Good Morning! - Daniel 5:13-16 - The Fame of Daniel - 2009.10.22

Good Morning!

Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spoke and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel,which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry? I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom isfound in thee. And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, thatthey should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not show the interpretation of the thing: And I have heard of thee, that thou canst makeinterpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thyneck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom. (Dan 5:13-16)

Daniel's fame survived a lot of years. He is a genuine messenger of God as he walks into the smelly room of dignitaries who are struggling through their drunkenness to understand what is going on. He had been set aside and suppressed for 23 years but he is still Daniel, the man of God.

My grandmother named me after him. When I was about six, we received a Bible story book through the mail with Daniel on the cover. I felt like he was family from that time. His name means "God is my judge." Several names in the Bible end or begin with EL which means God. Samuel, Joel, Elijah. You can spot them as you read your Bible.

The Queen Mother walked into the room as the only ray of light they had. "She told the king and his lords enough about Daniel's gifts and ability, and told just enough of his past to inform Belshazzar of the honored place Daniel held in Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom. Here indeed is a display of sound judgment on the part of the queen mother" (Strauss).

Daniel was no longer a young man advising an old king, but an old man of 80-90 years advising a young king who had blown it big-time. Daniel was rich in spiritual experience and many years of observation of the affairs of the kingdom. In view of the miracles God performed through him and his three friends, it is unlikely that he was forgotten. It's just that he was a wet blanket on the lifestyle of Nabonidus and Belshazzar.

We don't want anyone telling us what to do, not even God—especially God! I mean, what is there in life but money, power, sex and booze? Well, there are also the status symbols and toys we pursue. He who has the most toys when he dies wins—but he does die and stands before a holy God to be judged. It's really a downer to think we are bad enough that it took the Son of God dying on a bloody cross to pay for our sins. Even in Paul's day, there was the "offense of the cross."

There is a law of physics called impenetrability….two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time. There is another law, a spiritual law of imthronability….(I don't think there is such a word. I just made it up.) We and God cannot sit on the throne of our hearts at the same time. God will not share the throne of your heart with you. It's either God or yourself on that throne. That's why men will not be saved. In most cases it's not because they lack the knowledge of how to be saved, although there are many who do not know how. But when a man learns how to be saved, then he has to grapple with God being in charge of his life and with his new knowledge of salvation, he resists being saved.

Daniel must have been a striking figure when he walked in and stood before the king and that drunken crowd. His appearance was one of courage and confidence and dignity—and authority. The king spoke first and ascribed more to Daniel than he could to all of his official wizards put together. Belshazzar was not interested in Daniel's God. He had no intention of repenting of anything. He was beyond that.

And Daniel was not impressed with the things the king wanted to do for him. Belshazzar would be a dead man within 24 hours. But Daniel's God, who was everything to Daniel, would live forever and would be always on His throne. Daniel had decided as a teenager to go with God and it was a full and exciting journey. Dare to be a Daniel in these troubling, wicked days.

Memory Verse for this week:

(1Th 4:13) But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. (1Th 4:13) (See 1Th 4:13-18).