It is significant for three reasons.
(1) It is noted for WHO GAVE IT.
Look at verse 1. We read, “Belshazzar the king made a great feast...”
(2) It is noted for THE LARGE ATTENDANCE.
Look at verse 1 again. We read, “Belshazzar the king made a great feast to A THOUSAND OF HIS LORDS...”
(3) It is noted for THE MANY CELEBRITIES that attended.
Look again at verse 1. We read that “HIS LORDS,” were in attendance.
However, most of all, that party was noted for THE GREAT WICKEDNESS that occurred there.
For some reason parties often bring out the worst in people. People often forget, when they attend such parties, that the people who are there see them doing their evil, but even more important GOD SEES THEM.
Along with the many hundreds of people who may have been at that party, God was there.
• God HEARD every wicked thing that was said.
• God SAW every wicked thing that was done.
God was NOT PLEASED with what he SAW AND HEARD.
As we examine that “party” we will see why God was displeased. Look first at...
I. THE REVELRY.
We see there were two elements of that party that were especially repugnant.
A. Their worship.
Look at Daniel 5:3-4. We read, “Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and PRAISED THE GODS OF GOLD, AND OF SILVER, OF BRASS, OF IRON, OF WOOD, AND OF STONE.”
Notice the words, “...praised the gods of gold...”
They praised the gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, and wood the same way we praise the God of the Bible.
Belshazzar had a very famous grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar.
WHO WAS NEBUCHADNEZZAR?
He was the grandfather of Belshazzar. Before God brought judgment on Belshazzar, He reminded him of what He had done to Nebuchadnezzar, his grandfather.
Look at Daniel 5:18-21. We read, “O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him: And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will”
Before Nebuchadnezzar came to recognize God:
• He was driven from society AS A MAD MAN.
• His heart was made like the BEASTS.
• His DWELLING was with the wild animals.
• He ATE grass like a cow.
• He was WET from the dew.
The Bible tells us He was that way “...TILL HE KNEW THAT THE MOST HIGH GOD RULED IN THE KINGDOM OF MEN...”
Belshazzar, the grandson, grew up in the palace and he had been taught that it was a “No! No!” to touch the sacred vessels that his grandfather had captured. Belshazzar knew how God had dealt with his grandfather. As he was growing up he had been taught not to touch those sacred vessels. Look what Daniel told him only a short time before God killed him.
We read Daniel 5:22, “And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this.”
You would think he would know better, but at that feast there were “no holds barred.” He defied the God his grandfather had learned to fear. He had the sacred temple vessels brought out to be used as one of the many gods he “served.”
God was so displeased with Belshazzar’s taking those sacred vessels and misusing them that He punished him.
Verse 30 tells us, “In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.”
Belshazzar had not acted OUT OF IGNORANCE. There are times when God will overlook ignorance for a time, but God does not overlook WILLFUL ACTS OF DISOBEDIENCE.
Belshazzar misused the vessels. He and the guests there were worshipers of gold, silver, brass, iron, and wooden idols.
That was THEIR WORSHIP. The party had something else about it that was significant.
B. The wine.
Look at verse 4. We read, “They drank wine...” The wine was flowing like water at that party. We live in a time when sermons are seldom preached from God’s Word against the drinking of alcoholic beverages.
That has not always been the case. Church history bears out that the people of God’s church took a stand AGAINST DRINKING as much as the Christian church today stands AGAINST ABORTION and HOMOSEXUALITY.
Were the men of God of years gone by wrong when they preached AGAINST ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES?
No! They were right on target.
In a few minutes I want to show you, from God’s Word, that His Word has not changed concerning drinking, it is the liberal churches that have changed.
This liberal tolerance of alcoholic beverages is one of the many signs that it cannot be long before Christ will call His children home.
Illus: We can read exactly how it will be before Christ returns for His church.
Look at Matt. 24:37-39. We read, “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were EATING and DRINKING, MARRYING and GIVING IN MARRIAGE, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
Matthew records three things that will be prevalent before Christ returns -- lots of EATING, DRINKING, and MARRYING. People were doing those things in Noah’s day until judgment came; then it was too late. One of the most evident signs of the imminence of the Lord’s return is all the DRINKING WE SEE IN OUR SOCIETY.
God’s Word strongly prohibits us from taking any kind of substance into our bodies that will CONTROL US.
God’s Word has not changed concerning the consuming of ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES! It was a sin thousands of years ago and it is still a sin today.
Let us look into the scriptures and see exactly what God says about it.
• Proverb 20:1 tells us, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”
If you think it is all right to partake of an alcoholic beverage YOU ARE DECEIVED and YOU ARE NOT SMART. It does not matter if you have more degrees than a thermometer behind your name. God says you are DECEIVED and you are not SMART if you consume alcoholic beverages.
• Proverb 23:29-32 tells us, “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.”
Here God compares consuming alcoholic beverages to playing with deadly poisonous snakes. It is only a matter of time before anyone who does that will be snake bitten and will die.
• Habakkuk 2:15 tells us, “Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness.”
God is not only against drinking, He pronounces a woe upon the one who would sell it.
