The Handwriting on the Wall Believing and Behaving in Babylon Part 5 – Daniel Chapter 5 "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.”

How Time Does Fly! Some 66 years have passed since the opening of the book of Daniel. – Daniel is in his 70’s or 80’s as Chapter 5 begins Nebuchadnezzar died in 562 BC – He reigned 43 years – He was succeeded by his son, Evil-merodach ( ) – Nebuchadnezzar’s brother-in-law Neriglissar reigned after his son ( ) – From 556 to 539 the Babylonian Empire was ruled by Nabonidus and his son Belshazzar Belshazzar was the last king of Babylon

Scholars tell us Nabonidus was Assyrian, not Chaldean – V. 2 implies Belshazzar was descended from Nebuchadnezzar – father can also mean “grandfather” The word can also mean “predecessor”, which seems best to fit the published history It is clear that Daniel’s honor and perhaps his office had lapsed with the passing generations – The glowing praises for Jehovah and for His servants (Chapters 2, 3, and 4) were all but forgotten by this hedonistic generation

Belshazzar: “Let’s Party!” Elaborate and pretentious feasts and celebrations were common in this culture – Esther 1 – These events were a platform for the ruler to boast of his accomplishments and riches – They were characterized by uncontrolled debauchery and drunkenness Proverbs 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise. Proverbs 31:4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Or for rulers to desire strong drink… Proverbs 23:1-3

Belshazzar’s feast was typical of these events – He gathered a thousand of his nobles – ironic in that his father claimed no “noble” blood or heritage Even more astonishing, he must have known that “the enemy was at the gate” – It was widely believed by the Babylonians that the city walls were impenetrable – His arrogance would bring his doom!

Belshazzar’s Fatal Blasphemy When the alcohol began to have its natural effect, he lost all sense of propriety and perspective – vv. 2-3 – Women of the court were normally not present in these affairs – cf. Esther 1 – Having them take part in this affair dishonored them – He defiled the ceremonial vessels which had been stolen from the Temple in Jerusalem by using them as his drinking vessels, and honoring his pagan “gods” in “toasts” from them – v. 4

God’s Judgment Unveiled At the height of their drunken frenzy, a sobering event took place – v. 5 – A new “guest” arrived, uninvited and unwelcome Is God welcome at your parties? Do you invite Him to your celebrations? Would you be surprised if He “showed up”? – Everyone saw the hand, writing on the wall – Everyone read the message – it was in Aramaic – No one could understand its meaning The Word of God can be read by anyone, but only by His Spirit can its meaning be understood. – 1 Corinthians 2:14 – (principle) – Acts 8:26-39 – (application)

God’s Servant Enlisted As with previous supernatural announcements, Belshazzar called for his staff to interpret the message – vv. 7-8 – This was no dream: Everyone saw it, and the fulfillment of the message was to be immediate! As before, the “wise men” were clueless! – They could not even read the message - (V. 8) – When he could not get understanding, his terror became debilitating – v. 9 – His mind was muddled by the alcohol and he was spiritually blinded – 2 Cor. 4:3-5

10 The queen entered the banquet hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen spoke … – This was the queen mother, either the wife of Nabonidus or of one of his predecessors – She was aware of the lessons taught Nebuchadnezzar and of his response regarding Daniel and Daniel’s God – Apparently these lessons had not been passed down in the king’s chronicles, or they had been forgotten or ignored – The queen wisely recommended that the king recall Daniel to court, knowing that God spoke through him She also realized that this was a spiritual message

God’s Judgment Proclaimed When Daniel was brought before Belshazzar he was obviously a total stranger to them – All he knew was what he had just been told by the queen mother – vv – He offered the same reward and promotion to prominence that he’s offered to anyone who could decipher the message – v. 16 Third in the kingdom indicates Belshazzar knew he was not #1 Note Daniel’s response – how did it differ from how he interacted with Nebuchadnezzar? (4:19) – Though Belshazzar was unaware of Daniel, Daniel knew about him, and observed his behavior with understanding

As before, Daniel was not motivated by the promise of reward – His reward was knowing and doing the will of Jehovah without regard to circumstances or consequences Daniel began delivering God’s message by recounting for the king how God had blessed his predecessor Nebuchadnezzar – He reminded him of Nebuchadnezzar’s greatness and power – vv – He also recounted how God humbled Nebuchadnezzar in his great pride by driving him to the fields as an animal – vv

He then related Nebuchadnezzar’s arrogance and God’s judgment to Belshazzar’s own arrogance and his impending judgment – Note that these judgments were specific and personal – He also very specifically laid out the charges against the accused: MENE – Your days are numbered, and your number is up! Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom. TEKEL – You are weighed and found deficient Job 31:6 Let Him weigh me with accurate scales, And let God know my integrity. UPHARSIN = PERES (plural) – What you boasted of has been given to the Medes and the Persians

God’s Judgment Executed 30 That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. The Medo-Persian army under Cyrus diverted the Euphrates River into a channel and marched in under the walls on dry land! – This time the judgment was immediately executed and Belshazzar’s feast became his last meal – In reality Belshazzar was only a crown prince, and he likely was not ethnically Chaldean, but rather a secondary ruler of the Chaldean kingdom. Temporarily! – Luke 12:16-21

The Changing of the Guard 31 So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two. – There is discussion among the scholars regarding this “Darius the Mede” – The term may be a title rather than a proper name – There are at least three individuals called “Darius” in Scripture, and they almost certainly do not refer to the same person – This Darius ruled from BC as a viceroy under Cyrus – God used Darius the Mede to greatly bless Daniel – Ch. 6 Daniel had been elevated by the ill-fated Belshazzar in his final act as ruler Darius made good on his other promises!

Believing and Behaving in Babylon How do you view your present – Circumstances, – Activities, and – Relationships? Are you assuming that Jesus is coming back, but not just yet? How do you view the “ups” and “downs” of political parties, economies, etc. – With great alarm and impetus to “do something”? – With bored disinterest, thinking, “this has nothing to do with me!”? – As God at work in Babylon, awaiting the opportunity to show Himself strong at just the right time? Will you faithfully live out your purpose, even here and now?