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Daniel 5:1–31 (Belshazzar)

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called Stories and Visions, and we are working our way through the book of Daniel together. As we mentioned earlier, the book of Daniel consists of a series of stories and visions. Many of the stories are stories about visions, and many of the visions are visions of stories, and so they are all connected. Today we come to the story of the writing on the wall, a story about a vision of a hand witnessed by the king of Babylon during a drunken feast. (Read Daniel 5:5–6 and pray.)

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Have you ever heard the expression “the writing on the wall”? We usually use it to refer to something bad coming that you fail to recognize in the moment. It could be a failing business, a relationship that’s gone sour, or health concerns. Whatever the danger, the warning signs are all around you — it’s plain to see — but you fail to read the writing on the wall.

Although we use the expression all the time, many people don’t realize that it comes from the book of Daniel, specifically the story we are looking at today in Daniel 5.

You will notice that we have a change of kings in this story. Up to this point, all the stories have revolved around Daniel, his friends, and King Nebuchadnezzar. In fact, chapter 4 ended with King Nebuchadnezzar praising the God of Israel as the Most High God who lives forever, who does as he pleases, and who is able to humble those who walk in pride. But you just turn the page to chapter 5, and there’s a new king in town — King Belshazzar.

There is a twenty-four-year gap between the last verse of Daniel 4 and the first verse of Daniel 5. A lot happened during those twenty-four years. For one thing, there was a whole succession of kings during this time. After Nebuchadnezzar died, the throne passed to Evil Merodach, then to Neriglissar, then to his son Labashi Marduk, and finally to Nabonidus and his son Belshazzar. You might say that’s a whole lot of kings in just twenty-four years. Well, that’s because most of them assassinated one another, but that’s a story for another day.

This is also a good example of archaeology confirming Scripture. For a long time, many critics questioned the book of Daniel because there was no mention of Belshazzar outside the book of Daniel. But in 1854, clay cylinders were discovered showing that Belshazzar was the eldest son of Nabonidus. Nabonidus appointed him co regent, and Belshazzar ruled in Babylon for about ten years while his father was away in Arabia.

And that brings us to today’s story of Belshazzar and the writing on the wall.

I. The vision of the hand (1–9)

The story begins with the vision of the hand.

   A. A drunken banquet (1–4)

This vision unfolds in the middle of a drunken banquet thrown by Belshazzar for his nobles. You will notice that Nebuchadnezzar is called Belshazzar’s father repeatedly in this passage. We’ve already seen that Nabonidus was Belshazzar’s actual father. The word used for father here has a broad range of meaning and can refer to a father, grandfather, ancestor, or — as is most likely in this context — Belshazzar’s predecessor. Look at verses 1–4 with me now:

King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone. (Dan. 5:1–4)

It was common for ancient kings to throw these great banquets, although a thousand nobles were probably more than most could manage. This was a drinking party, so we can safely assume everyone was getting drunk. That’s strike one.

At some time during the banquet, the king calls for the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem so that he and his guests can drink from them. That’s strike two.

Not only do they continue their drunken spree using the goblets from the temple, but as they drink, they praise the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone. So there are several sins involved here — drunkenness, arrogance, sacrilege, blasphemy — but praising false gods while drinking out of the goblets designated for the temple is the last straw. That’s strike three, and you’re out.

   B. A terrifying vision (5–6)

It’s at this point that the vision occurs. Look at verses 5–6:

Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way. (Dan. 5:5–6)

This is a creepy scene. The fingers of a human hand mysteriously appear and begin writing on the wall, right next to the lampstand shining on the writing. The text mentions only Belshazzar seeing the hand, so we don’t know whether anyone else witnessed this vision. Either way, the king is terrified. Daniel gives us a vivid description of how the king’s face turned pale, his knees knocked together, and his legs gave way.

   C. The call for interpretation (7–9)

Next comes the king’s call for interpretation. Look at verses 7–9:

The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers and diviners to be brought and said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.” Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant. So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled. (Dan. 5:7–9)

Belshazzar calls in all the wise men to read the writing and tell him the interpretation. He offers them a lucrative reward as well as the third highest position in the kingdom, right after Nabonidus and himself. (By the way, this is another case of the archeological discovery of the clay tablets confirming Daniel. Now we know why the wise men were offered the third highest position instead of the second. Belshazzar was already in the second highest position under his father Nabonidus. The third highest position was the next available.) When none of them could even read the writing, much less give an interpretation, the king grew even more afraid.

