07/04/2018 CELEBRATION
LUKE 15:27 But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet…Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again: he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. [New International translation]
Daniel 5:1; 5:30 Belshazzar the king invited a thousand of his officers to a great feast where the wine flowed freely…..That very night Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed. [Living Bible translation]
Summary
There are a number of wonderful scriptures in the bible about celebrations. There is the parable about the lost son (Luke 15:11-31) who finds his way back home and the celebration that occurred when he returned to GOD and his family. There is another parable, also in Luke 15, about the lost sheep, and the celebration that occurred in the neighborhood when that one lost sheep was found. (Luke 15:3-6)
There is the celebration that occurred in the story in 2 Samuel 6:12, when David returned the Ark of the LORD to Jerusalem and with great celebration David danced before the LORD.
There is the celebration that occurred when Solomon completed the construction of the temple and offered 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep as a burnt offering.
Exodus 34:22 mentions a number of religious celebrations: the feast of weeks; the first fruit of wheat harvest, the feast of the ingatherings at the year’s end, celebrating how GOD blesses His people.
All of these celebrations remember and point to the GOODNESS, MERCY, GRACE of GOD
But, there are also some celebrations in the bible that ended “badly.” One of those celebrations is mentioned in book of Daniel.
According to Daniel, King Belshazzar had a celebration for himself and invited thousands. Perhaps he drank too much or wanted to show off or prove that he was as great as his father Nebuchadnezzar, but the celebration took a “wrong turn.” Remembering all the gold and silver that had been removed from the temple by his father, King Belshazzar ordered that all of those sacred cups and vessels be brought to him so that his guests, his princes, his wives and his concubines could use them to toast their idols gods. What occurred next was sobering. As they were drinking, suddenly the finger of a man’s hand appeared and began to write on the wall of the king’s palace. According to scripture, the king grew more and more hysterical (see Living Bible translation Daniel 5:9). Eventually, Daniel was called and interpreted the handwriting on the wall. Daniel said GOD had passed judgment and that very night the king died. In summary, it was a celebration that ended in a way the king never expected.
Celebrate Safely
July 4th is known for being a day of celebration. Some celebrate just having the day “off” from work. Some celebrate getting together with family and friends. Many people will travel. Many people will prepare “4th of July” foods to eat. Some will attend outdoor concerts or city organized fireworks displays. In “4th of July: Holiday or hazard?” Jeremy Samuel Faust, MD, MS, recommends exercising good judgment and being safe on “Independence” holidays.