Daniel 5:23

²³ Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honour the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways.

Belshazzar, King of Babylon, epitomises the problem with humanity, our problem.  His father was greatly humbled by God, but Belshazzar had learned nothing from his father’s experience.  Instead, he exalted himself even above God.  In this verse before us we read of him misusing various vessels from the Lord’s temple as a way of worshipping false gods and thereby mocking the living Lord, our God.  This is made more chilling when we recognise these vessels formed part of God’s reminder to his people that he is merciful and would one day send a saviour.

Our response must be to do the exact opposite.  We are to humble ourselves before our Lord and trust in our glorious saviour Jesus Christ.  Instead of mocking the Lord’s calls to know his grace we are to embrace them with our whole heart.  We are not to treat our Lord with contempt or even lightly, but to acknowledge our every breath is from him.  Rather than praising the temporary things of this world we are to ascribe glory to our merciful, compassionate, eternal Lord and encourage others to do the same.

The world will boast in the gods of our age, but our boast is in our crucified and risen saviour.

David Johnston