The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-09-27
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR OCTOBER 1:
Subject: Daniel and Belshazzar. Dan. ".
17.3O-Golden' Text, Psa. xxSiv., l6-
Memory Verses, 20, 80 - Commentary
on the Days Lesson.

on the Days Lesson.
1. The handwriting on the wall.
Belshazzar, only sixteen or seventeen
years old. was the ruling king in the
city of Babylon. Secure within his
defenses, he felt confident Of safety,
and therefore engaged in revelry at a
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 reyelry hand appeared
and wrote upon the wall. This filled
the king with fears, and he declared
that the wise man who should inter.
pret the meaning should be clothed
with scarlet and have chain Of gold.
and be third ruler 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" 1aniel rs prophet of God
cares nothing for any reward this
king can give, nor does he fear him.
1S. The most high Cod" 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 l>e would he slew" In
| dispensing punishments he condemned
or acquitted at pla6Sure, and in dis.
pensing rewards hy |anted or denied
preferments. 20. Heart was lifted
up." In pride and arrogance. wllful
and obstinate. "Deposed." This oc.
Cured not by the rebellion of his peo-
Pile, but by the direct visitation of
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." J."
Thou hast sinned., not through ignor-
ance, but through deliberate contempt
Of God, regardless of all warning. %:
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 Jehoiachin, 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. 25-2S). 25. 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.
2G. Meme" This word is repeated to
! give emphasis. 1t comes from word
meaning to number, to count. The
days of the empire were counted out in
full. The soldiers of the conqueror
were awaiting outside and would de-
stroy it before morning. u. "Tekel." !"
| ,;ob oh {hnnnn q
which was originally certain weignt.
1t resembles a word which signihes
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
25 in the plural, for emphasis, just as
meme" is doubled. 1t 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." D."
Media was a large country lying east
of the Caspian Sea.
". Daniel rewarded ". 29). %.
with scarlet" etc. These carried
with them rank and power. Third
ruler" Next to Belshazzar, who was
second. Nabonidus. the king. was first.
hn l.jn 1oi, ft.O n
night" 1t must be understood that the
River Euphrat2S flowed through the
midst of Babylon. Cyrus tor 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 he 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 Jer. 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. 10:
Il, were neglected. Tie undefended
was raised; the alarm was spread.
The drunken rerelerS could make 10
resistance. The king. paralyZed with
fear III the handwriting which had
warned him of his peril could do moth
ing to check the progress of the assail-
ants. who carried I'll before them
everywhere Bursting into the palace
a band Of PerSianS made their way
into the presence Of the king and slew
him.
Two Hit by One Bullet.
r. G. Bulyley, 4 prominent resident