Daniel 05 01-31

Daniel 5:1-31

Nebuchadnezzar had passed from the scene; Belshazzar was now ruling Babylon.

Until the last half of the nineteenth century the name Belshazzar was unattested except for the Book of Daniel and works dependent upon it, such as Josephus’s writings.
From other sources Nabonidus was known to have been the last king of Babylon, and some commentators declared Belshazzar to be a fictional character invented by the author of the book.
Since that time abundant evidence has come to light that demonstrates not only that Belshazzar did live but that he was both the son of and coregent with Nabonidus.
His father, Nabonidus, resided at Tema in Arabia (about five hundred miles south of Babylon) for most of his seventeen-year reign, apparently for religious reasons.
During these long absences, it was Belshazzar, the crown prince, who ruled the empire.

1. Belshazzar - Judgement Defied

1 King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand.

A. Indulgence

Oriental kings took great pleasure in hosting great banquets and displaying their wealth and splendor (see Es. 1).

Archaeologists tell us that there were halls in the city of Babylon adequate for gatherings this large and larger.
This feast was a microcosm of the world system and focused on "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16).

"What shall we eat?" and "What shall we drink?" are the questions most people want answered as they go through life (Matt. 6:25-34), and they're willing to follow anybody who will entertain them and gratify their appetites.
The world loves to feed it's flesh & it's pride.

Why worry about the enemy when you have security and plenty to eat?

B. Indifference

Belshazzar knew that the army of the Medes and Persians was encamped outside the city, but he was indifferent to the danger that they posed.

After all, the city was surrounded by a complex series of walls, some of them over 300 feet high, and there were numerous defense towers on the walls. Could any army break through the fortified bronze gates?
Wasn't there sufficient water for the people from the Euphrates River that flowed through the city from north to south, and wasn't there adequate food stored in the city?
If ever a man was proud of his achievements and basked in self-confidence, it was Belshazzar.
But it was a false confidence, not unlike what will happen to the people of this world before God declares war. "For when they say, 'Peace and safety!' then sudden destruction comes upon them" (1 Thes. 5:3, NKJV).
So many people are indifferent to God & to the judgement they face.

They think they are safe & have no need to fear.
After all they are good people & God will not judge them.
They think they are young & will live many more years.
They do not believe they will have to answer for their actions.

The truth is that without Jesus Christ they are under the judgement of God already.
Jn 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Ephesians talks about the children of wrath.
People need to know the danger they are under. Unless people understand they are under the judgement of God they will not see the greatness of the salvation of the Gospel.Belshazzar had been indifferent to the information God had given his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar in his famous dream (Dan. 2).

Belshazzar had been indifferent to the information God had given his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar in his famous dream (Dan. 2).

It was decreed that the head of gold (Babylon) would be replaced by the breast and arms of silver (the Medo-Persian Empire).
Daniel had seen this truth further verified in his vision recorded in Daniel 7, when he saw the Babylonian lion defeated by the Medo-Persian bear (vv. 1-5).
This was in the first year of Belshazzar (v. 1). In his arrogant false confidence, Belshazzar was defying the will of God.
Many people will hear the Word of God & still be indifferent to it.
The Holy Spirit must work on people's hearts & show them the truth about their need.2 Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

C. Irreverence

Was the king drunk when he ordered the servants to bring in the consecrated vessels that had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem?

His grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had decreed that all peoples were to give respect to the God of the Jews (Dan. 3:29), and he himself had praised the Lord for His sovereignty and greatness (4:34-37).
But as the years passed, the great king's words were forgotten, and his grandson Belshazzar treated the God of Israel with arrogant disrespect.
Both the men and the women at the feast impudently used these valuable consecrated vessels like common drinking cups, and while they were drinking, they praised the false gods of Babylon!
After all, the gods of Babylon had defeated the God of the Hebrews, so what was there to fear?
Belshazzar and his guests could not have behaved more blasphemously.
Today many people are still showing irreverence towards the Lord.

You just need to listen to the way people often talk & joke about the Lord.
Today people to not miss use the holy vessels of Lord. They miss use the name of the Lord.

