 Graffiti |
 A drunken Babylonian king was in the middle of a party.
This grandson of Nebuchadnezzar was not worried that armies of Cyrus
camped around his capital city. He was sure that he was safe in the
fortress his grandpa had built. He had several wives at the party.
Everyone was drinking and dancing. The king was making fun of God. He was
using the special cups from the sacred tabernacle of God. These cups were
never supposed to hold fermented grape juice. The king was saying he was
more powerful than God in heaven. Suddenly he saw a hand writing on his
wall. Being drunk, it really frightened him. |
 This
hand writing was done by God not by gang members as we see in cities. You
may have seen the ugly marks on walls of tunnels and buildings. It is
called "graffiti". There are markers and symbols used as
warnings between gangs in the cities. Paint can not even be bought by
children in some stores. We did not know this until my son
was given a list of items to buy at the store for me. My son was surprised at the resistance the clerk gave him. She
proceeded with a long lecture about marking up city walls. Only when I
showed up, did she allow he purchase of the paint. |
 The
marks this drunk king saw were not done by any person at the party. There
was a pale hand seen writing it. Music and dancing stopped. Everyone looked
on in fear with eyes blurred by drinking alcohol. Wise men were called to help but they were afraid. Then the
queen mother was told. She rushed to the banquet hall and urged that
Daniel be called. |
 Daniel
came . The king offered him presents if he would explain the message to
him. Daniel knew the presents would last only a few minutes. What good
would it do to be ruler for a few minutes? Daniel wanted the king to know
he did not interpret for money as the "wise men" did.
He did not want the gifts. He told the king to give them to someone else. The drunk
king did not realize or care that the River Euphrates was drying up. Cyrus
had a division of soldiers rerouting the river.
God in mercy was warning the king of his danger. The king was too drunk to respond to God's last call to him. Other soldiers were stationed ready to enter Babylon under the walls as soon as the water was out of the way.. |
 This
is the interpretation of the glowing words on the wall:
Mene: God has numbered your kingdom and finished it. Tekel: You are weighed in God's judgment and your are lacking Upharsin: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.
|
 When
Daniel finished telling the king what the words said and meant, the king
gave rewards as promised. He put on Daniel a red robe, then a gold
chain. He was made third ruler in the kingdom. Imagine
that. For a few minutes while soldiers were marching into the city, God
had His servant Daniel marked with special honor. Right
under them, Cyrus stood with his army. He was under the palace. More than
a hundred years before prophets had described this night. Isaiah, Jeremiah
and Daniel had all spoken of the fall of Babylon. |
If God gives you special favor, or gives you a chance to speak to kings and millions of the world, will you give only God the glory and dress simply or will you draw attention to yourself and brag about your work instead of God's? |
 The
drunk gate keepers left the gates open to the great fortress Babylon. The open gates were easy for
soldiers to enter. Also Cyrus had the water trenches finished and the
Euphrates River was going down another path. It was night and no one saw
the river going down and soldiers coming in. |
  Cyrus
had thousands of soldiers shoveling dirt in the night to send the river
down another path. Suddenly in the city the water stopped. Their water was
gone. Soldiers entered under the walls where the water used to flow. They
did not really need to for the drunk gate keepers had left the gates open
anyway. |
 If
they had had a big spotlight and the soldiers had not been drunk, and the
king had not been making fun of God in heaven, perhaps the story would
have ended differently for the Babylonians.
The Bible says wine is a mocker and strong drink is raging. Alcohol has ruined many people. If you want to have a clear healthy mind and make good choices, never drink any alcohol ever. Proverbs 20:1 Wine [is] a mocker, strong drink [is] raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. |
 Prophets
have told us that soon our world will be turned upside down because the
inhabitants have broken God's laws and changed the ordinance. (Isaiah
24:1-6) In the face of these prophecies on how important God's
commandments are, lawmakers insist on passing laws honoring a false Sabbath.
This is not different from the king of Babylon. The day of the Lord is at
hand. I am pained in my heart. I cannot keep quiet.
My friend, choose to stand firm for God's law no matter what happens. Obey the health laws so you can think clearly. When you are put in the spotlight to declare why you keep the 7th day Sabbath, give God all the honor and glory. He will give you a quiet dignity and words to speak which can bring thousands to God. |
1. When God put the spot light on Daniel, what did the soldiers capturing the city do with him? 2. When God puts you in the spot light, who should you honor? (yourself or God?) 3. If you are given a chance to witness before kings and millions of people over the media, who should you draw attention to? 4. Why is it prophesied that soon our world will be turned up side down? What are people doing to the commandments? 5. What did the writing on the wall say and what did it mean? 6. What did Daniel say about the kings gifts promised to him if he would interpret what God had for him? 7. What did the king do to make Daniel receive the gifts? 8. Who was under the palace at the moment that Daniel was receiving his gifts? 9. Was this a surprise to Daniel? (Lesson 2 and 7 and 8 show prophecies about what was coming) 10. What did the army of Cyrus do to the river Euphrates? 11. What were the guards of the Babylonian gates doing that last night? 12. What did the king say and do with things from God's sanctuary that last night that was so offensive to God? |
Click here to go to the exciting Lion's Den story
God's
timing here is remarkable. He knew what was happening. He wanted his
servant Daniel held in high favor with the new power taking over. He put
the spotlight on Daniel for a reason.
When God elevates a man, it is for a witness to the world of God's power.
So many forget the reason God is brings them into honor, and they take all
the glory to themselves. Daniel always honored God.