God is our Judge (Daniel 1), our Revealer (Daniel 2), Igniter (Daniel 3), and Gracious King (Daniel 4). In Daniel chapter 5 we are introduced to the last king of Babylon, Belshazzar. In this chapter we come to the end of the Babylonians Empire and the beginning of the Medo-Persian Empire. This transition is precipitated by a drunken orgy held by Belshazzar in which he is not only given to drunkenness, lust and idolatry, but even more seriously, he commits sacrilege against God by incorporating the holy temple vessels into his evil gathering. This last sinful act leads to an incredible manifestation of God in the form of a hand that writes on the wall of his palace. In this chapter we will see that such a condition puts one in a precarious position as it relates to God. Turning ones back on God is bad enough, but when a person dismisses the reality of God to the point where they desecrate that which He calls holy, watch out! For Belshazzar, his actions were the final straw leading to his downfall. Truthfully, what we see in this chapter is that how you respond to God determines your eternal destiny in this life and the next. Without God there is only death. For some life without God produces a slow terminal condition. For others life with out God produces a sudden end to life. God will use Daniel to shine light into the darkness of this pagan Babylonian king’s existence and in the process we will learn that, God’s Word weighs my life.

Belshazzar was the son of Nabonidus and the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar (In the phrase, "his father Nebuchadnezzar," the term "father" is used loosely to refer to an ancestor. There is no term for "grandfather" in the Aramaic or Hebrew language. This was a common practice and another example is found when king David is referred to as the father of Jesus – Luke 1:31-32.[1] ) Nebonidus is not mentioned in the Bible and was related to Nebuchadnezzar through the marriage to his daughter, Nitocris. (2)

"Belshazzar" means "the splendor of brightness; lord of whose treasure." (3)  In Josephus’ history entitled the Antiquities, (Ant. l. x. c. 11) Belshazzar is said, "to be the same as Naboandelus, the Nabonadius of Ptolemy, and the Labynetus of Herodotus (l. i.)." Belshazzar reigned for seven years, which were filled with conflicts against the Medo-Persians. At the time of Daniel 5 Belshazzar was in the city of Babylon and besieged by the Medo-Persians king Cyrus. This is important for us to know since it sheds light on the false proud confidence of Belshazzar who feasted in supposed total security of the great city of Babylon while his enemy besieged him outside the city walls. Scholars believe that Belshazzar was the eldest son of Babylonian king Nebonidus with whom he served as a coregent, filling in for his father while Nabonidus was away from the capitol city. This is why in 5:7 and 29 Belshazzar promises to exalt the person who can read and interpret the writing on the wall to "the third ruler in the kingdom," i.e. First, Nebonidus, second, Belshazzar, and then third, the interpreter, who turned out to be Daniel (5:29; Compare with Jeremiah 27:7). (4)

Critics used to doubt the existence of Belshazzar but were again proved false when archeological finds bore evidence to the truth of his historical existence. The KJV Bible Commentary states the following in this regard:

"In 1850, critics doubted even the historicity of Belshazzar, claiming he was a fictitious character made up by the pseudo-Daniel who they claim composed the book around 165 b.c. With the discovery of Belshazzar’s name on cuneiform tablets, his existence could no longer be questioned. Critics such as H. H. Rowley then sought to attack Daniel’s statement that he was king. The recognition of two large black cylinders in a Byzantine church in Haran in the year 1956 ended that skepticism as well. The Nabonidus Chronicle, as this is called, clearly mentions Belshazzar as a coregent with Nabonidus his father. Not only that, but Belshazzar ruled at Babylon, while Nabonidus was in Teman during the final years of the Babylonian Empire." (5)

Belshazzar was a real person and as we look at him and his sinful behavior we see someone who is a comparable to many who not only turn their backs on God, but also turn their noses up to God. Belshazzar is typical of those who disregard God’s word.

Daniel 5:1-4 – "Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand.2 While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.3 Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone."

