Belshazzar the king
Dan 5:1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
Who was Belshazzar and what happened to Nebuchadnezzar? Time had past, and Nebuchadnezzar had ruled 43 years and has died. Belshazzar was a grandson of the king. He ruled with his father Nabonidus, who was thought to be out in battle and was probably captured by the Medo - Persian armies, who now surrounded Babylon. Although surrounded, the King was sure he would be safe and ordered a great feast with wine for a thousand people.
Not unlike our own country, we were secure, thinking no one could invade us. The people were in the pursuit of pleasure choosing to be in a fantasy world with no worry about defense. The city of Babylon was surrounded by very high walls.
Dan 5:2 Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.
These were sacred vessels, but he thought his gods of pleasure were greater than the God of Israel, the most high God. These vessels reminded him of past victories.
Dan 5:3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.
Dan 5:4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
They defiled the sacred vessels set aside for God's use. As Christians our bodies are sacred vessels. The world would defile them if given the opportunity. We know that we ourselves must serve the LORD with all we are.
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Dan 5:5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
A miraculous hand appears and writes on the wall. This is where the saying came from "the handwriting on the wall." It was shocking and a dred to the king. He had angered God, now God was speaking to him.
Dan 5:6 Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.
He was scared, he looked frightened and his thoughts were making him worse. Not knowing something important can cause the imagination to think all sorts of things. He was convicted by his own conscience, he knew he was in trouble. His knees knocked together in fright. This could have been avoided if he had feared the God his grandfather worshipped. He had mocked God and God was not going to be mocked. We learn from this, we fear God, we do not say foolish things and do foolish things with our holy vessels as if he were not there. He demands respect for himself and those vessels created for his glory. If another defiles you, God will in time judge this person. You are the Lord's sacred vessel and shall always remain so as a child of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Who will show me?
Dan 5:7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.
The king offers a great reward, even to be just under him in power and authority if the words on the wall could be explained to him. Why do you suppose the LORD wrote something that could not be understood by the king? Was it to bring his servant, Daniel to prominence again? The word of God often is not understood by those for whom it was intended. This is why prophets and teachers are needed. This is why Philip was sent to the Ethiopian Eunuch, in the story in the book of Acts.
Acts 8:30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
Acts 8:31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
The best guide comes after receiving Jesus as saviour: the Holy Spirit.
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.
John 16:14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.
Dan 5:8 Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.
Dan 5:9 Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.
The worldly wise could not help the king, they were troubled and fearful, as was the king.
Dan 5:10 Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:
The woman is to be a help meet to her husband. Often they are used by God in this role. She has a word for her son. Jesus spoke to the troubled hearts when he said:
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
The king needed help from one who had God's spirit of discernment. There was such a man within the palace. The writing on the wall was for him to speak the meaning.
Dan 5:11 There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;
In this culture those who had been fathers in the past, who we call grandfathers or great grandfathers, were called fathers. As the hymn: God of our fathers, it refers to those who worshipped God in the faith before us. This older man of God's spirit had counseled your father; king Nebuchadnezzar.
Dan 5:12 Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.
The truth of the writing must be shown by Daniel, the servant of the God of truth. In a world as today, when people are taught there is no truth, it is good to find servants of the God of truth. There is a right and a wrong way. Truth is absolute, as our Lord is absolute in truth and righteousness. Without truth and God's law, we do not know when we stray from God's will for us. The LORD will be known by those who seek him. Those who walk in their own evil disregard will hear his wrath. Those who seek him with a humble heart: will receive his grace and a new life.
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
John 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Buying Daniel
Dan 5:13 Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?
Dan 5:14 I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.
The king had not heard of Daniel until the queen brought his name to his attention. Now the king begins to flatter Daniel. He wants a good report from him.
Dan 5:15 And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not show the interpretation of the thing:
As the king before him, he ignored Daniel and went to him as a last resort.
Dan 5:16 And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.
