少儿圣经故事:但以理(四)/Daniel Lesson 4

??Introduction：Do you like to go to parties？Maybe you like birthday parties best, or Christmas or New Year's parties. Well, today won't you join me for a different kind of party right in the palace of the king of Babylon!

??Can you imagine that we would see such rich decorations, and elegantly clothed people, and oh! Imagine the delicious food! The Bible tells us in Daniel Chapter 5 that King Belshazzar had made a great feast for a thousand of his lords. This was a big party! But sad to say, it was not the kind of party you and I would have enjoyed, for the people were doing very foolish things. The Bible indicates they were drinking lots of wine, which caused them to say and do sinful things.

??The servants were commanded by King Belshazzar to bring the golden and silver vessels 1 that King Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple of the true and living God in Jerusalem. King Belshazzar was King Nebuchadnezzar's son or grandson, and although he knew about the true and living God, he had chosen to worship idols 2. As the king and all his lords and ladies drank wine from the holy vessels from the Lord's house,

??the Bible says they "praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass 3, of iron, of wood, and of stone." How foolish to worship the things God has made, rather than to glorify 4 the God Who made all things!

??Main Teaching：If you know the Lord Jesus, remember：God wants you to glorify Him! To glorify God means to praise and worship Him, to brag 5 on Him and give Him thanks for the things He has made, and the wonderful things He has done! As believers in the Lord Jesus, we know that all we have, and all that we are, is a grace gift from the Lord. Let's say our Bible memory verse for today：I Corinthians 6：20, "For ye are bought with a price：therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." In all that we do and all that we say, God should be lifted up. If we brag, we should brag on God and not ourselves. If you know the Lord Jesus, remember：God wants you to glorify Him!

??How foolish for King Belshazzar to worship the things God made, rather than to glorify the God Who made all things! Daniel 5：5 says, "In the same hour came forth 6 fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace：and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

??Suddenly the party was over! The king's proud face changed to fear, and he was so frightened, his knees knocked together. He called for his astrologers, his Chaldeans, all his wise men of Babylon to come quickly. "Whoever can read this writing on the wall and tell me what it means shall be clothed with scarlet 7, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom." But none of the king's wisemen could figure out this strange writing nor what it meant. Now the king was even more frightened and troubled. He must have known this message was bad news, but what could it be？The king's mother or grandmother came in and gave the king some very good advice. She reminded the king that there was a man of great wisdom who had served under King Nebuchadnezzar. He had revealed dreams and given such wise counsel to King Nebuchadnezzar that the king had made him master of his wise men. Can you guess the name of this wise man？The queen mother said, "Now let Daniel be called, and he will show you what this message is."

??Don't you wonder why King Belshazzar had not been seeking Daniel's good counsel before now？When Daniel came before the king, the king said, "Are you that Daniel from the captives of Judah that King Nebuchadnezzar brought out？I have heard that there is excellent wisdom in you. If you can read this writing on the wall and tell me what it means, you shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold around your neck, and you shall be the third ruler in the kingdom."

??Then Daniel answered the king："Let your gifts be to yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to you and tell you what it means. O king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom, and majesty 8, and glory, and honor. Because of all the power God gave your father, all people, nations, and languages trembled and feared before King Nebuchadnezzar. Whoever he wanted to kill, he killed. Whoever he wanted to keep alive, he kept alive. But when the king's heart was lifted up and his mind hardened in pride, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. He became like a beast, and even lived in the field, eating grass like a beast, until he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men and

??that it was God that appoints over kingdoms whomever He will."

??Main Teaching：Daniel called God "the most high God." God is sovereign, which means He rules over all, and He deserves our glory and praise. If you know the Lord Jesus, remember：God wants you to glorify Him! God says He is the potter, and we are just the pieces of clay. Can the clay form itself？Of course not! God says He is the wise potter Who made you, gives you life and breath, and has a wonderful plan for your life. Part of that plan is that we should glorify Him! When you pray and read your Bible, seeking to know God and obey Him, you are glorifying 9 Him. When you brag on God and not yourself, you are bringing glory to God. Singing praise and talking to others about the wonderful things God has done brings glory to God. Remember our Bible verse in I Corinthians 6：20, "For ye are bought with a price：therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." If you know the Lord Jesus, remember：God wants you to glorify Him!

