The Party Is Over .. Daniel 5
5 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. 2 While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father[a] had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.
3 So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. 6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.
Everyone Loves a good party! That is one of the joys of life, to be at a good party! Good Music! Good Food! Good drinks! Good Friends!
My my my the wonderful joy of a good party!
A good party creates lasting memories that last a lifetime!
Oh the wonderful lingering thoughts of a great party!
We are fast approaching the time of year when we all look forward to a good party! A time to gather together, a time to see good friends and family, a time to have fun and enjoy the fruits of our labors!
But this year is like non other we have seen or experienced in our life times! For the first time in our lives our holiday parties have been restricted, canceled, or eliminated!
Our Work parties shutdown over!
Our family parties canceled over!
Our community parties forbidden over!
Our gatherings with friends at restaurants and parties shut down and over!
The expected parties we have enjoyed all of our lives are suddenly over this year!
There is danger unseen in the air that is causing the parties to be canceled and over! The risk of death and sickness has made the parties over!
The music has stopped.
The food is put away.
The bar tender has already issued the last call!
Most guests have left already.
The lights are on!
It’s a sad place to be in when everyone else knows the party is over, except you! When you have had too much to drink, and even though the music has stopped, you still hear music in your head, even though the host of the party has turned on the lights, you can’t see why we can’t just go a little longer..
No matter how long you stay, the party won’t start back up!
No matter how much you hope for it the party will not start back up!
No matter how much you cuss, swear, scream and shout the party is OVER!
The mind is drunken with power and the spirits of strong drink, it is not able to accept the fact that the party is OVER and its time to go home!
Here in our text we find Daniel who was now a full grown man, seasoned in prayer, seasoned in faith, seasoned in his gifts and service to the LORD!
It’s good to be in your seasoned years and still be walking with GOD!
Here we find in the 5 th chapter 1st verse…
5 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them.
It is important to note that archaeologist have uncovered great banquet halls that would seat 5-10 thousand guests for parties and banquets. Note the text speaks of 1000 noble men, it can be rightly assumed that they also brought with them, wives, and concubines and others to the party. We can assume that the total number of guests at this party would have ranged from 5 to 10,000 people.
Even with the enemy camped outside, he ignored the death threats and danger the enemy threaten against him because he was arrogant. He felt since he had a 20 year supply of food he could hold out..
Your arrogance and resources will never last longer than the harvest from the seeds you have sown!
This must have been some party!
And Daniel was not even invited…
In life there are some parties, you should be glad that you were not invited to..
Some parties that might have tempted you to go to far..
Some parties you might have had one too many and messed up your life!
Thank God for the parties you didn’t go to and didn’t get invited to..
2 While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father[a] had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.
3 So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
When you use the gifts God has given you to praise idol things it provokes GOD to end your party! God will not stand by and watch you give glory that belongs to him to an idol GOD!
Note what the text says .. Suddenly…
Your party is coming to an end when you provoke GOD
God has a way of shutting your stuff down..
5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. 6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.
God took a hand out of nowhere and wrote a message on the wall in the middle of his party…
The writing knocked the breath out of him and he turned pale as a ghost
The writing made his legs weak and his knees knock together
So here he was, drunk, scared, shaking, confused, and out of breath!
God will get your attention when its time for your party to end!
7 The king summoned the enchanters, astrologers[b] and diviners. Then he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
God will send you a message that you can not buy your way out of..
All the money,
All the silver
All the gold, won’t change a thing no matter how rich you are.. doesn’t matter
So the king tried to offer a reward for someone to help him..
But they couldn’t read the message GOD had sent!
8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant. 9 So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled.
When your stuff won’t work..
When your tricks won’t help you
When your game can’t get you by
When you can’t buy your way out..
When you can’t lie your way out..
10 The queen,[c] hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “May the king live forever!” she said. “Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners.
Sometimes when we find ourselves in trouble without any answers
We just need to look to what our elders did
When we lose our way.. we just need to look back to those who led us to where we are
We need to learn from those who have gone before us..
We do not have to make the same mistakes they made
We don’t have to have the same addictions they had..
Here we have a great King frustrated, disillusioned and confused..
So he listened to his momma and called Daniel
But watch this.. his momma forgot to tell him how his daddy recovered…
Tell your children how you recovered
How God delivered you..
How God gave you another chance..
How many problems could we have avoided in life if we had just listened to momma or daddy?
How many pitfalls could we have avoided?
She told him when your daddy was in a similar situation he called on Daniel..
12 He did this because Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.”
There are somethings that will come up in life that you will need a God fearing person to explain..
You will need someone with a keen mind.. not drunken with wine
Understanding and with the spirit of God
13 So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom.
When folk get into trouble
They will remember your insight, wisdom, and spirit of God in you!
15 The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it. 16 Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
17 Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.
You can’t buy me.. I am not for sale..
You should have something about you that is not for sale!
18 “Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. 19 Because of the high position he gave him, all the nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled.
20 But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21 He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.
Your daddies arrogance caused him to fall
But you knew this and ignored it!
It dangerous to know God and ignore him!
Its dangerous to setup against GOD
You praised the created rather then the creator!
God put the writing on the wall!
22 “But you, Belshazzar, his son,[d] have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. 23 Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. 24 Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.
25 “This is the inscription that was written:
mene, mene, tekel, parsin
26 “Here is what these words mean:
Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
The party is OVER
27 Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
Judgement is here!
28 Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
Your Kingdom is divided and given away!
29 Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.
30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians,[h] was slain, 31 and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.[i]
God’s judgement came upon him that night!
Even with the handwriting on the wall he still didn’t repent
He still did not turn his heart to GOD..
He kept right on partying thinking he could bluff his way though
But the party was over
My brother and Sister GOD is writing on the wall of time once again
I beg you turn your hearts to GOD while you have time
The party is over
Turn to GOD! Give him your heart!
The gods of wine, women, sex, silver and gold will always LET YOU DOWN,
YOU, YOUR PARTY, YOUR DEEDS, YOUR WORDS WILL GO ON THE SCALES OF TIME AND ETERNITY!
Bible tells us "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6
