The Regular Guys Bible Study
The Regular Guys Bible Study podcast -- RGBS -- is a podcast for regular guys by regular guys (not theologians) studying the Bible together. It's brought to you by a couple of goofy guys who just want to study the Bible together and show you that anyone can read and study the Bible. In fact, you SHOULD read and study the Bible yourself. We're here to show you how we do it, and, hopefully, we can have some fun along the way.
The Regular Guys Bible Study
Daniel 5
We trace Daniel 5 from a loud feast to a sudden judgment and ask what pride looks like when it dresses like status and taste. The story exposes how God confronts arrogance and how humble clarity can stand steady in a room full of noise.
• purpose of the podcast as ordinary Bible readers
• summary of Daniel 5 as a single story arc
• sacred vessels and why misuse matters
• queen mother’s role and the choice of the name Daniel
• Daniel’s refusal of rewards and moral clarity
• meaning of Mene, Tekel, Peres and their relevance today
• why Belshazzar falls fast while Nebuchadnezzar had time
• what this reveals about God’s sovereignty and patience
• practical calls to read, repent and honor what is holy
Study it, guys. Daniel chapter six, read it. You can read it more than once
You are listening to the Regular Guys Bible Study Podcast, the Bible study for regular guys by regular guys. We are your host, Ken and Steve, and we are just regular guys studying the Bible together. Not theologians.
SPEAKER_04:You sound tired, Ken.
SPEAKER_03:I am tired. I had a bunch of um, I I just told you this, but I just had a bunch of back to back to back to back meetings. Um and I'm tired of talking. I don't want to talk anymore, Steve.
SPEAKER_04:I just that's too bad because you're about to record a podcast.
SPEAKER_03:Uh oh, that stinks. Okay. All right. I can do it a little more. I hate talking. That's kind of strange, actually, isn't it? That I hate talking, but I start talking about it.
SPEAKER_04:Yet you do it so much. I do.
SPEAKER_03:I actually don't do it that much. But why would someone who hates talking as much as I do start a podcast?
SPEAKER_04:Maybe you're stepping outside your comfort zone.
SPEAKER_03:Maybe. But I can tell you why, Steve. It's because I felt like God was telling me to. That's the real reason.
SPEAKER_04:So and which is also stepping outside your comfort zone.
SPEAKER_03:That that's okay. Yeah, that's true. Um, and oh wow. Oh, that didn't come through. Oh did it? No, I didn't hear anything. Sorry. Wow. What are you doing? You're like rubbing your nose. You have a cold.
SPEAKER_04:It's cold in here. And my nose runs when I'm cold.
SPEAKER_03:Baby, it's cold outside. Do you know that song?
SPEAKER_04:You don't know that song? That doesn't you sound like you're doing the Elvis version of that song.
SPEAKER_03:I really can't stay.
SPEAKER_04:Baby, it's cold outside.
SPEAKER_03:Okay. Whatever. That's the elf version. The ending was the elf version, yeah. Um, all right. So we are in Daniel chapter five, and we're gonna do the whole thing.
SPEAKER_04:Handwriting's on the wall.
SPEAKER_03:Yep. And um, if you don't know, if you've ever heard the saying, the handwriting's on the wall, and what does that mean, Steve? When somebody says the handwriting's on the wall, what does it mean? Uh that expression. What does that expression mean?
SPEAKER_04:You don't you don't even know. I think it means that the disaster's about to strike based on this story.
SPEAKER_03:I it's the the saying implies that it's gonna happen. The writing is on the wall, it means it's gonna happen. Um, so uh, and that is what we see in Daniel chapter five. And uh, before we go on to that, let me just go back to I said God, God, I felt like God was telling me to do this podcast. The whole point of this podcast, guys, is not for you to hear me spew my ignorance about the Bible. Okay, and it's but he does that a lot. I do it a lot, but the that's not the point of it. The point of it is that you need to read your Bible. Anybody can read the Bible, it does you don't have to have some degree in from a seminary where you don't have to know some special gift to read God's word. Um, it is there for you to read. And um, if Steve and I can read it and understand most of it, then so can you, and you should. And that's why I'm gonna say now, if you haven't read Daniel chapter five, go ahead and pause this and read it now and welcome back. Um, all right. Are you ready, Steve? Do you have any other goofy things you want to talk about?
