The New Bereans

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Marvel not that I said this unto thee, ye must be born again.   – John 3:5-7

He only gets one chapter of scripture dedicated to him.  His exploits were scandalous, but only to those with an eye to discern.  He certainly lived in the shadow of others, yet he earns a judgment from on high rarely witnessed.  As a matter of fact, the judgment he receives is almost entirely unique.

His name was Belshazzar.  His great sin…a party.  However, this festive occasion was unlike anything ever witnessed on earth.  In a cosmic effort to not just keep up with the Joneses, but rather flatten any chance of their future competition.  Belshazzar breaks out the furniture stolen from the temple in Jerusalem prior to the Jewish captivity in Babylon.  Those in attendance drank wine from the temple vessels and carelessly caroused; slaking their lusts with the items that Hebrews calls, “Shadow(s) of heavenly things.₁”

What could be so wrong?  Does not God want his blessings on display for the world to see?  Would you not marvel, walking into the great dining hall and seeing the altar of sacrifice, with its blood tipped horns?  Would you not think that maybe the King would find a degree of purification by washing his hands in the laver?  What about the menorah?  Its light would add a great degree of needed direction to a dark kingdom!

Unfortunately, for poor Belshazzar, things are about to get serious.  With a great need for a new pair of pants and with his knees knocking, his party face turns a pale retched sickly color as he witnesses one of the single most unique events in the entire Bible.  A hand, disconnected from any other apparatus, begins to write on the wall.  After a series of events, our man Daniel tells Belshazzar what just happened.  God had decided that He was done with Belshazzar, as a matter of fact, He was done with Babylon.  He had been weighed, measured, and found WANTING…to top it all off the kingdom was going to be divided.  As to be expected, Belshazzar was slain that very night.  I guess he probably really didn’t want to know what that mean old hand had to say after all did he?

Before our eyes glaze over with the repetition of a popular passage of scripture, I think it is worth noting that, to the untrained eye, Belshazzar had all the accoutrements and trappings of religion in his possession.  They were on display for everyone to see.  To the modern “Christian,” I think this concept could fly past blind eyes.  How happy we can be if we externally display our religion like a peacock, just to find that it is all feather and fluff.  We can have all the right things to say, and can have all our pet doctrines, a license plate that says “Sav3d,” or a bumper sticker warning of the rapture.  You may even be the happiest person in the world and tell everyone you know that it was Jesus that made you so, and if they would just accept Jesus they could be happy too.  Happy just…like…you.

I would define the trappings of Christianity as the fruits of the Spirit, if I could do so with absolute reverence.  However, the strange thing about the fruits of the Spirit, “Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, and faith,” is that they can be imitated.  Not a single one of these fruits are exclusive to Christianity.  I know some people are shouting at me right now…wondering how I could possibly suggest such a thing.  You may even be reaching up to delete Newbereans.com from your bookmark list.  Please just bear with me a moment longer.

The problem with Belshazzar’s usage of the temple vessels was that they were used from a wrong motivation and most assuredly in the wrong context, and not according to the divine “pattern ₂” God had established, not to mention they were used in a sinful fashion.  The Bible calls believers the temple of the Holy Spirit in 1st Corinthians 3:16.  In order for the fruits of the Spirit to work according to the dictates of the Spirit, that fruit has to be budding in a Temple.  Just like the furniture was only meant to be used in the ancient Temple.  This process has to be done according to Gods pre-ordained pattern.  In order to be the temple of the Spirit you first have to be born again.  You must become a new creation in Christ, all the old things must pass and you must be made new.  Without this authentic step through the narrow gate, all the “trappings” will quickly fade; your leaves will whither away if you were not really born again.  This process is spiritual and must be so according to Gods pattern. If this progression of new birth is circumvented, the most terrifying truth is that we can actually pretend to be Christians our entire lives and all that will await us is the same sentiment afforded to Belshazzar. Weighed…measured…wanting.  How is this possible?  Because in the king’s court there was no blood, there was no sacrifice there was no priest, worst of all there was no kabod, and without any of these, there is certainly no atonement.

The furniture has to be in the Temple, under the blood, and washed clean by spirit and water, then and only then will the fruits of the spirit be nourished in a proper fashion.  The only way you can be not weighed, measured and found wanting is to be in Christ.  Marvel not that this has been said unto thee.

1.Hebrews 8:5

2. Hebrews 9:21-23