“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” (Daniel 5:2).
Perhaps the most opulent and ornate building ever constructed was Solomon’s temple. Not only did it take 180,000 laborers more than seven to complete, but it was constructed using many of the finest, most expensive materials from around the world, including bronze, rare wood, iron, and precious stones.
In addition, an almost unfathomable amount of gold and silver went into this massive project—100,000 talents of gold and 1,000,000 talents of silver. These translate to 3,750 tons of gold and 37,500 tons of silver. At today’s values, these alone would be worth in excess of $130 billion!
When Jerusalem was sacked by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC, the temple was stripped of its treasures, and the gold and silver implements and vessels were carried off to Babylon. Two generations later, “Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in the presence of the thousand” (Daniel 5:1).
It was while he was drunk that Belshazzar thought of the gleaming gold and silver vessels that his grandfather had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and ordered his servants to bring them so he and his guests could drink from them. No doubt he wanted to impress those attending his grand feast.
Belshazzar knew about the true God because his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had forsaken his pagan ways and had become a worshiper of the Lord. But Belshazzar had spurned the critical lesson of humility. He showed no reverence for God or the things that had been consecrated to Him, and the handwriting on the wall spelled his doom.
Our culture is bent on tearing down any thought of respect for our Maker. Yet God’s Word says we should honour Him “with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28, 29). He who created us and sacrificed everything to rescue us from this dark planet deserves only our highest respect.
Dear God, may my life reflect the deepest honour and reverence for You, my Saviour and my King!
