Dan 5

Dan 5:1-31

V1: Belshazzar, who succeeded the throne after Nebuchadnezzar (v2) – meaning "Bel protect the king" Bel was a pagan god: So we have before us a king who had no interest in the things of God.

What’s he doing?

v1-4: Here, wantonness and sin abounded. In fact, it was celebrated.

v7-9: Belshazzar thought that rewards of position, gold, and fame could solve his problems, but none of them could interpret the writing.

This was a king to be feared, who killed as he wished. It was no light matter to not be able to interpret the writings. No doubt they would have been afraid. The lords were astonished

v17: Daniel makes clear that he had no interest in the king’s rewards.

v18-21: He recounts the story of Nebuchadnezzar and how God brought him down when he tried to lift himself up

What Daniel was trying to say was that history would repeat for those who do not learn it

v22: One would think that Belshazzar would have learned from the lesson he witnessed before his very eyes, but nay, “though thou knewest all this”, yet he hast not humbled his own heart.

Oh what a warning this is! Our nation and posterity would do well to know that history would repeat itself if we continue down the path of self-destruction!

v24-28: Daniel interprets the handwriting.

MENE - is repeated twice for added emphasis. The judgment will come quickly. It is written in the past tense - now that is interesting because the event had not yet come to pass. But the future is just as certain to God as the past and present is. In God’s perspective, the destruction of the kingdom is as good as done, and hence is written in the past tense.

TEKEL: Oh that we would learn the cause of Belshazzar’s downfall!

Application:

This represents the age in which we live in. They desecrate the holy things (v3) and worship the gods of gold, silver etc (v4, 23). Sins that were frowned upon gradually became acceptable, and is today celebrated. We are very quickly starting to see signs that those who refuse to accept those sins would be persecuted. The world is heading down the slippery slope that no man can climb.

The handwriting is on the wall for all to see. Yea, all man can see it, but only the man of God can interpret the signs of the times. He who has eyes to see, let him see.

Be sure that the present world would be destroyed as recorded in God’s word. All the dear things that we cling to would only be fuel for the future destruction - which in God’s perspective is as good as done. Oh that we might have eyes to see and ears to hear what the Spirit saith, and we separate ourselves from the unholy that desecrate the things of God and celebrate sin. May we remain pure and fit for God’s use.

v10-16: I wonder why Daniel was not one of those who appeared to the king in v7-9. It was likely that he did not identify with the group of magicians and astronomers. Had he been with them, the king would not have noticed him and God would not have been glorified.

In staying separate, God’s glory was magnified

The pagan queen could see something different in Daniel – he was a man who had the wisdom of the gods (v11)

V12: Did she know Daniel could read the interpretation? No she did not, but it was no doubt a tense moment so she had to make a promise

So it is that only a man in whom is the Spirit of God can rightly adjudge the time of the age. It remains unclear to those who do not have the Spirit. (cf Gen 3)