BELSHAZZAR AND THE WRITINGS ON THEWALL The seventy years of the captivity of which Jeremiah had prophesied (Jer 25: 11) came to an end. The kingdom of Babylon had changed to a luxurious and corruptive life. Belshazzar, with his weak personality, came in power and with him the kingdom deteriorated. Nebuchadnezzar was a proud and sinful man, and God gave him many opportunities to examine himself. His grandson, Belshazzar did not learn from the lessons of his fathers, but defied God Himself and deliberately insulted God. Therefore, God chastised him. Nebuchadnezzar did not do what Belshazzar had committed. St. Jerome said: [He was not balanced when he committed these things but was drunk, forgetting the punishment, which had befallen Nebuchadnezzar1.] Daniel the prophet did not pity King Belshazzar, as he did with his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, for he was known for his injustice and corruption. This corresponds to what Zinofonm, the pagan historian, said about him that he was an evil and very violent man. 1. The banquet of Belshazzar 1-4 2. Writing on the wall 5-9 3. Bringing Daniel to the king 10-16 4. Daniel’s interpretation 17-29 5. The results 30-31 1. THE BANQUET OF BELSHAZZAR “Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand” (1). Some translated the word “shezzar” as fire, however, the word “Bel-shar-usur” “Bel-Sharra-Utsur” means protecting the king. The great feasts were a characteristic of these old times, and “the thousand” meant that it was a huge feast, and it represents a number. In the eastern feasts, the custom was that the king or the head of the feast sits on a high pulpit so that all may see him. That is why Daniel said, “drank wine in the presence of the thousand.” “While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines drank from them” (2-3). The word “father” can mean any of his grandfathers or ancestors. The Babylonian city was in danger of Persia, for Cyrus was surrounding the city. Belshazzar was busy arranging a banquet for thousand of great people with their wives and concubines. He thought that it was impossible for Cyrus to attack the great walls of the city so he belittled 1 PL 25:652. 114 him and that he besieged it with his army. According to Herodot, the width of the walls of Babylon was 87 feet and its height was 350 feet. It had 250 towers, which go up high as 100 feet. That is why Belshazzar thought that Cyrus could never attack. The amount of money and effort that was spent in preparing this banquet could not be valued. During the besiege of the city, Belshazzar defied God and instead of crying to Him and fasting, he used the holy vessels for drinks and licentiousness. Cyrus knew about the size of the banquet, and that the king was indulged in drinking wine and did not have the time to manage his city, so he thought it was a good opportunity for him to attack the city1. While Belshazzar was in the opening ceremony, the army of Cyrus was approaching the doors of Babylon. The pagan historian, Xenophon, relates that the two leaders of Belshazzar, Godatas and Gobryas, have betrayed him; one was eunuch and killed the son of the other while they were hunting; his arrow hit the boy by mistake so the other wanted to revenge. Cyrus managed to change the canals of the Euphrates River and suddenly attacked the city. Belshazzar and his company used the vessels, not for mere enjoyment of the drinking, but rather for insulting God and defiling the vessels, which were sanctified for the service of His temple. Moreover, they glorified the pagans while drinking. St. John Cassian wrote in the introduction of his book “The Institutes” that during this banquet, the believers were warned not to be occupied with holy vessels made of gold or silver which the wicked kings could steal. But rather to give heed to the spiritual vessels, which means the souls of the believers, so that no one can rob them. When you plan in your heart to build a true temple for God, do not build it with hard rocks but with the communion of the saints. Do not build a temporary building but an everlasting building, which does not shake. When you want to sanctify the most precious vessels - not made of metals nor gold or silver, which the king of Babylon could use for his own pleasure - you want to shape holy souls with righteousness and purity who carry Christ inside them as the King2. St. John Cassian One of the reasons the critics attacked this book is because of this chapter. The two pagan historians, Berosus and Abydenus, had previously declared that Nabonidus was the last Babylonian king, and that he was holding a distinguished position, even after the Persians had besieged Babylon. But, in this chapter, it was mentioned that Belshazzar was the last Babylonian king and that he was killed. The discoveries of the archeologists had assured that what was mentioned by the pagan historian and by Daniel was true. In the Assyrian carves, which Sir Herbert Rawlinson had discovered in the year 1854 A.D., it was mentioned that Belshazzar was the son of King Nabonidus, and that he shared the reign with him. This corresponds with what was mentioned in the book of Daniel that Belshazzar was the third king of Babylon. Among the carvings at Ur, there was a carving for Nabonidus, which contained a prayer for himself and another one for his first-born son, Bel-Shar-Usur. This kind of prayer was never offered except to the kings who reigned. Also there were records stating 1 Bethany Parallel Commentary on the O.T., p. 1780. 2 Institutes, Preface. 