Episode 161: Daniel 5:1-31 The Terrible Judgment of Our Sovereign God

Each chapter we have worked through so far has given us different aspects of God’s nature and work. 
• In chapter 1 - Daniel and his 3 friends were made healthy and strong on a vegetarian diet. This was clearly a work of God and it communicates to us how God remembers His people and sustains them. The message is about how God never forgets His own people even when things seem to be going really wrong.
• In chapter 2 - Nebuchadnezzar is troubled by a dream and demands his wise men tell him both the dream and its meaning or die. God gives the dream and its meaning to Daniel and rescues him and his friends from death. 
• In chapter 3 - Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refuse to bow to an idol and are thrown into an extremely hot furnace. Nebuchadnezzar sees a fourth man like a son of the God’s walking in the fire with them. He calls them to come out and declares how their God is the true God. This points to how God is with His people in all circumstances.
• In chapter 4 - Nebuchadnezzar gives his testimony of how God cast him down from his pride to live like an animal for 7 periods of time. After he comes to acknowledge and honor God, God restores him and makes him greater than before. The big message here especially for people in exile is, “God restores the humble.”
• In chapter 5 - We see a stark contrast with the testimony of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 4. Here in chapter 5 an arrogant king Belteshazzar exercises rebellion against God and God brings judgement against Belteshazzar. This chapter declares how God is a just God and will judge the unrepentant prideful heart.