Bible Chapter: Daniel 5 & 6

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
Many years later, another king, Belshazzar gave a great feast for 1,000 of his nobles, and he drank wine with them.  He brought the gold and silver cups that had been taken from the Temple in Jerusalem to drink out of them. In the midst of a wild party, there was a hand that showed and wrote on the wall. (Hence, the famous saying, the handwriting on the wall.)  In great fear he promised riches to the one who could tell him what the writing meant.  Daniel was called to help out.  He told the king to keep his gifts, he would tell him God’s message.
God made his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar, great so that people of all races trembled before him in fear.  But when his heart was filled with arrogance, he was brought down and stripped of his glory.  He ate grass like a cow until he learned that God rules.  Belshazzar, knew all this, but did not humble himself. He defied the Lord.  So God sent the message. His days were numbered.  He had been weighed in the balances and found lacking.  His kingdom would be taken and divided up.  That same night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed.
Darius the Mede took over the kingdom.  We then have the story of Daniel and the lions’ den. This is another well-known Bible story of a man who was challenged to worship someone other than the One True God.  Daniel refused.  So, he was thrown into a den of hungry lions.  God sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions and he had a great night’s sleep. Then, Darius had the people who had Daniel thrown into the lions den and they were consumed by the lions.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
The stories in Daniel remind me over and over that nothing is too hard for God.  Prideful kings thought they were above all others and they could do anything they wanted.  Pride and pleasure took over.  God allowed them their freedom for a while and then, judgement came.  The faithful men (in this book they were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) took the risk of trusting God and saw miraculous deliverance.  They made the hard choices.  This is what God calls us to do, make the hard choices of righteousness and leave the results to Him.

3.  How can I help someone?
Learn from some very Godly people.  There are many of them.  Follow their examples.  No one ever regrets the final results of obeying the Lord.