??Daniel was careful to glorify God, calling Him the "most high God" that rules over all.

??Daniel reminded King Belshazzar that even though he knew all the things that happened to King Nebuchadnezzar because of his pride, yet Belshazzar had not humbled 10 himself to give glory to the most high God. Daniel said, "You have praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know：and the God in whose hand your breath is, and whose are all your ways, you have not glorified 11."

??Gospel：Have you glorified the God Who holds your breath in His hand？He is the true and living God Who created you and all things. Jeremiah says that God loves you with an everlasting 12 love. He wants you to be with Him forever, that's why He made sure you saw this lesson today! God is perfect and holy, without sin and so is His Heaven. You and I were born with a problem called sin that separates us from God and His forever home in Heaven. Sin is when you break God's laws, and one example is when you do not glorify God. God knows about your sin, but in His great love He sent the only solution to your sin problem. When Jesus, God's perfect Son, came to earth from Heaven, He came to pay the price for your sin. What was that price？It was to give His precious blood and life. Jesus willingly did that when He allowed wicked men to nail Him to the wooden cross. Remember our verse for today？I Corinthians 6：20 "For ye are bought with a price：" Jesus paid that price for you, so you would never have to suffer the everlasting punishment of being in hell. Three days after Jesus died, He rose from the dead, and now the Lord Jesus is alive in Heaven. He is ready to forgive your sin and save you when you ask Him. Your salvation 13, your life, and your very breath are all a gift from God. He created you to glorify Him.

??Daniel told Belshazzar that He had not glorified the God who had given him his very breath. And then Daniel read the mysterious message written on the palace wall. The writing was：MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. What could those strange words mean？Daniel knew precisely 14 what they meant and he explained them for the king. MENE：God has numbered your kingdom and finished it. TEKEL：You are weighed in the balances and found wanting. PERES：Your kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

??Daniel told Belshazzar he did not please the Lord, and his kingdom was going to be taken from him and given to the Medes and Persians. Belshazzar probably did not dream it would be that very night. History books tell us that even as the lavish 15 party was going on in the palace, the enemy armies were digging a trench 16 and draining the river that ran under the high, thick strong walls of Babylon. Their clever plan worked, and the army was able to come under the walls using the drained river bed. That very night the Bible says Belshazzar was killed and Darius the Mede took over the great kingdom of Babylon, just as God had shown Daniel.

??If only Belshazzar had learned to give glory to the true and living God! What a sad but true story. What about you？??Challenge：If you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior from sin, will you remember this week to give glory to God？Why not write your Bible verse from I Corinthians 6：20

??on a strip of paper and use it for your Bible marker this week. Reading your Bible and praying daily will help you know what God wants you to do. Obeying His Word, singing songs of praise, and telling others the wonderful things God has done are ways you can glorify God this week! Did God help you pass a test？Did He protect you and provide all you needed this week？Then praise and thank Him for it, giving Him all the glory!

??Invitation：If you have never believed on the Lord Jesus, then you can never please and glorify Him. Why not go right now to "How To Be a Child of God" and find out how to have your sins forgiven and become His child today. Then you too can begin to do exactly what you were created to do：glorify God your Creator!

??你喜欢去聚会吗？可能你最喜欢生日聚会, 或圣诞节或新年聚会。好不好，我们今天一起去参加一个在巴比伦王宫举行的另外一种聚会!

