EP 19: Unlikely Women
This week, we are kicking off a series on women in the Word. To get us started, today we are taking a look at two unlikely women in the Old Testament- Belshazzar's Queen and the Medium of Endor. These unlikely women have one thing in common and we are going to take a look at what exactly that is and how it applies to our understanding of who God is. Buckle up, Sister. You're in for an interesting ride!
Review of the Week
First up, though, is the review of the week! This week’s review of the week was a sweet surprise! It comes from my friend Jeanette Tapley and she says, “So full of thanks for this podcast! I love the truth that Elle brings and how she is bringing us straight to God’s Word. And helping us to grow in our faith and relationship with Him!” Thank you, precious sister and friend, for taking the time to encourage me in such a kind and thoughtful way. I am so thankful to know you and for the fact that you are a part of the Daughter of Delight community!
Unlikely Women
Alright, now let’s get to those stories. Today, I am going to tell you the story of Belshazzar’s Queen in Daniel 5 and the Medium of En-dor in 1 Samuel 28. If you are over there thinking, “Ummm this sounds like Lord of the Rings”, you are not alone! Fun fact: We do not learn the first names of these unlikely women. But, here is what we do know: God reveals what He wants us to know within His Word, so apparently their first names don’t matter and I’m good with that.
Unlikely Woman #1: Belshazzar's Queen
Let’s kick things off with the story of Daniel 5 and Belshazzar’s Queen. To set the scene for her entrance, it’s important that we start at the beginning of Daniel 5 and make our way to her appearance in verse 10. If you have your Bible near you, go ahead and grab it and open up to Daniel 5. I have a feeling you are going to want to take some notes because this is one wild story. So buckle up, buttercup, and let’s dive on in.
A SPECIAL NOTE
If you are unfamiliar with Belshazzar, he is said to have been the grandson of the great Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar. Belshazzar’s immediate father was Nabonidus, but as we read through Daniel 5 together today you will hear the text label Nebuchadnezzar as his father instead. This is because it was not unusual at the time for the terms ”father” and “son” to be used as equivalents for “predecessor” and “successor”.Something else to make note of before we start reading is that, contrary to his grandfather, Belshazzar never acknowledged God as the One true God.
A Feast For A Thousand
Alright, let’s look at Daniel 5:1. It says, “King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand.”Okay, cool, the king threw a feast. So what? Well, let me tell you! At the same time this feast took place, Darius the Mede had laid siege to Belshazzar’s kingdom. You see, Belshazzar was completely confident that his city could withstand the siege, so, with his enemy at the gates, the king feasted with his lords and indulged in an excess of wine in their presence, ready to party the night away.
THe Sacred Vessels
Once he tasted the wine, Belshazzar called for the sacred vessels which had been brought from Jerusalem so that he, "his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them". We have a pretty good understanding of King Belshazzar at this point. Rather than acknowledging God as the one true God, Belshazzar had a god complex of his own. Looking at verse 4, we see, “They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone” (ESV). This act alone, using the vessels to worship the false gods of Babylon, tells us that he treated God as inferior. He was also overconfident instead of overcautious, which is a terrible trait for any leader to have. I mean, can you imagine being so confident that you would win a fight against someone that you decided to party and drink the night away the same night the enemy stood at the gates of your city? A false sense of pride and self-sufficiency undoubtedly dominated this dinner party. And the careless king would soon come to regret it.
An Unexpected Guest
Here’s where things get a little weird. At this point in the story, an unexpected guest shows up to the feast. Let’s take a look at verses 5-9:5 Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. 6 Then the king's color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. 7 The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared[b] to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed, and his lords were perplexed.
The Wise Men of Babylon
As if the night was not already interesting enough at this point, the fingers of a human hand appear--quite literally out of nowhere--and write on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace. And no one can read it! Belshazzar is extremely freaked out at this point. He was probably on the edge of passing out. Verse 6 even tells us the king’s color changed. Belshazzar did not know what else to do except to call for the wise men of Babylon. To the king, wise men were people like enchanters, Chaldeans and astrologers. Once they arrived, Belshazzar made it abundantly clear that he needed a translation and the person who could translate what had been written would be given royal clothing, a gold chain and the position of third ruler in the kingdom. But none of the wise men of Babylon could do it. I can only imagine how Belshazzar felt at this moment. Shaken up, yes, but he also probably felt like a fool. Not only did he have an existing threat outside of his walls but he also seemed to have a threat inside of his walls now, too. Some king, am I right?