These verses give us insight into Belshazzar that are important for us to grasp. First, Belshazzar was so self-confident and proud that, though Cyrus, king of the Medo-Persian Empire was besieging his city, he held a wild party inside the city. This shows us that he was guilty of the sin of pride. Secondly, the wine was flowing at this party and the sin of drunkenness was probably very evident. Thirdly, parties such as this one held by the king were very commonly characterized by sensuality and sexual promiscuity. This party was very likely to have had orgies ongoing within it. This shows us that Belshazzar was guilty of encouraging and probably participating in immorality. Fourthly, Belshazzar called for the gold and silver Jerusalem temple vessels or cups, (and had been taken by Nebuchadnezzar when Jerusalem fell to him) to be brought out and used by "his lords, his wives, and his concubines" to drunkenly drink wine from (5:3). This was not only a drunkenly sinful act, but also a defiantly mocking act of the God in whose temple the vessels had been used in holy service. This reveals the sacrilegious sin of Belshazzar. Lastly, Belshazzar "praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone" (5:4). In other words he indulged in the sin of idolatry. It would appear in this last instance that Belshazzar simply looking for items to mockingly worship in an effort to liven up his party by creating objects of praise and boisterousness.

While Belshazzar represents the epitome of those who refuse God’s word, he is not typical in the sense that everyone who lives without God’s word will have all of these sins present in their lives. People who refuse to acknowledge God and His word, or who simply live without God’s word neglecting or not caring about it, such people will see varying degrees of these sinful attributes cropping up in their lives. Some may be less polluted by these sins; others may be even more polluted by them. Some may start out mildly indulging in sin and end up more severely entrapped in such sin. Sin is like a cancer, it grows and so this last scenario may be the case.

Belshazzar refused to acknowledge God and His word. This view of him refusing God defiantly is seen in Daniel’s words later in the chapter. Daniel recounts the work of God in the life of Nebuchadnezzar and then turns to Belshazzar and states:

• Daniel 5:22 - "But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this."

Don’t make the mistake of thinking poor Belshazzar is caught unawares when he takes out the temple vessels and provokes God to wrath. No, I don’t believe that is the case at all. I believe Belshazzar knew exactly what he was dong when he said something like, "Fetch those gold and silver temple vessels of that Hebrew god! Let’s have some fun!" this was an act of mockery and defiance against God and a disregard of what he "knew" from the testimony of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:1-3; 5:22).

The condition we see in Belshazzar is explained in greater detail in Romans 1 of the New Testament where we see that such behavior incurs the wrath of God. The apostle Paul was inspired to write in Romans 1:

• Romans 1:18-32 – "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them."

In Romans 1 we see God’s wrath is on those who "suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Romans 1:18). God’s wrath is on those who rather than respond to His truth, choose to try to smother it with their own sinful ways. God’s truth is revealed in His word (John 17:17). Just as Belshazzar must have been exposed to the testimony of his predecessor Nebuchadnezzar and just as he disregarded it (Daniel 5:22), so too we see this condition present in the world in those who reject God and His truth. Romans 1 tells us that God’s truth has been set out for all to see (Romans 1:19). God has revealed His truth in creation and those who reject His truth are "without excuse" (Romans 1:20). God states that there are people who willfully reject and defy Him and as a result live in a warped, dark and "futile" condition (Romans 1:21). Those who reject God profess to be wise, but in reality are fools (Romans 1:22). This foolishness leads them to worship creation rather than the Creator just like Belshazzar did (Romans 1:23,25; Daniel 5:4,23). Because people willfully reject God, God allows them to continue in an ever-descending downward spiral of "uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies" (Romans 1:24). The end of their sinful defiance is "vile passions" such as homosexuality, lesbianism, and assorted immorality, wickedness, covetousness and sin (Romans 1:25-32). It is upon such that the wrath of God is revealed. God will now make this clear to Belshazzar; his defiance has not gone unnoticed.

Daniel 5:5-9 – "In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.6 Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other.7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom."8 Now all the king’s wise men came, but they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation.9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were astonished."

It must have been a pretty incredible sight for Belshazzar to see a hand appear and write on the wall of his palace. He must have thought at first that he was seeing things. Perhaps he shook his head in an attempt to shake off his drunken stupor. But this holy hand was no mirage, or vision brought on by drunkenness, this was the hand of God (Daniel 5:24). So terrified was Belshazzar by what he viewed that his hips loosened and his knees knocked. He was reduced from a proud pompous defiant king to a trembling mess.