Daniel was not as the king or the world's people who desired prominence and wealth of men, Daniel served the LORD. What of those who serve God and desire fine clothing, power and riches? What of them? Are they of God or of the world? Did Jesus desire these things? Why do they seek the things of the world?
Dan 5:17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
Keep your things, God is not bought, give your gifts to another. I will read the writing, and make known to him the interpretation. It is given by God. The things of God are not for sale. We do not seek riches of the world, for the word God. If God wishes to bless us it is for his glory and service.
Daniel speaks
Dan 5:18 O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:
Dan 5:19 And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.
Dan 5:20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:
Dan 5:21 And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.
Dan 5:22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;
How important it is to learn from the Past. Here Daniel is reminding the king how that Nebuchadnezzar before him, had been a greater king having absolute power given him by the God of Daniel, yet his heart was hardened with pride and God judged him. You knew this and yet did not fear the most high God.
Dan 5:23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
The king used the sacred vessels from God's house to drink wine and was carousing with his nobles, wives and concubines in lustful sin. Knowing what happened to the great king, you turned to your idols and gave no glory to the God whose hand your breath is. How the ungodly lift themselves up before our LORD. Do they not know that it is He who gave them life and breath?
Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
How many homes are ruined by the pursuit of pleasure and the indulgence in drink or drugs? The king was aware of God's earlier judgment, but had not learned the lesson. All too often the eyes are blind to the truth and people choose to live in the fleshly lusts. God has blessed his people with abundance. Will we turn to idols and pleasures and forget him?
Rom 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Rom 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Handwriting Known
Dan 5:24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.
Daniel was to explain what the mysterious handwriting on the wall meant, to the king. The hand was described in Daniel 5:5, fingers appeared without an arm, the fingers were as if holding a pen.
Dan 5:5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
Dan 5:25 And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
“It should be observed, that each word stands for a short sentence; mene signifies numeration; tekel, weighing; and peres, division.” (Clarke)
Dan 5:26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
God has numbered the days of your kingdom, and the days have come to an end. The king had been warned and still acted as if God would not do anything to stop him from a sinful life. Now God has written on the wall, your time is up.
We should never put off coming to God. The story of Daniel was written 600 years before Jesus came. Still, they had God's laws from the Old Testament and they had the story of how King Nebuchadnezzar came to believe in the God of creation. They were without excuse. We have Jesus who has taken our sins to the cross, now we must come to him, there may not be a tomorrow.
2 Cor 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
Dan 5:27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
This king had nothing of worth in him, he repeatedly mocked the true God and had a hardened heart. There was not enough weight of evidence to suggest that the king would repent and turn to God. God knows who will come to him. Who are those chosen by God? Whosoever will believe in him, they are the chosen.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Dan 5:28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
The ancient Greek historian Herodotus relates that the Persian King Cyrus conquered Babylon by diverting the flow of the Euphrates into a nearby swamp. This lowered the level of the river so his troops marched through the water and under the river-gates. They still would not have been able to enter had not the bronze gates of the inner walls been left inexplicably unlocked. This was exactly what God predicted in Isaiah 44:28-45:7 and Jeremiah 51:57-58. God opened the gates of the city of Babylon for Cyrus, and put it in writing 200 years before it happened! (Guzik)
The moral corruption within the kingdom was the real reason for the fall of Babylon. They were self indulgent and careless, not seeking the true God.
Dan 5:29 Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
Is spite of the bad news, the king seeks to appease God by blessing his servant, Daniel. He gave him the scarlet attire, actually a royal purple robe. There were two kings as rulers, father and son, Daniel was next in command. An honour of a very short time span. For Babylon would fall that same night.
Dan 5:30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
Dan 5:31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
Darius was a lesser king under the authority of Cyrus the Persian. Babylon was then under the Medo - Persian rulers.
The events of life can occur suddenly and without warning to those of the world. Jesus warned us that the end will come fast. To be in Jesus is to escape the wrath of God.
Luke 21:33 Heaven (planets and stars) and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Luke 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luke 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Those who are in Jesus are worthy.
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
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