Daniel 5.26-28-Daniel Interprets The Inscription For Belshazzar
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday January 29, 2013
Daniel: Daniel 5:26-28-Daniel Interprets The Inscription For Belshazzar
Lesson # 167
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 5:1.
Daniel 5:1 King Belshazzar threw an enormous banquet for a thousand of his nobles. He even drank wine excessively directly in front of the thousand. 2 Belshazzar issued an order while under the influence of the wine causing the gold and silver articles to be brought in which Nebuchadnezzar, his great-grandfather caused to be confiscated from the temple, which was in Jerusalem, in order that the king, his nobles as well as his wives and in addition his concubines could drink with them. 3 Therefore, the gold and silver articles were brought in, which were confiscated from the temple, which was God’s house, which was in Jerusalem so that the king, his nobles as well as his wives and in addition his concubines could drink with them. 4 They drank wine while they praised gods composed of gold as well as silver, bronze, iron, wood and in addition stone. 5 During this time, the fingers of a human hand appeared while writing on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, directly in front of the lampstand so that the king observed the palm of the hand which was writing. 6 Then the king, his countenance was changed for him. Also, his thoughts caused him to be terrified so that his hip joints gave way resulting in his knees knocking together, one against the other. 7 The king authoritatively shouted out an order for the purpose of causing the necromancers, astrologers as well as diviners to be brought in. He declared to the city of Babylon’s wise men, “Any person who can read aloud the inscription as well as can make known its interpretation to me will be clothed with a purple robe as well as a golden chain around his neck. Indeed, they will rule as third in the kingdom.” 8 Therefore, each and every one of the king’s wise men came in but they were totally unable to read or cause the interpretation to be made known to the king. 9 Thus causing the king to be extremely terrified so that his countenance was changed on him as well as causing his nobles to be perplexed. 10 The queen entered the banquet hall because of the king’s words as well as his nobles. The queen responded and said, “O king, live forever! Please, by no means let your thoughts cause you to be terrified so that they by no means cause your countenance to be changed! 11 There is a man in your kingdom who possesses God’s Holy Spirit in him. Specifically, during the days of your great-grandfather, illumination, discernment as well as wisdom in accordance with God’s wisdom were observed in him. Indeed, King Nebuchadnezzar, your great-grandfather, your great-grandfather the king, promoted him to be commander over the occult priests, necromancers, astrologers and diviners 12 because in him, in Daniel whom the king assigned him the name Belteshazzar, was found an extraordinary spirit, knowledge, discernment interpreting dreams, explaining riddles as well as solving difficult problems. Please summon Daniel right now in order to cause the interpretation to be known.” 13 Consequently, Daniel was ordered to enter the king’s presence. The king asked a question and said to Daniel, “Are you Daniel, who is one of the deported people from Judah whom my great-grandfather the king ordered to be brought from Judah? 14 Likewise I heard concerning you that God’s Spirit is in you so that illumination, discernment as well as extraordinary wisdom were observed in you. 15 Now at this time, the wise men, the necromancers were ordered to enter my presence in order that they could read aloud the inscription as well as to make known to me its interpretation. However, they were totally unable to cause the message’s interpretation to be made known to me. 16 But I myself personally heard concerning you that you are able to provide interpretations as well as solve difficult problems. Now, if you are able to read aloud the inscription as well as cause its interpretation to be made known to me, you will be clothed with a purple robe as well as a golden chain around you neck. Indeed, you will rule as third over the kingdom. 17 Then Daniel responded and said, “Please, keep your gifts for yourself or please give your rewards for another. However, I will read aloud the inscription to the king as well as cause the interpretation to be made known to him. 18 As for you, O king, the Most High God gave to Nebuchadnezzar, your great-grandfather a kingdom, yes a great kingdom as well as honor, yes, great honor. 19 Indeed, because of this greatness, which He gave to him, each and every person belonging to the nations, ethnicities as well as language groups was in state of trembling, yes in a state of fear from being in the presence of him. He was characterized as putting to death whomever he desired whereas he was characterized as sparing whomever he desired. He was also characterized as promoting whomever he desired while on the other hand he was characterized as demoting whomever he desired. 20 However, when his mind was in a state of arrogance, namely, his attitude was obstinate so that he was proud, he was ordered to be removed from his royal throne so that honor was taken away from him. 21 Specifically, he was driven away from members of the human race. For his benefit, his mind was even transformed into the mind of a wild animal so that his dwelling place was among the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like cattle. Furthermore, his body was continually drenched with the dew from heaven until he acknowledged that the Most High God was the sovereign authority over mankind’s realm so that He can establish over it whomever He desires. 22 However, as for you, his great-grandson, you by no means humbled your heart even though you are well acquainted with all this. 23 Instead, you caused yourself to become arrogant against the Lord ruling the heavens. Specifically, the vessels which are from God’s house were brought into your presence. Consequently, you, yourself along with your nobles, your wives as well as your concubines drank wine excessively with them while you, praised the gods composed of silver as well as gold, bronze, iron, wood and in addition stone, which never see as well as never hear likewise, never communicate. Thus, you never honored the God who holds your life in His hand so that every one of your ways originates from Him. 24 Then, the palm of the hand was sent from Him so that this inscription was written. 25 Now, this is the content of the inscription to follow that was written: MENĒ, MENĒ, TEKĒL, UPHARSIN.” (My translation)
Daniel 5:26 “This is the interpretation of the message: ‘MENĒ’—God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it.” (NASB95)
“God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it” means that the God of Israel was bringing to end the reign of Belshazzar’s Neo-Babylonian kingdom as a world-wide empire as a result of numbering the days of this kingdom as a world-wide empire.
