Daniel chapter five finds Daniel, still standing.  Most historical records put chapter five in the neighborhood of sixty-nine years after Daniel was taken from Judah to Babylon as a young man.  So, at this point, Daniel was likely at least in his early eighties.  Because of the faithfulness of Daniel and his friends, God had brought the great King Nebuchadnezzar to acknowledge Him.  However, the new king, Belshazzar, hated the God of the Hebrews.  And, on this particular night he flagrantly defied the Lord.  When God sent a hand to announce Belshazzar's judgment, the queen mother advised him to bring in the prophet Daniel.  Daniel had apparently been neglected and never called upon to counsel Belshazzar, but under the circumstances, the king heeded the queen's advice and brought in Daniel. Now, if you've been a longtime faithful Fence Posts reader you might remember how I have written before that I always imagine some kind of awesome theme music when Elijah made his first appearance in the Bible.  (You know, something like the opening riff to .38 Special's "Hold on Loosely" or pretty much anything from the Rocky IV soundtrack.)  Well, this is another one of those times for me.  The old prophet Daniel's peace and quiet were interrupted by the desperate summons from a reprobate king whose defiance of the Lord had been called to account.  I imagine that the palace doors opened and Daniel was announced.  Maybe the humble, honest face of Daniel appeared as the herald moved to the side, and he approached the distraught king.  There may have been some older courtiers and dignitaries present who remembered Daniel from the days of Nebuchadnezzar.  I imagine that they felt the weight of their sin for the first time in a long time in the presence of the Lord's man who constantly walked through danger, but was unfailingly carried safely by the hand of God Himself.

Belshazzar informed Daniel that he would reward him with clothing of purple, a gold necklace and authority as the third highest ruler in the kingdom if he would explain the writing on the wall.  The first words out of Daniel's mouth were as follows:  "Keep your gifts for yourself, or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him."  That gets better every time I read it.  Daniel, unimpressed with the royal gifts, respectfully declined what every other person in the room would probably have sold his soul for.  Daniel explained the inscription to Belshazzar and told him, in verse 23, that his destruction was coming because although he had been aware of God, he had not acknowledged Him.  (That should sound familiar [Romans 1:21].)

Gentlemen, like Daniel, we have been called by the Lord to keep standing.  Throughout Daniel's life and three different kings, one constant in Babylon was the man of God.  Daniel stood for decades because he honored the Lord and refused to bow to any other god.  Don't be another "man" who looks at Daniel and says "I wish".  Take God at His Word.