The Night Disco Died

Belshazzar’s parties were famous.  He was a noted party giver in the sixth century BC.  If anybody knew how to throw a party, it was Belshazzar.  One night while his father was away on military maneuvers, Belshazzar decided to have a gala affair.  He invited everybody who was anybody to come to the palace, over a thousand people came.  He had the affair catered by the best caterer in the kingdom.  He had wine and booze on every table, and the glasses of his guests were never empty.

Belshazzar was a playboy who had more wives and concubines than Mickey Rooney.  Though, I doubt he had more wives and concubines than King Solomon. That king had three hundred wives and seven hundred concubines.  Can you imagine having three hundred mothers-in-law and seven hundred suspicious girlfriends’ fathers?

Belshazzar was the son of Nabonidis, son of Nebuchadnezzar and coregent of the nation of Babylon.  While his father was a military leader, his son was a mooch who had not worked a day in his entire miserable life.  An alcoholic and noted braggart thrilled at the opportunity to show off his power and riches.  This night would be the beginning of his end.

That night, while the thousand lords and their wives were getting smashed Belshazzar ordered his servants to go to the storehouse where were stored the golden and silver vessels taken from the temple of the Jews when they captured Israel.

“Go, bring those gold cups from the storehouse.  Tonight we drink out of gold and silver cups, no more pottery.  Tonight we live it up.  Everybody dance til you drop.”

It wasn’t bad enough the entire kingdom was blitzed; they were drinking booze out of cups dedicated to the Lord God, and while drinking they praised their gods made of gold, silver, brass and iron, wood and stone.

Everybody had a buzz, and there was so much laughter and shouting one could hardly hear the hundred piece orchestra playing Disco in the hall.  Oh what a night, the people are dancing and praising inanimate gods.

“This is a great party your Highness.”  “You sure know how to throw a party your Highness.”  “Could we again get this band to play  next year your Magnificence?”  The compliments were flowing like sweet nectar over a sun tanned bathing beauty’s back.  All was well at the palace.  The band, BGs (Belshazzar’s Gods), was playing crazy, way out dance tunes while the guests swayed to the beat, girl in one hand and a gold goblet filled with booze in the other.

“What a party Bel, you sure know how to throw a good bash.”

“Drink up everybody, when Belshazzar drinks everybody drinks,” the King said raising his golden cup.  “Hic.”

The King was close to drunken oblivion when all of a sudden on the wall over by the candlestick, a man’s hand appeared.  It wrote something on the wall, and it wasn’t “Having a good time, wish you were here.”  The King saw the hand and sobered up real quick.  He was so scared his knees knocked.  Now that is scared my friends; the old King James said, “his knees smote one against the other.”  This guy was some upset.  This was also the first recorded reference to finger painting in history.

“You guys see…that…that…hand…over there?”  He asked.  “Go get the astrologers and wizards.”

Lot of convincing astrologers and wizards could do to interpret something God Himself wrote.  The devil may not be stupid, but he can not read God’s mind.

“We’ve got no idea Your Lordship,” they replied.  “It’s all Greek to us.”

“Whoever tells me what that writing says I’ll make him the third ruler of this kingdom.”  That would be quite an honor.  The only problem with that as they would only get to rule about an hour before the Medes and Persians stormed the palace and took over.

Belshazzar’s countenance greatly changed.  Don’t be too harsh on the King, your countenance would change too if you had seen a hand appear out of nowhere and write on your wall.

Now the Queen mother got a message to come to the palace.  She came, at his bidding, but did not try to console her grandson; instead she told him of an old man who has favor with the gods, favor with God.  She said his name was given by her husband Nebuchadnezzar, Belteshazzar,  but his given name was Daniel.  The King sent for Daniel.  He would try anything at this point even listening to an old Jewish man brought to Babylon in the captivity by his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar.

“What does that writing say, the one over on the wall there by the candlestick?” He asked Daniel.

“Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin,”  Daniel said.   Sounds like meany, meany tickle the parson.

“Because you knew better than to drink out of the cups sanctified for the Lord’s service, and praised other gods while doing it, this is the interpretation.  Mene is, God has numbered your kingdom and finished it.  Tekel, thou art weighed in the balances and found wanting.  Peres, thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.

The party was over.  In one night, King Belshazzar managed to undo all that his grandfather had taken years to do.  He lost the kingdom to the Medes and Persians that night.  Darius the Median took the kingdom and killed Belshazzar.  Darius was sixty two years old. My goodness, that’s retirement age.  That puts him in the same league as Colonel Sanders of KFC fame, he made his fortune after he retired.

The party ended that night; the lords were sent home; the palace cleaned up, and the band never played another gig.  That was truly the night Disco died.

“Be not deceived: God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap, for he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”  (Gal 6:7,8)

by- George Davis