Daniel 5:27 “‘TEKĒL’—you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.” (NASB95)
“You have been weighed on the scales and found deficient” means that God had weighed Belshazzar and found him deficient in the sense that God evaluated the king according to His perfect, holy moral and ethical standards and determined the king did not measure up to these standards.
Daniel 5:28 “‘PERĒS’—your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.” (NASB95)
“Your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians” means that Belshazzar’s Neo-Babylonian kingdom was divided by God into two parts with the result that it was given to the Medes and Persians.
The “Medes” were the inhabitants of northwest Iran, southwest of the Caspian Sea and north of the Zagros Mountains and this nation covered the modern province of Azerbaijan and part of Persian Kurdistan.
The “Persians” inhabited an area which corresponds to the modern state of Iran and were actually a vast collection of states and kingdoms reaching from the shores of Asia Minor in the west to the Indus River Valley in the east.
It reached northward to southern Russia and in the south included Egypt and the regions bordering the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
These two nations were represented by the silver arms and chest of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream recorded in Daniel chapter 2.
This kingdom lasted over 200 years (539-330 B.C.), longer than the Neo-Babylonian Empire of 87 years (626-539).
However, as we noted in Daniel chapter two this empire was inferior in quality to the Babylonian empire just as silver compared with gold.
Daniel 2:39 records Daniel telling Nebuchadnezzar that after his kingdom there will arise another kingdom which will be inferior to his kingdom.
Since Daniel told the king at the end of Daniel 2:38 that he was the head of gold of the statue in his dream, this second kingdom is represented by the silver arms and chest of the statue.
History records that this part of the statue represented the Medo-Persian Empire.
It was inferior since it lacked the inner unity of Babylon because the Medes and the Persians, though united, never fused into one people.
Since the metals of the statue decrease in value but increase in strength, the silver arms and chest of the statue indicate that the character of authority in rulership of the Media-Persian Empire was superior to the third and fourth kingdoms, which history records were Greece and Rome respectively and inferior to only Babylon.
However, its power or strength was superior to Babylon but inferior to Greece and Rome.
Daniel 5:26 “This is the interpretation of the message: As for MENĒ’-God has numbered your kingdom’s days so that He has caused it to be brought to an end. 27 As for TEKĒL-you have been weighed on the balances with the result that you have been observed deficient. 28 As for PERĒS-your kingdom has been divided so that it has been given to the Medes and Persians.” (My translation)
The Medo-Persian empire was founded by Cyrus, who started out as the king of Anshan in Persia.
He fused the Iranian tribes into a great military machine by marrying the daughter of the king of Media and added Media to his empire.
Then, the Medo-Persian army conquered the Babylonians in 539 B.C.
Under Cryus, they defeated the Babylonian army outside the city of Babylon.
According to Babylonian and Persian records, the people of Babylon threw open the gates of the city, welcoming the Persian army as deliverers from the despotic reigns of Nabonidus and Belshazzar.
They gave Cyrus a triumphal entry complete with palm branches.
Therefore, in Daniel 5:26-28, Daniel interprets the inscription for Belshazzar and the message is one of judgment.
His interpretation reveals that the God of Israel was bringing an end to the reign of the Neo-Babylonian kingdom as a world-wide empire.
The reason was that Belshazzar and his kingdom did not measure up to God’s holy moral and ethical standards which are represented in the Ten Commandments, which are written into the soul of every human being according to Romans 2:14-15.
This interpretation indicates that the first stage of the prophecy in Daniel chapter two which declared that Nebuchadnezzar’s Neo-Babylonian kingdom would be a world-wide empire but would come to end and be followed by the Mede-Persian empire.