Loosing the Loins of Kings

I have so many good memories associated with the kids’ Daniel Bible study.  Chapter 5 really captivated them – especially in light of Isaiah’s prophecy about Cyrus.

It is I who says of Cyrus, “He is My shepherd!

And he will perform all My desire.”

And he declares of Jerusalem, “She will be built,”

And of the temple, “Your foundation will be laid.”

Thus says Yahweh to Cyrus His anointed,

Whom I have taken by the right hand,

To subdue nations before him

And I will loose the loins of kings;

To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:

“I will go before you and make the rough places smooth;

I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars.

I will give you the treasures of darkness

And hidden wealth of secret places,

So that you may know that it is I,

Yahweh, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.

 

Those verses are packed, aren’t they?  They blow my mind every time I read them.  God gave this prophecy to Isaiah about a hundred years before Judah was even taken captive, and then tack another 70 years of captivity onto that before Cyrus comes on the scene.  This prophecy was given to Isaiah, but it wasn’t  about Assyria, their current threat.  Or Babylon, the next one.  It’s the one after that! I want to focus on that little clause, “I will loose the loins of kings,” and what it reveals about God. Any fan of Chuck Missler knows what “loose the loins of kings” means.  When that pipsqueak Belshazzar got his comeuppance, he was so terrified he pooped his pants.   At a banquet where he was poking his finger in God’s eye. Daniel doesn’t tell us that, Isaiah does.  More than 150 years before it happens.  It just makes me giggle.

As you can imagine, the kids loved that story.

They loved it so much we talked about doing a movie of that scene.  I think Josh was going to be Daniel, and I don’t remember who was going to be Cyrus.  But Christopher was so excited about being Belshazzar with his knees knocking together and then, “Oops!” He was born for that role.

And Annie was going to be his mum, the queen. “I knew Nebuchadnezzar, and you, sir, are no Nebuchadnezzar! You little pompous upstart, you’d better consult Daniel if you know what’s good for you!” She could scold as only a big sister can scold.

We had high hopes for that little movie, but portraying the handwriting on the wall held us back.  How do you show God’s awesome power in a little home movie? Well, about that time, I was flipping channels and found inspiration.  Isn’t the photo at the top of the post melodramatic perfection?  It’s Nimrod from a 1966 movie, The Bible: In the Beginning.

We got a green screen, and we were going to try to do it in the style of a campy silent movie from the ‘20s. It wouldn’t be J.J. Abrams and Industrial Light and Magic, but maybe we could make it fun. Long story short, we never did it.

But I’ve never gotten it out of my head, and now I’m writing a book about Daniel.  In it I hope to give you a glimpse of Yahweh the way I saw Him in Daniel 5.  He’s holy, righteous, and perfect, of course, but along the way He’s also got a great sense of humor. He takes delight in His interactions with His people.

In Daniel 5, Daniel has faithfully served God all his days.  He’s nearing the end of his life, and it seems he’s been put on the shelf by the Babylonian empire.  This upstart brat of a regent is thumbing his nose at God, drinking out of the temple vessels while toasting the gods of gold, silver, iron, bronze, wood, and stone. Boom.

God enters the scene, stage left. He steps in at the perfect time and in the perfect way to humble Belshazzar, and He brings Daniel back into the picture to be a part of it.  That’s a Cecil B. de Mille moment in history.

This still from the movie is what I think of when I imagine Belshazzar thumbing his nose at Yahweh.    And that’s just the beginning of Daniel’s second act.  Just imagine his excitement at seeing the fulfillment of the Cyrus prophecy. But wait, there’s more!  In one of his visions, Daniel learns how precious he is to God.

“O man of high esteem, do not be afraid. Peace be with you.  Take courage and be courageous.”

The word translated high esteem is chemdah in Hebrew. It means beloved, precious, favored.  That’s what the angel called Daniel.  That brings tears to my eyes every time I think about it.