The Bible says it is a frightful thing to defy God and then to fall into the hands of the living God:

• Hebrews 10:28-31 – "Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?30 For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The Lord will judge His people."31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

But Belshazzar’s fear was compounded by the fact that though he could see writing, he didn’t know what it meant. He sensed that the writing was not good, but he felt he must no for sure. He called for all the "wise men" he could call on to come and interpret this Divine writing on the wall. He even promised them riches and political clout, but they were all impotent and unable to read the writing on the wall. But God would make clear the message of the writing on the palace wall. God always provides a way so that He can be understood and comprehended. The problem is that, just as we have seen with Belshazzar (Daniel 5:22) and in Romans 1, people frequently choose to suppress, reject or defy the truth that God reveals. God wants humankind to come into a saving understanding and heart belief of Him. He takes no joy in the damnation or eternal loss of the defiant ones. He desires as many be saved from perishing as is possible. This is conveyed in the following verses:

• Ezekiel 18:23,32 - "Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?" says the Lord God, "and not that he should turn from his ways and live? . . . 32 "For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord God. "Therefore turn and live!" (See also Ezekiel 33; 11).
• 1 Timothy 2:3-7 – "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth."
• 2 Peter 3:9 – "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."

How is Belshazzar going to come to an understanding of the writing that God has put on his palace wall? How do all people come to and understanding of God? Let’s see.

Daniel 5:10-16 – "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?14 "I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.15 "Now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the thing.16 "And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and explain enigmas. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom."

The queen ("probably Nitocris, the queen-mother, widow of Evil-merodach, son of Nebuchadnezzar, and father of Belshazzar." ), said, "There is a man in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God." We see Daniel’s reputation preceded him. He was known as a man of God in whom God’s Holy Spirit dwelled. Belshazzar had heard of Daniel (Daniel 14), but he did not know him personally (Daniel 13). This leads us to believe that Belshazzar was probably consumed by and only concerned with fulfilling the lusts of his flesh rather than interacting with one of the primary consultants in the royal hierarchy (Daniel 2:48; 8:27). Because he was removed from Daniel he had also missed out on the influence of this godly man. But now he would learn to depend upon Daniel. (6)

Man does not know God by applying his own brainpower to knowing God. Man comes to know God because God reveals Himself to man. This is what the psalmist was inspired to write when he said:

• Psalm 25:8-14 – "Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.9 The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way.10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.11 For Your name’s sake, O Lord, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.12 Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.13 He himself shall dwell in prosperity, And his descendants shall inherit the earth.14 The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant."

Daniel, in whom the pagan royalty acknowledged was "the Spirit of the Holy God," was associated with revelation. Verse 12 states:

• Daniel 5:12 - "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."

Here we see an essential truth. these revelatory qualities were not due to Daniel, but rather, the Holy Spirit present in Daniel. the Holy Spirit is the only means to understand God. The Bible is clear and concrete about the fact that it is the Holy Spirit who reveals God to people and this illumination particularly and most commonly takes place when the Holy Spirit illuminates the word of God to the student of the Bible. We see this in the following verses:

• John 14:26 - "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."
• John 16:13 - "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come."

The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Triune Godhead, is the One who reveals truth and the way of salvation and spiritual edification to us. The problems is that a person must have the Holy Spirit in them, they must be born again (John 3:1-10; Titus 3:5)) in order to gain the fullness of understating about God. Before one’s spiritual rebirth the Holy Spirit conveys the gospel through which one can enter into the Spirit-filled life. But the rest of the story so to speak remains a fog to the unsaved person. This is clearly stated in Paul’s inspired letter to the Corinthians, which states:

• 1 Corinthians 2:11-14 – "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

For added clarity I will quote the Living Bible paraphrase of this passage:

• 1 Corinthians 2:11-14 – "No one can really know what anyone else is thinking or what he is really like except that person himself. And no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. 12 And God has actually given us his Spirit (not the world’s spirit) to tell us about the wonderful free gifts of grace and blessing that God has given us. 13 In telling you about these gifts we have even used the very words given to us by the Holy Spirit, not words that we as men might choose. So we use the Holy Spirit’s words to explain the Holy Spirit’s facts. 14 But the man who isn’t a Christian can’t understand and can’t accept these thoughts from God, which the Holy Spirit teaches us. They sound foolish to him because only those who have the Holy Spirit within them can understand what the Holy Spirit means. Others just can’t take it in." (TLB)