The Unlikely Queen's Sudden Appearance
I told you we needed to work our way up to the queen’s entrance, and we have finally made it! Ready to meet Queen Belshazzar? Take a look at verses 10-12 with me:10 The queen,[c] because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, “O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods.[d] In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, 12 because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation."The Unlikely Queen's SuGGESTIONThe queen had not been at the feast, but she probably overheard the terrified voices of Belshazzar and those at the feast. This is the only time we will meet and hear from the queen, so let’s pay careful attention to detail here.Once she entered the banquet hall, the queen told Belshazzar about Daniel. “There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods...Now, let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation” (Daniel 5:11a,12b)
Was the Queen Saved?
We don’t know much about the queen. We don’t even know whether or not she was saved--but in my opinion, her words are pretty indicative of this. Her confidence in Daniel does not seem to have any connection with a personal faith in his God. She also makes no reference to Daniel’s God as the God of the Jews and refers to his wisdom as something from “the holy gods.” Daniel’s wisdom and giftings were special in the eyes of the queen, but not perceived as the wisdom he had undoubtedly been gifted by the one true and sovereign God. Something special to note about her, though, is that she is one of the very few queens who held a large amount of power in the ancient royal courts. She knew her words held weight. What she said mattered.
Daniel Is Called
So, as the queen had suggested, Belshazzar called Daniel to interpret the message on the wall and Daniel was indeed able to interpret it. But Daniel did more than that. Before he interpreted what the hand had written on the wall, Daniel brought to light the work of God in Nebudnezzar’s life--again, this was most likely Belshazzar’s grandfather--and contrasted his life with the many blasphemies Belshazzar had committed against God.
Daniel Interprets
Let’s look at verses 26-30 together.26 This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered[g] the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 Tekel, you have been weighed[h] in the balances and found wanting; 28 Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”[i] 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. 30 That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. 31 [j] And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.Talk about a message of doom. Oof! That same night, the Persians invaded, Belshazzar was killed and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom of Babylon.What an interesting evening of events.
Daniel's Prophecy Fulfilled
Something incredibly important to note here is that Belshazzar’s death at the hand of Darius is a partial fulfillment of the prophecy Daniel revealed to king Nebuchadnezzar by his dream in chapter 2. In chapter 2, Daniel informed Nebuchadnezzar that his kingdom was the first of four kingdoms to precede the coming Messiah. His was the kingdom of gold, to be followed by a lesser kingdom of silver. The kingdom of silver is introduced here in Daniel 5, when Darius captures Babylon, and Belshazzar is put to death. As a result, the Medo-Persian kingdom is born, fulfilling the first part of the prophecy revealed through Daniel.
The Unlikely Queen Knew Daniel Was Different
Despite whether or not the queen acknowledged the Lord as the one true God, she knew Daniel was different from the wise men of Babylon. She knew he had been gifted with wisdom, even if she didn’t know the One who gifted it to him. The queen also knew he had the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve problems. She also knew that Nebuchadnezzar had trusted him. Before his death, Nebuchadnezzar appointed Daniel as head of the Chaldeans, enchanters, and astrologers.We learn nothing more of the queen after her sudden entrance and suggestion to bring in Daniel. It is likely that she was killed too, but we don’t know for sure. However, if the queen was killed, we can rest assured she fulfilled what the Lord had purposed her to do- which was to inform Belshazzar of the one God had trusted--that is, Daniel--to remind him of his defiance before God and interpret and relay the message of his death that would take place that same night.
