Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1905-09-29
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR OCTOBER T.;
Subject: Daniel and BeIshazzar' Dan. v"
17.3O-Golden Text, Psa. XIV, IT,
Memory Verses. 20. 80 Commentary
on the Days Lesson.

| 15.3O.GOlden Text feas AAANo
Memory Verses. 20, so Commentary
on the Days Lesson.
I. The handwriting on the wall.
Belshazzar, only sixteen or seventeen
| years old, was the ruling king III tue
city of Babylon. Secure within MS
defenses. he felt confident Of safety
and therefore engaged in revelry at
feast which he made to thousand OF
| his lords. In his drunken folly and
wickedness he called for the golden
and silver vessels which had been
taken from the temple at Jerusalem,
| that he might drink from them as a
token that his gods had given victory
over the God of the Jews. During
| this profane revelry hand appeared
and wrote upon the wall This filled
the king with fears, and he declared
that the wise man who should inter.
pref the meaning should be clothed
| with scarlet and have chain of gold,
and be third rulers in the kingdom.
When all had failed, the queen. moth
er of Belshazzar, came in and per-
| suaded her SON to send for Daniel. TO
whom, when he came, the king repeat
| ed his promise made to the wise men.
II. Daniel reprOving the king Tvs.
| 1924. II. LET thy gifts by to thy
self" Daniel as prophet of God
cares nothing for any reward TINS
king can give. nor does he feor him.
18. "The most high God" Whom
| Daniel proclaimed as the only God, and
whose power Nebuchadnezzar had rec
| ognized in the deliverance of the He
| brews out of the furnace. ''Thy faith
err" Grandfather. Majesty" In the
eyes of his subjects. GLORY" From
his victories. Honor" From the en-.
largement and decoration of the city.
10. "Whom he would he Slew" In
dispensing punishments he condemned
or acquitted at pleasure, and in dis
pensing rewards he granted or denied
preferments. 20. Heart was lifted
up." In pride and arrogance. wilful
and obstinate. "Deposed." This &C.
Cured not by the rebellion of his peo-
pie, but by the direct visitation or
God. He became insane.
q. "He was driven" The madness
that fell upon him induced him to for
sake society and to run to the woods
and deserts, where he lived like wild
beast %. "Thou-hast not humbled."
Thou hast sinned, not through ignor-
ance, but through deliberate contempt
of God. regardless Of all warning. 23
Against the Lord" AS if thou hadst
been equal or even superior to Him in
wisdom and power. "Vessels OF his
house." From the temple of Bel,
where they have been treasured up
since the conqueror had carried them
from Jerusalem. The thirty chargers
and thirty vases Of gold which had
been made for the temple of Solomon.
and had continued there till the cap
tivity of Jeholachin, and the thousand
chargers and the four hundred basins
of silver by which Zedekiah had sup
piled their place, and which were car
ried away in the final deportation.
They profaned these vessels to show
their contempt for Jehovah. 1t was
an open insult to the Almighty. "a.
Hand sent from Him." From God
III. Daniel interpreting the writing
Tvs. 1928. %. "The writing" The
words were Aramaic, with letters like
the Hebrew. Why could not the wise
men read them? Perhaps they could
read the words, but were not able, or
did not dare, to explain their meaning.
81. "Mene." This word is repeated to
give emphasis. 1t comes from a word
meaning to number, to count. The
days of the empire were counted out in
full. The soldiers of the cOllqueror
were awaiting outside and Would de.
stroy it before morning. o. "Tekel."
Which means weighed (hence shekel,
which was originally certain weight
1t resembles a word which signifies
eight" light of weight, like a coun-
terfeit coin. The application is that
Belshazzar had been weighed as to his
moral character and actions, and had
been found wanting, Of light weight.
He had not come up to the standard
required; God had tested him and he
had failed.
%. "Peres." This is the singular,
while upharsin is the plura. of the
same word with "u," which means
"and" prefxed. 1t Is given in verse
20 in the plural. for emphasis, just as
''mene" is doubled. It means divided,
but has the same cOnsOnants as Per.
slams; and suggests them. rs divid-
ed" Not divided into two parts, but
broken into pieces, destroyed. "Medes."
Media was a large country lying east
of the Caspian Sea.
w. Daniel rewarded ". 20). 20.
"With scarlet" etc. These carried
with them rank and power. "Thirl
ruler Next to Belsbazzar, who was
second. Nabonldus, Tie King, was first.
V. The king slain ". 30). 30 "1h that
night" 1t must be understood that the
River Euphrates flowed through the
midst Of Babylon. Cyrus for some
time had been planning to draw away
the water of the river and enter the
city through the bed Of the river.
When all was prepared be waited for
the great feast. When it came all the
leaders were reveling in the palace.
Elsewhere the population was occupied
with feasting and dancing (Jef. 81;
39). Drunken riot and mad excitement
held possession of the town; the siege
was forgotten; ordinary precautions, as
the closing Of the river gates lisa. As:
II, were neglected. The undefended
gateways were seized; war shout
was raised; the alarm was spread.
The drunken revelers cotld make no
resistance. The king, paralyzed with
fear at the handwriting which had
warned him OF. his peril, could do moth
ing to check the progress of the assail
ants, who carried all before them
everywhere. Bursting into the palace
a band Of Persians made their way
into the presence Of the king and slew
him.
How Owls Caught Chickens.
When | was chunk of hoy shot
hor cnr0nd Of WhOSH