Pride and Punishment

Whom Shall We Fear?

we have a tendency to fear kings and kingdoms. However, Daniel 5 reminds us that even the most powerful kings and kingdoms serve at God’s disposal. “The nations are a drop in the bucket” to him and he does according to his will.

Context:

At least 20 years have passed since Daniel 4

It is now 539 BC

Belshazzar is Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson

Daniel: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary Commentary

Young (116) cites evidence from the Persian Verse Account of Nabonidus to show that Nabonidus had also entrusted the rule of Babylon to Belshazzar in his absence: “He freed his hand; he entrusted the kingship (ip-ta-kid-su sharru-tam) to him. Then he himself undertook a distant campaign.”

Thus, there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the father and son shared a joint-regime in which Belshazzar occupied the subordinate position. As a result, official documents would be dated according to Nabonidus, but the book of Daniel made reference to Belshazzar, because this was the man in Babylon that the Jews actually had to deal with and whose royal word could affect them.

Daniel: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary D. God’s Humbling of Belshazzar, to Whom Is Revealed the Handwriting on the Wall (5:1–30)

As recorded in the Nabonidus Chronicle, Cyrus had already conquered the neighboring cities to Babylon of Sippar and Akkad.415 Now his advance had brought him within only a few kilometers of Babylon itself.

Daniel: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary D. God’s Humbling of Belshazzar, to Whom Is Revealed the Handwriting on the Wall (5:1–30)

Chapter 4 records the divine humbling of the Babylonian king (Nebuchadnezzar), and this is paralleled in chap. 5 with the divine humbling of another Babylonian king (Belshazzar). Thus, Daniel chap. 5 is a turning point in the first major section of the book, both from a literary perspective as well as a historical perspective.

Structure of the Passage

Daniel: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary (D. God’s Humbling of Belshazzar, to Whom Is Revealed the Handwriting on the Wall (5:1–30))

A Banquet Setting (1–9)1. Belshazzar’s Insolence at the Banquet (1–4)2. The Handwriting on the Wall (5–6)3. Offers and Honors Made to the Wise Men (7–8)4. Outcome for Belshazzar: Alarm (9)B Queen’s Speech in Regard to Nebuchadnezzar (10–12)Commends Daniel’s role during rule of NebuchadnezzarC Belshazzar’s Speech (13–16)Admission of wise men’s failure and offer of rewards to DanielB` Daniel’s Speech in Regard to Nebuchadnezzar (17–21)Decline of rewards and recounts lesson learned by NebuchadnezzarA` Banquet Conclusion (22–30)1. Belshazzar’s Insolence at the Banquet Rebuked (22–24)2. Handwriting on the Wall Interpreted (25–28)3. Honors Bestowed on Daniel (29)4. Outcome for Belshazzar: Slain (30)

Belshazzar

The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Belshazzar’s Rise to the Throne)

Belshazzar’s name was found in contract tablets and letters just outside of Babylon. The documents showed that he rose to power and was a co-regent with Nabonidus in about 545 BC. The correspondence with Babylonian bankers in these tablets and letters indicates that he was wealthy and had a large household of administrators and servants.King Nebuchadnezzar likely died in 562 BC. He was succeeded by a son, Evil-Merodach, who ruled from 562–560 BC (see 2 Kgs 25:27–30; Jer 52:31–34). Evil-Merodach was murdered by Neriglissar, his brother-in-law, who succeeded him. Neriglissar, also known as Nergal-Sharezer (Jer 39:3, 13), ruled from 560–556 BC. He was succeeded by his son, Labashi-Marduk, who was assassinated after two months on the throne. Labashi-Marduk was replaced by Nabonidus, who ruled from 556–539 BC. Nabonidus restored many of the Babylonian temples that had deteriorated. This work kept him absent from the capital for about 15 years. Belshazzar was the eldest son of Nabonidus. He was appointed by Nabonidus as a co-regent. The events of Dan 5 depict the last day of the last year of the reign of Belshazzar, when Babylon fell to the Medo-Persian Empire. The narrative moves the events of Dan 4 forward by about 23 years