The way to understating God is the way of the Holy Spirit. Only God can reveal Himself to us, we cannot comprehend Him if we do not have His Spirit within us. When we are born again by accepting God’s gift of forgiveness by faith based on Jesus work on the cross, the Spirit enters the person and with the Spirit comes access to God in a way that reveals God to us and makes sense of His word. The apostle John referred to this as the "anointing" of the Spirit when he wrote:

• 1 John 2:20,27 – "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. . . 27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him."

These verse in 1 John do not mean we don’t have to go to church once we are born again because, "you do not need that anyone teach you." Far from it! God gives the church teachers in order to help the flock of God apply God’s word to life and ministry in the world. Once when I was young and teaching a class in church I noticed that one of the older men in the class stopped attending. When I called him about his absence he referred to 1 John 2:27 and said, "See, I don’t have to come to any teaching, God is my teacher!" Now that is true to a certain extent, God is our teacher. But it does not mean we don’t have to be taught by those God calls to positions of teaching. The mere fact that God does give spiritual gifts of teaching implies that teaching is to be done in the church and is necessary. I believe the older gentleman was hiding behind this verse to mask his proud resistance to sitting under the teaching of a younger fellow. The truth of the matter is that we need to be taught, everyone one of us from the pastor to the lowliest, from the eldest to the youngest in the church. God teaches us through others and on our own, but He always teaches us in and through the Spirit. the way to understanding is through the Spirit who illuminates the Word of God.

Daniel could not be bought by Belshazzar; he knew that his ability to clarify and illuminate "enigmas" was from God and not himself (Daniel 2:28; 5:17). Notice that Daniel begins his interpretation by referring Belshazzar to the past account of Nebuchadnezzar, which was no doubt put in writing at some point. Daniel reminded Belshazzar how Nebuchadnezzar had once also been bloated and "hardened in pride" and was deposed from the throne, "til he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses." (Daniel 5:21). Daniel no doubt was pointing out that Nebuchadnezzar was responsive to God’s grace (see our study in Daniel 4). Daniel points out that much to the contrary of Nebuchadnezzar, "you have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this" (Daniel 5:22). What we see here is that because Belshazzar "knew all this" it was assumed he was accountable to it. The truth here is, you are accountable for what has been revealed to you by God, God’s Word weighs you.

Belshazzar was without excuse. Instead of repenting and surrendering to God; instead of continuing in what had been learned through the testimony of Nebuchdnezzar, Belshazzar chose to ignore God’s word and because of this he would come up short in the balances of God.

The words written by the Divine hand on the wall of Belshazzar’s palace were, "MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN" (5:25). These are three Aramaic Words, (God can make Himself and His will known in any language). It should not have been difficult for any wise man to read these words. But what was hard and impossible for the wise men of Belshazzar to do was to make prophetic sense of the words. "MENE" literally means "to number" (5:26). "TEKEL" literally means, "to weigh" (5:27). "PERES" literally means, "to divide" (5:28). The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge clarifies the interpretation by stating:

"25. Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. The U of Upharsin is the word for "and" in Aramaic. In the interpretation Daniel considered each term separately, and so omitted reading the "and" that preceded Peres (vs. 28). Pharsin is also the plural form of the word Peres (see also Boutflower, pp. 133–141, Wood, pp. 149–150.

26. Mene. This word should have been easy enough for any wise man to read, it meant, "numbered." The prophetic meaning was the puzzling part. Daniel informed Belshazzar that God had numbered the days of his kingdom, and they had expired.

27. Tekel meant, "weighed." Belshazzar himself was lacking in the weighty matters of the spiritual life.

28. Peres. As Daniel interpreted, Peres signified divided, and meant that Babylon was to be given over to the Medes and Persians, a combined power of two nationalities, of which the Persians were the dominant force." (7)

The Treasury says," Belshazzar himself was lacking in the weighty matters of the spiritual life." That was the bottom line problem with this king. God’s word weighed him and spiritual he was a lightweight, as light as a feather. The chapter ends by saying, "That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain" (5:30). Either Darius, a Mede, ruled for a short period of time or he was an official under king Cyrus of Persia who was the supreme ruler of the Medo-Persians (Daniel 9:1).

