East to West Street Bible Study
Thursday 24 May 2018: The Writing’s On The Wall Part I, We Are Sacred
What should be sacred in our lives according to God?
This was the question we explored last Thursday night at our Bible study while toasting marshmallows outdoors and drinking coffee. We’ve been in the Book of Daniel for the past five weeks and this week we were reading Daniel chapter 5. In the last chapter, King Nebuchadnezzar is humbled and acknowledges the sovereignty of God after seven long years in a wilderness. You may remember Nebuchadnezzar as the king who created a giant golden statue idolizing his kingdom; a kingdom that was lush, wealthy, and the largest in the world at the time. In fact, it’s recorded that God brought him low after he made this proclamation while surveying Babylon from his rooftop:
“Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4: 29-30, emphasis added)
In not acknowledging God’s sovereignty, he is humbled by God for seven years before he submits to God and makes this incredibly public proclamation:
“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven,
for all his works are truth,
and his ways are justice;
and he is able to bring low
those who walk in pride” (Daniel 4:37)
You can see from his words the amazing transformation in his heart. And we feel there is some sort of happy resolution. But the story of Daniel, and the Babylonian--or Chaldean--Empire is not finished. Chapter 5, on the heels of this incredible heart change, starts abruptly with:
“King Belshazzar made a great festival for a thousand of his lords, and he was drinking wine in the presence of a thousand.” (Daniel 5:1)
It sounds a lot like, “No kidding, there I was, in the midst of all my friends and we were drinking a LOT of wine and then....!"
But who is this un-prefaced (I’m sure there’s a better way to say that) character? Historically, Nebuchadnezzar (606-562) was the beginning of the Babylonian Empire and Belshazzar was the end. He was not a direct son of Nebuchadnezzar (as you'll see stated in the chapter), but rather the fifth to rule after a series of kings. All told, it was about 25 years after the death of Nebuchadnezzar that Belshazzar ruled, making Daniel an old man. For more historical information, I highly recommend the thoroughly-researched book Daniel by C.L. Seow.
And with this intriguing first sentence, we entered into the heart of our study:
Sacred Vs. Sacrilege
Belshazzar is throwing the biggest party of the year, and debauchery is most definitely on the menu for the night’s entertainment. Verse 2 states:
“Under the influence of wine, Belshazzar commanded that they bring the vessels of gold and silver that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, so that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.”
You may remember that Nebuchadnezzar, in building Babylon’s empire, captured Judah and all its spoils—including Daniel and his three friends to be servants in his household. This verse inspired me to create my own ad lib....
Under the influence of ______, I ______.
Care to fill that in?
And what I found especially powerful in Seow’s analysis of this verse, is that the Aramaic text indicates that the wine did not take away Belshazzar’s awareness of what he was doing. It was a deliberate move. I can think of several occasions where I deliberately made sinful choices while under the influence of the first blank:
- Friends
- Peer Pressure
- Alcohol
- Fear
- ______ (You fill in your own blank)
During Bible study we shared a few things in that second space. It’s heart wrenching and also freeing when you hear the Godly women around you say, “me too,” and “I did that too.” We've all be through the fire. There are so many reasons why we choose hurt over help, destruction over freedom, and I’m sure Belshazzar had his reasons too. Perhaps he felt the end of the empire coming, that he was simply a figurehead and unworthy of the position, that he had to prove himself as king—we will never know.
What we do know is that he took those vessels deliberately for the purpose of sacrilege.
Those vessels were from the Temple of God, and they were sacred. Everything surrounding The Temple of God was sacred and given a holy purpose: from the structural supports to the colors of the curtains, to the movements of the priests, all were designed purposefully and with the knowledge that they would be in the direct presence of the Living God. Sacred means something is holy, of God, set apart from other daily activities.
What do you make sacred in your life?
We put weight and significance on these things/activities that do not always line up with God’s will. God’s word shows us several things that should be considered sacred:
- Name of God (Exodus 20:7, Matt. 5:33-37)
- Marriage (Gen. 2:24, Eph. 5:22-33)
- Children (Matt. 19:14, Mark 9:42)
- ________ (That’s just our first go, what else can you find?)
Those vessels Belshazzar was getting drunk from were also sacred. And not because they were of rich metals or masterful design, but because they were in the presence of God Himself. On the regular. Which got us thinking, how should we treat the sacred?
- With reverence.
- With kid gloves.
- Without distraction.
- Without degradation.
- Giving glory to the Creator not the created.
This is not what Belshazzar did. In fact, he and his 1,000’s of fans worshipped their “gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone” (Daniel 5:4).
"They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen." (Romans 1:25)
And God showed up in a significant way, terrifying Belshazzar with Holy writing on the wall showing the end of his empire and the death of his body as interpreted once again by the steadfast Daniel.
As we discussed this chapter, God put something on my heart, something about those vessels from the beginning of the story. With the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit has come to dwell in those who believe in Jesus.
This make us the vessels of God. You and me.
And do we treat ourselves and other Christians with reverence? Without degradation?
“Why did I eat so much last night, I’m so fat!”
“Why does she dress like that?”
“Liberals are out-of-touch and entitled.”
“Conservatives are uneducated and old-fashioned.”
I’m aware I’m using moderate language compared to what’s really being said in our society, the vitriol and flying spittle directed towards one another often fades into background noise as we hear it so often. But I still do not wish to add more butane to the flame.
The Question:
How should we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ? As sacred. How should we treat ourselves? As sacred. How about those not yet saved? As sacred—they might soon house the Living God through your example.
We are unworthy to house God, except through the grace of Jesus. And that grace is a gorgeous, set apart, holy way of being treated. We have been chosen for a specific and beautiful purpose within the kingdom of God, no matter how the world views it or what the devil tells us. The world—well the world will just take and take, it will drink you up, display your beauty for nefarious debauchery of its own making. It will tell you your worth comes from other idols, from the gods of money, dieting, and perfectionism. The devil is a liar, my sacred friends.
You and I know better. Your beauty is not because you are a size 4 and have perfected contouring, it is because you house the living God, your beauty is for His glory alone. Spend time with Him, soaking in His grace, His teaching, and His direction for your life.
You are sacred. They are sacred. Give grace. Receive grace. God loves you so much.
God is love
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:7-8)