“Daniel: The Wisdom of Senior Saints”
Daniel had the kind of godly wisdom
and insight that comes from a lifetime of listening to the Lord and following
Him. When we encounter Daniel in chapter five, he’s a senior saint of about 85
years of age. Pulled out of retirement, God recruits Daniel to bring His powerful
word to King Belshazzar. Wise persons are able to read the handwriting on the
wall. While living a long time does not guarantee that a person will be wise,
(You can be old and ignorant just as you can be young and dumb) what Job 12:12 asks is generally true. “Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not
long life bring understanding?”
This Sunday, May 1st at Carrollwood Baptist Church we will
celebrate the ministry of our senior saints during our special “Senior Saint Sunday.” The wisdom that
Daniel displayed is the kind of wisdom that all of us can exhibit as we listen
and follow after our Lord Jesus. You can find this Sunday’s Scripture passage
below. We invite you to worship with us this Sunday at CBC where “Everyone Is
Welcome!” Worship begins at 10:30 a.m.
If you are a senior saint and you haven’t signed up for dinner after worship,
please let us know as soon as possible. We want to make sure that you are
included in this very special time of fellowship.
Looking forward to worshiping our
Lord with the family of God this Sunday at CBC!
Pastor Joe
“I
thank my God every time I remember you.” Philippians 1:3
The Writing on the Wall
1 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of
his nobles and drank wine with them. 2 While Belshazzar was
drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that
Nebuchadnezzar his father[1] had taken
from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and
his concubines might drink from them. 3 So they brought in the
gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the
king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 As
they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron,
wood and stone.
5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on
the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king
watched the hand as it wrote. 6 His face turned pale and he was
so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.
7 The king summoned the enchanters, astrologers[2] and
diviners. Then he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this
writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold
chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in
the kingdom.”
8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not
read the writing or tell the king what it meant. 9 So King
Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles
were baffled.
10 The queen,[3] hearing
the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “May the
king live forever!” she said. “Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! 11 There
is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the
time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom
like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of
the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. 12 He did
this because Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a
keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret
dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he
will tell you what the writing means.”
13 So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to
him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I
have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight,
intelligence and outstanding wisdom. 15 The wise men and
enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it
means, but they could not explain it. 16 Now I have heard that
you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. If you
can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple
and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third
highest ruler in the kingdom.”
17 Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts for
yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the
writing for the king and tell him what it means.
Footnotes:
- Daniel 5:2 Or ancestor; or predecessor; also in
verses 11, 13 and 18
- Daniel 5:7 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 11
- Daniel 5:10 Or queen mother
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