Introduction
Last week as we began chapter 5 of Daniel, we were introduced to Belshazzar, King Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson, who along with his father assumed the throne as co-kings of Babylonian.
This means that sometime has passed from the end of Chapter 4 to Chapter 5 and some major things have happened in that period of time. First, King Nebuchadnezzar has died. Daniel is now about 82 years old and is no longer working in the government of Babylon. He is a retired man.
Belshazzar, the new co-king, is a party animal. As Chapter 5 begins, he is throwing a party for thousands of his closest friends in the banquet hall of the palace. During the event, he comes up with the dumb idea that the wine would taste better in the gold and silver vessels that Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple, God’s temple, when he captured Israel. He had his servants fetch them and those in attendance began drinking from them.
The Bible says in that same hour, a hand appeared (no body connected to it, just a hand), and the hand began writing on the wall. That will sober you up quickly, and Belshazzar, the party animal, with not a care in the world a few minutes ago is now troubled with his thoughts. I think his thoughts were telling him; boy, did I mess up! Let me make sure you understand this: God can change a person’s situation in a moment’s notice. He can change any bodies situation no matter how low your status in life or no matter how high your status in life. In a moment’s notice, God got Belshazzar’s attention.
So, he got to find out what the hand wrote, so he calls in the wise men of Babylon to tell him, but they could not read the writing nor give the interpretation.
Enter the queen mother, Nebuchadnezzar's wife into the banquet hall probably hearing the disturbance. And in her conversation with her grandson, she teaches us, who are Christian, what every unbeliever needs from us.
Let us begin by reading our Scripture.
Scripture
Daniel 5:10–13(NKJV)
10 The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. 12 Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.” 13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah?
Point #1
Unbelievers need every Christian to live out their Christian life openly, publicly, and unashamedly.
Daniel 5:11 (NKJV)
11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God.
The queen mother would not have know that about Daniel if he chose to live his Christian life privately.
Right from the very beginning of the book of Daniel, Daniel lived his life openly, publicly, and unashamedly. When the king wanted to change Daniel’s diet, he insisted that he be allowed to continue the diet of His God. He made His faith known publicly right from the start.
When the king was troubled by his first dream, Daniel went before the king with the dream and interpretation. When Daniel entered the presence of the king, Daniel did not go right into the dream and its interpretation. Instead, Daniel began by telling Nebuchadnezzar about the God that he served and how He is the God of Heaven that reveals secrets. Daniel was living his faith publicly and unashamedly.
In Chapter 4, King Nebuchadnezzar says that the Spirit of God is in Daniel three times. Nebuchadnezzar could see that in Daniel only if he lived out his faith openly.
And now by reputation, Nebuchadnezzar’s wife tells her grandson that there is a man in your kingdom in whom the Spirit of the Holy God resides.
Listen closely, if we do not live out our faith openly, then unbelievers do not know anyone who knows God. And this Book of Daniel shows us that unbelievers need to know someone who knows God. There are going to times in an unbeliever's life that the problem is too big to handle, and that will drive them to seek out a man or woman of God. But if none of us live out the Christian life publicly, where does the unbeliever go?
That is why God tells us in the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:14–16 “14 You are the light of the world. A city located on top of a hill cannot be hidden, 15 nor do they light a lamp and place it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it shines on all those in the house. 16 In the same way let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
What are some ways you can live your life publicly?
1. Tell your employer from the start of your new job, I am a Christian.
2. At a function just as Thanksgiving or Christmas do not just pray quietly over your meal because many of your family are not Christians. Ask if you can lead in an open prayer for everyone.
3. You young people, you go out with your friends on the weekend, and they want to do something that you know is wrong, you say I am a Christian I cannot do that. Let me call my parents to pick me up. That is living your life out publicly.
Point #2
Unbelievers need every Christian to maintain and grow in their walk with God; Christians need to be ready so that when they are needed, God can use them and get the glory.
Daniel 5:12 (NKJV)
12 Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”
The queen mother put God’s glory to the test. She says to her grandson about Daniel “he will give the interpretation.” She is confident that God through Daniel will tell her grandson the interpretation. If Daniel does not come through, God is robbed of the glory.
We know that Daniel is retired from the King’s service because this grandson did not know about Daniel until the queen mother said something. So, let us suppose since Daniel is retired, he backs off on the spiritual stuff also. People do that, they retire from their job, and they think they can back off on their relationships with God. I can travel more and miss church no big deal. I previously taught Sunday School but since I retired, I will retire from that too. If Daniel has backed off on his relationship with God, Daniel probably would not have been able to reveal the message.
Daniel obviously teaches us that he never backed off but instead continued to grow in his relationship. Remember the first dream of Nebuchadnezzar, he got together with his three friends and God gave him the message in a night vision. The second dream, the king told him the dream, and Daniel immediately tells him the interpretation. Daniel has grown in his relationship with God.
Now, he is going to tell Belshazzar the interpretation of the writing on the wall, and he will tell the king the meaning immediately. And what can we say, Daniel has at least maintained his walk with God if it has not gotten even better.
So, what I am saying to you, although he was not in the limelight, he was ready if God was going to use him. A Christian should never think you served Him and now He is going to put you on the shelf not to use any longer. As long as you have breath, God can use you.
1 Peter 3:15 (NKJV)
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.
2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV)
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Point #3
Unbelievers need every Christian to go and do when God says go and do.
Daniel 5:13 (NKJV)
13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah?
I can hear the knock-on Daniel’s door now. The king needs to see you. A hand wrote on the wall and the wise men of Babylon could not read the writing or tell the king the interpretation, so they are asking for you. Daniel’s response is let’s go.
Do not think that he was under compulsion to go with a regime of guards standing at his door. The queen mother says, “let Daniel be called.” You call him, he is going to come. He is going to take any opportunity God gives Him to show off the greatness of his God. Do you do that in your life?
But I can hear some of us when we hear that knock at the door. Are you kidding me, I am out of the limelight for a while, let someone else, do it? I am retired, get someone else.
But here is the truth! Unbelievers need every Christian to go and do when God says go and do. It may change the life of an unbeliever.
Thought to Ponder
Do you realize how your relationship with God might impact the life of an unbeliever?