Pride—the familiar problem

Daniel 5:1–4 (NASB)

Belshazzar the king held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand.When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, in order that the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

Daniel: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary (Commentary)

Belshazzar was not simply making an innocent mistake. Rather, he was knowingly and openly defying the Most High God. Now it remained to be seen if Yahweh would respond to Belshazzar’s challenge. Not only would he (as the rest of the chapter demonstrates), but he had already answered the challenge before Belshazzar even came to the throne. About 150 years earlier Yahweh had spoken through Isaiah the prophet as to what he would do with idolatrous Babylon (see Isa 46:1–2; 47:1–15). Some fifty years earlier, he had also spoken through Jeremiah about Babylon’s judgment (see Jer 50:1–2, 18; 51:7–8, 11, 41b–44, 57–58).

Isaiah 47:1 (ESV)

Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no more be called tender and delicate.

Isaiah 47:8 (ESV)

Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures, who sit securely, who say in your heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me; I shall not sit as a widow or know the loss of children”:

Isaiah 47:11 (ESV)

But evil shall come upon you, which you will not know how to charm away; disaster shall fall upon you, for which you will not be able to atone; and ruin shall come upon you suddenly, of which you know nothing.

Handwriting on the wall

Daniel 5:5–9 (NASB)

Suddenly the fingers of a man’s hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing.Then the king’s face grew pale, and his thoughts alarmed him; and his hip joints went slack, and his knees began knocking together.The king called aloud to bring in the conjurers, the Chaldeans and the diviners. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Any man who can read this inscription and explain its interpretation to me will be clothed with purple, and have a necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as third ruler in the kingdom.”Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king.Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, his face grew even paler, and his nobles were perplexed.

Familiar Search for Truth

Daniel 5:10–12 (NASB)

The queen entered the banquet hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen spoke and said, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your face be pale.“There is a man in your kingdom in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father the king, appointed him chief of the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans, and diviners.“This was because an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas, and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned, and he will declare the interpretation.”

Daniel had been in Babylon around 52 years at this point. He could have been in his 80s.

God Reveals His Sovereignty

Daniel 5:13–17 (NASB)

Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the exiles from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah?“Now I have heard about you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight, and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you.“Just now the wise men and the conjurers were brought in before me that they might read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not declare the interpretation of the message.“But I personally have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Now if you are able to read the inscription and make its interpretation known to me, you will be clothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will have authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.” Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Keep your gifts for yourself, or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him.

Daniel 5:17–24 (NASB)

Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Keep your gifts for yourself, or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him.“O king, the Most High God granted sovereignty, grandeur, glory, and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father.“And because of the grandeur which He bestowed on him, all the peoples, nations, and men of every language feared and trembled before him; whomever he wished he killed, and whomever he wished he spared alive; and whomever he wished he elevated, and whomever he wished he humbled.“But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became so proud that he behaved arrogantly, he was deposed from his royal throne, and his glory was taken away from him.“He was also driven away from mankind, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his dwelling place was with the wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he recognized that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind, and that He sets over it whomever He wishes.“Yet you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this,but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and your ways, you have not glorified.“Then the hand was sent from Him, and this inscription was written out.

Daniel: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary (Commentary)

Daniel was not motivated by such earthly treasures. At this stage of his life, he could see the limited value these offered. It takes a man of genuine godly character to pass up the glitter of worldly desires, but that is precisely what Daniel did. Furthermore, for him the rewards were wrong because of the context in which they were offered—a context of belittling the God whom he loved and served.

Daniel 5:25–29 (NASB)

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

The “Blank Bible”: Part 1 & Part 2 (Daniel)

This handwriting on the wall is applicable to all wicked men when the time is come for ’em to die, for then God “has numbered and finished” their day. “And after death comes judgment when they are weighed in the balances, and found wanting.”

Punishment

Daniel 5:30 (NASB)

That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain.

