The Handwriting on the Wall
Daniel 5:1-31
One of the most well known phrases from the Bible comes from our text. In business, sports, and just in life, everyone seems to know what the phrase, “The handwriting on the wall” means. Before we read Daniel 5, I wonder how many of us could have turned directly to this story because the book of Daniel is a plethora of familiar stories. Additionally, this book ends with a prophetic section which helps us makes sense of the end times as is spoken of in the Revelation.
Let’s walk through this story tonight and discover truths which will assist us in life, living, and even understanding. First, Belshazzar is the last King of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (and not to be confused with Belteshazzar, which is Daniel’s captivity name) &was the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar. Some scholars suggest that when he came to the throng, he was little more than a spoiled brat who knew more about rebel-rousing than he did ruling. Let’s take a quick walk through the actions of the King and discover the road to God writing on the wall.
1.The Depravity of the Leader – v1-6 – Candidly, we could talk about the depravity of all people, but the issue really is that we are all, by nature, are depraved. However, the reason that the depravity of a leader is so much worse is that it impacts so many people. It’s kind of like James teaches about the responsibilities and thus the accountability of the teacher. “To whom much is given, much is required.” Let’s see how Belshazzar’s depravity is seen.
a.The Arrogance – v-4 – Consider the event about which we read. This King (who was probably the #2 in the Kingdom) gave this huge party which boasted of 1000 guests and where wine, women, and song, were the order of the day. As in my mind’s eye, I picture this party it is an event which is designed to remind all 1000 of the guests of whom it is that is running this portion of the Kingdom. Perhaps, he attempting to establish himself as the same powerful ruler as his grand-dad or maybe he is trying to impress his parents with his ability to ‘put on’ a show or even (more likely) this is his concept of being King. Whatever his reason, the party got out of hand. His inebriation led to gratification which led to desecration. The first phrase of verse one should speak tons to this culture. When one is under the influence of alcohol he is out of control. It was in this state that the King decided to ‘strut his stuff’ and show his 1000 subordinates just how powerful he was. He sent for the vessels which his grand-dad had taken from the temple in Jerusalem so HE could drink out of them. He had taken his arrogance to a new level.
The Handwriting on the wall – Pg 2
b.The Astonishment – V5a & 5b – Let’s get this picture in our mind’s eye. The party is rolling, the alcohol is flowing, and the wickedness is growing. Just as the music gets popping, something strange happens. More quickly than everything got going, all activity begins to stop. Something unusual is going on, a hand is writing on the wall. Talk about stopping a party, well this stopped everything. I can see all eyes turning to the king.
c.The Anxiety – V5c & 6 – It would be an understatement to say that the king was anxious. The HCSB says that his face turned “pale” while the KJV says “his countenance changed” (I’m not sure what that means—for better or worse). The New English Translation gives us the picture when it says, “The color drained from his face.” He looked like he’d seen a ghost and it disturbed him so badly that his body was shaking in fright. I’ll offer this thought. Within himself, he knew he had stepped over the line. All of a sudden, he was no longer under the influence of alcohol; he was now under the influence of adrenaline & knew something was us.
2.The Desperation of the Loser – v 7-14 – For all of the wealth and strength he possessed, the King knew he couldn’t do combat the spiritual in the spiritual world because he had no connection to the spiritual. So he knew he was out manned and outgunned; he was desperate.
a.His attractive request – Belshazzar was no different than any other rich person; he believed he could throw money at the problem and fix it. He made the offer for royal clothes, gold chains, and the third highest position in the land (Why the 3rd highest – because he was 2nd highest). He made this appeal to his regular advisers who obviously had no more spiritual understand that he did. (This demonstrates ‘leadership impact).
b.His agonizing reality – He needed answers! What did this mean?! Yet, the reality was that his normal group of spiritual rebels had no idea what this message was or meant. He was losing this battle and needed to find the truth and he felt the need to do it quickly. Now, the room was getting rowdy again, but this time not from a party but pain, not from alcohol but anxiety, and not from fun but from fear.
c.His available resource – For me, the scripture records two resources for the King. First, she is called the “queen”, however many believe this could have been his grandmother (Nebuchadnezzar’s wife). Who it was is not nearly as important as the message she brings about his second resource, Daniel. Can you imagine the relief the King felt when the queen offered him one who had done this before and seemed very competent in these matters? Just a couple of personal thoughts; when you think you have seen handwriting, God will make sure help is handy.
