The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1886-02-11
The Sunday Schools.
LESSON FOR NEXT SUNDAY
LESSON VII. The Handwriting on the
Wall.
Dan. 5. Ill, 25-2S.

Dan. 5. Ill, 25-2S.
Belshazzar the king made a great feast to
thousand of his lords, and drank wine before
the thousand.
2 Balshazzar, while he tasted the wine, com
manded to bring the golden and silver vessels
which his father NebuchadneZzar had taken
out of the temple which was in Jerusalem
that the king and his princes, his wives and his
concubines, might drink therein.
Then they brought the golden vessels that
were taken out of the temple of the house of
GOD which was at Jerusalem; and the king,
and his princes, his wives and his concubines,
drank in them.
| They drank wine, and praised the gods of
gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood,
and of stone.
| In the same hour came forth fingers of a
mans hand, and wrote over against the candle
stick upon the plaster of the wall of the kings
palace; and the king saw the part of the hand
| that wrote.
Then the kings countenance was changed,
and his thoughts troubled him, SO that the
| Joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees
sn1ote against another.
The king cried aloud to bring in the astrolo-
gers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And
| the king spake, and said to the wise men of
Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing,
| and show me the Interpretation thereof, shall
| be clothed with scarlet, and have chain of
gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler
| in the kingdom.
| Then came all the kings wise men; but
they could not read the writing, nor make
known to the king the Interpretation thereof.
Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled,
and his countenance was changed in him, and
his lords were asiopished.
10 Now the queen, by reason of the words of
the king and his lords, came into the banquet
house; and the queen spake, and said, o king,
live forever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee,
nor let thy eountenance be changed:
IL There is man in thy kingdom, in whom
is the spirit of the holy gods: and in the days
of thy father light and understanding and wis.,
dom, like the wisdo m of the gods, was found in
him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy
father, the king, say, thy father, made master
Of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and
soothsayers:
u Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and
knowledge, and understanding, Interpreting of
dreams, and showing of hard sentences, and
dissolving of doubts, were found in the same
Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar
now let Daniel be called and he will show the
Interpretation.
25 And this is the writing that was written, |
MEME, MEME, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
26 This is the Interpretation of the thing: |
ENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom and |
finished it.
q TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances |
and art found wanting.
% PERES; Thy kingdo is divided, and |
given to the Medes and Persians.
GOLDEN TExT.-Thou art weighed in the bal
ances, and art found wantins.-Dan. 5. 27
TIME.-5SS B. G. In Gre ece, the Goth Olympic |
ad. Year of Rome, 2l5.
PLACE.-Same as in Lesson V.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. last king of Ba abvlon
555-53S B. G. Cyrus, king of the Medes and Per-
slams. Servius Tulius at Rome. Pisistratus,
tyrant of Athens Amasis, king of Egypt.
Again we have before US the kingdom
of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar is dead
and Belshazzar is on the throne. Bel
shaZzar was we'll pleased with his own
greatness, and proposed in honor thereof,
a great feast, at which one thousand
guests should be entertained. In great
spirits he drank wine before the thou
sand. But the mere drinking was not
enough for the king. He must put for
ward the grandest effects. Therefore the
silver vessels which his father had cap
tured at Jerusalem were brought forth,
and the feast was being celebrated in
grand style. But while in the full enjoy
ment of the feast, the king discovered a
portion of mans hand, writing upon
the wall. Not being able to interpret the
he sent for his astrologers and
wise men, and asked for an interpreta-
tion of the vision, Offering the position of
ruler of the kingdom-to succeed him
self-to him who should interpret the
of the vision. These failing,
the king became greatly troubled, but at
this point the Queen entered the banquet
hall and told him of the power of Daniel
in Interpreting visions. Daniel was call
ed, and the Interpretation was: "Thou
art weighed in the balances, and art
found wanting"
Then BelshaZzar gave orders to clothe
Daniel with scarlet and put a chain of
gold about his neck, and issued a proc
lamation ordaining him as the third
ruler of the kingdom. And that night
was Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans,
slain, and Darius, the Median, took the
kingdom.
The story of the lesson shows the utter
folly of boasting in mortal greatness, and
the necessity of depending upon the holy
spirit as the interpreter of visions and
experiences that seem inexplicable to US.
All mortal astrologers and "wise" men
are unable to understand the revelation
of Divine Power, save as the holy spirit
assists them in the Interpretation. Daniel
was greater than the sooth-sayers in the
kingdom, because he received his knowl-
edge from the great fountain of all