Sunday, November 24
Read Ezra 1:9-11 and Daniel 1:1, 2. How do the texts in Daniel help us understand what Ezra was referring to?
Notice how in Ezra details are given, while in Daniel the big picture was presented. Together, though, these texts show that the Lord is in control.
“The history of nations speaks to us today. To every nation and to every individual God has assigned a place in His great plan. Today men and nations are being tested by the plummet in the hand of Him who makes no mistake. All are by their own choice deciding their destiny, and God is overruling all for the accomplishment of His purposes.” Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 536
Read Daniel 5. What do these texts teach us about the judgment upon Belshazzar?
Babylon fell in October, 539 B.C., when Cyrus, king of the Medo-Persian army, conquered it. Belshazzar, falsely relying on his successes, luxury, and fame, was so arrogant that he had organized a wild banquet on the night that would end up with his being killed. The divine hand wrote on the palace wall that his days were counted and coming to an end. Even though he knew the fate and conversion story of the mighty King Nebuchadnezzar, he did not learn his lesson. It is always tragic when we do not listen to God’s warnings and do not follow His instruction.
The prophet Daniel was always there, but he had been ignored. When we lose the sense of God’s holiness and His presence in life, we tread a path accompanied with complications, problems, and tragedies, which ultimately ends in death.
After recounting to the king the story of Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel said, “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this” (Daniel 5:22). How can we make sure that we, in our own context, don’t make the same kind of mistake that Belshazzar did? How should the reality of the cross always keep us humble before God?