The question arises: “Why couldn’t they read it?” It makes sense that they couldn’t interpret it, but why couldn’t they read it? It’s possible that God simply prevented them from doing so. Or another possibility is the way the Aramaic and Hebrew languages use only consonants with no vowels. In this case, the consonants may have been written one after the other without any spacing, and so without any context, it would have been difficult to determine the words.

Here’s an example. How many of you can read this: FRGDSLVDTHWRLD? With no vowels and all the consonants pushed together, it’s not that easy to read. Now, what if I separate the words for you: FR GD S LVD TH WRLD? Ah, now that’s a little easier, and you can probably make out the phrase: “for God so loved the world.”

II. Daniel’s interpretation (10–28)

So that’s the vision of the hand. Now we come to Daniel’s interpretation.

   A. The queen’s recommendation (10–12)

It is the queen who makes the recommendation to summon Daniel. Look at verses 10–12:

The queen, hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “O king, live forever!” she said. “Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king, I say—appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. 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.” (Dan. 5:10–12)

The queen here is most likely the queen mother. She’s been around longer than the others, and so she tells Belshazzar about Daniel. She shares how Daniel had helped Nebuchadnezzar with his dreams and visions in the past, so much so that Nebuchadnezzar had appointed him chief over all his other advisers.

The question arises: why is Daniel no longer chief? You have to remember, there has been a whole succession of kings since Nebuchadnezzar’s time. Daniel is an older man in his eighties by now. He could have retired from service, or he may have been let go when the new king succeeded Nebuchadnezzar.

   B. Belshazzar’s request (13–16)

So, the queen recommends Daniel, and Belshazzar makes his request. Look at verses 13–16:

So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom. The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it. Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.” (Dan. 5:13–16)

Belshazzar brings in Daniel. He explains that he has heard of Daniel’s reputation. He explains the situation to him. And then he offers Daniel the same reward for reading and interpreting the writing as he had offered the others.

   C. Daniel’s response (17–28)

Daniel’s response is three-fold.

      1) Keep your gifts (17)

First, he tells the king, “You can keep your gifts.” Look at verse 17:

Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.” (Dan. 5:17)

Daniel tells the king, “You can keep your gifts. You can even give them to someone else if you want.” Daniel shows that he is not motivated by pride, envy, covetousness, or greed. He has integrity, and he will read the writing and tell the king its meaning without regard for any potential compensation.

      2) The problem of pride (18–24)

Daniel then outlines the main problem here. Belshazzar is guilty of pride. Daniel gives him a quick history lesson in verses 18–21, reminding him of how Nebuchadnezzar made the same mistake and what happened to him because of pride.

He then directly confronts Belshazzar as regards his own problem with pride. Look at verses 22–24:

“But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription. (Dan. 5:22–24)

Belshazzar knew what had happened to Nebuchadnezzar, and yet he still set himself up against God. He disrespected God by bringing in the goblets from the temple and drinking from them, and then he insulted God by praising false gods which cannot see or hear or understand. In his pride, the king failed to honor the God who holds his life in his hands. That’s why God sent the hand that wrote the inscription.

      3) The inscription and its meaning (25–28)

Finally, Daniel tells the king the inscription and its meaning. Look at verses 25–28:

“This is the inscription that was written: ‘mene, mene, tekel, parsin.’ This is what these words mean: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” (Dan. 5:25–28)

We are finally told what was actually written on the wall. The inscription reads: mene, mene, tekel, parsin. Once again, this would have been written in all capitals with no vowels, so it would have looked something like this: MNMNTKLPRSN.

All three words are units of weight or measurement. Mene is the same word as mina, tekel is the same word as shekel, and parsin is the plural of peres, which means “a half measure” or “divided in two.” Those are the monetary meanings of the words, but Daniel jumps right past the commonly understood meanings and gives the king God’s meaning behind all this.

Mene can mean mina or “numbered,” so the divine interpretation for Belshazzar is, “God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.” Tekel can mean shekel or “weighed,” so God’s word to Belshazzar is, “You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.” Peres is the singular of parsin and can mean either “divided” or “Persia,” so God’s message to Belshazzar here is, “Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

And so, the meaning of the writing spells not just the end of Belshazzar, but the end of his kingdom. This marks the fall of the Babylonian empire and the rise of the Persian empire. Going back to Nebuchadnezzar’s vision of the statue in chapter 2, this is the gold head of the statue giving way to the chest and arms of silver.