By what they speak
By how they act after calling themselves Christians.

People can defy the will of God and blaspheme His name only so long, and then the hand of the Lord begins to move.

2. The Lord - Judgement Declared

2 Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

C. Irreverence

Was the king drunk when he ordered the servants to bring in the consecrated vessels that had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem?

His grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had decreed that all peoples were to give respect to the God of the Jews (Dan. 3:29), and he himself had praised the Lord for His sovereignty and greatness (4:34-37).
But as the years passed, the great king's words were forgotten, and his grandson Belshazzar treated the God of Israel with arrogant disrespect.
Both the men and the women at the feast impudently used these valuable consecrated vessels like common drinking cups, and while they were drinking, they praised the false gods of Babylon!
After all, the gods of Babylon had defeated the God of the Hebrews, so what was there to fear?
Belshazzar and his guests could not have behaved more blasphemously.
Today many people are still showing irreverence towards the Lord.

You just need to listen to the way people often talk & joke about the Lord.
Today people to not miss use the holy vessels of Lord. They miss use the name of the Lord.

By what they speak
By how they act after calling themselves Christians.

People can defy the will of God and blaspheme His name only so long, and then the hand of the Lord begins to move.

2. The Lord - Judgement Declared

5 Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. 6 Then the king's color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together.

"Do you not know this of old, since man was placed on earth, that the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment? Though his haughtiness mounts up to the heavens, and his head reaches to the clouds, yet he will perish forever like his own refuse" (Job 20:4-7, NKJV).

Zophar's words didn't apply to Job but they certainly applied to Belshazzar, and they apply today to anybody who defies the will of God.
All the wicked will come to the day of judgement. It not that the Lord desires to judge man but that as a holy God He must judge man's sin.
Belshazzar had been warned.

First, by this grandfather. (Dan 5:22-23)
Secondly, by this handwriting on the wall.
Why was he so afraid & alarmed when he saw this? It could have been a good message to him, he did not know, or did he know?
He knew he was guilty before the God of the Hebrews. Thus he feared greatly.
There would follow a third warning against him by Daniel.
Belshazzar could called out to God in repentance at any time but does not.

God still is warning sinful man about the coming judgement.

Today He uses His Word, the Bible.
God uses His people, you & I, to declare His Word to a lost world.
Many will not repent but some will & they will be saved.

7 The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared to the wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom." 8 Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed, and his lords were perplexed.

History repeats itself (2:10-13; 4:4-7) as the counsellors confessed their inability to interpret the message on the wall.

The ignorance of the wise men made the king even more terrified, and his lords were perplexed and confused and could offer him no help.
The time had come when political authority, wealth, power, and human wisdom could do nothing to solve the problem.

Every person will reach this point sometime in their life.

Man needs to turn to the Lord for answers to life's most important questions.

3. The Queen Mother - Judgement Disregarded

10 The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, "O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. 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, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, 12 because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation."

The rest of the palace heard about the crisis in the banquet hall, and when the news came to the queen mother, she immediately went to her son to offer counsel and encouragement.

Her first words were, "Don't be alarmed! Don't look so pale!" Things aren't as bad as they appear to be!
She was optimistic about the whole situation and certain that, once the handwriting was accurately interpreted, everything would be fine.
Optimism is not man needs. Man needs realism. To know the truth so one might act accordly.
Her attitude didn't match the gravity of the situation, but her suggestion was a good one: summon Daniel, the king's greatest adviser.
Her words reveal another characteristic of King Belshazzar—ignorance.
It seems incredible that he didn't know Daniel, one of the highest officers in Babylon, and certainly the wisest counsellor in the empire. Belshazzar had been told about his grandfather's dreams and Daniel's interpretations (v. 22), but too often younger leaders are so concerned about themselves and the present that they forget to catch up on the past.
Had young King Rehoboam listened to the counsel of the elders of Israel, he would have avoided a great deal of trouble (1 Kings 12).

4. Daniel - Judgement Described

13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, "You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. 14 I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not show the interpretation of the matter. 16 But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. 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." 17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, "Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation.

