The Handwriting On The Wall

Daniel 5:1-31 The Handwriting on the Wall

1. Belshazzar's Depravity – 1-6.

a. His Arrogance 3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. 4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

Inebriation led to gratification which led to desecration.

A. His Pride of life. 22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; He had knowingly disobeyed God!

B. His Plunder of the temple. 23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, C. His Pollution of the vessels

23 thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them;

D. His Praise of Idols. 23 and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:

b. His Astonishment 5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

A An Untimely Message - They were partying!

B An Unusual Message - 5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand

C An Unreadable. Message 8 Then came in all the king’s wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof

c. His Anxiety 6 Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.

“The colour drained from his face.” He looked like he’d seen a ghost

I dreamed that the great judgment morning, Had dawned, and the trumpet had blown;

I dreamed that the nations had gathered, To judgment before the white throne;

From the throne came a bright, shining angel, And he stood on the land and the sea,

And he swore with his hand raised to Heaven, That time was no longer to be.

And, oh, what a weeping and wailing, As the lost were told of their fate;

They cried for the rocks and the mountains, They prayed, but their prayer was too late.

2. Belshazzar's Dismay – v 7-14

a. His Request – 7 And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck,

b. His Resources – 7 and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.

c. His Response – He Had a Witness - 10 Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house:

He Had a Word - 10 and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed: 11 There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;

He Had a Warning - 13 Then was Daniel brought in before the king.

3. Belshazzar's Disclosure – v 17-24 - God had given Daniel a message

a. A Message From His Past - (His Grandfather) 18 O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:

b. A Message For His Present – 22 - 23 Read

c. A Message Of His Punishment –

25 And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

4. Belshazzar's Destruction – 26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.

27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

a.The Appointment of your life –

Mene - God has numbered your day and brought it to an end.

b.The Account of your life –

Tekel you have been “weighed in the balance and found deficient.”

c. The Aftermath of your life -

28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.