From this chapter that we are studying today, we will see the fall of Babylon and the rising of a new empire – Medo-Persia. The first part of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2 will come to fruition.
Daniel 5:1-3
1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. 2 While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.
Babylon remember it represents spiritual Babylon.
Literal | Spiritual |
Babylon is a city | Revelation 14:8 – it is a great city |
It had the river Euphrates running through it | Revelation 17:1; 16:12 – it had the river Euphrates running through it |
They are made drunk with wine | Revelation 14:8 – they are also made drunk with wine |
There are end time applications that can be applied even from the beginning. There are parallels to Revelation already.
Belshazzar the king commanded for the holy golden vessels which were in the Sanctuary to be brought out so that wine could be poured in it and drunk from it.
- He brought in that which is holy and mixed it with the unholy
What does wine represent spiritually in the Bible?
- Isaiah 29:9-11, 13
9 Pause and wonder! Blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunk, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with intoxicating drink. 10 For the LORD has poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets; and He has covered your heads, namely, the seers. 11 The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, “Read this, please.” And he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” 13 Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, - They are drunk, but not with literal wine. What does it represent? It is the commandments of men.
- Jesus actually quotes from this passage in Matthew.
- The scribes and Pharisees come to Him one day and complain that the disciples did not wash their hands before they ate.
- But Jesus turns it around as a teaching moment. What is the problem with the scribes and Pharisees?
- Matthew 15:3
He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?
- Matthew 15:3
- They were transgressing the commandments of God because of their traditions.
- And we see that today. Traditions that undermine the commandments of God.
- God says thou shalt not lie. But in society we think it’s ok to lie here and there – a white lie. A lie that is good. That will not get my friend into trouble.
- There’s nothing wrong with traditions. We all have traditions. The one that Jesus was dealing with was washing hands before eating. Nothing wrong with that right?
- There’s one tradition that I’ve not gotten used to being here in Australia. Even very young kids like under 10 years old calling adults by their first name. God says to honour your parents.
- You see, it only becomes bad when it takes the place of God’s commandments.
- In Isaiah, it is called the commandments of men. And Jesus calls it the same as well.
- Matthew 15:9
And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.
This is what is represented by the wine. The commandments of men taking the place of the commandments of God.
- And we can see it very clearly here.
- The wine is being put where? Into the holy vessels of God that were in the sanctuary.
Daniel 5:4-5
4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone. 5 In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
While they are drinking from these holy golden vessels of God and praising all these gods of gold and silver, what happens?
- A bloodless hand appears to interrupt the feast and writes on the wall of the king’s palace where they are having this great feast.
Daniel 5:6-9
6 Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other. 7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Now all the king’s wise men came, but they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were astonished.
The king is so scared and troubled that his knees and knocking together.
- It must have been such a scary experience to see a hand appear and begin to write on your wall.
Quickly he goes and brings all the wise men in to try and interpret what had been written.
- Obviously, it was in a language that could not be understood by any of the Babylonians.
- And these wise men, as we have seen so many times in the past already, could not read and give the meaning of what had been written.
- This was clearly the finger of God that had come forth to write these words, and only someone ordained of God could come in to read and interpret it.
However, before we get to the meaning, I want to have a look at this finger. What does the finger of God represent? Where have we seen it mentioned before in the Bible?
- During the 10 plagues that fell on Egypt during the time of Moses, the magicians could, at the beginning, counterfeit the plagues.
- Moses threw down the rod and it became a snake, and the magicians seemed like they could do it.
- Moses turned the water into blood, and the magicians seemed like they could replicate that as well.
- But it got to a point where they gave up.
- Exodus 8:18-19
18 Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast. 19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had said. - What did the finger of God represent here? It represented judgment.
- Exodus 31:18
And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.- The 10 commandments were written with the finger of God.
- The commandments are used for judgment. Similar theme as the previous text.
- Jesus was teaching one day and a woman was brought and thrown at his feet – she had been caught in adultery, in the very act. They asked Jesus what should be done. Should she be stoned because that was what Moses would have done.
- John 8:6-9
6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. - It’s so interesting that they all left one by one beginning from the oldest.
- Jesus said you can throw a stone if you have no sin.
- What was He doing? He was most likely writing their sins there on the sand. They all come over and see their sin there and they quickly depart.
- What was Jesus doing? He was judging each of them. And with the finger of God, He is writing on the sand their judgment – their sin.
- John 8:6-9
So the finger of God represents judgment.
- And the finger that comes and writes across the wall in Belshazzar’s chamber has come to judge him.
- He does not know yet what it means, but he knows that it has come against him. That’s why he’s scared and his knees are knocking together.
What happens next? Let’s continue.
Daniel 5:10-11
10 The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And 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, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers.
Finally, the queen comes in. She is the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar. And she comes in and tells Belshazzar who can read it and interpret it for him. She recommends Daniel to him. He is the chief of the wiseman group.
Belshazzar was actually the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, he was not the son.
- The queen here would most likely have been the queen mother, possibly a daughter of Nebuchadnezzar. She refers to Nebuchadnezzar as “father”, which in Bible times often meant “ancestor”. This would have been the meaning here. It is for this same reason that Nebuchadnezzar is called Belshazzar’s “father” in verse 2.
Daniel 5:12
Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”
From this it is clear that Daniel is not participating in the feast. He has to be called in.
