THEME: DIVINE JUDGMENT ON ARROGANT SECULAR LEADERSHIP 

The Babylonian King was well-known.  He had a great kingdom, with outstanding diviners, wise counsellors, great riches, wealth, and power. Great though the kingdom, the Babylonian kingdom was less in might and stature than the kingdom of Israel. 

But alas, Israel offended. She transgressed the law, and counsel of her God, resorted to idolatry, false prophets, and populist counsel. This kindled the wrath of God, Israel fell in glory, was overrun by Babylon. The king and his household, prophets, and counsellors, young and old all were carried away into captivity in Babylon.  They went also with the vessels used in the service of the House of God, the God of Israel. 

King Nebuchadnezzar recognized, acknowledged, respected, and gave honor to the God of Israel.  He extended this to the young men, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. He found in them the attributes of Divine favor, spirit anointing, knowledge, and skill in all literature and wisdom.  Daniel on his part had additional favor of understanding in all visions and dreams. By the way, the Divine favor being sought by many Christians today is money, riches, wealth, knowledge, success, power, and fame in the transient things of the world—not the riches in Christ, eternal life and glory. 

Today, in the church and so-called ‘Christian nations’, people seek power to control, manipulate, and destroy rather than to serve and honor God, not to uphold the Truth, Name, Kingdom and Glory of Jesus Christ. Indeed, wisdom and good counsel in the world today is to reject God and Christ, and not to mention their names and counsel in national and human affairs. That is ‘political correctness’ of this age, which is darker than the Stone Age. 

To uphold Christ Jesus is to uphold life and serve God and man. To deny Him is to reject God the Father and Life—for man for whom He shed His blood on Calvary Cross and to whom He has released the Divine Spirit and nature.  

Unlike many in the church and the country today, the Hebrew children—Daniel and his friends —held firm to faith, worship, obedience, and honor of their God—the God of Israel. Neither food, power, nor fame; neither riches, promotion, nor the prospects of glory in the Babylonian kingdom; nor threats of death could persuade them to turn their back to their God—the Creator and the Kingdom of God in Israel, though fallen.   

It is a sad commentary in this respect that that the lure of riches and wealth, power, position, and fame have seared the hearts of many and transported peoples—the youth and even the elect in the church into a wild chase for knowledge and power, position, honor, and fame in the kingdoms and things of the world.  But the truth however is that current world order is one of disavowal, dishonor, and rejection of God and His Christ, the Truth, Law, Commandment and Way of God.  And this is no more than the perpetuation of darkness and death.  

In short, there is total rejection of the knowledge and fear of God in career and life enterprise.  Life, Learning and Living have become an enterprise of unguarded and wild chase of money, power, position, and control. Each and every one want to be God. The vision of life today is a state of power, dominion, and control whether of men or money, materials or territories, kingdoms or thrones. 

This mad rush for position, power, property, riches and wealth has reached global proportions.   Nations and peoples of the world are being subjected to abominations, damnable acts, and wickedness of men and women, often aided by spirits. 

The most famous mechanism for acquiring space in the race is knowledge, knowledge to control and subject nature, man, beast and rest of creation, peoples in the worship and honor of Satan and Man, not knowledge of God and how to serve, contribute, and lift the human race and nations in the power, knowledge, worship, and honor of God the Creator. The age-old Adamic desire to be God has found great expression in modern history. To accept evolution is to deny God and give man and Satan unfettered room to be God. Hence abound ideas and theories, philosophies, and ideologies, spiritual, and political power and social force, traditions, customs, and culture that give men room to ascend to heights, build and expand empires and transcend in things. But man has not succeeded in controlling time and space, life, and death. The Divine Word and Hand have final say. 

Now, the Hebrew children after succeeding in overcoming the challenges and fiery trials in Nebuchadnezzar’s reign also found place of honor in Babylon under King Belshazzar. 

The story is told that Belshazzar who inherited his father did not take adequate account of the fact that God reigns in the affairs of men. That his father Nebuchadnezzar was humbled when he lifted up his soul against God the Creator, boasting of chance, space, time, and Divine favor as if they are all of his making. Thus, instead of bowing to the goodness of the Most High God in his election and succession to the throne Belshazzar lifted himself up against God.  In his display of power and influence and glory he went as far as commandeering the gold vessels from the Temple of the Israeli House of God to be used in serving his party of elders, nobles, wives, and concubines. Not only that, but Belshazzar also defiled the name of the Lord in praising the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which have neither ears nor eyes. 

 In the world of today, kings, politicians, and the nobles of society not only worship silver and gold, position, power, and surround themselves with the worldly wise and worldly kingmakers, with people skillful in worldly knowledge and power. They also know not, fear not, and care not about God. They flood nations with and cause them to abound in ungodliness, the scorn of God, His ways, honor and glory. They harbor liars, flatterers, and the wicked who turn light into darkness, who honor scoffers, the ungodly and wicked.  Their courts such as with the entertainment industry delight in blood and violence, destruction and wickedness. 

Like the Babylonian kings, they mix the wisdom of the world of spirits, powers, and men with the “counsel” of God from the mouths of false as well as genuine prophets and teachers of God.  Most often, they denounce the truth and wise counsel of God from true prophets of God and the godly. 

The truth however is that God does not abandon His Throne, dominion, and control of the affairs of men. Belshazzar’s days, like those of all kings, all nobles, all wise, and all, are numbered.  The Hand of God keeps the clock ticking.  Thus, when the Divine clock chimed, its sound was clear: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN…  The meaning we are told in Daniel chapter Five verses 26 – 28; 

“This is the interpretation of the thing:   

• MENE: God had numbered thy kingdom and finished it.    

• TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.  

•  PERES: Thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” 

God has numbered your kingdom and finished it.  You have been weighed in the balance and found wanting … Your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.   

The Hand of God lifted Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon to heights of glory.  He was granted great honor. But he lifted his soul against God and was humbled. Belshazzar, his son, did not learn a lesson from his father’s story.  Instead, he took the position and glory of God upon himself. He was rejected and his kingdom divided.  THUS SAYS THE LORD! 

May 4, 2011