Daniel, Chaper 5

Review

in chapter 4, King Nebuchadnezzar was prideful and thought he was the reason for his own greatness. God taught him a lesson by causing him to lose his sanity . . . and when God restored his mind, he shared this conclusion with his whole empire . . .

Daniel 4:37 NASB95

37 “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”

will people learn from his example?

Daniel 5:1 NLT

1 Many years later King Belshazzar gave a great feast for 1,000 of his nobles, and he drank wine with them.

what has happened in between chapter 4 and 5

Nebuchadnezzar has died

his son ruled only two years and then assassinated by his brother law

this king ruled for 4 years then died

his son was only a child, only ruled for 9 months and then assassinated

the next king rules and makes his son co-regent (co-king), because he leaves the city to travel (most likely to fight)

this co-regent is Belshazzar, historians think he is the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar on his mother’s side.

with the various regime changes - Daniel has been pushed to the side, or decided to lay low, or both

also, the city is surrounded by the Powerful Persian army (the next empire, represented by the silver on the statue in King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream)

So why is King Belshazzar partying instead of being worried?

Babylon was a magnificient city

giant city - especially for ancient times (Size of Denton)

hanging gardens - show pic

had a great defense system: moat, double walls, guard towers all along the walls - show pic

show pic of ishtar gate

if you got past all that you would still have to fight through this massive city

so he is not worried at all

Daniel 5:2 NLT

2 While Belshazzar was drinking the wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups that his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. He wanted to drink from them with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines.

we are going to celebrate by using the gold and silver cups that my Grandfather took from the Jewish temple.

let’s have a party at the crib and use the communion cups from the church . . . or let’s use the communion packets and make a snack tray

Daniel 5:4 NLT

4 While they drank from them they praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

and while we are desecrating these sacred objects, let’s praise some false gods

Daniel 5:5–7 NLT

5 Suddenly, they saw the fingers of a human hand writing on the plaster wall of the king’s palace, near the lampstand. The king himself saw the hand as it wrote, 6 and his face turned pale with fright. His knees knocked together in fear and his legs gave way beneath him. 7 The king shouted for the enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers to be brought before him. He said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed in purple robes of royal honor and will have a gold chain placed around his neck. He will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom!”

a hand appears and writes on teh wall

king is terrified, and wants to know the meaning of the words written

whoever can decipher the words and their meaning will be promoted to 3rd highest

historical note: skeptics doubted Daniel and used Belshazzar as one of the reasons (could find no mention of his name in Babylonian records) . . . but then proof was unearthed, and that’s how we know he was co-regent

so it makes sense that he said 3rd (father, me, and 3rd)

v 8 - 16

Queen mother heard about situation, made her way to the banquet hall and reminded her son of all that Daniel did for Nebuchadnezzar and suggested that Daniel could help

So they call Daniel in and offer him reward if he can read the words and tell their meaning.

Daniel 5:17–21 NLT

17 Daniel answered the king, “Keep your gifts or give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means. 18 Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, majesty, glory, and honor to your predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar. 19 He made him so great that people of all races and nations and languages trembled before him in fear. He killed those he wanted to kill and spared those he wanted to spare. He honored those he wanted to honor and disgraced those he wanted to disgrace. 20 But when his heart and mind were puffed up with arrogance, he was brought down from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21 He was driven from human society. He was given the mind of a wild animal, and he lived among the wild donkeys. He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he learned that the Most High God rules over the kingdoms of the world and appoints anyone he desires to rule over them.

Daniel recounts the lessons from the life of King Nebuchadnezzar’s life

Daniel 5:22–24 NLT

22 “You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself. 23 For you have proudly defied the Lord of heaven and have had these cups from his Temple brought before you. You and your nobles and your wives and concubines have been drinking wine from them while praising gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor know anything at all. But you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny! 24 So God has sent this hand to write this message.

though you knew all this, you defied God anyway . . . so this is the message

Daniel 5:25–28 NASB95

25 “Now this is the inscription that was written out: ‘MENĒ, MENĒ, TEKĒL, UPHARSIN.’ 26 “This is the interpretation of the message: ‘MENĒ’—God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it. 27 “ ‘TEKĒL’—you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. 28 “ ‘PERĒS’—your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”

your numbers is up

you have been judged deficient

Babylon is over, and has been given to the next empire

Daniel 5:29–31 NASB95

29 Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom. 30 That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. 31 So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.

see why Daniel said to keep your gifts . . . time was up as in right NOW

what happened, I thought Babylon had great defenses?

Persian records indicate that they took Babylon without a fight

Persians diverted the river the supplied water to the moat and that allowed them to march across the moat and through openings in the outer wall (opening that would have normally been under water) (thigh high water)

then an inner gate was left open by accident or by purpose (I say by purpose, there were some insiders who hated the king)

and people were partying and not paying attention

makes sense that assassins were led straight to the king.

people see king is dead

people see army already inside the walls

might as well give up

Lessons:

God is in control

no matter who appears to be in control

even when things seem out of control

Be humble

God expects you to learn lessons from the lives of others

Disaster on the wicked comes quickly and unexpectedly

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