Now the Babylonian Empire fell to the Medo-Persians around 538-39 B.C. and what is interesting is that the prophet Isaiah writing nearly 150 years earlier prophesied in great detail about this night in history. In Isaiah 21 we see the prophecy that the Medes will take Babylon. Later in Isaiah we see incredible prophetic detail. In Isaiah 45 it states:

• Isaiah 45:1-3 - "Thus says the Lord to His anointed, 1 To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held—To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:2 ‘I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron.3 I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel."

The incredible detail of this passage is seen when the Biblical text of Daniel 5 and what we know from history is compared to it. Some historians hold that infighting between Babylonian prophets loyal to the god Marduk opened the doors of the city to let in the Medes because Belshazzar preferred the sun and moon god. That is one possibility but an alternative view that is in line with scripture and is to be preferred is that according to the Greek historian Xenophon, the Median general Gobryas besieged the city of Babylon from without. The city of Babylon was a magnificent city and one of the interesting aspects of the city was that the Euphrates River passed adjacent to the city with canals that went into the city. It is believed that one of these canals was diverted back to the main channel so that some of the army could enter the city through the dry canal bed. Once inside the city the gate was rushed and opened so that the Median army could enter en masse. All this while Belshazzar held his wild party. (8)

What is interesting is that Isaiah gave his prophecy over a hundred years before Cyrus was even born and yet Cyrus is named accurately as the prime ruler of the taking of Babylon. God knew the name of Cyrus and stated it so that His undeniable fingerprint would be on these events (Isaiah 45:1,3).

In the King James Version and New American Standard Version the phrase translated, "loose the armor of kings" in the New King James Version is more accurately translated "loose the loins of kings" in verse 1. The term "armor" is the Hebrew mothen (Strong’s #4975) and literally means "loins, hip, side." This is noted because when we see this it enhances even more the accuracy of Isaiah’s prophecy when we connect Daniel’s account of Belshazzar of whom it is said concerning seeing the handwriting on the wall, "the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other" (Daniel 5:6). The detail in this prophecy is fantastic and could only come from a God who gives the detail to show that unmistakably, the prophecy came from Him and He is in control.

Isaiah’s prophecy goes on to state, "I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron" (Isaiah 45:2). Not only were the gates of Babylon made of bronze, but true to the prophecy the Medes did not have to break open the gates to the city but the gates were opened from within. Historians differ on how they were opened. Some say the priest of Marduk opened them from within. Others say that the guards were so drunk during the night that they forgot to lock them and they were left open. And a third view is that the soldiers who snuck into the city through the dried up canal opened them from within. Either way, those gates were opened without force from the outside, true to God’s word.

Isaiah 45:3 begins, "I will give you the treasures of darkness," and it was during the night that the city was taken. Another confirmation of God’s incredible prophetic fingerprinting. God confirms His presence and reality by making His presence known through prophecy.

What is finally important is that when Cyrus came to take over Babylon, Daniel the prophet took the scroll of Isaiah 45 and showed king Cyrus the part that prophesied him as the particular victor and the manner in which it would occur. Because of this Cyrus gave permission for the exiles to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city. Pastor Chuck Smith makes the following comment in this regard:

The story is that when Cyrus came to Babylon that Daniel the Prophet took this prophecy of Isaiah and said, "Hey man, your name is in our book." And that it was seeing his name, that he was convinced and for that reason gave the decree for the Jews to return from the captivity and to be able to go home.