Daniel: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary (Commentary)

but that night (Oct. 12, 539 BC) a general of Cyrus named Ugbaru (or Gobryas) took the city with hardly a battle

Daniel: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary (Commentary)

Details of Babylon’s fall are well documented in the Nabonidus Chronicle (ANET, 305–7), the Cyrus Cylinder (ANET, 315–16), Herodotus’ Histories (fifth cent. BC), Xenophon’s Cyropaedia (ca. 434–355 BC), and the writings of Berossus (a third cent. BC Babylonian priest and historian).

Daniel: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary Commentary

Unknown to them, Cyrus’s resourceful commander, Ugbaru (referred to in the Chronicle as governor of Gutium), had diverted the waters of the Euphrates to an old channel dug by a previous ruler … suddenly reducing the water level below the river-gates. Before long the Persian besiegers would come wading in at night and clamber up the river-bank walls before the guards knew what was happening.

New King

Daniel 5:31 (ESV)

And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

Darius the Mede

The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Darius, Son of Ahasuerus)

DARIUS, SON OF AHASUERUS (דָּרְיָוֶשׁ, doryawesh). Also known as Darius the Mede. A Persian ruler recorded in the book of Daniel (Dan 5–6, 9). Ruled over the kingdom of Chaldea after the Persian conquest of Babylon.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Darius in the Bible)

Darius in the BibleDarius ascended to the Chaldean throne after the death of King Belshazzar. Daniel 5:31 records that “Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old” (ESV). Darius’ first act as king was to appoint 120 satraps and three high officials, one of whom was Daniel. The other high officials conspired against Daniel and convinced King Darius to sign a petition stating that no man could appeal to any god or man (other than the king) for thirty days. When Daniel was found praying to Yahweh, King Darius was forced to throw him into the lion’s den (Dan 6:10–16). Upon Daniel’s deliverance, the king repented and proclaimed the God of Daniel as the one true God (Dan 6:26–27). Daniel 6:28 records that Daniel then “prospered during the reign of Darius.” During Darius’ reign, Daniel also had a vision concerning the 70 weeks of years (Dan 9).

The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Possible Identifications for Darius)

Possible Identifications for DariusScholars have struggled to conclusively identify Darius, son of Ahasuerus, with any known Persian ruler recorded in secular texts. No Babylonian or Persian source records any figure clearly fitting the description given in the book of Daniel (Whitcomb, Darius, 70). Attempts have been made to link Darius to:• Astyages the Mede, the last king before Cyrus, whose name was replaced by “Darius” in the Septuagint• Cyrus the Great who, according to Greek and Babylonian sources, was both conqueror of Babylon and successor to the last Chaldean king (2 Chr 36:20)• Darius the Great, though he would have been only 20 years old when the Persians conquered Babylon, making it highly unlikely he became king (Law, Identification, 68)• Gobryas, also known as Gubaru and Ugbaru, the general who led Cyrus’ army to capture Babylon (though this identification would necessarily shorten the time frame of the events of Daniel to one week, given the extremely limited rule of Gobryas over the area before Cyrus’ accession)George Law and Donald Wiseman argue Cyrus the Great is the most likely candidate for identification with Darius, son of Ahasuerus. Law points out that although Cyrus is historically portrayed as Persian, he was a Mede through his matrilineal line (Law, Identification, 77–84). Herodotus even mocks Cyrus with the tag of “Persian Mule” (Herodotus, Histories, 1.55–56). After participating in palace intrigue with Astyages, Cyrus was declared king of the Medes and, after acquiring the Persian throne, continued to favor the placement of Medes high in his government (Law, Identification, 68).

Application

Daniel: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary (Application and Devotional Implications)

Each of us is given one life, for which we are responsible to use wisely and for the glory of God. Ps 90:12 admonishes us, “Teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom” (NASB). The point is that we need to grasp our mortality, and then use the days we have for living wisely unto Yahweh our God. How are you doing with the life that has been given you?