Illus: A man who was in church, who professed to be a Christian, lost his job. The preacher was concerned and asked him the next time he was in church, “Have you found a job yet?” The man said, “Preacher, as a matter of fact, God gave me a job this week.” The preacher said, “Where did you get a job?” He said, “Preacher, God gave me a job driving a beer truck.” The preacher was surprised, then said to the man, “I am afraid that God did not give you that job. Satan gave you that job.”
God is not going to give any of His children a job driving a beer truck and at the same time pronounce a “woe” upon them for selling it to their neighbors.
Some have sanctioned the drinking of alcoholic beverages because they think the Bible teaches it is permissible. The fact is -- THE BIBLE DOES NOT TEACH THAT!
What many do not know is that there are two Hebrew words that are translated “wine” in English.
(1) One word translated “wine” is “Yayain,” which means: “What is pressed out.”
Most of us are familiar somewhat with the way grape juice was pressed and caused to flow out in Jesus’ day. The word “yayain” is translated “wine” but this actually was speaking of UNFERMENTED grape juice.
In Bible days grape juice was called wine. Because they did not have refrigeration as we have today, some of that juice had 4-5% alcohol content. The problem was that it was stored it would begin to change into another kind of drink. If it reached that questionable stage, at no time was a minister to partake of it, even though the deacons were given some leave way, in I Tim. 3, to drink it even though it had been stored longer.
Illus: Smith’s Bible Dictionary says this, “The simple wines of antiquity were incomparably less deadly than the stupefying and ardent beverages of our western nations. The wines of antiquity were more like syrups; many of them were not intoxicant; many were intoxicant in a small degree; and all of them, as a rule, taken only when largely diluted with water.”
In the Bible, even grapes were referred to as wine.
Look at Isaiah 65:8 where there is an example of the cluster of grapes still on the vine being referred to as wine. “Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.”
The Hebrew word “Yayain” is translated “wine” in this scripture. Notice, this refers to grapes while they are still on the vine!
(2) The second word translated “wine” is “tirosh,” which means, “What is possessed (or contained alcohol).”
That word was used to refer to grape juice that had been stored so long that it became fermented and had an alcohol content. The people were forbidden to drink of it.
That was the kind of wine God referred to when He said a man is deceived and is not smart if he drinks it.
There are three main reasons for not drinking alcoholic beverages of any kind.
(1) BECAUSE OF ITS CONTROL.
When a person has been drinking he has no control of his faculties. He
-cannot control his walk.
-cannot talk right.
-may slobber.
-cannot think right.
The wine, with its alcoholic content possessed alcohol and that alcohol possesses them!
Illus: This is why some men try to make women drink when they are out on a date. They know she will soon not be able to think right and she will be at his mercy. He can do with her as he pleases then.
Look at Proverbs 23:29-32, “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? THEY THAT TARRY LONG AT THE WINE; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine WHEN IT IS RED when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.”
Another reason it is a sin to drink alcoholic beverages is...
(2) BECAUSE OF ITS ASSOCIATION.
Everything that is evil can be associated with ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES.
People who commit rape, murder, incest, violent crimes, etc., are usually people who have been drinking.
Our jails and penitentiaries of this land would not be filled with men, women, and teenagers if it were not for ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES.
There would not be nearly so many BROKEN HOMES in this country were it not for ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES.
We would not have so many people dying PREMATURELY if ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES had not destroyed their liver.
You will never find anything except evil associated with ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES. One of the fastest ways for a Christian to destroy his testimony is to be associated with ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES.
Illus: A dying man asked his family to send for a preacher to pray for him. A “liberal” preacher came and leaned over his bed and prayed for him. When the preacher left, the man requested that his family send for another preacher. The family said, “The preacher just left.” He said, “That was no preacher. I could smell alcohol on his breath. I need a man of God to come and pray for me, not a drunk!”
Illus: Many have destroyed their testimonies because they were seen at a liquor store, or they were seen going through a grocery line with a six-pack among their groceries.
There is also a third reason.
(3) BECAUSE OF ITS POWER OF ADDICTION.
Listen, you can get addicted to all kinds of things. For example:
-Many are addicted to soft drinks.
-Many are addicted to legal medicines.
There are all kinds of things you can become addicted to, but one of the easiest is ALCOHOL.
Most alcoholics will tell you they would just drink a social drink every now and then at first. Then they began having some daily. Then they could hardly wait for the weekend to come so they could get “plastered,” trying to satisfy their craving for alcohol.
Conclusion:
Belshazzar did a very dumb thing when he took those sacred temple vessels to use for his party. More than likely he would never have done such a thing if he had not been drinking.
Some will say, “If a man is drunk he is not responsible for his actions.” God held Belshazzar responsible. He did not have to drink fermented wine to begin with. In fact, God held him so responsible, he sent judgment on him. That very night he killed him. Belshazzar knew better -- and SO DOES EVERY MAN WOMAN WHO INDULGES IN SUCH ACTIVITIES. Alcoholism is not disease, it is a choice! It is a sin that God judged Belshazzar for and He will judge anyone who indulges in it.
If you think you can stand before God and use the excuse that you were drunk and did not know what you were doing, YOU ARE MISTAKEN!
I. THE REVELRY
II. THE REVELATION
III. THE RETRIBUTION
