Seth Bartal's ADVENTUREhttp://www.sethbartal.com/enFri, 17 Feb 2012 04:00:00 PSTTypePad http://www.typepad.com/SethBartalsAdventurehttp://feedburner.google.comWriting's on the Wall (Daniel 4-6)http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SethBartalsAdventure/~3/8uT6WisYJsQ/writings-on-the-wall-daniel-4-6.htmlGod's NarrativeOld TestamentSeth BartalFri, 17 Feb 2012 04:00:00 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01538fc6256d970b01630186e6e6970d

Belshazzar, Rembrandt, pub dom
The story of King Belshazzar in Daniel 5 is, in my mind, one of the funniest stories of the Old Testament.  Belshazzar (King Nebuchadnezzar's son) hosted a party with his lords, his wives, and his concubines.  Someone at the party had the great idea of drinking from the "golden vessels" from the temple in Jerusalem, so Belshazzar sent for them and used them in his merriment.  The moment the sacred vessels were defamed, a creepy hand showed up from nowhere and began writing on the wall in a foreign language.  My guess is that this event killed the excited and that the guests, now sufficiently creeped out, said "goodnight" to the king and were on quickly on their way.  After dozen individuals were unable to decipher the handwriting, Daniel was brought in to give it the old college try.  The results of Daniel's interpretation are just unbelievable:

  • God has numbered the days of the kingdom
  • You [Belshazzar] have been weighed in the balances and been found to be lacking
  • Your kingdom is divided

And then that night Belshazzar was killed.  Unbelievable!  Here are the lessons that I need to take from this passage:

  • Do not mess with that which is holy
  • God places authority
  • God removes authority
  • We answer to God for what we do with the authority that is given to us
  • God protects His glory and removes people and entities that attempt to get in the way of it
]]>The story of King Belshazzar in Daniel 5 is, in my mind, one of the funniest stories of the Old Testament. Belshazzar (King Nebuchadnezzar's son) hosted a party with his lords, his wives, and his concubines. Someone at the party had the great idea of drinking from the "golden vessels"...http://www.sethbartal.com/2012/02/writings-on-the-wall-daniel-4-6.htmlThe One Who Appoints Kings (Daniel 1-3)http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SethBartalsAdventure/~3/s-29UuKxh2A/the-one-who-appoints-kings-daniel-1-3.htmlGod's NarrativeOld TestamentSeth BartalThu, 16 Feb 2012 04:00:00 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01538fc6256d970b0168e76dfff0970c1602_o_coronation_of_tsar_dusan
Daniel was a man full of wisdom, and there are so many lessons to take from these chapters that it's hard to narrow it down to one.  However, there is one characteristic about Daniel's life that is worth noting here: he recognized God's sovereignty.  It's just a simple comment in Daniel 2:21, but it is indicative of how Daniel lived his life.  He recognized that God is in charge, and that God places people in authority.  God allowed the kings who ruled over Daniel to have their places of authority, and it was his prerogative for when they would be removed from power.  In light of this knowledge, Daniel lived in submission to the authority so long as it didn't violate his submission to the Lord.  The same should be true for us.  God allows others to be in authority over us, and we need to submit to them if for no other reason than because we know He put them there.  God is the One who appoints kings, and He is the One who can remove them, too.  No one has authority but that it was given him from God, and no one loses authority but that God takes it away.  

]]>Daniel was a man full of wisdom, and there are so many lessons to take from these chapters that it's hard to narrow it down to one. However, there is one characteristic about Daniel's life that is worth noting here: he recognized God's sovereignty. It's just a simple comment in...http://www.sethbartal.com/2012/02/the-one-who-appoints-kings-daniel-1-3.html