SPEAKER_04:No.
SPEAKER_03:All right. All right. Well, let's go. Uh, let's uh how are we gonna break this up? Let's see.
SPEAKER_04:It's really just I was wondering if you wanted to do like last time where we read the whole thing.
SPEAKER_03:I think we should not, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Is it doesn't have I mean it has some obvious breaks, but they don't really lend themselves to discussion on their own.
SPEAKER_03:I agree. You really gotta talk about the whole thing as a as a as a story.
SPEAKER_04:So do you want the first part or the second part?
SPEAKER_03:Uh you know what? The first part's shorter, isn't it? It is. I'm gonna do the first part if you're giving me the option. You're giving me the option?
SPEAKER_04:You did the yeah, I think you did the long part last time.
SPEAKER_03:I did. And I also did all the names last time. Or was that not last time? That might have been the one before.
SPEAKER_04:A couple times ago, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:All right, well, let's start. Daniel chapter 5. King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand. Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords and wives and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. Then the king's color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him, his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. The king called loud loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared to the wise men of Babylon, Whoever reads this writing and shows me its interpretation shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold around his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed, and his lords were perplexed. The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet hall, and the queen declared, O king, live forever, let not your thoughts alarm you, or your color change. There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. 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, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explains riddles, and explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Beltashazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.
SPEAKER_00:Alright, verse thirteen.
SPEAKER_04:Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. I have heard that you have the I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. Now the wise men, the enchanters have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not show the interpretation of the matter. But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Why are you picking your nose, Ken?
SPEAKER_03:I'm just trying to distract you, Steve. And it seems like it worked too well.
SPEAKER_04: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. Then Daniel answered and said before the king, let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. O king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar, your father, kingship and greatness and glory and majesty, and because of the greatness that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would he killed, and whom he would he kept alive, whom he would he raised up, and whom he would he humbled. But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened losing my spot, hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven until he knew that the most high God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. And you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven, and the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, your concubines have drunk wine from them, and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the god in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways you have not honored. Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed, and this is the writing that was inscribed Mini Mini Tekl and Parson. This is the interpretation of the matter. Mini God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end. Tekl you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting. Perez, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians. Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. That very night Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed, and Darius the Mead received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old. Sorry about that. That was a little rough.
SPEAKER_03:It didn't help that somebody was picking their nose in front of you. It was a fake pick.
SPEAKER_04:That's true.
SPEAKER_03:It was a fake pick.
SPEAKER_00:I also fake ate it. Um some stuff happened, Steve. It sure did.
SPEAKER_04:Did you notice how close um the name Nebuchadnezzar gave Daniel is to the name of his son?
SPEAKER_03:I did.
SPEAKER_04:Belshazzar Bel Bel Belshazzar Belshazzar and Belt Shazzar.
SPEAKER_03:Beltashazzar, yeah. Yeah, very similar. Um Did you look it up?
SPEAKER_00:I did. Alright, what is it? The one means Bell protect the king, and Daniels means Lord of the Straiten's treasure.
SPEAKER_03:No great insights there, personally, but nope, no great insights for me. Um all right, so what do you got, Steve?
SPEAKER_00:I've should we uh Okay, let's just I've got something I just and why are they drinking out of these vessels? Oh, before I go to that in their mind I'm sorry, before I go to that.
SPEAKER_03:Before I go to that, I this book is very interesting because it just makes these shifts. The chapters make a lot of sense in Daniel because all of a sudden Nebuchadnezzar is dead. We didn't talk about him dying. He's at least gone. Yeah. I assume he's dead. Um uh now there's just a new king, uh Nebuchadnezzar's son, uh Belshazzar. And now he's drinking out of that he chooses to drink out of these vessels. Was it simply do you think because they were beautiful or because he wanted to mock the Jews or mock God?
SPEAKER_04:I don't know that he was intentionally mocking God, but I do think he's very um pompous and arrogant. Oh arrogant, overfocused on wealth and status. Um because that shows up uh as his in what he offers as a a prize, right? He says, I will give you uh where does it say it? Uh whoever reads this writing clothes you in a purple purple robe a chain of gold around your neck.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:And you'll be third in the kingdom kingdom. So his his priorities are the appearance of status, wealth, and power.
