Righteous Judgement

David Milad

Daniel: Living Faithfully • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

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Judgement

Judgement is never a topic we like to discuss

By avoiding the topic we create a fantasy world were we can do as we please as there are no consequences allowing us to ignore the weightier matters of life.

We can ignore the issues and push off impending consequences for so long before we must reap what we sow.

QUESTION: What are areas of life or issues that we tend to ignore telling ourselves things will be fine only to step into the reality that the consequences of our actions cannot be avoided? In other words, judgement has come!

attending to our marriages

giving our kids the appropriate time

maintaining a solid work ethic

Academic honesty

QUESTION: What are the excuses people use or walls people build in order to avoid addressing what is important?

busy, it will pass, I’m too prideful to admit I’m wrong, etc.

Historical insights

The Babylonian empire we are familiar with is considered the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

Once a powerful dynasty, it weakened and was taken over by the Assyrians, who eventually overthrew Nineveh and Samaria (the Northern Kingdom)

Eventually they grew to power again and overcame the Assyrians

King Neb was largely due the credit for Re-establishing the greatness of the Babylonians in the Ancient Near East (ANE)

Powerful city, built on the Euphrates, massive walls of protection, self sufficient from the inside in case they are besieged (Common War Tactic)

Responsible for the destruction of Jerusalem and captivity of Jews

Through dreams, interpreted by Daniel, he was introduced to the God of the Jews. Encouraged to be humble and change his ways.

didn’t listen, dwelt with the animals, and was restored after learning his place

Chapter 4 was a letter written by King Neb declaring how great Daniels God was

King Neb dies…King Nabonidus reigned next

King Nab not mentioned in Daniel…left Babylon and the responsibilities to his son…Belshazzar

The kingdom is quickly weakening as King Nabonidus is absent and Belshazzar is neglecting the kingdom in times of war and throwing parties.

King Cyrus and the Persian are gaining on the Babylonians

We cannot hide

Read Daniel 5:1-12

QUESTION: What can we tell about Belshazzar character?

Though in the midst of a war, Belshazzar throws a huge banquet

He is ignoring the imminent issues of the kingdom

He pulls out the gold taken from the temple in Jerusalem conquered by King Neb. V. 2-4

This one probably ticked off God!

He is avoiding the consequences of his neglect

He is putting trust in the Wall of Babylon to protect them from the Persians

KEY POINT: The walls of protection that we put up in life, will never excuse us from God’s righteous judgement of us.

Belshazzar had a false sense of security in the city walls that he believed exempted him from being responsible.

We can put a false sens of security in different things that we think exempts us from being responsible.

ex. Ravi Zacharias…false sense of security in his position as a world famous apologists....though he is dead, he is responsible for a huge world of hurt he left behind.

We Can’t say we weren’t warned

Read Daniel 5:13-23

When judgement finally comes, we can play the excuse card....

I didn’t know

No body warned me

The messages are always there, but whether or not we want to listen is the real question.

The life and legacy of King Neb was still very fresh.

Daniel 5:11–12 NASB95

11 “There is a man in your kingdom in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father the king, appointed him chief of the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans and diviners. 12 “This was because an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the interpretation.”

The work of God in the lives of others is always unique but the principle is everlasting.

Lesson from King Neb. Live humbly/righteously before God and acknowledge Him as the most High God who reigns over all

Daniel 5:22–23 NASB95

22 “Yet you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this, 23 but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ways, you have not glorified.

Pride can reach such unbelievable heights if it never heeds the warnings along the way.

Old Testament XIII: Ezekiel, Daniel The King’s Heart Elevated

THE KING’S HEART ELEVATED. THEODORET OF CYR: He did well to instruct those present to worship not visible things but their Creator and Lord. At the same time he also convicts the king of conceit and teaches him that the highest heaven has for its creator the unseen God. You, he is saying, made your heart more elevated not than heaven but than the God of heaven, the Lord of all creation; if you were not guilty of such awful conceit, you would not have ordered the vessels of his house to be brought in.

Even though Daniel was believed to serve King Neb for 40 years and by the end, such progress had been made, we see the ability of sin to cloud such lessons.

Judgement is inevitable

Read Daniel 5:24-31

While history records the rise and fall of kingdoms we are given an inside look as to what the rise and fall of Babylon looked like from the inside.

It rose to be might by God’s allowance and provisions

King Neb was humbled and humility but learned along the way and would proclaim the Glory of God

It’s fall was due not to a lack of resources, but rather to arrogance and pride and the inevitable judgement that comes