Daniel is recognized as having an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding.
- His character and excellence stood out above others in the kingdom.
Let’s keep reading.
Daniel 5:13-16
13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the thing. 16 And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and explain enigmas. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”
Daniel is given promise of reward if he can interpret the meaning of the words that were written. What were the rewards?
- To be clothed with purple.
- To have a chain of gold.
- And to be the third ruler in the kingdom.
Daniel 5:17
Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
Daniel is not at all interested in making money or receiving a reward or a promotion.
- But he is willing anyways to interpret the message for the king because he is God’s messenger.
- And in this instance, he is a messenger of judgment.
Daniel 5:18-21
18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. 19 And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. 20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. 21 Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. 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 rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.
Before interpreting the writing on the wall, what does Daniel first do?
- He recounts what happened to Nebuchadnezzar. How he became crazy and ate grass for 7 years.
- He reminds Belshazzar that Nebuchadnezzar learnt his lesson and understood that the Most High God ruled in the kingdom of men. He was the One that set up kings and removed kings.
- But why is he recounting all of this to Belshazzar?
Daniel 5:22-24
22 “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. 23 And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. 24 Then the fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.
Daniel is reminding Belshazzar, but actually he knew all of this.
- He is giving the reason why the writing on the wall has come.
- Belshazzar was not ignorant of all that had happened to Nebuchadnezzar. He was well familiar with it. And it was not just for Nebuchadnezzar and his salvation, but it was to serve as a warning to his children who would come after.
- We need to learn from the past mistakes of others. We should not keep repeating them over and over again. Especially when great light is given.
What three things had Belshazzar done that were most offensive to God?
Daniel 5:23
And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.
- He brought the vessels from the house of God and drunk from them.
- He had praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood and stone.
- He did not glorify the God of heaven.
Daniel 5:24
Then the fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.
And then Daniel made it clear that the finger that wrote those words on the wall were sent from the God of heaven.
- It was a clear judgment from the true God of heaven.
Then Daniel jumps into the words on the wall and its interpretation.
Daniel 5:25-29
25 “And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. 26 This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; 27 TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; 28 PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
What was the meaning of the words that were written?
- MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it.
- TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting.
- PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
MENE: God gives a big overview of what will happen to Babylon. It will be finished.
TEKEL: God then gives the reason for why the kingdom of Babylon will pass on – because of the guilt of Belshazzar and what he did.
PERES: God then finally gives the understanding of who will come and conquer Babylon – the Medes and the Persians.
Amazingly, even though the message is a message of doom and judgment, Belshazzar the king remembers to reward Daniel.
Was it because Belshazzar was drunk? Or was the king trying to win Daniel’s favour and have him intervene to avert the disaster? Do people today sometimes try to block out or ignore God’s warning about judgment to come? Was he hoping that this act would help to change God’s mind?
Daniel 5:30-31
30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. 31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
Judgment came immediately, that very night.
What Belshazzar did not know is that when that bloodless hand came and wrote across his wall, his fate was sealed.
- Daniel had not come in yet to interpret the mysterious words.
- But his probation had closed already.
- The judgment of God had been given. And whether he understood it or not, it would take place – it would come to pass.
Who was it that would receive the kingdom after the death of Belshazzar?
- Darius the Mede.
- Note here that Daniel had now lived to witness the fulfillment of the first part of the image prophecy. The silver kingdom had taken the place of the gold. Medo-Persia had overcome Babylon. Think about how Daniel must have felt on seeing his prediction fulfilled.
It would have been a sense of excitement and thrill to see prophecy unfold before your very eyes.
- Also, it would have solidified even more about the existence of the God of heaven and His presence in the world – ruling over the affairs of the kingdoms of the world.
Is it possible that the world that we’re living in today is a mirror of the revelry that was taking place in the chambers of king Belshazzar?
- Many are engrossed in the pleasures of life.
- We’re getting drunk and worshipping all sorts of gods out there.
- We’re entertained by so many things that make us to forget the true God of heaven.
- How can we avoid the mistakes of king Belshazzar?
- How can we have a mind and heart that are always responsive to God’s leaving and teaching?
The Holy Spirit was the one that came and wrote on the wall that night in Belshazzar’s chamber. How do we know this?
- Luke 11:15
But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”- Jesus was accused of casting out demons by the power of demons – Beelzebub.
- How did Jesus respond?
- Luke 11:20
But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. - Jesus said I cast them out by the finger of God.
- Luke 11:20
- What is the finger of God that Jesus was referring to?
- Matthew 12:27-28
27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.- The finger of God was the Spirit of God. It was the Holy Spirit!
- The Holy Spirit came and gave judgment to Belshazzar that night.
We need to be so careful that we don’t offend the Holy Spirit. We have a choice.
- Will I be like Belshazzar or Nebuchadnezzar?
- The Holy Spirit is our voice of conscience.
- In going against our conscience, we really are going against the God of heaven. We’re going against the Holy Spirit. The very thing that God has given us to guide us.
Today we need to pray that God would give us His Spirit.
- That we would not go against God and His leading.
- That we would also be willing to do all that He has instructed us in His word.
- We need His Spirit more than we realise.
- And only when we have the Spirit of God, then will God empower us to follow Him, not repeating the mistakes from the past but learning and growing.