Owned By No Man

Feb. 14

Read: Daniel 5:13-30

Owned By No Man

“Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation.” (v.17)

The people of God have been set free from the shackles of worshipping other humans. We belong to none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot allow ourselves to be “bought” by anyone or anything. (We are not our own to sell.) When we begin to feel trapped or “owned” by another person or a situation, it is a sign that we are drifting from the truth of who the Lord is and what he is capable of. As Christians we are “owned by no man”.

Daniel understands this and rejects the attempts at the new king to coerce him. He refuses to be bought or co-opted by Belshazzar… he tells the king to keep his money and save his platitudes for someone else. Daniel did not want his gifts from the Lord intermingled with the fleeting treasures (or trappings) or man.

The truth is, we are ALL owned by God. We DO NOT all belong to him as his sons and daughters (by his choice), but every created and living thing is held together by HIM. He is “the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways…” (v.23) Our very life breath is in God’s hands. In this way, every living thing is owned by God. Pride and arrogance is really an attempt to step from God what belongs to him. Giving ourselves over to be “owned” by all these other empty things is forgetting who God truly is as the giver and sustainer of life. This is what this new king has done. God expects us to learn from the way that he has worked in those around us. Belshazzar should have known better… he had the example of his father to learn from. God is not as patient, gracious, or merciful with Belshazzar as he was with is father Nebuchadnezzar. It would appear that God had expectations for how Belshazzar would rule and treat the vessels of Jerusalem. In the end, the Lord tells Belshazzar “you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting.” (v.27) We will all be “weighed” someday in the balances.

God’s punishment was swift for the king. That very night the king was struck dead. I wonder what would happen if the consequences of our human decisions would come more swiftly in life? The scriptures declare that anyone who sets themselves up against God… functioning as if they are their own gods… will one day be destroyed. For many this process is drawn out. This is a testament to God’s patience, but make no mistake - there will always be a reckoning.

So…You and I - the people of God - we are owned by NO HUMAN; we belong only to the Lord. We must not sell ourselves out. We cannot allow out lives to be bought, consumed, or taken over by anything or anyone other than Christ. The desires of our flesh, the pleasures of this world, the empty promises of Satan… they will seek to draw us in. They want to try and lay claim to the miraculous work God has done and is doing in us. These earthly “kings” want to pretend that we work for them… but we DON’T. We work for THE LORD. We need to remind each other of this. When we feel trapped or owned by our job, our situations, or other people - we need to turn our eyes back upon Christ. It is the Most High God that rules over people… that includes your boss, spouse, neighbor, or any other person you may feel trapped by. God is the source of all that is; this includes the money and resources that you need. Remember this when you feel trapped by the fear of provision in the face of apparent “scarcity”. You have been set FREE in Christ Jesus. You have been given gifts from the Spirit. You have been empowered to use those gifts in this world around you and they can never be taken from you by any other person. Your very LIFE is a gift from God… do not give it away for the promise of a “gold chain, a purple robe, and a title.” Love you guys. - JDP