Deadly Contempt For God

“Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.” (Daniel 5:3–4, NASB95)

There is a kind of rejection of God that reveals deep-seated contempt for God. It is not just intolerance but a visceral hatred for God. This kind of hatred for God is not only vocalized but demonstrated with deplorable acts. Paul describes these kinds of people in his letter to the church in Rome;

“And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” (Romans 1:28–32, NASB95)

Belshazzar was a God hater, but why? Because of his sinful arrogance. He had no room for God or any other authority in his life. This pseudo king held a huge party for over a thousand people to boast of his greatness, though he had not accomplished anything great. In his drunkenness, he acted in a way that any normal pagan kings wouldn’t act; he arrogantly defamed the God of Israel. Pagan kings would take implements of worship from their enemies to show their god’s superiority over the gods of their enemies. It was improper to desecrate those holy implements unless they wanted to show their disdain for their enemies and, by extension, the gods of their enemies. Belshazzar took the holy vessels of Yahweh that Nebuchadnezzar captured and used them as worship tools for his false gods and idols to arrogantly show his supremacy over Yahweh. The outcome was judgment and a death sentence from the Holy God.

Man has been given a holy vessel, his own body that is created in God’s image, Imago Dei. We are to use these bodies for God’s glory and are called to Love God and worship Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and live (Lk. 10:27-27). It is a sin to take your holy vessel and use it to worship yourself or the gods of this world. Like Belshazzar, there are many that hold God incompetent and therefore live in arrogant sin as described in Romans. Note Paul’s statement, “that those who practice such things are worthy of death.” Some will say, “I don’t hate God; I just reject His authority over me.” This is the same as hating God. You will both love Him and serve Him, or you hate Him and reject His authority; there is no neutral position. The day that Belshazzar committed his great sacrilege, the handwriting on the wall declaring his fate, which is death.

May we all take heed to God’s response to man’s arrogant sin, which is really contempt for God. Those who live in such a way will die. And yet Paul also writes, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, NASB95) Do you love God or hate Him. What do you choose this day, to love God and live or hate God and die? Make the right choice. God has the gift of life for you if you will humble yourself, receive His forgiveness, love Him, and then you will live.


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