THE NIGHT THEY SAW THE WRITING ON THE WALL
Daniel 5:1-31
INTRODUCTION: This chapter gives us a view of an occurrence that we are watching, and have absolutely no control over the ending. We are seeing a tragedy in the making. This very night one kingdom will cease to exist, and another will take its place. So it is with those who will disrespect the power and glory of God. God is both a God of patience, and a God of swift judgment. Here in this chapter we see the swiftness by which God executes His judgment on sin!
I A FATAL BANQUET – approx 20 years AFTER the death of Nebuchadnezzar – 5:1-4
A The rise of a new king
1 Belshazzar is actually the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar
2 Nebuchadnezzar had a daughter – Nitocris
3 Nitocris married Nadonidis
4 Their child was Belshazzar
a Elevated to the position of co-regent with his father
b Name means – “Bel has protected the king”
B The Throwing of a great banquet
1 Reasons for the banquet
a Contempt for the Persians who are besieging the city
b Allay the fears of the people
2 The contempt of Belshazzar
a Contempt for the power of man
1) City impenetrable
2) City is well-stocked
a) Food provisions for 20 years were in the city
b) River Euphrates flowed in and out of the city under the walls!
b Contempt for the power of God
1) Result of War – the temple objects were brought to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar
2) Result of Sacrilege – the temple objects were brought to the banquet
3 The condition of the banquet
a Sensual affair – mixed genders
b Lack of restraint
1) Public view of royalty
2) Use of Alcohol
a) Do things we would not normally do if we were sober
Belshazzar would gain his notoriety by sacrilege, not by accomplishments
§ Removed temple fixtures from the treasury
§ Used them to praise their gods
II A FATAL HAND – Moments after the Sacrilege – 5:5-6
A Written in plain view
1 Possibly under the lamp stand taken from the temple in Jerusalem
B Written were the kings legends were written
C Fear from the king
1 Had been so careless to ridicule God
2 Can not bear the presence of God
a White as a ghost
b Back went limp
III A FATAL PROPHECY – Spelling the end of the kingdom – 5:7-38
A The need to know
1 Purple robe – Like Mordecai
2 Chain of gold – very valuable
3 3rd highest ruler of the kingdom
a Below Belshazzar and Nadonidis
Value of the offer reveals the level of the fear
B Pagan counselors
1 Cannot interpret the writing
2 Their inability brings even GREAT fear!
C God’s prophet
1 The reputation of Daniel is still know
2 Queen is probably the grandmother of Belshazzar and aware of Daniel
Daniel 5:12 This man Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means."
3
a Queen refers to Nebuchadnezzar as “your father”
b Queen refers to Nebuchadnezzar as “king
1) Remind Belshazzar of the reverence he had for Neb.
2) Bring awareness of the respect Neb. Had for Daniel
4 Deprived of office at the death of Nebuchadnezzar
5 Forgotten by those in authority
a Daniel is some 90 years old
D Daniel’s Service
1 Offered the same reward as the others – number 3 in a kingdom about ready to crumble
a Daniels response to the reward – interesting principle:
1) Do not do what you do for God for reward
2) Do what you do for God because it is your duty to do it
Matthew 6:2 "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
Matthew 6:4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
Matthew 6:18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
2 The Contrast of Rulers
a Nebuchadnezzar understood the sovereignty of God
b Belshazzar did not understand the sovereignty of God
1) New what Neb went through
2) Did not learn from it!!
3) Openly challenged the Lord of Heaven
a) Brought goblets
b) Used them to praise idols
“the God who holds you in His hand sent a hand to you” – verse 23-24
3 The meaning of the inscription
a Principle – the written word is powerful
b MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARISIN – literally, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, And PARISIN
1) Numbered, numbered, weighed and divided
a) “Takin a list, checkin’ it twice – gonna find out who’s naughty and nice” S. Clause
b) Guess what – Bel. Did nto measure up
2) Without the vowels the words have an interesting meaning
a) MENE – 50 shekels
b) TEKEL – 1 shekel
c) PARISIN – half a MENE
(1) I’ve looked you over twice, looked at you in pieces, and now divided your kingdom
1 Samuel 2:3 "Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.
3) The kingdom would be divided – THAT night as it fell to the MEDO/PERSIAN Empire!
IV A FATAL FULFILLMENT – In the blink of an eye – 5:29-31
A Belshazzar keeps his promise – albeit, it was a short lived promise
B Babylon falls as predicted
Isaiah 13:17-22 See, I will stir up against them the Medes, who do not care for silver and have no delight in gold. 18Their bows will strike down the young men; they will have no mercy on infants nor will they look with compassion on children. 19Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonians’ pride, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. 20She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flocks there. 21But desert creatures will lie there, jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about. 22Hyenas will howl in her strongholds, jackals in her luxurious palaces. Her time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.
C Darius – Cyrus enters the city
1 Lowered the river by diverting it into a lake
2 Comes in UNDER the wall
3 Led by 2 deserters
4 Caught city unaware
a In JFB’s Commentary we read – “HERODOTUS and XENOPHON confirm Daniel as to the suddenness of the event. Cyrus diverted the Euphrates into a new channel and, guided by two deserters, marched by the dry bed into the city, while the Babylonians were carousing at an annual feast to the gods.”
5 This Darius is not to be confused with Darius the Great of Ezra who permitted the rebuilding of the temple
D The Establishment of the Medo/Persian Empire was the second portion of the Statue prophecy of Chapter 2
What can we learn from Daniel?
§ Pride leads to destruction
§ The inadequacy of secular wisdom – 3 times in five chapters man’s wisdom is useless in divine things
§ God is involved in history
§ God considers learning from history IMPORTANT!
