Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Daniel said, “God has numbered the days of your reign, and brought it to an end. You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. “Daniel 5:26,27, NIV

One of the great axioms that I have heard quoted often in relation to business and real estate is “Location, location, location!” Picking a spot that sits along a well-traveled road or river makes a big difference in the number of customers a business can attract, or the size to which a city can grow.
Throughout history, access to transportation made large cities possible. The Babylonian Empire was built along the Euphrates, one of the major water thoroughfares of the ancient world, and still an important river today. Babylon, counted as one of the wonders of the ancient world, straddled the Euphrates River, with canals linking various areas of the city. The city is described as having broad streets, intersecting at right angles, often crossing the canals by bridges. The main area of the city was full of temples, palaces, and government structures. Numerous businesses lined the quay, or dock, along the waterfront. Palaces, including the famous Hanging Gardens built by King Nebuchadnezzar, were located on Procession Street. One of the temples, called a ziggurat, was a large tower dedicated to the gods of Babylon. The ruins of this temple still exist in modern-day Iraq.
Like most cities of that time, Babylon was surrounded by walls for protection from invaders. Its rulers felt that the city was impregnable from attack. They had a stockpile of provisions sufficient to last many years, and could live in comfort confident that Babylon could not be taken. Babylon was the most important city in the world at that time. Twenty-three years after the death of King Nebuchadnezzar, Nabonidus and his son, Belshazzar, faced an attempt by the Mede and Persian armies to conquer Babylon. Safe and confident within their walls, they looked out in amazement as King Cyrus’ soldiers spent their time digging a deep trench around the city.
According to the Book of Daniel
(Ch. 5) King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. Wanting to show off, he had the silver goblets taken from the Jewish temple brought out, and used them to praise “the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone” - idols!
Suddenly, a mysterious hand wrote on the wall, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.
God enabled Daniel to interpreted it thus: “God has numbered the days of your reign, and brought it to an end. You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
Outside the city, the armies routed the mighty Euphrates into the ditch they had been digging, and walked into Babylon through the now empty river bed. The river that had brought them prosperity and greatness now brought their destruction.
October 27, 2002