SPEAKER_03:Yep.
SPEAKER_04:And that that's my that's what I get out of this chapter, is that's really his shortcoming.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and I think it's about showing the people that are there what he can do.
SPEAKER_04:Like and speaking of the people that are there, there's a thousand lords. I mean, that's a big party. That's a big party, yeah. And concubines and wives plural.
SPEAKER_03:Wives, well, yeah, that's true. Yep. Lots of wives, or at least two.
SPEAKER_00:Um, and by the way, the queen was not there.
SPEAKER_04:You mean his mother? Or do you mean his wife?
SPEAKER_00:His wife, the queen.
SPEAKER_04:Well, he has more than one. Which one's the queen?
SPEAKER_03:Uh I think these wives are not the queen. The queen is a different is a certain wife. Because later the queen comes in.
SPEAKER_00:That's his mom. What? I think I think that's his mom. Oh, hold on. You know what? I think you're right. I think that's Nebuchadnezzar's uh wife.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I think because if you if I look at the meaning, it means actually Queen Mother. And it's used twice in the verse. Um you know what? I I did not look at other translations.
SPEAKER_04:I did briefly, but I didn't see uh or I didn't catch anything um a lot different.
SPEAKER_00:What verse does it talk about the queen?
SPEAKER_02:Let's see.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, this says the queen mother.
SPEAKER_04:And what translation?
SPEAKER_03:The NLT, the NIV NIV says queen, but also has an asterisk that says queen mother. Um the alright. So the Queen, who is probably Nebuchadnezzar and probably his mother, or at least Nebuchadnezzar's wife when he died.
SPEAKER_00:That's my that's my guess. I don't know.
SPEAKER_04:I mean that makes the story have more sense, if that's the case.
SPEAKER_03:It does, it does, and that's and she and it makes sense also why she would remember that more than Belshazzar.
SPEAKER_04:And why she wasn't at the party. She's old. She doesn't want to be at the party.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. That is probably true. Alright. Well, good. That makes sense. Um, alright, what else you got, Steve?
SPEAKER_04:So, let's see. I better go back to ESV or this comment may not make sense to me.
SPEAKER_00:Where'd it go? There it is. Alright.
SPEAKER_04:Uh in verse five, immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace opposite the lampstand. Do you think the lampstand is significant?
SPEAKER_03:That's a good question. I didn't even think about it. Uh why does it mentioned?
SPEAKER_00:I I Well, I have a theory. Okay.
SPEAKER_04:Uh so I would think opposite the lampstand means it's in clear view. There's plenty of light. There's no question that it is just a hand.
SPEAKER_00:Or yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Okay.
SPEAKER_04:Depending on the lampstand, you know, maybe it's got a reflective thing on one side, and so there's a shadow behind it, and then the hand isn't in clear view. I don't know.
SPEAKER_03:No, I think the reason it's there is to point out that it's in clear view. That may. Makes sense.
SPEAKER_00:Why else why else would they say that? Yeah, I I I don't know. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:All right. That's um I did not even think about that, but I think that um is pointing out that it is in full light. And um what are you doing over there, Steve?
SPEAKER_04:Like picking at my eyes. Okay.
SPEAKER_03:All right. Eating your eye boogers. Um all right, but that does make sense. Um all right. Uh let's see. My other note, I already we already answered because I didn't I was confused about who the queen was. And so you cleared that up for me, Steve. Thank you. Um, so that that question I have is useless. Um, all right. I have I have something I want to say about 12. Do you have anything before that?
SPEAKER_04:Nope.
SPEAKER_03:Okay. Um we're gonna have to start doing videos, Steve, if we're gonna make stupid faces and pick our noses and things like that. Um all right, so in verse 12, he uses no uh hold it. Who uses the queen uses the word the name Daniel?
SPEAKER_00:I had the same comment. Um so it uh what is your comment about it?
SPEAKER_04:Just that it's interesting that she prefers to call him Daniel.
SPEAKER_03:Well, my thought on this is it kind of shows a rejection of the old of Nebuchadnezzar's uh kingship.
SPEAKER_04:Or an a rejection of Baal in favor of the god of Daniel.