115 that Belshazzar had offered sheep and oxen in the temples of Sippar, as sacrifices for the king1. Many floods happened in a region called Hillah, in old Babylon, as a result of which a number of huge ceramic vessels were discovered containing receipts and contracts for a special organization related to banks in Babylon. These receipts and contracts revealed that Belshazzar had a house, secretaries and guards2. Belshazzar perhaps was the same person mentioned in the Babylonian records, who acted as vice president to the king. According to the Babylonian records, he became king, replacing his father, in the year 553 BC, and remained in that position until the year 539 BC. Although Nabonidus was absent all the time in Timah, at the North of the peninsula, yet he did not leave the kingdom until Cyrus invaded Babylon3. Why Belshazzar became a king of Babylon during the life of his father? This goes back to the personality of his father, Nabonidus, who was an archaeologist and involved in abundant cultural and religious cares. He was searching for the imprints of the old kings and the stones of the public buildings, as well as for records from the past. His religious cares were very strong. His daughter was devoted to the god of the moon, and his mother was a priestess in the temple of “Sun.” All these elements together made him neglect the matters of the kingdom. He spent most of the days of his reign, not in Babylon but in Timmah. He let his son, Belshazzar, rule Babylon, same as Nebuchadnezzar ruled for his father Nebopolassar. Raymond P. Dougherty, professor of the Assyriology, presented these facts in New Haven, Yale, 19294. “They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone” (4). Since they defiled the holy vessels, they praised the pagan gods, thinking that they became victorious over the true God. As mentioned in the book of Habakkuk, “Therefore they sacrifice to their net, and burn incense to their dragnet; because by them their share is sumptuous and their food plenteous” (Hab 1: 16). Thus, they ate and drank and were filled and forgot about God, who abundantly grants us gifts. The king deliberately brought the holy vessels to use them for drinking, and being drunk, he exaggerated in mocking God. The king, with his wives and concubines, sinned and thus the banquet became a scornful council. How stupid they were! They drank in golden vessels and praised wooden gods and stones! 5 St. Jerome St. Jerome wrote that the golden gods refer to those who attack the truth using mental proofs that seem to be right, and the silver gods refer to those who use the logic for the same reason. The copper and iron gods refer to those who use vain babbling, the wooden gods and the stones refer to those who use trifle matters6. 1 G. L. Archer: Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, p.286. 2 Today’s Dictionary of the Bible; Bethany Parallel Commentary on O.T., p. 1780. . 3 قاموس الكتاب المقدس، ص 208 4 W.A. Griswell, p.38-40 5 PL 25:652. 6 PL 25:652A, 653. 116 2. WRITING ON THE WALL “In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote” (5). St. Jerome commented on the words, “In the same hour,” by saying: [The hand which appeared in the same hour was to declare that God’s chastening had happened due to Belshazzar’s blasphemy and not for any other reason.] It is obvious that the feast was at night because the lamp stand was found there, and they were still feasting until midnight when Cyrus invaded Babylon. The hand appeared to the king only and not to the other dignitaries; that is why he was confused and terrified. The dignitaries became terrified like him without seeing anything. St Jerome wrote that the writing was on the wall of the royal palace, so that the king may realize that what was written concerned him personally1. “Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his lips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other” (6). Few minutes ago, the king was self-conceited and thought that he was a mighty lord, mocking the true God, defiling His sacred vessels and praising the idols. Now he stood as an accused and humiliated person, and he realized that God is the true Judge. The physical power of the king was shaken, his thoughts were confused and he lost his balance and dignity before the guests at the feast. “The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, ‘whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom” (7). The king was terrified and called the magicians, the astrologers, and the soothsayers to find an answer for his confusion, but he felt that there was no solution and that he cannot escape the Almighty’s hands. He forgot that he was the king, who had a great feast for the dignitaries, so he hastily called these men to help him. He lost his temper and cried loudly, which was not fitting for a king with such great authority. Why did he not call Daniel? a. Probably, because Daniel was getting old, thus he had retired. b. The great honor that Nebuchadnezzar had given Daniel had caused hatred in the hearts of the magicians toward Daniel because they felt that such a stranger was better than all of them. Therefore, after Nebuchadnezzar’s death, they did all what they can to exclude Daniel from the affairs of the palace, so that he may be completely forgotten. This found favor in Daniel’s heart because he did not want to be counted as one of the wise men. Meanwhile, they had marred the image of the Jewish people and their worship in the eyes of the king. This was evident in the acts of the king when he held the feast and wanted to defile the holy vessels and glorify his idols. Hence, they were able to remove all the influence that Daniel had in the palace. c. In spite of all what had happened, the king did not examine himself. He had defiled the Lord’s holies and glorified his idols; did not seek the man of God to help him, but instead he asked the magicians and astrologers to help him. God had terrified him; and instead of seeking the divine voice, he sought the voice of his idols. Finally, he 1 PL 25:653. 