05.12.09
Isaiah - Day 270
Scripture: Isaiah 14:18 and 19 (NIV): "All the kings of the nations like in state, each in his own tomb. But you are cast out of your tomb like a rejected branch; you are covered with the slain, with those pierced by the sword, those who descend to the stones of the pit. Like a corpse tramples underfoot,"
Thought: To me, a good life reputation--one that will endure past our years on earth as a positive influence to others--is vitally important.
Question: Will those still living respect me at my death?
The King of Babylon, Belshazzar, was not a good king. In Daniel chapter 5 God finds Belshazzar quite lacking in merit! Belshazzar has taken Satan's tempting suggestions to conquer and plunder, allowing his sense of ambition at any cost, to drive him forward. God, however, has come to Israel's rescue and put a stop to the evil intentions of Belshazzar. The verses just previous have described Belshazzar's descent into the grave where he is met with surprised looks. Here in death he is not such a big cheese at all!
The prophet Isaiah explains: "All the kings of the nations lie in state, each in his own tomb." Many kings find honor in death. Their reputations were such that they are buried with respect, dignity and appreciation. "But you are cast out of your tomb like a rejected branch;"... Belshazzar is not honored. Isaiah uses the same imagery here that Christ used in John 15:6: "If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such brancehes are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned." Belshazzar's life accomplishments have not earned him any "points" with God. Quite to the contrary, Belshazzar is "cast out"--rejected from a godly inheritance. The end of any who become like "a rejected branch" is fire and burning! This clearly speaks of the doom and destruction of hell!
"...you are covered with the slain, with those pierced by the sword, those who descent to the stones of the pit." Belshazzar has climbed to fame on the backs of people he has killed. His hands are covered in their blood. He bears the weight of the many lives he has snuffed out, and that weight pushes him down to hell, to its very bottom, it seems, where the "stones" lay. In David's famous psalm of forgiveness sought, David cries out to be saved from what the scriptures call "bloodguiltiness." (Psalm 51:14: "Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.") But Belshazzar was not one to seek that forgiveness at all, and so the blood of his victims remains upon him and he is charged with bringing them to their death. What a weighty responsibility! "Like a corpse trampled underfoot,..." Again we see a picture of non-recognition in death. There is no noteriety in the passing of this wicked king--he is "stepped on", "trampled underfoot" by others more noble, more worthy than he. The one who murders and kills will find himself "underneath" those he killed after death: they are more worthy than the one who took their lives.
What a sad allottment to the memory of Belshazzar, to be known in infamy as a king who rebelled against God Almighty!
Prayer: Great God of heaven and hell, I tremble at Your power! You alone have the authority to seal us in the destiny that we alone have determined by our choices. We answer to You only, Father. Help me to live day by day with the realization that everything I choose has a bearing on how I will die! Amen.
Marcy Fearey : Judgment
05/13/2009, at 12:31 [ Reply ]
I was reading II Sam. 12:10-12 where God disciplines David for his adultery with Bathsheba. The indictment God proclaimed was that David 'despised the Lord.' What a way to view sin, not as an act of momentary pleasure, but as despising the Lord! God goes right to the heart of the problem. What was the result? The sword would not depart and evil would come from his house. The judgments of God seem harsh to David and to Belshazzar, but when you consider the root cause of the problem, it must be that way. Any choosing of the human, fleshly path over the way of God will result in the swift and commensurate judgment of God. Belshazzar reminds me of the poem 'Ozymadias' about a statue of a great ruler. An inscription on the statue attested to the fact of his greatness in deeds, but ironically, he was toppled in the desert decapitated and without arms or legs covered in sand. All the glory he thought he had was really nothing. Apart from God there is no meaning to life!