SPEAKER_03:I don't think so, because they were worshiping the gods of gold and silver and iron and bronze and wood and stone and right and stuff, and stuff, everything, whatever that means. Um, okay. Now though, but you have a point. Now that you've you've made me understand that this is likely Nebuchadnezzar's wife, maybe seen a lot of stuff. Yeah, and Nebuchadnezzar changed his ways at the end. And so maybe the name returned to Daniel at that point. Man, now I'm I'm gosh, Steve, now I'm all confused.
SPEAKER_04:Oh, that's good. This is challenging me.
SPEAKER_03:It is challenging me, and I mean some of my notes just um are being answered in a different way than I was thinking. And I've got to think about this further. But at any rate, the name Daniel is used instead of Beltashazzar. Um, but she does say that this is the person that the king had named Beltashazzar. Um so it's not like she doesn't know that's the name.
SPEAKER_04:Um this is the guy that your your dad wasn't happy with you as a son, so he adopted him as a son and gave him a name that's almost identical.
SPEAKER_03:Uh it could be. Um, yeah, Daniel, it's possible. I you know, I don't know the time frame here, right? We don't know how much time has passed. Um we don't know. Yeah, we don't know if when Belshazzar. Yeah, we don't know if Belshazzar was even alive yet when Daniel came into the uh into the the uh Babylonian Empire. Um okay. What else do you have, Steve?
SPEAKER_04:Well, my next comment isn't until 17. So have you got anything but before that?
SPEAKER_03:Nope, mine is at 17. What's your comment? Let's see if they're the same.
SPEAKER_04:So this is when Daniel answered and said before the king, let your gifts be for yourself and give your rewards to another. It feels like he's being flippant. Or and I think this is true, wealth and power are not important to him. And since he already knew what the translation was, it wasn't gonna last all couple hours, maybe.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, yep. Um, okay, so I while I had looked at the same verse and I and I noticed the same stuff, I have a different a different comment. Um but first of all, when Daniel gave the interpretation to Nebuchadnezzar, do you remember what he said first before he gave the interpretation?
SPEAKER_00:No, I don't.
SPEAKER_03:He went on and on about making sure Nebuchadnezzar knew it was not him doing this. This is all God. Uh I it's it's like this is nothing to do with me. This is all from God, and he doesn't do that here. Um, and it and it's uh he does not. He does not do that here.
SPEAKER_04:No, but he does go into this long tirade of look, God did all this for your dad, and he finally turned around and you didn't pay any attention.
SPEAKER_03:Right. But he did that for Nebuchadnezzar because Nebuchadnezzar was going to change. That's my uh God, God had a plan for Nebuchadnezzar. Um and but the plan here, and we and it ext the plan for Nebuchadnezzar was many more years. So Nebuchadnezzar needed to be told, this is not from me, it is from God. Um and here Belshazzar is gonna last another three hours, something, you know, whenever. Right. Not not much longer. Um, that very night, it's probably already pretty late. Um, I imagine if this is a party and they're all drunk. Um yeah. So, you know, I I think I agree though, in the same with the same thing that what's the point of that? Because it's gonna last me a few hours. Um what you know what's the point of telling you where this is coming from, uh um, other than telling you this story, uh, you know, reminding you of of the stories of your father. Um and so, yeah, there's just no point in telling him these things.
SPEAKER_04:But isn't it interesting that they're having this party, and only a few hours from now they're gonna get taken over by the Medes and Persians. Now, usually that means there's an army camped outside their castle or something. But was it some sort of secret overthrow? Or I mean, how would they not know?
SPEAKER_03:So, you know, I don't know. It doesn't go into how um Darius the Mead became the ruler.
SPEAKER_00:Um, you know, yeah, I don't I don't know. It could be that maybe they were friends and he was there at the party. I don't know. There were a lot of people there, you never know.
SPEAKER_03:Um, so I I really don't know. That's uh let's see, what does this say? Uh Darius the Mead is distinct from later Persian kings named Darius. Um Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon in 539. There's no mention of a Darius the Mead in other sources. Two solutions are possible. Number one, Cyrus the Great might have appointed Darius the Mead to rule as king of Babylon in his place for a little over a year. Or two, Darius and Cyrus might have been the same man bearing two throne names. One name from the Medes, the other from the Persians. Um that doesn't really help.
SPEAKER_02:No.
