Unholy Toasts

“While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.” Daniel 5:2

During the siege of Babylon against the Israelites, the articles of the temple that were deemed holy and consecrated were stolen and put aside without regard. Many years later Belshazzar sent for these holy vessels to be brought out for unholy celebration. Not only did he make the decision for sin but he also enticed everyone at the banquet to also indulge in unholy activities.

Many times we find ourselves living as unholy vessels in an unholy world. Like the holy vessels of Jerusalem we have been carried away by our captors and become lost in a world of excess, self-promotion and self-indulgence. We do not wake up one morning and find ourselves ‘shelved’ by our captivities. We can reflect and trace the steps of being carried away by our sins. Sin is planted as a thought first before any of us take that first step towards sin. “For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone: but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:13-14

Sin is described as a thought first (desire) many times to be followed up with action. The Bible compares sin to creating life which we carry within us. If we entertain the thought of sin for any period of time we will give birth to a Babylonian way of unholy living. Our sin takes on a life of its own growing up and taking on its own personality enticing us to behave in a way carried off or holiness placed aside. It doesn’t matter which sin we have birthed we are all deemed lawbreakers. “…you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” James 2:9-10. There is no favoritism in sin!

All sin is unholy and all sin needs redemption. There is no degree of sin that requires more forgiveness than the other. All sin is born of evil whether we are gossiping or murdering and every sin can be aborted at its conception through the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Don't toast unholy activity with the same hands that God has given us to perform holy duties.