Tonight, we get into chapter 5. This chapter deals with the familiar story of “the hand writing on the wall.” That phrase has become synonymous with having a reality check. Someone will say, “Yeah, he saw the handwriting on the wall with that situation.” I’m going to lead up to that point of the actual warning that was written on the wall and then next time we can spend some time on the details.
At this point in history Nebuchadnezzar has died. Now a new king sits upon the throne of Babylon. His name is Belshazzar. The chapter opens with King Belshazzar giving a banquet for a thousand of his nobles and their wives and concubines. This means that there were probably over 2,000 people present for the event. As we will see later on, this would be the very night that the great Babylonian empire would fall to the Persians. The date was actually October 12, 539 BC.
Read Daniel 5:1-4. Even though verse 2 says that Belshazzar was the son of Nebuchadnezzar, he was actually the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar. In ancient history, the word father is often used to refer to male ancestors regardless of the generation.
So we see this great banquet taking place—a big party—a big Wild party. Ancient rulers were known for hosting lavish banquets to display the wealth, power, and glory of their kingdoms. For some reason though, the king held this large feast while the enemy, the Persian army, was camped outside the city's gates. The leaders of Babylon must have felt that the city was impregnable because of its massive walls, look-out towers, and bronze gates.
Babylon appeared to be totally self-sustaining. The Euphrates River ran through the city to provide water, and there was enough food and supplies stored up to last many years. Feeling perfectly secure, Belshazzar apparently planned this banquet to boost the morale of his people to face the daily assault of the Persians against the walls and the gates of the city.
Soon after everyone arrived, both the king and the guests begin to engage in wicked and defiant behavior. Not only were the wives present for the banquet, but the concubines were as well. The wine flowed freely. It was becoming a wild party. At some point during the banquet, the king thought of a way to show the superiority of Babylon's so-called gods over those of other nations. He ordered his servants to bring in the gold and silver cups that Nebuchadnezzar had plundered from the temple in Jerusalem. We see that back in chapter 1:2. “The Lord handed King Jehoiakim of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels from the house of God. Nebuchadnezzar carried them to the land of Babylon] to the house of his god, and put the vessels in the treasury of his god.” By drinking from these trophies of war, the nobles would be reminded that their so-called gods had always made Babylon victorious over other nations.
But Belshazzar overlooked one fact. These particular cups were the sacred vessels of the Lord, the living and true God. They were holy, set apart for the use of the Lord and his service alone. So, when the King and his guests began to drink from these holy cups, they were committing blasphemy against the Lord. They were profaning the very name of God. They even toasted their false gods while they drank from the sacred cups dedicated to the Lord.
This is a warning to us to stay away from wild parties. Alcohol dulls the senses and weakens our morals, leaving the door wide open for irrational thinking and bad decisions that we might soon regret. People think they are invincible when they're drunk. Apparently, King Belshazzar and all his invited guests thought the same.
Read Daniel 5:5. God sees all this wickedness going on and basically says, “Turn out the lights, this party is over.” God suddenly put an end to the wicked party. Without warning, the fingers of a human hand appeared out of nowhere and begin writing on the wall of the banquet hall. The king watched the fingers began to write a message on the plastered wall near a lamp stand.
Read Daniel 5:6. The mood of the party quickly became serious, and fear gripped the king and the guests. Everything stopped. The dancing stopped, the servers and attendance stopped in their tracks, and the musicians silenced their instruments. An eerie silence slowly swept through the hall as everyone watched the hand write four brief words on the wall. The king's face turned pale and his knees began to knock together so that his legs gave way and he collapsed to the floor.
Read Daniel 5:7-8. As soon as he was able, the king screamed out and called for his advisors to come interpret the handwriting. Belshazzar promised both wealth and political rank to the individual who could interpret the message. In addition, whoever interpreted the handwriting would become the third highest ruler in the kingdom. You might be wondering why the interpreter would be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom. The kingdom of Babylon at this time was actually ruled by two. Belshazzar was one and he ruled alongside his actual father Nabonidus.
Read Daniel 5:9. So, as we have seen this same scenario in the past with King Nebuchadnezzar, the advisors could not interpret the writing. This made the king even more afraid and confused. The king and his guests began to be disturbed with the situation.
Read Daniel 5: 10 - 12. The news rapidly spread throughout the palace until it reached the queen. She rushed to the banquet hall to advise her son. As soon as she arrives, she notices the terror on Belshazzar's face. She tells Belshazzar not to look so alarmed and pale before the guests. She suggests to Belshazzar to summon Daniel to explain the handwriting on the wall. The thought obviously never crossed her mind that the handwriting was actually bad news.
It is kind of surprising that Belshazzar seemed to know nothing at all about Daniel. Daniel had held one of the highest offices in Babylon during Nebuchadnezzar's reign. In verse 22 we see that Belshazzar knew about his grandfather's dream and insanity as well as about his recovery and return to the throne. Maybe the reason Belshazzar knew nothing about Daniel is that Daniel had not played a major role at the court since the death of Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel had been retired for over 20 years now and was somewhere around 80 years old. We know this because these events took place on the same night that Babylon fell which was in 539 BC and Daniel was exiled to Babylon as a young man in 605 BC.
Without delay, Belshazzar summoned Daniel to come interpret the handwriting.
Read Daniel 5: 13 - 16. As soon as Daniel appeared, the king asked him to identify himself. Once Daniel's identity was confirmed, the king told him what the queen mother had said, that the spirit of the gods was in Daniel, giving him special insight, understanding, and wisdom. Then the king informed Daniel that the wise men had failed to read and interpret the handwriting. If Daniel could read and interpret the handwriting, Belshazzar told him he would receive the very same rewards that had been offered to his occult advisors.
I want to take more time next time as we look in detail at the handwriting on the wall. So, for tonight, we will stop here. As I stated when we began tonight, this story gives us the well-known phrase, the handwriting on the wall, which announces judgment. When someone uses the phrase the handwriting on the wall, it signifies that they will be judged for their actions. We will find next time that is the case in this situation as well.
The handwriting on the wall is a clear picture of the guilt, fear, and helplessness that we often experience when we face a crisis. We begin to see from tonight's passage that if we walk through life ignoring God and paying no attention to him whatsoever, that judgment will come. Then, when a crisis strikes, fear and a sense of helplessness grips our hearts. Have you been there? Whatever the crisis is, we feel terrified and completely hopeless. This feeling is nothing new. The Bible describes this state of mind again and again.
Judas cast of 30 pieces of silver on the steps of the Temple ran out and hanged himself. We feel a similar despair from the man who was born lame and was carried to the gate of the temple each day to beg for alms. And then, of course, there is Job and his despair. These are just a few examples of the feeling of despair. But we begin to learn the lesson from tonight's passage not to get ourselves in such a state with God that we find ourselves in such despair.