SPEAKER_03:But I said stuff, I said words.
SPEAKER_04:You did.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I don't know.
SPEAKER_04:We already talked about how you like to talk.
SPEAKER_03:But it also did not, while it says, and Darius the Mead received the kingdom being about 62 years old, it does not necessarily mean it was that night that Darius the Mead became ruler of that kingdom. It just might be the next ruler.
SPEAKER_04:And we don't really know if it was the Medes that killed Belshazzar. Could have been someone else killed him.
SPEAKER_03:Uh that's true. Yeah, we don't know.
SPEAKER_04:We don't and and Which would have weakened the kingdom and opened the possibility up for somebody else to step in.
SPEAKER_03:Yes. And it does say he was killed. It does not say he died. It says he was killed. Um so yeah. Uh yeah, there's there's no not a lot of detail around how that transition happened. Um, all right, what else do you have, Steve? My next note is on 23.
SPEAKER_04:Oh, you're first then.
SPEAKER_03:Really? All right. Uh let me read my note here. I'm just gonna read it out loud, and if it makes sense, it makes sense. I think it's interesting how he said it, and God in whose hand is your hold on.
SPEAKER_00:What did he say in 23? Uh 23.
SPEAKER_03:Um, all right. I I think it's interesting how he said it, and God in whose hand is your breath, he uses the word hand here, which oh, which is what was written writing on the wall.
SPEAKER_04:Oh. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:And is that significant or is that just or am I just searching?
SPEAKER_00:I don't know. It could be. I didn't catch that. But the god oh there it is, but it's at the end of 23.
SPEAKER_03:But but in but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways you have not honored. Um I don't know, it's a little um little throwback to the alliteration of what you know God's hand is writing on the wall, or I don't know if it's God's hand, but or an angel's hand, or whatever it is. Um just it seems a little interesting that they might not be coincidentally used in that statement.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:I told you I took notes this time. I know.
unknown:All right.
SPEAKER_04:My next one is verses twenty-five and twenty-eight.
SPEAKER_03:And all right, oh, I know I know what you're gonna say.
SPEAKER_04:So when he says the writing that was inscribed is me, meeny, teco, parson, and yet in twenty-eight he says pares.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:But they do both come from the same root word.
SPEAKER_02:Yes.
SPEAKER_00:Which means divide.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, so um a lot it's it's you know, even our own language has uh even English does that. Um, like he or him, you know, it you might use them interchangeably. But um, you know, I've I've worked a lot with um some Serbian people, and you know, you learn their name, and then you hear someone call out their name, only it's different. Uh they say, like, um, you know, they'll call to them and say, like they're saying, hey, this your name.
SPEAKER_04:Like Richard versus Dick. That is the that was the weirdest shortening of a name that I can think of.
SPEAKER_03:Uh all right. Um anyway, no, uh, but this is not a shortening of a name. They have five or some, I think it's five different declensions of of names. So if you are if you're like calling out to somebody, then it's different than if you're talking about them.
SPEAKER_04:Um good grief.
SPEAKER_03:And so, and and um, and so you know, I well, I I've only ever been told one, and they go, Yeah, yeah, don't worry about all the others. But um, you know, a lot of languages have a lot of different little things they do to words.
SPEAKER_04:Do you know what your name would be with these other things thrown on them?
SPEAKER_03:Um it it always ends up translating into like um, yeah, there's multiple, but it's always like you're the greatest ever. Hey you? No, it's like you're the greatest ever person. Um and so yeah, but I I asked him not to call me that in public, just in private. Um so yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Uh-huh. Writings on the wall, Ken.
SPEAKER_03:All right. What else you got, Steve?
SPEAKER_04:That's all I had. All right, so um Oh, actually, I do have a question.
SPEAKER_03:All right, what's going on? Okay, well uh in um so this is back to something I said earlier. Um, but in verse 30, you know, it says that very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed. And my question about that verse is why do you think God gave Nebuchadnezzar so many chances at repent repentance? That he gave Belshazzar no chance for repentance.
SPEAKER_00:Well, based on Daniel's story here, he did give Beltashazzar a chance via Nebuchadnezzar and having witnessar.