   III. The changing of the kingdoms (29–31)

We’ve looked at the vision and Daniel’s interpretation. Now we come to the changing of the kingdoms, as described in advance by the writing on the wall. This momentous shift in world history is recorded for us in just three brief verses. In verse 29, Daniel is promoted. In verse 30, Belshazzar is slain. And in verse 31, Darius takes over. Let’s look at these three final verses together:

Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom. That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two. (Dan. 5:29–31)

   A. Daniel promoted (29)

In verse 29 the king stays true to his word, and Daniel is promoted as promised. This is important because King Darius and the Persians are about to take over. Daniel had been sidelined in recent years, but now that he has been elevated again, Darius will appoint him as one of the three main administrators of his kingdom.

   B. Belshazzar slain (30)

In verse 30 Belshazzar is slain. Here we have the changing of the kingdoms. Notice how sudden it all is — it happens that very night. We even know the date: October 12, 539 B.C.

The Greek historian Xenophon records that Babylon was taken during a night festival and that the king was slain. The Medes and the Persians were besieging the city, but Belshazzar wasn’t worried. The great walls of Babylon were impenetrable; the people inside had sustainable food supplies and plenty of water — the Euphrates River ran right through the city.

So how did the Persians get in? They diverted the river into a canal to lower the water level; then they waded into the city under the walls and took it without fighting, in a surprise attack. (This sudden end was also prophesied by Isaiah in Isaiah 47:10–11.)

   C. Darius takes over (31)

Finally, in verse 31 Darius takes over. Darius the Mede was either a governor, or more likely, this was just another name for Cyrus the Persian. The prophet Jeremiah wrote a letter from Jerusalem to the Jewish exiles shortly after the first deportation in 605 B.C. In that letter he told them when seventy years for Babylon were completed, the Lord would come to take them home (Jer. 29:10-13). The seventy years were now almost over. Babylon was gone, and Cyrus the Persian would soon let the captives go home.

CONCLUSION: Daniel 5 is a momentous chapter as it deals with the fall of Babylon and the rise of the Persian kingdom. Let me close with three applications for us today from this passage.

1) God sets up rulers and deposes them.

This theme from chapter 4 with Nebuchadnezzar is carried over into chapter 5 with Belshazzar. This has actually been the main theme of chapters 1–5 so far. The passing of Babylon was hinted at as early as 1:21.

2) You never know when your time is up.

We find this theme often in Scripture. Proverbs 6:15 says of the wicked man: “Disaster will overtake him in an instant; he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.” Psalm 73 says: “Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed” (Ps. 73:18–19).

In Jesus’ parable of the rich fool, God tells the man: “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” (Luke 12:20). That’s similar to what the writing on the wall meant in Daniel 5. It’s almost as if God were saying to Belshazzar, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”

3) You never know when this world’s time is up.

Jesus said: “Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matt. 24:42–44). This also sounds similar to what happened to Belshazzar. Interestingly, the Bible compares the end of the world to the fall of Babylon in Revelation 18. In this way, the fall of Babylon in Daniel 5 becomes a foreshadowing or prototype for the end of the world.

And then, of course, the whole passage contains a strong warning against pride. Belshazzar’s pride led to his downfall. He should have taken note of all that happened to Nebuchadnezzar before him, but he followed in Nebuchadnezzar’s pride and reaped the consequences. This is a biblical principle that applies to us all: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18).

Pride is more than just boasting about your accomplishments. Daniel explains it to Belshazzar as setting yourself up against the Lord of heaven and failing to honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. You do know that, right? God holds your life and your ways in his hands. God can decide what’s going to happen in your life tomorrow, and there’s not a thing you or I can do about it.

God holds your life in his hands. Why would you set yourself up against him? That’s pride. The proud person resists God and is brought low. The humble submit to God and are lifted high. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. What do you want in this life: do you want God’s opposition, or do you want God’s grace?

As a result of this sermon, I trust you will understand that resisting God is an act of pride that will eventually lead to your downfall. If you have been resisting God lately, I pray that you will repent of your pride and submit yourself to God — trusting in Jesus his Son, and pledging to follow him always. Know that God loves you and will forgive you when you humble yourself and put your trust in Jesus as Savior.

© Ray Fowler

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