117 realized that he could not escape from God’s judgment, however blind he may be, for his eyes couldn’t see the divine light. By declaring that he would offer gifts to anyone who would explain the vision, he showed that he did not enjoy God’s fear, but became like a dead person. In his hidden pride, he declared that he would enrich anyone who could explain the vision. “Now all the king’s wise men came, but they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation. Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were astonished” (8-9). This writing was like a sealed book, as was written in the book of Isaiah 29: 11, therefore they could not open it nor read it. They became blind and couldn’t read it; a veil was covering their hearts and they couldn’t understand it. God granted the king to see the hidden handwriting on the wall, but He did not grant him to know the interpretation of what was written. Likewise, the wise men became like blind, something that terrified the king. This incident, which happened before thousand of dignitaries made the news of, the vision spread very quickly. It made Cyrus feel confident that God’s hand supports him. All the details of this event moved Cyrus to honor Daniel, his people and his God, which in turn facilitated the return of God’s people to Jerusalem. God condemned the evil deed of the king, thus the writing was not a dream but rather a tangible fact. The king realized that punishment awaits him; therefore, he was terrified before even knowing the interpretation of the writing. Thus, whatever the king did was not out of ignorance, but he was fully aware of it. Belshazzar saw the fingers writing on a wall. After the vision was over, it still remained in his mind; he could visualize it but could not understand it. When the king failed to find someone to give him the interpretation, Daniel came right away, and with the spirit of prophecy, he revealed to the king the prophetic meaning of the vision1] St. Augustine 3. BRINGING DANIEL BEFORE THE KING “The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, ‘O king live-forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father, your father the king, made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers” (10-11). It was obvious that the queen had lived the events of Nebuchadnezzar, the grand father of Belshazzar. Therefore, most probably the queen was the wife of Nebuchadnezzar, or the grandmother of Belshazzar and not his wife. In Babylon, the queen had a high status in the royal palace. The grandmother, in great wisdom, did not participate in the banquet because it was against the eastern traditions2. She reminded the king of Daniel, who most probably had retired. Belshazzar ignored all about Daniel, while others looked at Daniel as an angel from heaven. The king 1 The Literal Meaning of Genesis, Book 12, ch. 11. . 2 منشو ا رت النفیر: تفسیر الكتاب المقدس، ص 4، ص 337 118 was preoccupied with his desires, which made him ignore God’s man and resist God Himself. The queen had rebuked him in a gentle way, as if telling him, “Why do you abide in the darkness while God had given you a man who had the Spirit of God?” “Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation” (12). The old queen was able to discern between Daniel and the magicians. The magicians used to brag about their interpretation of dreams, but they could not interpret the kings’ dreams; but Daniel was characterized by three divine gifts: He had an excellent spirit, he had knowledge and understanding, and he could interpret dreams. She also revealed Nebuchadnezzar’s appreciation to him, for he gave him a name “Belteshazzar.” similar to King Belshazzar’s name. It is therefore obvious that Nebuchadnezzar did not despise Daniel because he was a captive. “Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, ‘Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. Now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the thing. And I have heard of you that you can give interpretations and explain enigmas. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom” (13-16). In spite of all what had happened to the king and what he had heard from his grandmother, yet he did not humble himself, regretting what he had done, but he talked with great haughtiness to Daniel and treated him as a captive man. He used this method to oblige him to obey. The king admitted that he had sought the magicians and they were unable to help him, and he hopes that Daniel can help him. The king promised Daniel a golden chain and royal clothes without knowing that he himself will lose all his possessions, even his life, after a short while. He was terrified of the divine justice. Probably, he felt that he will lose everything but he hid all his fear away and promised others things he does not know if he himself would be able to enjoy ever again. 