Daniel, 5
19. and because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him; whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive; whom he would he raised up, and whom he would he put down.
19. and because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him; whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive; whom he would he raised up, and whom he would he put down.
Chapter 5 of the book of Daniel tells the story of King Belshazar, who gave a great feast to a thousand of his nobles and drank wine from sacred vessels taken from the temple of Jerusalem. During the banquet, a hand that wrote a mysterious message on the wall, which Daniel interpreted as a judgment of God over the king for his arrogance and desecration of the temple. Below are five verses related to the topics covered in this chapter:
Proverbs 16:18: "Pride precedes ruin; arrogance, the fall." This verse speaks of the connection between pride and fall, which is illustrated in the history of King Belshazar, who considered himself invincible and immune to God's judgment.
Hebrews 10:31: "Terrible thing is to fall into the hands of the living God." This verse speaks of the righteousness and power of God, which is able to judge and punish the wicked. It is a message that King Belsazar needed to hear, but unfortunately it didn't take it seriously.
Isaiah 44:25: "I undo the signs of the false prophets and make their foolish throats; vine wise those who have discernment and transform the knowledge of their sages into madness." This verse speaks of the superiority of God's knowledge and wisdom in relation to false religions and the practices of divination. Daniel demonstrated this superiority by interpreting the written message on the wall that no one else could understand.
Romans 2:4: "Do you despise the riches of God's goodness, tolerance and patience, not recognizing that God's goodness leads you to repentance?" This verse speaks of God's patience and mercy, who wants people to repent of their sins and return to Him. King Belsazar had the opportunity to repent, but chose to ignore God's message and suffered the consequences.
Matthew 7:6: "Do not give what is sacred to dogs, nor throw their pearls to the pigs. If they do it, they can blink and then turn against you and shatter them." This verse speaks of the importance of recognizing the value of sacred things and not profaning them or throwing them out irresponsibly. King Belsazar was guilty of desecrating the sacred vessels of the temple of Jerusalem, showing his lack of respect for God's holy things.
“O trabalho é tão sagrado como a oração”. São Padre Pio de Pietrelcina