King
Belshazzar held a great feast for his one thousand nobles. The wine flowed
freely. Belshazzar, heady with the wine, ordered that the gold and silver
chalices his father Nebuchadnezzar had stolen from God's Temple of Jerusalem be
brought in so that he and his nobles, his wives and concubines, could drink
from them. When the gold and silver chalices were brought in, the king and his
nobles, his wives and his concubines, drank wine from them. They drank the wine
and drunkenly praised their gods made of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood
and stone.
Nebuchadnezzar died and other kings ruled
Babylon for several years. Then Belshazzar served as king although he was
second in command and only acting as king while his father, King Nabonidus, was away for an
extended time building a temple to the Moon God, Sin. Since Nebuchadnezzar’s daughter was Belshazzar mother, Belshazzar was actually the
grandson of Nebuchadnezzar. This passage
is another well known story in Biblical times.
Have you ever drank out of a gold cup or eaten from
a gold plate? Friends of mine have gold charger plates that they use under
their dinner plates for special occasions and everyone definitely feels regal
sitting at such a plush table setting. As Belshazzar wanted to impress his
guests that evening he brought out the best—the gold and silver goblets and
vessels taken from the Jerusalem temple. Scripture doesn’t mention
Nebuchadnezzar or other Babylonian kings using these sacred objects. It may
have been that Belshazzar knew that the Persians were nearby and that his time
as a king was close to ending, so he decided to celebrate—to go out in style.
It was kind of an insult to God to not only have
His sacred vessels used for drinking wine, but then the king and his guests
praised their gods of gold and silver. Can’t you just see them dressed in their
regal attire, a little drunk, partying and toasting their gods as they drank
out of the beautiful ornate temple vessels? What a site it must have been.
Would you have participated in such a celebration? It was a great feast with
probably lots of rich and exotic foods—we certainly would have enjoyed that,
but would we have enjoyed at God’s expense? Do you or do we eat irreverently now?
Dear Jesus, help us to
make wise choices and to give thanks, glory and honor to You as we feast at any
meal.
© 2012 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
Scripture from The Message, except where noted.
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