Title: Rejecting the King's Gift (Daniel 5:17)
Lesson 54 Rejecting the king's gift (Daniel 5:17)
5:17
Daniel answered the king and said, "You shall take your gift, and give your reward to someone else. Even so, I will read this for the king and make known its interpretation."
We would like to receive a religious lesson through the image of Daniel, the father of our faith. As you can see, Daniel kept his mouth shut while King Belshazzar was speaking. Even though King Belshazzar spoke as if he was ignoring him, and even said that he was ignorant of Daniel's special abilities, qualities, and merit, which even King Nebuchadnezzar had acknowledged in the past, Daniel remained silent and waited patiently until the end. I don't know if that's true courage in some way.
We are impatient, and we can't stand it when someone speaks a little harshly to us. But didn't Daniel wait until the end while King Belshazzar spoke, and when it was his turn to speak, didn't he vomit fire? Would that be true courage? Like Daniel, we know that we need to keep our mouths shut and be silent when we need to be silent, know how to be patient when we have to be patient, and we need the true courage to speak boldly and without hesitation when we need to speak.
Let's see how Daniel answered the king. "Daniel answered the king and said, "Take your present from yourselves, and give your reward to someone else." King Belshazzar made a promise to Daniel. “Daniel, if you read this and make known its interpretation to me, I will give you three things. First, I will clothe you often, second, I will put a gold chain around your neck, and third, I will make you the third ruler of the kingdom. " What did Daniel say when he made this promise? “The king may have it or give it to someone else.”
But, everyone, please consider Daniel's attitude toward King Nebuchadnezzar. In Daniel 2, Daniel interprets King Nebuchadnezzar's first dream. At that time, King Nebuchadnezzar appointed Daniel to rule over all the provinces of Babylon. And made him the elder of all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel received the gift from the king with gratitude. In addition, Daniel asked King Nebuchadnezzar to allow his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to ascend to high positions.
But when King Belshazzar promised a reward, Daniel told him to give it to someone else. "Don't think that you can move your heart with such a material bait," isn't it? Why do you think you would have taken such a different attitude?
Another interesting thing. See 4:19.
"Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was startled and confused and troubled for some time. And the king said to him, "Belteshazzar, you should not be troubled by this dream and its interpretation." Lord, may the dream come true to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your enemies."
For Nebuchadnezzar, there was a lot of respect for him and a genuine love for him. However, there is no such heart for King Belshazzar. Why? Is it because King Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged Daniel and Belshazzar ignored him and despised him? Of course it could be.
But you can think of something else. In Numbers 22 we see a prophet. There was a prophet who prophesied for Balak, king of Moab, even though God did not want him to receive wages of unrighteousness. Who was it? Balaam was the prophet. After receiving an unjust wage and delivering a message, he also found himself in a miserable state. You can see that Daniel thought of it. Bribery burns people's hearts. Do not lure them with such material bait. Daniel must have had the heart to proclaim God's judgment on Belshazzar's and Babylon's fate with an open mind before God.
Let's see. "Nevertheless, I will read this text for the king's sake and make known its interpretation." I'll ask. Now there were nobles of Babylon, there were women, and all the wise men of Babylon were there. How could Daniel confidently say that he would read it and interpret it, which had been written by a finger that had not been read by all the wise men of Babylon, and which no one could have known? Because who wrote it? It was written by God. It is natural for Daniel, a man of God, to read and interpret the message God has given us.
Daniel did not defile himself with material things. He had an open mind and an open mind before God. Daniel was confident that God would reveal his glory through him. In fact, Daniel must have wanted to testify to the high and greatness of God before King Belshazzar and his servants. However, never given the opportunity, they could not tell Belshazzar of the high and greatness of God. Now the golden opportunity has come. So, how courageous were you? I think his heart was burning like fire to boldly tell the greatness of God in front of a large number of people.
So are we. When you fear God and truly fear God, you do not feel afraid of people. However, if you do not rely on God and begin to fear the world, your heart will already be in a hurry. The spirit is not clear. It is difficult to understand the will of God. However, as we rely more on God and shake off all the disturbing thoughts in our hearts, our spirits become clear and our hearts become brighter, so that we can understand and understand the message God gives us.
God promised in Isaiah 41:10.
“Do not be afraid, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
When we rely on God, God will be with us, sustaining us, and helping us.
This morning, as we shake off all our complicated hearts and rely more on the Lord, God gives us bold thoughts and gives us true courage so that we can shake off our fears, so that we can understand and know God’s will well, hold on to it, and spend this day as well. I pray in the name of Jesus that all the beloved saints who overcome boldly will become.