4. DANIEL’S EXPLANATION “Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, ‘Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation” (17). Daniel made it clear that he is not interested in the temporal gifts before interpreting the writing lest the king thinks that the rejection was not from the depth of the heart, but because Daniel knew that his kingdom will end. As St. Jerome said that Daniel followed the commandment, rejecting any reward, for it is written ‘Freely you 119 have received, freely you give1.’ On the one hand, his heart was not attached to any richness, honor or authority. On the other hand, he realized that Belshazzar could not offer any gift because soon he will perish. The method of interpretation in this case was different from the one used with Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel did not care about the reward for the following reasons: The sin of the king was not due to ignorance, for he was aware of what had happened with his grandfather. Belshazzar attacked the Almighty God. Belshazzar glorified and praised the pagans to insult the living God. The writing was “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin,” which means that God had ended your kingdom. You have been weighed in the balances and found wanting. Your kingdom has been divided and given to two empires, the Persians and the Medes. St. Jerome said: [Elijah’s prophecy about the destruction of the Babylonian kingdom was fulfilled. He said, ‘My heart wavered, fearfulness frightened me; the night for which I longed He turned into fear for me. Prepare the table, set a watchman in the tower, eat and drink, arise you princes, anoint the shield!” (Is 21: 4-5) 2] “O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne and they took his glory from him” (18-20). Daniel made it clear that what the king’s grandfather had enjoyed was a gift from God, for every authority is from God (Rom 8: 1). God wanted to reveal His power through the kingdoms, but the king abused this gift. Instead of glorifying God and serving humanity, he became haughty and proud. Nebuchadnezzar had authority; he could kill whomever he wanted and forgive whomever he wanted; He could exalt whomever he wanted and humiliate whomever He wanted. However, he did not realize that people’s lives are in God’s hand, moreover, the king’s life, his honor and authority are in God’s hand too. If the king can do whatever he wanted, how can this Bible verse be applied: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Prov 21: 1). We can say that he means that every saint is a king because sin does not rule over his mortal body, and his heart remains in the hand of God (Rom 6). Whoever is in the hands of God, no one can ever snatch him3. St. Jerome “Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses” (21). 1 PL 25:653B. 2 PL 25:657. 3 PL 25:653-5. 120 What happened with Nebuchadnezzar was very serious, and could be a lesson for the generations to come. However, soon his grandson, Belshazzar, forgot the lesson and did not learn from the experience of his grandfather. The haughtiness of Nebuchadnezzar isolated him and made him live in the kingdom of the animals, as if he had no mind. This was exactly what his grandson did with his own free will when he prepared the banquet and defiled the holy vessels. “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this” (22). Belshazzar was called the son of King Nebuchadnezzar who was chastened by God because of his pride, as if God is telling him, “I gave you an example from your father’s house, you have no excuse!” St. Jerome said that this talk applies to the Antichrist. As Belshazzar did not benefit from the chastening of his father Nebuchadnezzar who fell in pride, likewise the Antichrist does not benefit from what had happened to his father Satan because of his pride. As the kingdom was transferred from Belshazzar after his death, likewise the antichrist dies and the saints reign instead of him1. “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. Then the fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written. And this is the inscription that was written: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. This is the interpretation of each word, Mene: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; Tekel: you have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; Peres: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.’ Then Belshazzar gave the command and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom” (23-29). The king presented his gifts to Daniel but this did not last for long. Probably Daniel accepted them lest the king thinks that Daniel was rebelling against him or that he was haughty. Daniel was clothed with a purple robe and was given a chain of gold around his neck, symbol of the royal authority. Cyrus heard the news about Daniel and asked for the reason of honoring him, then he learnt about the vision. St. Jerome commented that when the king presented gifts to Daniel, he thought that this gloomy prophecy will not be fulfilled in the near future, and that by honoring God’s man, he will find mercy and grace in the eyes of God. 5. THE RESULTS “That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old” (30-31). While they were indulged in drinking, Cyrus entered Babylon in a way the guards did not expect. River Euphrates overflowed under the great walls of Babylon. The Persians dug a huge tunnel outside Babylon, and the Babylonians did not know about it. They connected the tunnel with the river so the water flowed in the tunnel, and the army 1 PL 25:655. 