THE PARTY'S OVER---Daniel 5:1-3

Babylon was a beautiful city which had been built into a mighty fortress. It was surrounded by a huge wall that some say was 87 feet wide and estimated to be over three hundred feet tall in places. Six chariots could run abreast on top of the wall. It was encircled by a large moat and the Euphrates River ran through the midst of the city. The Babylonians were trusting the security of the city. But as is the case anytime we trust man's wisdom and ability, they were trusting in a false security.

There came a night when King Belshazzar threw a great feast for a thousand of his Lords\leaders. He even had the vessels of the temple brought that were taken away by his father when he over ran Jerusalem, and had wine served in them. The party was going just great, they were living it up... until suddenly, out of the sleeve of the night, he received a message from God.
 
I. NOTICE THE NATURE OF THE MESSAGE. V-5-8 God sent messages in various ways. By prophet, written form, visions, voices etc. But this message was not from a prophet! Not from a book. It was not a voice! Not a vision!

A.      Message was unusual. V-5 "fingers of a man's hand

wrote..on the plaster of the wall.
(1) No fire, lightening, thunder... but suddenly,
(2) Out of the sleeve of the night, a man's hand!

B.      Message was untimely. V-1-5 They were partying! V-5

says, "They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver."
(1) Isn't that just like God? His appearance is often so
untimely. (Rains your parade, crashes party)

 

C: Message was unreadable. V-8 "Then came in all the king's

wise men, but they could not read the writing, nor make known to

the king the interpretation thereof." Nothing more disturbing than to

have a message and not be able to read it!
(1) It was a message from God. They needed the man of God.
[That's why God calls preachers to expound word]
(2) King Belshazzar was "greatly troubled." V-9
(3) Queen came and made a suggestion: v-11-12. Daniel was sent for and promised a scarlet robe and chain of gold, V-17

II. THE REASON FOR THE MESSAGE. V-18-24 God had a good reason for breaking up this party! He always does. The King's father had been a powerful man, but "when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne and they took his glory from him." (V-20). He ended up with the animals eating grass like oxen. Now look at his son King Belshazzar:

A.      Pride of life. V-22 "And thou his son, O Belshazzar

hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this." He hadn't learned a thing from the bad example and downfall of father.
(1) He had knowingly disobeyed God! This will always get
God's attention.
(2) When you knowingly disobey God, it's like shaking your
fist in God's face. This is serious!

B.      Plunder of the temple. V-23 "..they have brought the

vessels of His (God's) house before thee..." These were vessels that had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem when it fell.

C.      Pollution of the vessels. V-23 "..and thou and thy lords

and thy wives and thy concubines have drunk wine in them."
(1) They had defiled the holy and sacred: no respect.
(2) Churches have dances, drinking now days. (One church used
to have a coffee house in basement for youth dancing and a friend of mine drove garbage truck & picked up beer cans.)
(3) This too, gets God's attention. (Might see fingers)

D.      Praise of Idols. V-23 .. "thou hast praised the gods of

gold, silver, brass, wood, and stone." People today live, eat, and breath sports, their job, their man-made idols and then give God the left overs of their time, talent, and treasures.(Party’ll end in USA)

III THE MEANING OF THE MESSAGE. V-26-31 The king had to call for the man of God to learn what the message was saying to him. Here is what he learned from Daniel:

A.   "God had numbered & finished his kingdom." V-26

(1) The end had come! You never know when that last day will
come. He had reached the height of success.
(2) Would like to have known earlier, end was near.

B.    "Thou are weighed and found wanting." V-27

(1) Would be bad enough to have to stand before HIM suddenly,
but much less to be found short!
(2) Didn't say, "you've done good job..."

C.     All thy kingdom is given to someone else. V-27 "Thy

kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians."
(1) Left it all behind!
(2) So did Sam Walton.
(3) So will you......

CONCLUSION:
If your life is like that of Belshazzar.. Wrapped up in everything
except God.... Remember, the hand writing is on the wall. One day, God will say, "the party's over."