“But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.” (Daniel 5:22-23)
Belshazzar knew what happened to Nebuchadnezzar. He knew that God humbled Nebuchadnezzar and that he went about like an animal until he recognized God’s sovereignty (see Daniel 4). Yet Belshazzar did not humble himself. He followed the same path of pride…and God held him responsible. History says that the “unconquerable Babylon” was conquered by the Persians on October 12, 539 BC. [Whoa! That was yesterday…the very day of this reading! I honestly did not plan that or realize that until today.] The Persians dammed up the Euphrates River, which ran through the city of Babylon, and then entered the city through the dried up river bed. They found a people drunken and unable/unwilling to fight. The great empire of Babylon fell with barely a fight.
The thought that hit me today was the last part of verse 23 — “the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.” Wow, what a concept! God holds our breath in His hands. It reminds me of Acts 17:28 — “In Him we live and move and have our very being.” Think about it. What do you consciously do to breathe? Nothing. Your body breathes on its own. It is outside our control. Our heart beats. Our lungs breathe. Our blood courses through our veins all without our direct control or power. God is the one who holds our breath in His hands. He gave it and He can take it away. We are so powerless and puny yet we pump ourselves up with pride and at times even shake our fist at God in defiance. How foolish! God holds our very breath. He is the giver of life. If for no other reason than that, we should bow before Him in obedience and submission. How much more should we bow knowing that He loves us and desires our best!
Yet Belshazzar refused to bow. His heart was hard. His pride was high. He believed the delusion that he was in control, that his governmental power somehow equaled divine power. In a single night it was all taken away. Belshazzar learned the hard way that God holds our very life in His hands.
May we learn instead to glorify God and give thanks to the One gives us life–both physically and spiritually!
Lord, thank You for My life. Though I do not always understand Your ways, I praise You for giving me breath and for holding me in Your hands.