Overview Of Daniel Chapter Five
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday November 1, 2012
Daniel: Overview of Daniel Chapter Five
Lesson # 141
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 5:1.
This evening we will begin a study of Daniel chapter five by presenting an overview of the chapter.
The first four chapters of the book of Daniel deal with Daniel and his three friends’ relationship with Nebuchadnezzar who died in 562 B.C. after ruling 43 years.
The years following the king’s death were tumultuous since the empire progressively deteriorated and was marked by murder and intrigue right up to its overthrown by Cyrus in 539 B.C.
In Daniel chapter five, we have the record of the events leading up to the destruction of the Babylonian empire when Nabonidus was ruler and his eldest son Belshazzar was his coregent.
The chapter deals with Daniel’s encounter with the latter.
Belshazzar was holding a great banquet for his nobles and alcohol was consumed in excess.
Unwisely, he took some of the articles of the temple of Solomon which Nebuchadnezzar had taken away to Babylon as booty from the destruction of Jerusalem.
Belshazzar employed these articles during his banquet which caused God to famously write on one of the walls of the banquet hall that his kingdom would be handed over to the Medo-Persian Empire.
After Daniel translated the writing from God on the wall, Belshazzar rewarded Daniel.
However, that evening, Belshazzar was killed by the Medes and Persians.
Like Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar learned the hard way that what Daniel said in Daniel 2:21 was true, namely, that the God of Israel deposes rulers from power.
When Nebuchadnezzar died, he was succeeded by his son Evil-Merodach who ruled for only two years (562-560 B.C.; see 2 Kings 25:27-30; Jeremiah 52:31-34).
The latter was murdered in August 560 by Neriglissar who was Nebuchadnezzar’s son-in-law and Evil-Merodach’s own brother-in-law.
Neriglissar ruled for a short time with his reign being only four years (560-556 B.C.) and this same individual is mentioned in Jeremiah 39:3, 13.
When he died, he was succeeded by his young son Labashi-Marduk who ruled only two months, May and June of 556 B.C.
He was assassinated and succeeded by Nabonidus who reigned 17 years (556-539 B.C.).
He brought about a brief return to the glory that marked Nebuchadnezzar’s reign.
His mother was the high priestess of the moon god at Haran.
Undoubtedly, through his mother’s influence, Nabonidus restored and even expanded the Babylonian religion and restored its temples.
He was absent from Babylon for 10 of his 17 years, from 554 through 545.
He restored the temple of the moon god at Haran and then attacked Edom and conquered much of Arabia as well where he then lived for quite some time.
So we can see from the chronology presented above, that twenty years separate the events recorded in Daniel chapter 4 and 5.
Nabonidus appointed his eldest son Belshazzar as coregent, which explains why Belshazzar was called in Daniel 5:1 and why exercised all the authority of his father even though his father was still on the throne.
Also, this helps understand why Belshazzar made Daniel the third ruler in the kingdom (Daniel 5:29).
So Daniel chapter five reveals that Daniel was a witness to the fall of the city of Babylon, which in the sixth century B.C. was considered impregnable because it had fantastic fornications.
Daniel 5:1-4 records Belshazzar dishonoring the Lord.
Daniel 5:1 Belshazzar the king held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand. 2 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, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. 3 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. 4 They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone. (NASB95)
Daniel 5:5-12 records God giving Belshazzar a message of his demise and his nation’s.
Daniel 5:5 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. 6 Then the king’s face grew pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his hip joints went slack and his knees began knocking together. 7 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 shall be clothed with purple and have a necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, his face grew even paler, and his nobles were perplexed. 10 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. 11 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. 12 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.” (NASB95)
Daniel 5:13-16 records Belshazzar requesting that Daniel interpret the meaning of the handwriting on the wall.
Daniel 5:13 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? 14 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. 15 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. 16 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.” (NASB95)
Daniel 5:17-26 records Daniel interpreting the writing for the king.
Daniel 5:17 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. 18 O king, the Most High God granted sovereignty, grandeur, glory and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father. 19 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. 20 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. 21 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. 22 Yet you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this, 23 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 all your ways, you have not glorified. 24 Then the hand was sent from Him and this inscription was written out. 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.” (NASB95)
Daniel 5:29-31 records Daniel’s interpretation being fulfilled that very evening.
Daniel 5:29 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. (NASB95)