Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-07-20
TE4B::ls6NbijjAiY SCHOOL.
SERIOUS SUBJECTS CAREFULLY
.ssoss CONSIDERED.
A scholarly Rxposition Of the Lesson
Thoughts Worthy Of Calm Rehec-
tion-Half an Hour's study Of the
scriptures-Time Well Spent.

tion-Half an HOur's study OF the
6criptures-Time Well Spent.
The subject of the lesson for July 23
Is '"The Handwriting on the WALL" The
text is Dan. 3: 1874.
Introductory.
Between the last lesson and this there
elapses another long interval. Suppos-
ing the erection of Nebuchadnezzars i'm
age and the incident of the furnace to
have occurred about $50 after the de-
struction of Jerusalem, the interval would
be about forty years; for Babylon was
taken by Cyrus in $50. During this in
terval Is TO be placed the dream Of Neb-
ucbadnezzar related in chapter 4, and the
strange punishment there recorded. Moth
ing is said In outside history concerning
Nebuchadnezzar's grass-eating period
'lycanthropy," as the dictionaries call 1t.
His death came in 561. or the reigns OF
Nebuchadnezzars son Anil Marduk (561-
500 and son-in-law Nergal-shar-uzur
| (559-556), and the latter's successor
Nabu-na'id (559-539) the book Of Daniel
has nothing to say. 1t skips Immediately
from Nebuchadnezzar TO Belshazzar, and
represents Belshazzar as the son OF Neb-
uchadnezzar, whereas he was not only not
a son, but not even lineal descendant.
Further, it calls Belshazzar king, whereas
according to the inscriptions he was only
prince regent under his father Nabu-
maid (Nabonidus).
The scene must be wildly conceived.
Belshazzar the prince regent, governing
Babylon as the representative Of his faith
err, Nabonidus (Nabu-na'id) the king, was
young man full of the rashness Of youth
and intoxicated by his almost unlimited
power. We may compare him, in some
points, with Rehoboam just after Solo
mons death. This feast that he made
was probably marked by unparalleled
magnificence and princely luxury, with
such drunkenness and wild behavior as
would naturally go Herewith. The we'll
known description of Nero's banquet in
"Quo Vadis" may give one some idea of
the prodigal wastefulness and the shame
less license that prevailed at such feasts.
The act of using the sacred vessels TAX
en- from the temple at Jerusalem for riot
Gus drinking was a sacrilege which would
be fully understood by those who did it;
for any such defiance Of ceremonial laws
and customs was quite as heinous an Of
Tense in Babylon as it would have been
in Jerusalem. The worst blow which a
conqueror could strike fallen foe was
to insult his religion. Remember that
Antiochus Epiphanes. the Syrian monarch
who prosecuted the Jews in the period
11O--l61 b. c., committed very similar
outrages. He not only defled the sacred
vessels, but entered the holy of holes in
the temple, and sacrificed swine upon the
great altar OF sacrifice. The Jews Of that
time, smarting under these bitter wrongs,
would be encouraged by reading of the
swift fate which befell this former enemy
of Jehovah, Belshazzar.
The handwriting on the wall was mys-
terious to the royal enchanters and sooth-
sayers not because Of the language it was
written in (Aramaic) for that was famil-
lar in Babylon at that time, though Of
course very different from the Babylonian
language; but because perhaps Of the ar
rangement of the letters-some writer's
suggest that the words may have been
written in some magic square" or across
tic form-or because of the double mean
ing of the words themselves. The queens
act in reminding Belshazzar of the exist
ence of Daniel would indicate that the
aged prophet had lost for time the
prominence which he had formerly en-
joyed. He would have been by this time
Explanatory.
Daniel did not care for the rewards
offered; for it might seem as he were will
ing to use his wonderful powers simply
for hire. The true prophet cannot be
hired. False prophets, like those in Jere-
miah's time, would prophesy to order.
II there is anything a rash young ruler
hates it is to be warned by an old coun-
selor, to be reminded of the failures and
reverses. Although Daniel began by
speaking of the glory Of Nebuchadnezzar,
which was also the glory Of the kingdom,
he soon began to recount the story Of
Nebuchadnezzar's punishment and its
meaning. How daring are the words of
the prophet in verse %, where he boldly
charges Belshazzar with defying the AL
mighty and insulting his religion.
The four words, Meme, Meme, Tekel,
Upharsn, are Aramaic. The first three
are singular participles-"Nu num-
bered repeated for emphasis), weighed"
The fourth is a plural''and divisions" or
land much divided" for the plural gives
emphasis. But these four words also sug-
gest sums of money-because the verbs Of
which they are formed are used of count
ing and weighing money in balances; and
the word "Tekel' not only means weigh
ed, but suggests q similar word which
means "It is light" or 1T is found want
ing" and "Peres"-which is the singular
of Pharsin'-suggests the proper name
Persians, which is very similar. So that
these mysterious words have not merely
q double, but, so to speak, triple mean
ing or suggestion. Daniels Interpretation
of course required his insight into the
course of events to make it plain. 1t was
easy for any one of judgment, however,
to see that the end Of Babylonian suprem-
acy was very near, for the army Of Cyrus
had for months been besieging the city,
and though the confidence of the prince
and his courtiers in the impregnability Of
the fortifSations was unbounded, others
must have foreseen the inevitable. The
city was finally taken. not by force, but
by strategem. That il would happen that
very night Daniel did not say, according
to the account. If he had, doubtless he
would not have been honored with the
scarlet and the gold chain.
Darius the Median," as has been pre-
viously remarked, is not known to secular
history. After the capture of Babylon
it was governed for a time by Cyrus gen.
eral Gobryas. Either Gobyras had an
other name, Darius, or there is some gap
In the secular history. or the writer of the