The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1905-09-26

Subject: Da0let and beisnazzar, D@n. W
15-3O-Golden Text, Pisa. xxxiv., Ie-1
Memory Verses, 20, 80 - Commentary
ON the Days Lesson.
i. 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,
ana therefore engaged in reveiry at Y
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 a hand appeared
and wrote upon the wall This flied
the king with fears, and ne declared
that the wise man who should inter
pref the meaning should be clothed !
with scarlet and have chain of gold, IS
and be third ruler in the kingdom.
When all had4failed, the queen, moth
er Of Belshazzar, came in and pey-
suaded her son to send for Daniel, to
whom, when he came, the king repeat
ed his promise made to the wise men
l.
. 17-24). II. let thy gifts by to thy
self" Daniel as prophet Of God
cares nothing for any reward this
king can give, nor does he fear him.
is. 1.-THE most high God" Whom
Daniel proclaimed as the only God, and
whose power ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS had rec
0gnized in the deliverance Of the He
brews out of the furnace. THY faith
err" Grandfather. Majesty" In the
eyes of his subjects. GLORY Fr0Dn
his victories. Honor From the en-
laFgement and decoration of the city.
49, Whom he would lie slew" Ia
dispensing punishments he condemned
or acquitted at pleasure, and in dis
pensing rewards he granted or denied
preferments. 90 Heart was Fitted
up." In pride and arrogance, wiiful j,
and obstinate. "Deposed." This 0e- !,
cured not by the rebellion Of his peo-s.
pie, but by the direct visitation Of
God He became insane.
81 lie 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 hunbled~
Thou hast sinned not through ignor-
ance. but through deliberate contempt
of God, regardless Of all warning. Is.
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 IN
since the conqueror had carried chem
from Jerusalem. The thirty chargers
and thirty vases of gold which had
been made for the temple of Solomon.
and mad continued there till the cap
tivity of Jehoiacbin, and the thousand
chargers and the four hundred basins
of silver by which Zedekiah had sup
piled their place, and which were car ee
ried away in the final deportation.
They profaned these vessels to show
their contempt for Jehovah. 1t was
IN open insult to the Almighty. d.
Hand sent from Him." From God
III Daniel interpreting the writing
Tvs. 1929. 10 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 net dare, to explain their meaning.
~. Meme" This word is repeated to
give emphaGis 1t comes from word
meaning to number, to count. The
days of the empire were counted out ia
full The soldiers of the 1conqueror
were awaiting outside and would de-
stroy it before morning. 81. "Tekel"
Which means weighed (hence a shekel,
which was originally a certain weight.
1t resembles word which signifies
light" light Of weight, like 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.
28. ''Peres." This is the singular,
while upharsin is the plura. of the
same word with ~" which means
"and,D prefxed. 1t is given in verse
rs in the plural, for emphasis, just az
"mene" is doubled. 1t means divided
but has the same consonaAts as Per
slams. and suggests them. Is divid-
ed" Not divided into two parts, but
broken into pieces, destroyed "Medes"
Media was large country lying east
of the Caspian Sea.
Nv. Daniel rewarded ". 29). 20.
with scarlet" etc. These carried
with them rank and power. snrhird
ruler" Next to Belshazzar. who was
v. The king slain ". 30). 30 an that
night" 1t must be understood that tle
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 lie waited for
the great feast. When it came all the
leaders were reyeling in fha palace.
Elsewhere the population was occupied
with feasting and dancing lJer. 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. 45:
| ID, were neglected. The undefended
gateways were seized; war shout
was raised: the alarm was spread
The drunken reyelers conld make no
resistance. The king, paraIyzed with
| fear at the handwriting which had
warned him of his peril, could do moth
! ing to check the progress of the assaii
! ants, who carried all before thens
| everywhere. Bursting into the palace
band of Persians made their way
! Into the presence of the king and slew
/ HIM