??你能想象一下我们将见到富丽堂皇的装饰以及穿着典雅的人吗？还有，哇，想象一下那美味可口的食物!圣经在但以理书第五章里告诉我们伯沙撒王为他的一千个大臣大摆宴席。这是一个盛大的聚会!但很遗憾, 这不是你我想参加的那种聚会, 因为那些人都做很愚昧的事。圣经说他们喝着许多酒, 导致他们行为和言语犯罪。伯沙撒王命令仆人拿来尼布甲尼撒王从耶路撒冷真神的圣殿掠来的金银器皿。伯沙撒王是尼布甲尼撒王的儿子或孙子, 虽然他知道那又真又活的神, 他却选择拜偶像。

??当王和他的大臣用从圣殿里掠来的器皿喝酒时，圣经说他们“称赞金，银, 铜, 铁, 木头, 和石头所造的神。"去敬拜神所造的, 而不是敬拜那创造万物的神是多么愚蠢啊。

??主要教导：如果你认识主耶稣, 你要记住：神要你荣耀他!荣耀神就是赞美和敬拜他，夸耀他，为他所创造的万物和他所做的奇事感谢他！作为主耶稣的信徒, 我们知道我们所拥有的, 并且我们所成为的, 都是主的恩典。

??我们今天的背诵经节是哥林多前书6：20, "因为你们是重价买来的，所以要在你们的身子上荣耀神。" 我们所做并且我们所说的, 都要使神被高举。如果我们自夸, 我们应该以神为夸耀而不是我们自己。如果你认识主耶稣, 记住：神要你荣耀他!

??多么愚蠢的伯沙撒王，他敬拜神所造的，而不去荣耀创造万物的神!

??但以理书5：5说, “当时，忽有人的指头显出，在王宫与灯台相对的粉墙上写字。王看见写字的指头。”突然之间这个聚会要结束了!王骄傲的面孔变成恐惧, 并且他是如此害怕, 以至双膝彼此相碰，他吩咐将用法术的和迦勒底人并观兆的领进来，对巴比伦的哲士说：“谁能读这文字，把讲解告诉我，他必身穿紫袍，项带金链，在我国中位列第三。”但是王的一切哲士都不能读那文字，也不能把讲解告诉王。

??伯沙撒王就甚惊惶，脸色改变。他知道这一定是个坏消息, 但是这是个什么样的坏消息呢？王的母亲或祖母进来给国王提了一些非常好建议。她提醒国王在尼布甲尼撒王手下曾有一位非常有智慧的人。他能解梦，也能给尼布甲尼撒王各样智慧的建议。尼布甲尼撒王就让他管理他的哲士。你能猜出这个有智慧的人的名字吗？

??太后说, "现在让人把但以理叫来, 他将告诉你这文字的意思。"你想不想知道，为什么在此之前伯沙撒王没有寻问但以理的建议？当但以理来到国王面前, 国王说, "你就是被尼布甲尼撒王所俘掳的犹太人但以理吗？我听说你有惊人的智慧。现在你若能读这文字，把讲解告诉我，就必身穿紫袍，项戴金链，在我国中位列第三。”

??但以理回答说：“你的赠品可以归你自己，你的赏赐可以归给别人；我却要为王读这文字，把讲解告诉王。王啊，至高的神曾将国位、大权、荣耀、威严赐与你父尼布甲尼撒，因神所赐他的大权，各方、各国、各族的人都在他面前战兢恐惧。他可以随意生杀，随意升降。但他心高气傲，灵也刚愎，甚至行事狂傲，就被革去王位，夺去荣耀。他被赶出离开世人，他的心变如兽心，与野驴同居，吃草如牛，等他知道至高的神在人的国中掌权，凭自己的意旨立人治国。

??主要教导：

??但以理称神为“至高神”，神是至高的，就是神统管万有，他配得我们的荣耀和赞美。如果你认识主耶稣，请记住：神要你荣耀他！神说他是窑匠, 而我们只是泥土.泥土能塑造它自己吗？当然不能!神说他是聪明的窑匠, 他造了你, 给你生命和气息, 并且对你的生命有一个奇妙的计划.那计划的一部分就是我们应当荣耀他!当你祷告和读经时, 为要努力认识和顺服他时, 你就是在荣耀神.当你以神为夸口的, 而不是夸耀自己时, 你在归荣耀给神.歌颂赞美神和向人讲述神的奇妙作为也是在归荣耀给神。

