silver and gold – financial security
bronze and iron – military might
wood and stone – strong defenses
wine, wives and concubines – pursuit of pleasure
lifted up himself – pride and power
God sees, God hears, God knows
Exodus 3:7-9
God’s judgment of tongues
Genesis 11:1-9; Deuteronomy 28:47-49; Isaiah 28:11; Jeremiah 5:15; Psalm 55:9; 1 Corinthians 14:21
We all are weighed and found wanting
Romans 3:10, 23
Jesus was weighed and found worthy
Matthew 3:17; 17:5; 1 Peter 1:22; Mark 14:55; John 18:38; 19:4, 6; John 5:30; 8:29; Acts 17:31
In Jesus I am clothed in his worth
2 Corinthians 5:21; Isaiah 53:6; 61:10; Philippians 3:7-9
***
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org