The Handwriting on the wall – Pg 3
3.The Disclosure about the Lost – v 17-24 – when Daniel arrived on the scene, I submit, that for him it was déjà vu all over again. Once again, a king offered much of the kingdom to read the inscription on the wall and this time, Daniel said, “I’ll read it, but you can keep it or give it to someone else.” Obviously, God had given Daniel a message for this king.
a.The past – Daniel does not get the ‘politically correct’ badge because he does not mince words with the King. He says, “Let remember a few things” and he begins speaking of King Nebuchadnezzar. He told how powerful he was and God had given his the power and position. Daniel further reminds Belshazzar that when King Neb became arrogant and refused to humble himself before God, he lost his Kingdom.
b.The present – Daniel doesn’t let up or back up, he continues by pointing his finger at Belshazzar and saying, “You knew this and instead of doing right, you chose to do wrong and have become even worse than your granddad.” Daniel points out the desecration which Belshazzar has committed. On a personal note, it would seem to me that the king’s anxiety is getting worse. But the young man wasn’t through.
c.The problem – After recounting the past and restating the present, Daniel didn’t let up; he laid out the basic problem for the King. Let’s read the last part of verse 23. (Read) Can we just pause for a minute and give these words some personal reflection? The honest answer can bring personal conviction which is only good if it is followed by restoration.
4.The Details for a Life – v 26-28 – The very purpose I felt led to this text is to call us to come to grips with the message found in the handwritten message from God. It is generally agreed that the words were written in Aramaic and the people (the wise men) could only read Chaldean. However, if they could have read the message, they would not have been equipped to give the interpretation. The message was ‘mene, mene, tekel, parsin and the meaning is offered in our text. Follow with me.
a.The Appointment of your life – Mene means that God has numbered you day and brought it to an end. For the King, this was ominous. God was saying, “I gave you this life and your personal kingdom and I can take it away.” For you and me the same message holds and it is a message which we have chosen to ignore today. In the arrogance of our culture many have either forgotten or rejected the God of creation. We need to be reminded that God gave us life and will be the one to determine when we pass from this life. It’s all in His hands. Just as surely as He numbers the hairs on your head, He numbers your days. Perhaps it would help us if we remembered who it is that controls our days and our death.
The Handwriting on the wall – Pg 4
b.The Accounting of your life – Tekel means that you have been “weighed in the balance and found deficient.” In the context of that pagan society there was a belief that after a person died; their heart was removed and placed on scales. On one side was the heart and on the other was a feather. They believed that if the heart was light, it was pure. If not, it was weighted by sin and would suffer punishment. It’s amazing as to how close to accurate this belief is. The heart weighed down by sin without being cleansed by the blood of Jesus will indeed suffer eternal punishment. Even the believer who allows unconfessed sin in his life will give an accounting one day. Romans 14:12 tells us that each one of us will give an account before God. Many say they are ready to go to heaven, but how many are ready to meet God?
c.The Aftermath of your life - Don’t be confused at the word “parsin” in verse 25 and “peres” in verse 28, this is a translation issue but in the Aramaic language the second is a “form” of the first. Splitting hairs over the word is not nearly as important as this message. (Read Verse 28) From time to time the Bible reminds us that ‘prophecy is only history written in advance.’ It says your kingdom ‘has’ been divided. Whereas God gave Nebuchadnezzar a year to get right, the time was up for Belshazzar. God says, ‘ Your legacy will be that you are killed and your kingdom will be split apart.’ What will YOUR legacy be? Does handwriting on your wall frighten you? If God chooses to call your life on earth to a close, will you be weighed in the balance and found deficient? Will those you leave behind have a legacy which leads them to Jesus?
At the feast of Belshazzar and a thousand of his lords,
While they drank from golden vessels as the book of truth records,
In the night as they reveled in the royal palace hall,
They were seized with consternation at the hand upon the wall.
So, our deeds are recorded, there’s a hand that’s writing now.
Sinner, give your heart to Jesus to His royal mandate bow.
For the day is approaching, it must come to one and all, when the sinner’s condemnation will be written on the wall.
(From “D. Jeremiah’s ‘Handwriting on the Wall”)
What will the handwriting mean for you?
