The Jamesburg record., 1899-07-22
HANDWRITING ON THE WALL.
for July 23, 1880 - Text, Daniel
15;17-31-MemOry Verses, 24-2S.


Psa. 757.
READ Chapters and s.
LIGHT FROM OTHER SCRIPTURES
The Judgment.-Matt 25; Mark 1s:a2-s5.
Eccl. IL 9; 12:14; Rom. 21-1O. Reverence vs
Profaneness.-Matt 1921, 32; the Third
Commandment Capture of Babylon.-Isa
1922; 21:1-9; 45:1-4.
TIME.-538 B. c. (Hommel makes # 52q
The year that Babylon was taken by Cv-
rus; 40 or so years after our last lesson.
PLACE.-Probably in Babylon. on the
Euphrates. The book of Daniel does not
say where, and an inscription on a tablet
speaks of him as being in Accad.
THE JEWS.-It was near the close of the
twenty years captivity, and just before the
return permitted by Cyrus.
RULERS.-Nabonidus. the king of R.h,-
lonia. Belshazzar, his eldest son. Cyrus.
emperor of the Persians and the Manda or
Nomads, and the Medes, and afterwards
of Babylon.
EXPLANATORY.
) Introductory.-The new Babylonian
empire was short lived, beginning with
Nabu-pal-uzur, the father of Nebuchad-
nezzar (B. C. 526). 1t rose in grandeur
power and extent of dominion till Baby
lon was taken by Cyrus (B. C. $500. At
the time of this lesson Nabonidus was
the king. We have learned lately from
the stone tablets that he had a son.
'Belshazzar, of whom nothing was
known before. He was the crown
prince, and may well have been acting
as king during his fathers absence
from the city at this time, though he
is not called king on the tablets. Neither
do they say that he was the son (often
20 MI
Nebuchadnezzar (5:1D; but there is
nothing opposed to the view that Ma
bonidus, of another dynasty, married
the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar, and
thus Belshazzar would be his grand
son. Belshazzar was but youth of ID
or 16 years, rash, wild and giddy with
his uncontrolled power. Secure in his
defenses, he made q great feast to a
thousand of the mobiles. He thought
how he could enrich the splendor of
his feast by the sacred goblets and
dishes of gold that Nebuchadnezzar had
taken from the temple at Jerusalem.
The wickedness of this act consisted
ID In profaning these sacred utensils
to base uses. (2) Increasing the insult
by doing it at feast to an idol. thus
implying that the idol was superior to
the living God. (3) In doing it at an
immoral and drunken revel, thus insult
ing the moral law of God.
Daniel Interpreting the Handwriting.
VS.. 1928. V. II. Let thy gifts be to
thyself:" AS prophet of God he can.
not speak for money or any reward. V.
18. 'The most high God gave Nebuchad-
nezzar:" The true God is shown to be
over all and above all. 1t was not Bel,
or Merodach, that controlled the affairs
of the world. Then Daniel repeats the
story told in chap. 4. V. 22 And thou
hast not humbled thine heart,
though" etc.: You have not sinned
through ignorance, but have gone on in
a wicked course in spite of, in defiance
of, Gods lessons of warning. V. %.
But hast lifted up thyself:" Exalted
thyself as if thou couldst defy and dis
obey with impunity ''the Lord of heav-
en-" the God above all, over all, as heav-
en- envelops the earth-the God of all
that greatness and purity and goodness
and power which Heaven symbolizes.
'Vessels Of His house:" From the tenn
PIC VI DCi, NHClC lhCy uod OSOh ~ NeAS-
ured up since the conqueror had carried
them from Jerusalem. Drunk wine in
them" Drinking wine from the YES
sells taken out of Jehovah's temple IN
Jerusalem was intended as an insult to
his majesty. V. "a. "Then was the part
of the hand sent" AS warning mes
sage. V. &c. "Mene; God hath num-
bered thy kingdom:" Counted out the
term allotted to it, which has now
reached its limit-Prof. Green. "And
finished it," The days of its existence
are counted out in full. "Mene' is re-
peated for the sake of emphasis. V. 27.
"Tekel:" which means weighed (hence
a shekel, which was originally certain
weight), resembles word which signi-
fed light" light of weight, like coun-
terfeit coin. God had tested him, and
he had failed. V. %. "Peres" is the
singular, while upharsin is the plural
of the same word with "u," equals
and" prefixed. 1t is given in " 20 IN
the plural, for emphasis, just as "mene"
is doubled 1t means divided, but has
the same consonants as Persians, and
suggests them. "Thy kingdom is divld-
ed:" Not divided into two parts, but
broken into pieces, destroyed.
II. Daniel Rewarded. = V. ~.
Clothed Daniel with scarlet" The roy
al purple Third ruler of the. king
DOM" Either, one of three; or, more
probably, next under Belshazzar, VINO
was the second, being his father Nap
onidus, the king over all.
lII.-The Destruction of Babylon
VS.. so, 81. "In that night was Belshaz-
Ear slain:" According TO
Herodotus, Babylon itself was be-
sleged by Cyrus for months, and was
taken only by statagem. The Persian