121 crossed the city through the dry river under the walls. The soldiers attacked the city and Belshazzar was killed that very same night or the following night. The kingdom was transferred from the hands of the Babylonians to the Persians, thus we move from the golden head of the statue to the silver chest and the shoulders, as mentioned in the second chapter of the book. The pagan historians talked about Cyrus invading Babylon. Darius the Mede Darius, in Persian language, means “owning good” This was a title for the Persian kings, like for instance “Pharaoh” for Egypt and “Caesar” for Rome. Some historians think that Darius the Mede is no one else but Cyaxares II, the son of Astyages1 and the uncle of Cyrus who gave him the throne of Babylon, as his companion in the reign. Fr. Abdel-Messih Basit Abo-El-Kher says, it came in the book that Darius is son of Ahasuerus of the seed of the Medes, who was king over the realm of the Chaldeans (9: 1). “King” here means ‘was made ruler’ over Babylon, meaning he was a ruler as partner to, or representative of king Cyrus. It came also in the book that the kingdom was not given to the Medes alone but “to the Medes and Persians”(5: 28). The king ruled according to one law which alters not, “the law of the Medes and Persians, which alters not” (6: 8,15), and which Darius could not change or break. In other words Daniel the prophet speaks of one united Empire that is the Empire of the Medes and Persians, and does not speak of two successive Empires. Besides he was not able to reform or change or oppose the law of the Medes and Persians, the law of the united kingdom2. Daniel did not speak of the war that rose between the Babylonians and the Medes but Isaiah did (chap50,51). We do not need to refer to the alliance between Medes and Persians especially in their occupying Babylon under the rule of Darius and Cyrus where both occupied the city. St. Jerome says, [After the murder of Belshazzar by the hands of Darius, king of the Medes uncle of Cyrus the Babylonian, the Empire of the Chaldeans was destroyed by the hands of Cyrus the Persian. Isaiah spoke in chapter 21 of the two kingdoms, Medes and the Persians as a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses and a chariot of camels (Is 21: 7) 3.] Some assume he is Gubaru or Gubarn or Gobry as the general ruler of Cyrus who occupied Babylon and had an effective role. It came in the Asphinian cuneiform paintings, which were discovered and spread in the twentieth century that Cyrus assigned Gubran the army commander as a ruler of Babylon once it was opened. In his turn Gubran assigned rulers in Babylon. This means that Cyrus gave him the right to rule the city and put rulers there, while he managed to conquer other cities. His name was written on the cuneiform plate as a ruler of Babylon and beyond the two rivers, meaning Babylon, Syria, Phoenicia, Palestine along fourteen years, and mentioning his name caused criminals to terrify. Others assume that Cyrus himself was called Darius4. Herodot did not refer to Darius as a king because of his weak and corrupt personality, particularly that he passed over the thrown to his nephew Cyrus1. 1 St. Jerome: Comm. on Daniel, PL 25:651D. . 2 القس عبد المسیح بسیط أو الخیر، ص 63،64 3 PL 25:651D. . 4 دار منهل الحیاة: موسوعة الكتاب المقدس، ص 147 122 This happened when Darius was in the age of sixty-two, this matches with what came in Zinofon2 that he was Cyaxares 2. Why did God allow Daniel to wear the scarlet? The life of Daniel presents to us a living picture of God’s dealings with us. From time to time God is glorified in the life of Daniel and uses him for the service of His captivated people. However the more God was glorified in him the more the evil one planed to destroy him, thus the plane was altered for the edification of the kingdom of God. Now Daniel who seems to be outside the stage is attracted to the palace through Belshazzar’s vision and the matter ends by his wearing scarlet and the chain of gold around his neck and becomes the third man in the kingdom. This lasted only for a few hours where Darius captured Babylon and killed king Belshazzar. Daniel was found in this scarled cloth, and when it was asked what about him it became known that he prophesied about the fall of the Babylonian kingdom, the rise of the Persian kingdom and the victory of Cyrus etc. He honored and approached him as the man of God; he also sympathized with his people. As if God permitted what happened in this chapter in the critical moments of the fall of Babylon and the Persians’ victory so that Cyrus gives an ear to Daniel and his people. Besides that Cyrus may hear to Jeremiah’s prophesies about their return after 70 years of captivity, and gives his orders to this.(Ez1: 1- 4) 1 Cyrop. 1:5;8:7. 2 Cyrop. 8:5,19. 123 FROM THE INSPIRATION OF DANIEL (5) SO THAT I MAY ENJOY THE BANQUET OF YOUR LOVE, I DO NOT DESIRE THE BANQUETS OF TH WORLD. Belshazzar dared to defile the holy vessels, and with ignorance I defile my body, Your precious vessel! Let me enjoy the banquet of Your love, my Savior, so that I do not desire the banquets of the world! Your hand was stretched to declare Your judgment of Belshazzar. Let Your fiery Spirit write the words of Your love in my heart, so that I may not desire any wise person in the world, but I may seek Daniel, Your prophet, and hear Your divine voice inside me! Daniel despised all the gifts of the king and did not desire richness or authority, then You gave him grace in the eyes of Cyrus to support Your people in their captivity. When do I despise the temporal matters? When do I obtain You, the treasure of my soul and her inner glory?! Behold I am in Your hands, use me as You wish!
Welcome