SPEAKER_04:Not Beltashazzar. Belshazzar. Um he had witnessed what happened to his father and didn't move him to change.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I I think so. I think um he already knew these things. He and and Nebuchadnezzar had no knowledge of the God of the Jews until Daniel. And Belshazzar had been told of the God of the Jews, he had witnessed the things of the God of the Jews, of the God. And instead he made a mockery, attempted to make a mockery out of God.
SPEAKER_04:And even did it in a way that involved things stolen from the temple.
SPEAKER_00:Yep. Yep. So what does this tell us about God?
SPEAKER_02:What does this tell us about God?
SPEAKER_03:That's normally my question, Steve, and you're and you have to answer it.
SPEAKER_04:Um turned the tide.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, you did. Oh man, why would you do this to me? I'm not that smart. I'm not a theologian. I'm a theologian. Um, okay.
SPEAKER_00:It tells us for first of all that God does whatever the heck he wants to do. Right? I mean, God's in control.
SPEAKER_04:That's true. It definitely shows that God is in control.
SPEAKER_03:Um, all right, and one of the Ten Commandments is what do not take the Lord's name in vain. I think that the usage, the taking of these vessels, Nebuchadnezzar took these vessels and put them in his in the like his vault with the other with other religious artifacts of his own god or gods. Um Belshazzar pulled those out for his own pleasure and drank from them. To me, that is the same, the same thing. Well, it's two things. It is um taking the Lord's name in vain. It what is what does it mean to take the Lord's name in vain?
SPEAKER_00:You are mocking the very name of God. You don't like what I'm how I'm using that, do you?
SPEAKER_03:Well and you shall never know other gods before me. Yes.
SPEAKER_04:To consider utensils used at the temple as something sacred feels almost like idol worship to me.
SPEAKER_03:Okay. You can say that now, but what happened when the person touched the Ark of the Covenant when he was told not to? He died. He was struck down dead. Just like that. So you know, these were special artifact were a little different. Yes, these were special artifacts in the temple of God. Um and so I think it does have to do with that. And and I think it's it's making a mo trying to make a mockery of God, and that is not gonna happen.
SPEAKER_00:Um so number three God is patient, but that doesn't mean He is endlessly patient. I think that's all I got. That seems pretty good.
SPEAKER_03:What you got? You got another one? You got a fourth?
SPEAKER_04:Oh no, I just wanted to see what you had. Alright.
SPEAKER_03:Alright. Alright, well, let me ask this, D, what does it mean for us?
SPEAKER_04:Well, I think you just said it. We've been given a lot of chances, and we may not be given another one, so we better turn from our sinful ways today and turn to God.
SPEAKER_03:All right. So I use the word um take I use the phrase um taking the Lord's name in vain. Have I told you one thing that I one way in which I think we often take the Lord's name in vain?
SPEAKER_04:You have told me, but I don't remember what it is.
SPEAKER_03:And and it's very important to me because I love to sing worship music. And and when we go in and we just sing the words.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, you've told me this before.
SPEAKER_03:With and and I think it it may be a personal thing too. Um, I I don't want to say that if if Steve, if you sing the words and your heart's not right, then you're taking the Lord's name in vain. But I think for me, it definitely because I know uh I don't know. I uh God has put a special thing in my heart for worship through music. And so when I find myself like just going, you know, singing the words and singing about God, and I mean, if you think about what it means to take the Lord's name in vain, and if you're just saying it and you're not meaning anything, and your mind's wandering off somewhere else.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:So I to me, um, and I'm telling making this personal, for me, that is taking the Lord's name in vain, and so that's a very important thing to me. So it has nothing to do with this verse, though, or with this passage.
SPEAKER_04:Well, I'm glad you brought it up then.
SPEAKER_03:All right. Uh okay, Steve. What are we gonna try to be done?
SPEAKER_04:Huh? I think we're done. Okay, unless you've got something.
SPEAKER_03:I got nothing. Um, and I think we should be able to do uh chapter six next. Hey, no, I have kids coming into town.
SPEAKER_04:That's what I was gonna ask. I know I think how flaky you get.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I do get flaky. Uh okay. I think, Steve, though, we should try to do chapter six next week. And in fact, I don't see anything keeping us from doing it. So study it, guys. Daniel chapter six, read it. You can read it more than once. I know we read it like six times. All right, forever. All right, guys, thanks a lot for joining us. All rights reserved.