??记住我们的圣经经句哥林多前书6：20, "因为你们是重价买来的，所以要在你们的身子上荣耀神" .如果你认识主耶稣, 请记住：神要你荣耀他!但以理很认真的荣耀神, 称神为统管万有的至高神.但以理提醒伯沙撒王, 虽然伯沙撒王知道尼布甲尼撒王因自傲而发生的一切事, 但他并没有谦卑自己而归荣耀给至高神.但以理说："你又赞美那不能看、不能听、无知无识、金、银、铜、铁、木、石所造的神，却没有将荣耀归与那手中有你气息，管理你一切行动的神。"

??福音：

??你是否归荣耀给那手中有你气息的神了哪？他是那造了你和万物的又真又活的神.耶利米说神以永远的爱爱你.他要你和他永远在一起, 这就是他让你今天听到这一课的原因.神是圣洁无瑕疵无罪的, 天堂也是这样.你我都是带罪而生的人, 罪使我们与神和天堂永远分离.罪就是你违背神的律法, 一个例子就是你没有荣耀神.神知道你的罪, 但是因他的大爱, 他为你的罪开了一条出路.主耶稣, 神的完美无瑕疵的儿子, 从天上来到地上, 他为你的罪付上了重价.是什么重价呢？那就是他的宝血和生命。当耶稣允许罪人把他钉到十字架上时，他是情愿那样做的。还记得我们今天的经节吗？

??哥林多前书6：20, "因为你们是重价买来的。”耶稣为你付上了那重价，以至于你能免于地狱的永远的刑罚。在耶稣死了三天以后，他从死里复活，现在主耶稣住在天上。当你求他时，他随时准备饶恕你的罪。你的得救，你的生命，以至于你的气息都是神的赐予。他造你是要你荣耀他。

??但以理告诉尼布甲尼撒他没有荣耀那赐给他气息的神。然后但以理读写在宫墙上的神秘信息。所写的文字是：弥尼，弥尼，提客勒，乌法珥新。这些奇怪的话是什么意思哪？但以理精确的知道那话的意思并且讲诉给王听。弥尼，就是神已经数算你国的年日到此完毕；提客勒，就是你被称在天平里，显出你的亏欠；勒斯（注：与“乌法珥新”同义），就是你的国分裂，归与玛代人和波斯人。”但以理告诉伯沙撒他没有使神喜悦，所以他的王国将要从他手中夺取并交给玛代人和波斯人。伯沙撒可能做梦也没想到这就发生在当夜。历史书告诉我们就在这个盛大宴会在王宫进行时，敌军在挖壕沟把巴比仑高大的坚固墙底下的河水放掉。他们的计划成功了，敌军通过排干的河床从墙下进来。圣经说伯沙撒当夜被杀，玛代人大利乌统治了巴比伦王国，正如神向但以理显示的。如果伯沙撒知道将荣耀归给那又真又活得神就好了。多么让人难过的真实故事啊。你觉得呢？

??挑战：

??如果你知道主耶稣是使你脱离罪的救主，这一周你会记得将荣耀归给神吗？何不将你的圣经经节哥林多前书6∶20写在一个纸条上作为你这一周的圣经书签。每天读经和祷告会帮助你知道神要你做什么。顺从神的话，歌颂他，和告诉别人神的奇妙作为都是你在这一周里能荣耀神的事。神有帮助你通过一个考试吗？神是否保守你并供应你这一周的需要呢？那么就赞美和感谢神吧，并将荣耀都归给神。

??邀请：

??如果你从来没有相信过主耶稣，那么你永远也不会荣耀他和讨他的喜悦。为什么不现在就去看看“怎样成为神的孩子”，看如何使你的罪被饶恕，今天就成为他的孩子。然后你也能开始做你被造所当作的：荣耀神你的创造者。