But again, oh the marvelous Word of God, how we need to pay attention to it. When God speaks with such detail, calling people by name years before they are born, surely God’s Word is confirmed to be just that, and as God said, "That you may know that I am God." (9)

Thus, just as God said through the prophetic dream of Daniel 2, the silver chest and arms of the Medo-Persians Empire takes over from the gold head of the Babylonians (Daniel 2:32). And just as God wrote on the palace wall of Belshazzar, God is writing before you now. Only now you have an entire holy book that is like no other book known to humankind. This book we call the Bible and it is unique. There is no other book on earth that measures up to the Bible, all other religious books, or any book of any kind for that matter; all are light weights compared to the Bible. God inspired the writings of the Bible and wrote it by way of 40 different authors whom recieved God’s word over a span of 1500 years. These human agents were from all walks of life, such as political leaders (Moses); fishermen (Peter); herdsmen (Amos); military generals (Joshua), a cupbearer (Nehemiah), prime minister (Daniel); a doctor (Luke); a king (Solomon and David); a tax collector (Matthew); and a rabbi (Paul). The Bible was written in many diverse places, at different times, during different societal moods, on three continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe), and was written in three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek). The Bible covers hundreds of controversial issues. Despite all of these variables, there is unity in the Bible that is unparalleled; there is a progression and continuity from Genesis to Revelation. Indeed it is as though One Author wrote this book, and He did! No book has been circulated as much and survived such continuous attempts to stamp it out of existence. No book has the prophetic content as the Bible has. No other book claims 100% accuracy to predicting events centuries in the future and then delivers on that accuracy 100%! No other book has had the influence that the Bible has had on mankind. The Bible is the first religious book to be taken into outer space! (10) There is no ignoring this book. God has made His truth clear. The handwriting is on the wall for you reader! Your life is weighed in the balance of God’s word. Will you come up short? Will you tip the balances in your favor? What will you do with it?

Even with God’s word in hand and our taking it to heart, we will come up short. As we studied the grace of God in the last chapter, we saw that salvation is by God’s grace, not our doing. Salvation is God’s work, not ours. On our own, in our own strength, we will always be lightweights on God’s scales. If we are going to measure up and have the scales tipped in our favor, then we must realize that God’s words are written in red, the red blood of His only Son Jesus Christ. God used the cross to accomplish all the work necessary for salvation. As the apostle wrote:

• 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 – "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

God’s word gives us life only because, as Paul is inspired to write in 2 Corinthians 5:21, God gave His life, in Christ, on the cross, to make it so. The Bible is a supernatural spiritual book that has life changing capabilities when it is applied in the Spirit. The Bible is powerful and effective because it is backed up by the life , death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is the testimony as stated in a few verses now listed:

• Philippians 2:14-16 – "Do all things without complaining and disputing,15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain." (Emphasis added.)
• Hebrews 4:12 – "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
• 1 John 1:1-3 – "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ."

God’s word weighs our life. The bible is like a holy set is scales upon which each person will be weighed. We are in the balance of His word and how we respond to it determines our eternal destiny. If you’ve been trying to understand the Bible on your own you’ve probably found it to be quite a confusing and enigmatic piece of literature. You may have come to God with the idea that, "If I understand, I will believe." The problem is that we cannot understand until we believe! We so often come to God on our terms saying, "Okay God, teach me so that I can believe in You. Explain these things to me. Produce the answers to my questions and solve these problems and then I’ll believe." Often we come to God with an ultimatum. We come to Him on our terms. That’s not how it works friend. We come to God on His terms or we don’t come at all. God says, believe and you will understand. Paul said, "We walk by faith and not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). If you want to rise from your sinful spiritual invalidism and walk, first believe in God and the salvation He offers through His Son, then you will understand as the Spirit comes into your heart and illuminates His word. That is the only way.

The word of God is written in the red blood of Jesus. It’s His blood that gives it power. Read the words in red that will open the door to understanding and eternal life:

• John 3:3,5-8 – "Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." . . . 5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.7 "Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’8 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

• John 3:16-19 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.17 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.19 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."
• John 6:29,40,44,47 – "Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." . . 40 "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." . . 44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. . . 47 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life."
• John 14:21-24 - "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.24 "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me."
• John 15:7 - "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you."

God’s word is alive and life-giving because they were written in the red blood of His Son Jesus. Those are life changing words friend.

God’s word weighs us, whether we acknowledge it or not. You may try to defiantly resist submitting to it like Belshazzar, but you will be found lacking just as he was in the end. An unknown author has written a valuable synopsis of the word of God that is a fitting close to this study:

Of the Bible it has been said, "Christ is it's grand subject, our good the design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with it's sacred contents."

May God’s word weigh you, and may you be found full of His Spirit and life changing word.