Hand

Introduction

We continue our series on the Sovereignty of God in the book of Daniel. This morning we turn to Belshazzar. Belshazzar:

The name means

“Bel protect the king.” He was the last king of Babylon.[1]

Our text tells the story of the end of his reign.

In our text you will read that Nebuchadnezzar was

Belshazzar’s father and later on Belshazzar is described as his son.

This is father in the sense of predecessor and son in the sense of successor.

Belshazzar is not to be confused with Daniel’s Babylonian name: Belteshazzar (Bel [a Babylonian god] protects his life).

We will see two parallels and one contrast between chapters 4 and 5:

They were both shocked and frightened.

They both called their court of wise men together to interpret the message.And the contrast, Nebuchadnezzar, though, threatened to kill the wise men while Belshazzar promised great rewards.[2]

Like his predecessor, Belshazzar demonstrated arrogance and pride. Unlike his predecessor, he showed no regard for the articles used in the worship of God.

As we will see, God will once again show his sovereignty through the announcement of the end of one kingdom and the beginning of another.

Interestingly, some scholars date this book to a time other than the Babylonian captivity in part because of the accuracy of God’s announcement. Yet we understand that the God who sovereignly spoke everything in existence can certainly accurately announce the end of a kingdom before it ends.

At this stage in Daniel’s life, he is no longer a young man. Historians tell us that the events in chapter 5 occurred on October 12, 539 BC. Daniel probably had semiretired from public life after Nebuchadnezzar’s death (he was almost sixty years of age), and now he was about eighty. Belshazzar certainly had a different circle of friends. Furthermore, Babylon was a large city, and the king might not have known the old man, Daniel. The king also could simply have forgotten Daniel, or the liquor could have clouded his memory.[3]

We will see God seriously guarding the purity of the objects used in worship. He wants them to be used to glorify Himself, not for self-indulgence and the promotion of false gods.

I invite you to turn to our text: Daniel 5:1-9 and 17-31

Shall we pray?

Almighty God and Loving Father,

As we turn to this historical book, let us learn from your prophet Daniel of God’s sovereign hand. We come to you with the concerns of the day. Speak through your word and remind us of your involvement in our lives. Not as a passive observer, but as active ruler.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

[1] John A. McLean, “Belshazzar, King of Babylon,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

[2] John A. McLean, “Belshazzar, King of Babylon,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

[3] Stephen R. Miller, Daniel, vol. 18, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), 161.

I. The Circumstance (Dan 5:1-4)

We begin with Belshazzar. The last we hear of Nebuchadnezzar is his statement at the end of chapter 4: “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” (Daniel 4:37, ESV)

The inference is Nebuchadnezzar’s reign ends acknowledging God’s sovereignty while Belshazzar’s reigns begins 17 years later with an act of sacrilege.

Belshazzar was a co-regent with his father Nabonius and rose to power around 545 bc.[1]. (That’s why he says he will make the interpreter third in the kingdom; he was second).

As the end of this chapter will reveal, his reign ended in 539 BC.

In these first four verses we are told Belshazzar is having a feast.

Feasts of this kind were common in this period. But why this feast?

Historians report that outside the city walls camped the Persian armies. According to the “Nabonidus Chronicle,” the Babylonians had suffered a crushing defeat just days before at the hands of the Persians, and Nabonidus had fled.[2]

So, some have suggested that either:

1. The celebration might have been observed to build morale and encourage his people, in the face of the crushing defeat. The walls of the city were invincible, and the Euphrates River ran through the city; so there was an ample water supply. Herodotus reported that the city had been stocked with enough food to last for many years.29

2. When news of Nabonidus’s defeat at Sippar fifty miles to the north and his flight (two days previous) were known in Babylon, Belshazzar moved quickly to proclaim himself the first ruler of the empire, the de facto king. Thus the festival was the celebration of Belshazzar’s coronation. In addition, Shea points out that a thousand Babylonian nobles participating in a party would be understandable for a coronation of a new king, but not for an ordinary social function.[3]

What ever the occasion, Belshazzar takes this opportunity to misuse articles from the Temple: “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.” (Daniel 5:2, ESV)

One commentary points out: “The mention of the vessels from the temple in Jerusalem recall the opening verses of the book and here, as the Babylonian empire approaches its end, reminds us of the deeper meaning of the Exile with its conflict between the God of Israel and pagan gods.”[4]

According to Daniel, this act of sacrilege was deliberate defiance: “And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, 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.” (Daniel 5:22–23, ESV)

Most likely, Belshazzar had already heard about God’s supremacy. In the third year of Belshazzar’s reign, Daniel has a vision in which it is revealed that Belshazzar’s kingdom will fall (you can read about this in Daniel 8). It is possible that Belshazzar heard about this.

