Many years later King Belshazzar gave a great feast for 1,000 of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. While Belshazzar was drinking the wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups that his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. He wanted to drink from them with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines. Daniel 5:1-2 NLT

So they brought these gold cups taken from the Temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. While they drank from them they praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. Daniel 5:3-4 NLT

The more arrogant we become with how well we’re running the more likely we are to fall.

At that very moment, the fingers of a human hand appeared and began writing on the lamp-illumined, whitewashed wall of the palace. When the king saw the disembodied hand writing away, he went white as a ghost, scared out of his wits. His legs went limp and his knees knocked. He yelled out for the enchanters, the fortunetellers, and the diviners to come. Daniel 5:5-6 MSG

None are so empty as those who are full of themselves. Benjamin Whichcote

He told these Babylonian magi, “Anyone who can read this writing on the wall and tell me what it means will be famous and rich—purple robe, the great gold chain—and be third-in-command in the kingdom.” One after the other they tried, but could make no sense of it. They could neither read what was written nor interpret it to the king. So now the king was really frightened. All the blood drained from his face. The nobles were in a panic. Daniel 5:7-9 MSG

This man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, has exceptional ability and is filled with divine knowledge and understanding. He can interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.” Daniel 5:11-12 NLT

The long unseen faithfulness of Daniel is as amazing and Godly as any of what he’s known for.

Daniel answered the king, “Keep your gifts or give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means. Daniel 5:17 NLT

You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself.

Daniel 5:22 NLT

For you have proudly defied the Lord of heaven and have had these cups from his Temple brought before you. You and your nobles and your wives and concubines have been drinking wine from them while praising gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone gods that neither see nor hear nor know anything at all. But you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny! So God has sent this hand to write this message. Daniel 5:23-24 NLT

Which is right, to adjust God's instruction to fit your course or adjust to your course to fit God's instruction?

The sacred is designed by, and should always bring honor to God.

The gods of pride, impatience, convenience, lust, and leisure have been toasted with everything God meant for man to keep as sacred!

This is the message that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. This is what these words mean: Mene means ‘numbered’, God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end. Tekel means ‘weighed’, you have been weighed on the balances and have not measured up. Parsin means ‘divided’. your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians. Daniel 5:25-28 NLT

That very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed. And Darius the Mede took over the kingdom at the age of sixty-two. Daniel 5:30-31 NLT

It is a critical spiritual error to underestimate the significance of the sacred.

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 NLT

The enemy loves to attack an unguarded heart.

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life Proverbs 4:23 NLT

You’re life is a sacred gift from God!

God will guard your heart if you will hand your heart to Him.

You don’t need to be perfect to steward the sacred, just a vessel set apart to bring honor to the King.

For we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 2 Corinthians 4:7 ESV