In Part 1, I noted the brevity of King Belshazzar’s story: one chapter, at the end of which, he is dead.
Chapter 5 of Daniel provides us a way to think through some of the real-life struggles, even objections, with the God of the Bible. To many, He, his justice and his mercy, all seem so random and arbitrary. Is Belshazzar victim to this random God?
To share the love of God, the love of Jesus, to our very broken and hurting requires us to have the courage to look straight into these sorts of questions.
To be clear, our attitude is not to put God on trial. No, our attitude is one of submission, “Father, help me to understand your Word. Help me to be able to show your perfect will to others.”
In Part 1 we looked at the degree to which Belshazzar, the leader of the world, the leader of the grandest empire known, flaunted God.
In Part 2 I want to look at whether Belshazzar had any evidence about Yahweh. Did he know of him? Had he, or his kingdom, any history with Daniel’s God? Should he have understood exactly what he was doing?
The short answer is: Yes!
I often think that today we don’t pay enough attention to lessons from the past. It is as if we have to learn everything for ourselves in order to really accept it.
Belshazzar knew of Nebuchadnezzar’s life. He knew how this king had been made insane by God. He knew God had restored him to his senses. He knew as a result Nebuchadnezzar praised the Most-High God.
Checkout 4:34-37. We read how Nebuchadnezzar praises God, and how his kingdom became even more glorious. Certainly such a national event would be known.
In fact it was. In 5:10-12, the queen brings to the Belshazzar’s current situation, both Nebuchadnezzar’s name, as well as Daniel’s.
I don’t think we have to assume Belshazzar was “anti-Daniel’s God”. Rather, it is just as likely that his generation slowly drifted from many of the priorities of Nebuchadnezzar’s.
Notice in chapter 1, when we meet Nebuchadnezzar, not only does he place the vessels in a museum, he is also focused on education of the exiles. Nebuchadnezzar is proud of the Babylonian culture and wants to advance it.
Yes, this pride will be his major problem, but how do we meet Belshazzar? We meet him in a drunken stupor. Some commentators describe it as a drunken orgy.
Belshazzar is living off the fruits of prior generations. When present-day generations live this way, there is the inevitable slow decent into self-indulgence.
Every generation must take hold of the vision, bring it before God, asking him to renew it, and breath his very life-giving Spirit into it.
That obviously did not happen. We find Daniel off to the side and out of sight.
Belshazzar failed to learn from the experience of prior generations.
Perhaps that is true of all generations.
Perhaps you are thinking about how far our country has drifted from its founding.
Perhaps you are thinking we are living off the fruits of past generations.
Perhaps, but what can we glean from this for our ourselves?
First, we must not mock God.
Second, we must resist the all too common mistake regards “evidence”.
All too often our idea of “evidence” is only that which we personally witness and experience.
Consider the episode of St. Thomas in John’s Gospel.
In John 20:24-28, Thomas will only believe if he personally touches Jesus. And so Jesus again appears to the disciples and gives Thomas that opportunity!
Thomas is of course rightly embarrassed.
Yet consider what the next few verses reveal.
In John 20:28 Jesus declares that those who believe without directly probing his physical flesh, will be more blessed.
And then in 20:31 we read, “…but these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you might have life in his name.”
Jesus is not asking the impossible. Every day we accept all sorts of evidence, for all sorts of things, vary.
There are different kinds of evidence, given at different times, to different people.
History is certainly one type. It shows us the well-worn paths others have taken.
God is not random and arbitrary in His mercy and justice—the evidence of history repeatably bears out this point.
Do you accept the evidence of God’s character?
Do you accept the evidence of Jesus as the Son of God?
Are you mocking God in any area?
What in our world, are you having trouble reconciling with a belief in a just and merciful God?
Might you pray to God for his grace and insight regards any of these situations?