Here is a proud king, who fails to learn from the past and sets himself up as a man of significance while desecrating God’s holy objects.

But this act of defiance does not go unanswered, notice the conflict.

[1] John A. McLean, “Belshazzar, King of Babylon,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

[2] Stephen R. Miller, Daniel, vol. 18, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), 151.

29 Herodotus, Histories 1.190. Xenophon (Cyropaedia 7.5.13) specified that these provisions were sufficient for twenty years.

[3] Stephen R. Miller, Daniel, vol. 18, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), 151–152.

[4] Bob Fyall, Daniel: A Tale of Two Cities, Focus on the Bible Commentary (Ross-shire, Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 1998), 74.

II. The Conflict (Dan 5:5-9)

In response to Belshazzar’s intoxicated command, the a hand sent from God’s presence appeared (Daniel 5:24).

It is first introduced in verse 5 as “Immediately, fingers of a human hand” appears and writes on a wall.

The word “immediately” has been used already in 4:33 of the suddenness of the divine judgment on Nebuchadnezzar and is another link between Chapters 4 and 5.[1]

This is as one commentary puts it “[w]ith dreadful suddenness the God of Israel, whom Belshazzar had treated with such contempt, breaks into the drunken revelry.[2]

One of the things we notice here is the representation of the God who brought Israel out of Egypt is the same God during the Exile. The finger of God was responsible for the plagues in Egypt:

“The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.” (Exodus 8:18–19, ESV)

The finger of God wrote the tablets of the Law. Summarizing the giving of the Law, Moses wrote: “And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.” (Exodus 31:18, ESV) [3]

The finger of God produced an immediate result, look at verse 9: “Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed, and his lords were perplexed.” (Daniel 5:9, ESV)

According to Michael Segal in his article Rereading the Writing on the Wall (Daniel 5), only Belshazzar saw the writing. He supports this by saying that’s way the interpreters were unable to translate. The presence of the lamp underscores it should have been seen by others.[1] This would also explain why only Daniel could interpret.

[1] Greer, Jonathan S. Source: Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 79 no 1 Jan 2020, p 99-112. Publication Type: Article, pp 166-7)

[1] Bob Fyall, Daniel: A Tale of Two Cities, Focus on the Bible Commentary (Ross-shire, Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 1998), 75.

[2] Bob Fyall, Daniel: A Tale of Two Cities, Focus on the Bible Commentary (Ross-shire, Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 1998), 75.

[3] Bob Fyall, Daniel: A Tale of Two Cities, Focus on the Bible Commentary (Ross-shire, Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 1998), 75.

[4] John A. McLean, “Belshazzar, King of Babylon,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

III. The Conclusion (Dan 5:17-31)

Once again, we see the undeniable power of God:

In chapter 2 it was revealing and interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.

In chapter 3 it was Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s deliverance in a fiery furnace

In chapter 4 it was in Nebuchadnezzar’s humiliation,

And here in chapter 5 it is in through the hand of God.

All of these are examples of, as one commentary puts it, the awesome reality of the world beyond breaking into this one.[1]

So Daniel gives us the conclusion of the matter:

In verses 17-21 he said that God gave Nebuchadnezzar “kingship, greatness, glory and majesty but because of his pride and hardened heart, God humbled him until…

Look at the end of verse 21: “...until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will.” (Daniel 5:21, ESV)

Listen to Daniel’s warning to Belshazzar, verse 22 continues:

“And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, 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.” (Daniel 5:22–23, ESV)

Our attention is drawn to the presence of God:

““Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”” (Daniel 5:24–28, ESV)

As God announced, the end of the Babylonian Empire occurred that very night:

“That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.” (Daniel 5:30–31, ESV)

As we close, we are confronted again with the undeniable fact that God will not be silenced. [2]

Without uttering a word, God spoke with decisiveness and power.

Shall we pray?

Benediction: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20–21, ESV)

[1] Bob Fyall, Daniel: A Tale of Two Cities, Focus on the Bible Commentary (Ross-shire, Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 1998), 75.

[2] Bob Fyall, Daniel: A Tale of Two Cities, Focus on the Bible Commentary (Ross-shire, Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 1998), 82.