God Used the Unlikely Queen
The queen may have played what appears to be a seemingly small role in this story, but did more than simply pass on a message. And, Christian or not, she had no idea the role her words would play in the bigger story of God’s hand at work, but the Lord used her anyway. Because it was never about her, but what God did through her to bring about Daniel, who would successfully interpret the message that had been written on the wall and tell Belshazzar of his very near death, thus fulfilling part of the prophecy of the coming Messiah Daniel revealed to Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2!
God Uses the Unlikely
If you have made the realization that I have spent the last few minutes telling you about a woman in order to tell you that the point I wanted to make about her isn’t really about her, then congrats! You’re good at this. The point of me telling you this story and of her small role in it is that God can and will use anyone- saved or unsaved- in the most unlikely of ways for His sovereign plan. I do not think this is something we think about often- at least, I don’t anyway- and it’s such a perplexing truth to ponder in my opinion!Which brings me to my next story for you, King Saul and the Medium of En-dor! You can find it in 1 Samuel 28. There are so many mind boggling Old Testament stories, it’s crazy. And this one certainly takes the cake for being one of the, uh, most interesting, in my opinion.
Unlikely Woman #2: The Medium of Endor
Let me set the scene for you here. King Saul, who was king of Israel, was about to go to battle with the Philistines and needed help. He consulted the Lord to see how things would turn out, but God did not answer him. Unsatisfied with the silence, Saul took to desperate measures for answers. Take a look at 1 Samuel 28:7 with me:“Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a medium at En-dor” (ESV).
Saul Goes Against His Word
Something important to note here is that Saul had cut off mediums and necromancers to keep with the Mosaic law. His consultation of a medium, however, is proof of Israel’s continued unfaithfulness and disobedience. But because Saul had done away with mediums and necromancers, he disguised himself in order to be seen by a medium. The medium did not want to see anyone, though, because she knew it would lead to her death. Still not knowing who he was, Saul promises she will live and, surprisingly, she grants his request. Soon after, though, she realizes she is working for the king. Take a look starting in verse 11 with me:11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” 12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul.” 13 The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.” 14 He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage.
Saul and the Medium of Endor
For some odd reason, God allowed Samuel to visit Saul through the medium. If you are wondering why the medium was shocked when she saw the spirit of Samuel and why she did not recognize him but instead needed Saul’s confirmation of Samuel’s identity, I’m right there with you. But the more I think about it, the more it seems as if what took place here was quite different from her usual practice of divining departed spirits. Only God could compel something like this. The medium’s dark power was no match for the ultimate power of God.
GOd'S FINAL WORD OF JUDGMENT TO SAUL
Take a look starting in verse 15 with me:15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.” 16 And Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has turned from you and become your enemy? 17 The Lord has done to you as he spoke by me, for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. 18 Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. 19 Moreover, the Lord will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The Lord will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.”
The Strange Events of Saul, the Medium, and Samuel
Samuel just delivered a strong word and gave Saul what he had been looking for, even though it was the answer he was not hoping for. But regardless, Saul got his answer...through a dead man the Lord had used Saul’s time with a medium to bring about. Seriously though, say what?! I cannot be the only one who finds this rather strange. Why would God pick someone who intentionally lived in the darkness of unrepentant sin rather than someone who walked in the light to relay this message to Samuel? Especially when God’s Word is completely against supernatural practices like this.
Desperate Measures, Mighty God
The supernatural measures Saul was willing to take in order to get the answers he wanted are a reflection of Samuel’s prophetic words when he was alive and condemned Saul because of his disobedience in 1 Samuel 15:23. He said, “Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.”Again, the power of darkness is pitiful in comparison to the power of our great God. Saul was quite the fool to live in ignorance of this truth. So yes, God allowed Samuel to be brought from His presence to speak to Saul during Saul’s time with the medium. And, like Daniel’s interpretation of the message on the wall that had been written for Belshazzar, this was God’s final word of judgment to Saul’s disobedience right before his death that would take place the following day.
