The Hand Writing on the Wall (Part 1)
Dan. 5:1-12
Introduction
Nearly 25 years have passed since the events of chapter 4 and over 70 years since chapter 1. Now advanced in years, Daniel is a senior statesman in Babylon. He has outlasted a number of kings and in his time Belshazzar, the last of the Chaldean kings of Babylon, will be killed and Babylon will pass from Chaldean rule to rule by Darius the Mede.
The death of Belshazzar at the hand of Darius is a partial fulfilment of the prophecy revealed to king Nebuchadnezzar by his dream in chapter 2. There, Daniel informed Nebuchadnezzar that his kingdom was the first of four kingdoms to precede the coming of Messiah. His was the kingdom of gold, to be followed by a lesser kingdom of silver (Daniel 2:39).
Babylon was being besieged by the Persian army, led by Ugbaru, governor of Gutium, while Belshazzar, inside the city, was giving a great banquet for 1,000 of his nobles. Belshazzar’s name means “Bel (another name for the god Marduk) has protected the king.” Perhaps the banquet was given to show Belshazzar’s contempt for the Persians and to allay his people’s fears. Belshazzar considered his city secure from assault because of its massive walls. Within the city were supplies that would sustain it for 20 years. Therefore, the king felt he had little cause for concern.
Historical Background:
We are introduced to a new King of Babylon, Belshazzar. Referred to as Nebuchadnezzar’s son but actually his grandson. (This is not a contradiction because in the Bible the term “son” can mean as “direct descendant” (Mt. 12:23 and Lk. 3:23-31).
Historical records do not mention Belshazzar so critics conclude that the Bible is in error. Two Babylonian historians, Berosus and Abydenus record the fact that Nabonidus was the last king of Babylon, and that he received an honorable position from the Persians after his surrender to them.
However, Assyrian inscriptions (the Nabonidus cylinder) found by Herbert Rawlinson have since revealed the existence of Bel-shar-usar, showing him to be the son of Nabonidus and coregent of his father over Babylon.
Nabonidus left Babylon on a military expedition leaving Belshazzar in charge, four months before the fall of Babylon. Nabonidus had himself surrendered to the Persians and was permitted to live out his days in Carmania.
We should always judge the critics by the Bible instead of letting critics judge the Bible (Rom. 3:4)
I. The Feast (Dan. 5:1)
A. Grand and Luxurious – The Bible says the attendees included 1,000 Babylonian lords, plus princes, wives, and concubines. “The dining room was enormous, reportedly 1,650 feet wide and a mile long. Some 4,500 pillars in the form of giant elephants were part of the walls. They were carved out of stone and stood twenty feet high. The tables were fashioned in the form of horseshoes. The lords of Babylon and their wives sat down to eat and drink, as trained peacocks, arrayed in gold-and-silver
trimmed harness, drew miniature chariots laden with choice wine and all manner of food to the guests. From the adjoining gardens, an enormous choir and orchestra provided music and entertainment” (John Phillips).
B. The false peace- Historical records reveal that by this time Babylonian empire had effectively collapsed-only the city of Babylon remained, and for some three months Cyrus the Persians have been besieging it.
C. The Nature of the Feast
1. It was an act of pride – Belshazzar should have been fasting instead of feasting.
2. It was an act of drunkenness – (Prov. 20:1, Hab. 2:15). It was “whiles he tasted the wine” that Belshazzar provoked God by ordering the holy vessels to be used. This is a biblical example of how wine removes godly inhibitions. (Gen. 9:21, 19:32, Ex. 32:6)
3. It was act of immorality (v. 2). The presence of women at this feast shows it to have been a drunken orgy.
4. It was an act of blasphemy (v. 3). Since wine tasted the same regardless of the cup, the use of the holy vessels of the Lord show this to be a deliberate act of contempt and defiance for God.
5. It was an act of idolatry (v. 4) praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
6. All these sins are so prevalent in today’s society, is also called “works of the flesh” (Gal. 5:19-21).
Illustration/Application: Built-In Failure
The flesh is a built-in law of failure, making it impossible for the natural man to please or serve God. It is a compulsive inner force inherited from man’s fall, which expresses itself in general and specific rebellion against God and His righteousness. The flesh can never be reformed or improved. The only hope for escape from the law of the flesh is its total execution and replacement by a new life in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Adversary, Mark Bubeck, Moody Press, p. 28
II. The Fingers of God (Dan. 5: 5-6)
A. The longsuffering of God – consider what it takes for an almighty God to say “enough” (Ps. 103:8, Heb. 10:31).
1. It was the finger of God that defeated the Egyptians when Pharaoh refused to let the people go (Ex. 8:19).
2. It was the finger of God that wrote the holy law for Israel on the tablets of stone (Ex. 31:18).
3. Jesus said that He cast out demons “by the finger of God” (Lk. 11:20), referring to the power of the Spirit (Matt. 12:28).
4. Now the finger of God was writing a warning to the Babylonian leaders that the hand of God would very soon execute judgment.
5. The king’s countenance, his facial expression changed, from merriment, joy, and pride to fear, confusion, and helplessness.
6. He is so scared that the Bible describes it that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.
III. The Fear (Dan. 5:7-9)
A. The helpless wise men (vs. 6,7) – For the third time in this book the wisdom of the world has failed when it is really needed. (1 Cor. 1:19-21, 25-29).
B. The Shaken King – He became more afraid.
C. And his lords were astonied – Amazed. The Chaldee word means to perplex, disturb, trouble. They were doubtless as much perplexed and troubled as the king himself.
D. The inability of the wise men of Babylon to read and to make known the interpretation of the writings in the wall made the king more scared and uneasy.
Illustration/Application: The Executioner
One time many years ago, the king of Hungary found himself depressed and unhappy. He sent for his brother, a good-natured but rather indifferent prince. The king said to him, “I am a great sinner; I fear to meet God.” But the prince only laughed at him. This didn’t help the king’s disposition any. Though he was a believer, the king had gotten a glimpse of his guilt for the way he’d been living lately, and he seriously wanted help.
In those days it was customary if the executioner sounded a trumpet before a man’s door at any hour, it was a signal that he was to be led to his execution. The king sent the executioner in the dead of night to sound the fateful blast at his brother’s door. The prince realized with horror what was happening. Quickly dressing, he stepped to the door and was seized by the executioner, and dragged pale and trembling into the king’s presence. In an agony of terror, he fell on his knees before his brother and begged to know how he had offended him.
“My brother,” answered the king, “if the sight of a human executioner is so terrible to you, shall not I, having grievously offended God, fear to be brought before the judgment seat of Christ?”
IV. The Absent Queen (Dan. 5: 10-12)
A. The queen here may be the queen mother, who had been the wife of Evil-merodach, Nebuchadnezzar’s successor
B. The queen mother suggests that they bring Daniel to interpret the event. Nebuchadnezzar used the phrase in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God years prior (4:8-9,18). This is Daniel’s spirit, not the Holy Spirit.
C. Three terms describe Daniel: excellent spirit, knowledge and understanding. Excellent spirit refers to his attitude. The other terms describe his mental facility and discernment.
V. Conclusion:
Belshazzar, the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, hosted a luxurious, worldly, I would say carnal grand feast while his enemies, the Persians are besieging Babylon. In the midst of the merriment, the king and his guests saw fingers of man’s hand writing on the wall. This caused fear, confusion, and astonishment to all the people there. Once more the wise men of the kingdom can’t explain or interpret the meaning of the writings. More about this next week if the Lord wills.
