Tuesday, March 7, 2023

The Writing is on the Wall

Daniel 5:1-31 

1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. 2 While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.

5 In the same hour the fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 6 Then the king's countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other. 7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom." 8 Now all the king's wise men came, but they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were astonished.

10 The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, "O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. 12 Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation."

13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, "Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the thing. 16 And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and explain enigmas. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom."

17 Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, "Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation. 18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. 19 And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. 20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. 21 Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.

22 "But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. 23 And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. 24 Then the fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.

25 "And this is the inscription that was written:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

26 This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; 27 TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; 28 PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians." 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. 31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.   


The descendant of Nebuchadnezzar, king Belshazzar of the Chaldeans, had a feast with a thousand of his princes, a huge affair with many witnesses to what God was about to show him.  He mocked the LORD of Israel by using the gold and silver vessels that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem to get drunk with instead of their holy consecrated use (1 Kings 7:51, Daniel 1:2).  They further praised idol gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone with these items made for the living God alone.  This blasphemous act was not to be tolerated by the LORD.  A hand appeared out of nowhere and wrote on the wall in the sight of drunken Belshazzar as a warning of judgement which he could not decipher the meaning.  His his knees actually knocked together in great fear as he cried out for someone to read and interpret this ominous omen written by an otherworldly hand before all present to see.  He offered a great reward which included a third part of the kingdom to anyone who could read and give the meaning of this glaring supernatural message written seemingly just for him.  The wise men had no solution, bit the queen remembered and told him, “There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God.”  She spoke of Daniel who could understand and interpret such things as he did for Nebuchadnezzar, the father of king Belshazzar.  She told of how “light and understanding and excellent wisdom” were found in this man of God, and Daniel was hurriedly summoned to the king to read and give understanding to this enigma.  Daniel refused the gifts as a reward and first told the story of his father who had been given his kingdom and majesty, glory and honor by God’s hand, but whose pride had taken it from him for a time, “till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses” in humility and attributed all he had to the hand of God writing it and putting all in the king’s hand.  Now this hand from God came to Belshazzar because of his unrepentant pride in judgment.  He knew his father’s story and still refused to submit to God’s sovereign authority.  He did not honor or respect God and misused the holy cups of God’s temple to worship dead idols instead.  Judgment had come and with it the fingers of the hand were sent from God to write this message, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.  A coin, half coin, and the Persians.  The coin repeated first was the measure of the kingdom of Belshazzar, a half of that then showed he was wanting (fallen short of God’s measure), and the last showed he lost his kingdom to others (Medes and Persians) because of his unrepentant pride.  Daniel was honored for the interpretation in spite of the bad news, and king Belshazzar was killed that night.  Darius the Mede took over as prophesied.  The writing was on the wall.  This lesson demonstrates the importance of repentance and consequences of unrepentant pride.  May we always acknowledge and say that God is the sovereign authority over all, blessed be His name when He gives and takes away (Job 1:21)! 

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