God and the Unlikely Medium
The truth is, it was never about the medium, but what God in her presence that made a lasting impact. I mean, it even freaked her out! And for good reason. Was this God’s way of condoning supernatural practices? Absolutely not. It was His way of saying His power is far greater than anything we could ever imagine. And the powers of darkness are just plain pitiful in comparison to Him. With Belshazzar’s queen and the medium of En-dor in mind, here are a few things I want you to walk away with today:
God Uses Unlikely People to Carry Out His Plans
First of all, God is capable of using the most unlikely people to carry out His plans--even those who walk in the dark--because He is the God of all human plans and acts- saved or unsaved. Everything that human beings do is, in the end, the will of God. Proverbs 16:9 tells us, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps” (ESV). And Proverbs 16:33 says, ‘The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” (ESV). Likely or unlikely, God knows what He is doing- always.
We, Too, Are Unlikely
This is great news for us, dear Sister in Christ, because we, too, are unlikely people who have been saved by the generous and life-giving grace of God. We have the opportunity to drink from His river of mercy and grace freely because of His great love for us. In His grace, God still desires to use us, despite our imperfections and mistakes. Talk about a perplexing truth! The fact that the Lord would bend down and save me in His great love and use my everyday, ordinary self for the benefit of His Kingdom is so beautiful and something I am completely unworthy of. But in Christ, He says otherwise.
Worthy in Christ
Sister, we are worthy in Christ and because of this, our role in the bigger picture at hand here is one we must not neglect. It matters. Let us not live in ignorance of this truth, but to take advantage of every possible opportunity at hand to make His name known. Let’s bring the light into this lost and broken world.
God Will Do Only What He Can Do
Although we may not understand why God does all He does--like use unlikely people such as witches and unbelieving queens--my prayer for us all is that we would delight in knowing that God will do only what He can do. May the truth of God’s sovereignty in our lives and all of Creation bring lasting peace, joy and comfort as we participate in Kingdom work and wait for the return of King Jesus.
What Message Are You Sharing With the World?
The final thing I want to leave with you today is a question: What message are you sharing with the world?The Lord used two unlikely women, Belshazzar’s queen and the medium of En-dor, to send a message. Did they know God was using them? No. But as His children, we have the gift of living in awareness of His Spirit in us and of His desire to use us! As God’s children, it is our privilege and responsibility to point those around us to the One above us; to share the news of His great love for His own. To be salt and light.If the way we live our lives supplies a mixed message--if we look like the world and fit in with its ways rather than reflecting Christ and walking in His ways--then we are neglecting the opportunity we have at hand to do just that. See where I am going with this?
Matthew 5:13-16
The world needs you to be different. Will it tell you this? Absolutely not. In fact, it will tell you the exact opposite. Despite these things, however, the truth remains the same. The world needs you to be different. Matthew 5:13-16 affirms us of this:13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that[a] they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (ESV).
Be Salt & Light
Although it may seem like it at times, the call of Christ on our lives to be salt and light is not an impossible one. This is only because it is made possible through Him! In Christ, we are salt and light. When you find yourself discouraged by your saltlessness or darkness, rise up and remember that you have been declared as salt and light by the Lord Jesus Christ! And press on, knowing that by the power of the Spirit in you, you can obey His charge and live out the message this world so desperately needs.Dear Sister, let us be intentional and bold communicators of the Lord Jesus. Let us communicate the message of the One who was and is and is to come. Let us live as His salt and light.
Thanks For Tuning In!
Thank you so much for tuning in to today’s episode on unlikely women. I hope that it encouraged you to take heart in the lasting truth of God’s sovereignty. You may or may not have noticed, but the women we talked about today came from the Old Testament. Next week, we will be talking about women in the New Testament. Come ready to learn, because like always, we are going to dive in strong!
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More
Did you enjoy "Unlikely Women"? Check out last week's podcast episode here and/or our most recent Daughter Dilemmas column here!
Meet Your Host
ELLE CARDEL
Elle is a 26-year-old southern gal whose heart is after Christ. She lives in a historic fixer-upper in Shelbyville, TN with her college sweetheart and hubby, Michael. She is on a mission to encourage and empower women across the globe with the truths found in God’s Word.Elle believes that in order to truly know and enjoy life with the Father, we must live and breathe His Word. This belief is part of the story behind how Daughter of Delight came to be. If you would like to learn more about the DOD story, click here you can do so here!