The Tupelo journal., 1911-11-10

FEAST FATE
Specially Arranged for This Papss
LESSON TExT-Daniel s.

M
LESSON TExT-Daniel s.
MEMORY vERSES-25. q.
GOLDEN TExT-.God shall bring ev-
cry work into judgment. with every Sc
cret thing. whether 1t be good or whether
It be evil."-Ecci. 12:14.
TIME-The event described belongs to
the last years of the exile. b. c. So.
his generals.
The decree of return, n the first re-
turn, occurred a year or two later.
PLACE-Babylon the capital, enlarged.
beautifed and fortified by N~ebuchadnes-
Ear.
Under the great Nebuchadne1xar
Babylon 9 In grandeur, power and
extent, till It became the most mag
nifcent and beautiful city Of anti
guilty. In those days Babylon was the
metropolis of tho world, tho center Of
commerce, art and wisdom. Tho
wealth of the world poured into IT.
Golfers. Babylon was the strongest
fortress in all the world. BslshaEsar
VA the acting king Of Babylon 1t tho
time Of this lesson, while his father
Nabonidus wa the nominal and legal
king who lived and varied outside OF
the city.
Cyrus had been advancing toward
Babylon. He gained = decisive victory
over Nabenldus, OF his way to the
capital, and his army entered the city
without lighting, and peace wss pro-
Claimed. A portion Of tho city. prob
ably tho citadel including the royal
palace, held out for some time, being
occupied by tho army Of Belshazzar
as a ra,lying place. Two or three
wsske later CYfIs made his triu@Ihal
entry into the city. Seven days later,
the general Of Cyrus stormed that
part Of Babylon which had held out
against his army, and on that night
Belshazzar was slain. It vas during
this week that Belshazzer made q
magnificent banquet to encourage his
generals and princes In their struggle
with the Medo-Persian foe.
At bis feast. therefore. Belsha.zar
sought to remind his warriors Of tho
old campaignS their ~forefathers had
fought. He had in his possession the
treasures which these forefathers had
carried from Jerusalem when they.
conquered Israel and. as 1t seerhed to
them, Israel,s JehQYah: His CONDUCT
thus was not merely that 0Ae drunk.
ID dsbauchee, but partly OF 4 c66h
politician, Wh9f amid the applause OF
a thousand courtiers and army COM
manders he ordered the sacred ves-
sells Of the Temple of Jerusalem to be
brought into the hall of feasting. Such
q scene would fill the hearts Of the
wine-infamed warriors and mobiles to
overlooking with daring. and also
bring a worthy occasion for the d.
VinS interference to encourage his
people on the eve Of their deliver.
ance. ~-sxssasassasssss.
In the midst Of the c%arousaf. the
king saw the fingers Of a mans hand
writing strange words, letters OF fate
and characters Of fear" on the wall
In the full blaze of the candlestick.
perhaps the great golden candlestick
taken from the temple. There is
something odcurdling in the visi-
bility Of but a part of the hafsd and
its busy writing.
Belshazzar, In his terror and horror,
summoned his wise men to declar0
what the strange apparftion and the
blazing letters meant. and promised
great rewards to the n who should
interpret them: but all failed. Either
they could not make n Of the let
tiers, or could not perceive what mean
ing they had.
Then the queen mother. mother Of
Belshazzar, came In and spoke OF
Daniel az one who had shown great
gifts at Interpretation to his GRANDPA
Their Nebuchadnezzar. 1t took place
before this boy king was born, and he.
naturally, knew nothing about the
story. Daniel was sent for, and came
into the festival hall. He heard the
kings offer, and spurning 1t, spoke
brave and true words which might
easily cost him his life. He told the
story of Nebuchadnezzars fall from
the height Of pride. and accused him
of dishonoring the true God. Then he
interpreted the message written on
the palace walls: Thou art weighed
In the balances and found wanting"
The want of religious restraints and
motives, exposes one u~ndefended to
the powers of temptation. Belshazzar
would enrich the splendor OF his feast
by the sacred goblets and dishes Of
gold that Nebuchadnexzar had taken
from the temple at Jerusalem. They
were brought, and made to be instru-
ments for drunken revelry and lust,
and worship Of idols, thus declaring
that the idols had given them the vic
tory over the God Of the Jews.
The social power of the wine cup.
It's connection with feasting, comrade-
ship. hospitality, good cheer, Is n OF
It's most dangerous attractions. And
- A. nLJ~R Sf~wnc. a~afn~k H.