Sermon on Daniel 5 for July 14, 2014 (Biblical Lives: Daniel)

Click here to read Daniel 5 at Biblegateway.com

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I’m going to start by talking a bit about what I’ve been doing for the last week and why I’ve been doing it.  I spent the week at an Ignatian Retreat center in Atlanta for a 5 day silent retreat.  You may say that five days of silence sounds difficult.  It’s not easy, but it’s glorious--especially when you come from a house with a two year old.  Nothing about my house resembles silence. 

The reason I go isn’t just to get away from the noise and leave my wife and kids for a week.  The reason I go is because I’ve come to a conclusion about the state of Christianity in America, one that isn’t original to me.  I’ve realized that we spend a lot of time talking about prayer, talking about Jesus, but I worry that we don’t spend as much time in prayer, and I worry that we don’t set time aside to be falling deeper in love with God.  We want all the transformation and all the grace and all the good stuff God has to offer, but we don’t do a very good job of intentionally pursuing this life-changing relationship with God.  We like the benefits, but we don’t see them because we’re not willing to do the work of getting our lives in line with the will of Christ.  We like to talk about prayer more than we like to pray.

I’m just as guilty of this as anyone.  I’ve read a lot of books on prayer and spiritual disciplines.  I have many more still to read.  Ask Rachel about the stack of books on our bedroom floor that I told her I was hoping to read this year.  It’s still growing.  Sometimes, I pretend that reading books on prayer is the same as praying.  Think they are the same?  Then try this—tell someone that reading the owner’s manual on a Corvette is the same as actually driving it.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with reading a book on prayer.  But it’s far, far more important to actually pray.  It’s more important to sit down and make time to be with God.  Sometimes you need to find a quiet room and lock the door.  Sometimes you need to create your own space.
Whatever you have to do, pray.  If we want to know the will of God for our lives, we first need to attune our hearts and minds to him and his presence.  The more time we spend with the Lord, the deeper in love with him we fall.  We cannot help but be overwhelmed by the grace and love of God when we pray, for we recognize that he is light and good and mercy and truth, and we cannot help but be changed by an encounter with him.

It’s become vital for me to get away once or twice a year and set aside some serious time for evaluation.  Here I listen for the voice of God, to point out my sin and my straying, and to see where I need to grow.  Right now, God is telling me I’m spending too much time reading about praying and not enough time praying.  I think many of us are probably guilty of this—we read and talk about prayer, but aren’t spending enough time in prayer itself.

Now, I’m not going to say that our story from Daniel 5 is from a man who wasn’t that interested in prayer.  King Belshazzar, who has replaced King Nebuchadnezzar, his father, wasn’t that interested in anything other than himself.  He was prideful and believed himself to be the center of the universe. 

Last week we talked about how King Nebuchadnezzar came to faith towards the end of his life.  One thing he clearly didn’t do was pass this faith along to his child.  Nebuchadnezzar had a chance to influence the next generation, and he failed in this regard. 

So Belshazzar feels like he’s the center of the world, only God is about to remind him that it’s actually God who belongs in the middle of things.

Belshazzar decided during a feast that it would be fun to drink from the gold and silver cups that had been raided from the temple in Jerusalem.  These cups were crafted and dedicated to be used only for the glory of God, and here Belshazzar is profaning them by getting drunk and using them to praise his false gods.

God is not amused.

So a hand appears and starts writing on the wall. 

Sounds strange, doesn’t it?  I have a hard time thinking of something creepier.  The king was rightfully terrified.  I would probably be, too.  Four words are written, and no one, save Daniel, can interpret these words.

When Daniel is brought in, it is to be the bearer of bad news.  But Daniel starts by reminding them that it was God who gave his father his power and glory, and in response Nebuchadnezzar feared and honored God.  Daniel tells Belshazzar that his father chose to honor himself, and when he did all he had was taken from him, and it was only when he learned of God’s sovereignty that his power and clarity were restored to him.

Belshazzar knew all of this, we learn in verse 22.  He knows who gives kings their power, and he knows who can take that power away.  But Belshazzar has remained indignant, stubbornly choosing to believe in himself as Lord of all.  For this, he will be punished.

Daniel tells him that the writing on the wall consists of four words that mean that the king’s soul has been measured and found wanting, so he falls short of what it means to be a king and that ultimately, his kingdom will be divided. 

That very night, the king perished, and he lost everything, despite living as though such a thing could never happen.

What I’d like to suggest for us is this:  don’t live in fear of a magical hand appearing on a wall spelling out your doom.  If that’s what you take away from this passage, I’ve failed to do my job. 

I’d also like to suggest something else.  We have all been measured and found wanting.  We do not have what it takes to be a king.  Were it not for God who is rich in mercy and grace, this would be the end of the story.

But it’s not.

For Christ, who knows we are sinful, became sin to suffer the punishment so that we would not have to do so.  We who have fallen short have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.  God wants to give you eternal life in his precious name.  God wants to restore you to joy and peace and honor and blessing. 

All we have to do is say yes.  Each and every day, let us wake up with a yes to Christ in our hearts and on our minds.  May that joyous yes to Christ emanate throughout our days, as we receive from him every good thing that he has promised. 

We don’t have to live like Belshazzar, our senses dulled as we believe we’re the center of the universe.  We can live like Christ, letting the glory of the Father fill our hearts and minds and souls.  We can have a life-giving relationship with the Father, but it’s going to take some work on our parts, some setting aside of time, some investing in a relationship with the Father.

So let us pray.  Now, and constantly…