Belshazzar vs. Nebuchadnezzar: Daniel 5:17-23
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. The proud think of themselves higher than they ought. The proud consider themselves first. That is not how God desires us to live. It is better to think of ourselves as crucified so Christ can live in us.
There is a stark difference between how Daniel treats Belshazzar versus how Daniel treated Nebuchadnezzar. With Nebuchadnezzar, there is a sense of respect – or at least understanding – between the king and Daniel. When Daniel came before Nebuchadnezzar, he gave his messages cautiously as if it pained him to give an unfavorable message to the king. It is possible Daniel was afraid to give an unfavorable message, but Daniel has no sense of fear with Belshazzar. Daniel felt pained to give an unfavorable message to Nebuchadnezzar because Nebuchadnezzar was capable of repentance. Nebuchadnezzar may have been filled with pride and worshipped foreign gods, but Daniel could reason with Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar could take critique responsibly.
When Daniel comes to talk to Belshazzar, there is no hesitation. Daniel doesn’t say anything like what he said to Nebuchadnezzar when he exclaimed, “May the dream and its interpretation be for your enemies.” Instead, Daniel looks to Belshazzar and starts into a hard message. Daniel tells him to keep his gifts and turn his rewards to someone else. Daniel treats Belshazzar with as much contempt as a person can treat a king and still walk away with his head upon his shoulders!
Daniel then teaches Belshazzar the difference between him and Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar was teachable. Daniel could walk Nebuchadnezzar back from poor decisions. Despite his pride, Nebuchadnezzar was willing to admit when he was wrong. Nebuchadnezzar may have been self-centered, but he never set himself in opposition to God. Nebuchadnezzar always left room for God to be right, even if it meant he had to eat a little crow.
On the other hand, Belshazzar made himself an enemy of God. The Persians, under the army of Darius the Great, were taking over the Babylonian Empire. Instead of leaving himself open to the possibility that God might save his nation, Belshazzar throws a feast and exalts himself using the implements that were intended to exalt God. Belshazzar not only turns a blind eye to the greatness of God, he slams the door in God’s face and leaves God no alternative as to how He would speak into Belshazzar’s life.
Speaking as someone who struggles greatly with pride and reputation, there is a mighty lesson to learn here. Pride is a sin; there is no denying it. Like any other sin, it can be forgiven under a position of humility. The key is leaving space for God to work and keeping a heart that seeks the Lord. As James writes in his letter (James 4:6) when he loosely quotes Proverbs 3:34, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