A. The King's Offer

"The older I grow, the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom," wrote newspaper editor H.L. Mencken.

But Daniel possessed much more than the human wisdom that comes from experience; he had the kind of supernatural knowledge and wisdom that can come only from God.
The scenario wasn't a new one for Daniel: a revelation from God, a fearful and frustrated ruler, incompetent counsellors, and God's servant to the rescue.
Daniel paid little attention to the king's flattering speech, and he had no use for the king's generous offer.

Daniel was more concerned about serving the Lord & receiving honour from Him.

Daniel would give the interpretation to Belshazzar, but to please Belshazzar. Daniel desired honour & please the Lord.
If we live to please man & gain reward & possions in the life we will get them but they will not last.

The rewards & honours given to Daniel by Belshazzar last only that night.
What a picture & lesson for us to learn from.

If, like Daniel, we live to honour & please the Lord we will enjoy eternal blessings.
The choice is ours to make each day we get up.

B. The Prophet's Rebuke

18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. 19 And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. 20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. 21 He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. 22 And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, 23 but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in 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, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored. 24 "Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed.

The king didn't know Daniel personally, but Daniel certainly knew the personal life of the king!

He knew of his pride and his knowledge of the history of his grandfather, but Daniel reviewed that history just the same.
"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to relive it," wrote philosopher George Santayana, and Belshazzar qualified.
The lesson that Nebuchadnezzar learned and that his grandson Belshazzar heard about but ignored was that "the Most High God ruled in the kingdom of men" (Dan. 5:21).
The God of Israel alone is the true and living God and rules sovereignly in all the affairs of this world, including the affairs of the great empire of Babylon!
What is true for kings & world rules is also true for each person alive.

Just as Belshazzar owned his kingdom, blessings, & life to God so too does every person living own their live to the Lord.
Without the hand of God giving us live & meeting our basic needs we would all be dead. (Both physically & spiritually)

Yet man so often just ignores God & acts like God does not exist and that he's done everything to take care of himself.
God is just in judging man for this sin pride.

Like King Belshazzar and his guests, many people in our world today are unmindful of the lessons of the past, unintelligent when it comes to interpreting the present, and totally unprepared for the consequences that lie in the future. W. W.

C. The Lord's Judgement
25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; 28 Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians." 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; 28 Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians." 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

Anyone who knew Aramaic could have read the words written on the wall, but Daniel was able to interpret their meaning and apply God's revelation to the people in the banquet hall, especially the king.

The word mene meant "numbered," and the repetition of the word indicated that God had determined and established the end of the kingdom and it would happen shortly.

Babylon's days were numbered!
Everyone's days are numbered. Therefore we do not have time to mess around with our spiritual state before the Lord.

More than that, tekel indicated that the king himself had been weighed by God and found wanting; so the king's days were numbered.

Each one of us will be weighed by God.
Only thoses that our in Christ will meet the standard set by God, complete holiness.

Who would bring an end to the kingdom and the king of Babylon? The answer was in the third word, peres, which carried a double meaning: "divided" and "Persia."

Babylon would be divided between the Medes and the Persians whose armies were at the gates of the city that very night.
But really it was God using the Medes and the Persians to bring about His will.
This would come to pass that very night.
God's judgement will fall on the prideful & unrepentant sinner.

Even though Daniel didn't want the rewards, the king kept his promise and clothed him in royal purple, hung the golden chain around his neck, and declared that he was third ruler in the kingdom.

I would have loved to see Daniel at this point.

30 That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. 31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

Belshazzar was slain that very night and the head of gold was replaced by the arms and chest of silver. According to historians, the date was October 12, 539 B.C.

Belshazzar though he was safe from the armies of the Medes and the Persians behind the high walls of Babylon.
The Euphrates River flowed through Babylon from north to south, and by diverting the stream, the army was able to go under the city gates and into the city. The conquest of Babylon and its ultimate destruction had been predicted by Isaiah (Isa. 13-14; 21; 47) and Jeremiah (Jer. 50-51).
The only truly safe person is the one who is in Christ.