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Weekly Message | March 2nd, 2008
Passage: Daniel 5:1-31
Key Verse(s): Daniel 5:25
The English phrase “handwriting on the wall” is from this particular chapter of the book of Daniel. This is about God’s judgment written on the wall. As a prisoner of war, Daniel had come to Babylon from Judah during his teens (probably 15 or 16 years old). He served King Nebuchadnezzar from the first year of his reign (Dan 1:5, 2:1) until his death – about 43 years! At this time, Daniel was probably about 80 years old. What could such an old man do? God used him greatly as a messenger of God’s judgment!
First, in terrifying fear King Belshazzar called upon Daniel (1-16). Look at verse one. "King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them." Belshazzar was the eldest son of Nabonidus (556-529 B.C.). In Matthew 1:1, Jesus is called the Son of David. Belshazzar is also referred to as the son of Nebuchadnezzar (2, 11, 18). It is the way biblical authors described one’s ancestry.
The Babylonian Empire reached her most glorious heights under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar, but after his death, the kingdom rapidly declined. After seven years of a volatile transition period with intense power struggles, Nabonidus became the new ruler. He devoted himself to the moon god of Arabia and chose to stay in Tema, Northeast of Arabia. For more than ten years he did not return to Babylon, while his son Belshazzar ruled in his place. At this time, the new empires of the Medes and the Persians were rising up. According to Herodotus, the Greek historian, Darius defeated Nabonidus at Borsippa. Then Darius' troops advanced against Babylon, where Belshazzar was reigning in his father's absence. Darius besieged the city of Babylon with an irresistible army force until King Belshazzar and his people were disheartened.
In this context, King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles. He wanted to boost the morale of his army generals and his high officials. While his soldiers were fighting, all the generals attended the party and got drunk. Belshazzar might have felt secure because of a huge amount of crops stored in the fortress and because of the River Euphrates, which was the natural defense line of Babylon. In reality, the Babylonian Empire was crumbling because of corruption and lack of leadership. Soon Darius' troops moved into the city at night, because the Babylonian army soldiers, in fear, surrendered and showed them a secret inner tunnel to the palace.
When Belshazzar got drunk and was pretty high, he ordered that the gold goblets be brought in. The goblets were used for sacrificial offerings in the temple in Jerusalem. They were most holy and sacred instruments of God. Even the great king Nebuchadnezzar had never dared to use these sacred utensils, acknowledging that they were untouchable, because they belonged to the Holy God Almighty. Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the sacred utensils. When the sacred utensils were brought in, the king and nobles and his wives and his concubines drank from them.
In light of the Ten Commandments, King Belshazzar committed the sin of blasphemy. Blasphemy is the very act of defying the holiness of God. Sinners may offend others and be forgiven, but denouncing God is a very serious matter and may be unforgivable. In addition to this, Belshazzar praised the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone which were made by men's hands. In the name of all the tribal gods of Babylon, he denounced the only true God. Idol worship is another sin of blasphemy. He made all these unforgivable mistakes while he was drunk.
Drinking seems harmless, but it is very destructive. Drinking causes men to commit many kinds of terrible acts. A few years ago, two young men, after getting drunk, climbed the one-hundred-foot-high tension towers behind the university. They reached out and touched a hundred thousand volts. At the moment they touched the electric circuits, their bodies became like fire balls. They dropped to the ground. In this world, many drunken men beat their wives and children. Young men and women, in drunken stages, commit their shameful acts.
Look at verses five and six. All of a sudden there appeared the handwriting of a man. Seeing this, the king's face turned pale. He was so terrified “…that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way” (6). Uncontrollable fear overwhelmed him, and his body responded accordingly. That is the way sinners who defy God actually behave in the presence of the living God Almighty.
So King Belshazzar called out for all the wise men in his kingdom and said, “‘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’" (7). But as usual, the wise men again proved to be useless. So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew paler. His nobles were baffled (9). The people at the party were shocked to death and completely frozen. Out of terror, they were crying for help. There was great commotion.
At this time, the queen entered the banquet hall. Here, the queen probably refers to Belshazzar’s mother, rather than his wife. King Belshazzar probably did not invite her. As a prudent woman, she might have thought that it was not good to have such a wild party while enemies were surrounding the city. But knowing what was going on, she came to the party and said, “‘O King, live forever! … Don't be alarmed! Don't look so pale!’" (10). To the queen, the king was like a terrified squirrel in the middle of the road before an approaching chariot. He had no strength to lead the empire against his enemies.
The queen introduced Daniel, saying what Daniel had done for King Nebuchadnezzar. The queen recognized the wisdom and understanding of Daniel. Under Nebuchadnezzar's rule, Daniel was highly honored, but after his death, the Babylonian officials reinstated the worship practices of Babylonian gods. Daniel probably lost favor with the new king. Anyway, Daniel had an obscure period of about twenty years (from his 60s to his 80s).
When Daniel was brought before the king, Belshazzar asked him, “‘Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah?’" (13). Daniel used to be the highest official during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, but here Belshazzar referred to Daniel as one of the wretched POWs. He showed contempt for Daniel, but out of desperation, he begged for his help. He said, “‘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’" (16).
What can we learn from this? Just imagine the encounter. A king in terrifying fear and an old man, Daniel, with the peace of God! God’s people may live in obscurity for years. In time of crises, people call upon God’s servants who know God. Sometimes we determine our values based on worldly positions; however, be prepared to testify to God in times of need. Live before God. Walk with him daily. Stay spiritually active. The moments to serve the Lord come, even when you are eighty years of age. The world cries out for people who know God, and they provide valuable counsel to lost sinners.
Second, Daniel rebuked the king and pronounced God’s judgment (17-31). Look at verse seventeen. “‘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.’" King Belshazzar promised to give Daniel many gifts and a high promotion. Daniel refused his offer, saying, “‘You may keep your gifts for yourself…’" (17). Daniel knew that King Belshazzar's destiny was flickering like a candle in the wind. Daniel refused to receive any gifts from King Belshazzar, for the king was nothing but a godless man and an idol-worshiper.
Then Daniel plainly gave him a history lesson. He started with the story of King Nebuchadnezzar, his glory, his insanity, and God’s mercy upon him. God made an ordinary man, Nebuchadnezzar, the greatest king of Babylon. When Nebuchadnezzar became proud, he was cut down. He received animal-man training until he humbled himself before God. His sanity was restored with his repentance. He later confessed that everything God does is right and all his ways are just.
Look at verse twenty-three. “‘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.” Belshazzar did not learn from the failures of King Nebuchadnezzar. He knew what had happened to his grandfather. He did not honor God. He, instead, despised God.
Many young people wish that they had better parents, because of their parents’ failures and mistakes. Apart from the grace of God, we all repeat the empty ways of our parents, beginning with our first Parent Adam. In Adam we all die. The shackles of bad blood circulate in us. We do what we don’t want to do. We simply live as we please with no real change. By the grace of God, we change. By the power of God, we overcome these empty ways and create new histories for us and for our children and beyond.
I know a person whose father was an alcoholic. Because of his heavy drinking problem, he was not able to care for the needs of his family. There was no peace, but constant fighting, in his family. His mother had to work day and night to support her five poor children. Without any clear life direction, this father ended his life sadly. His son learned from his father's failures. He made a small decision to live as a responsible head of his household. He prayed to live as a blessing to those around him. To him the best teacher was the failures his father.
Apostle Peter said, "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Pet. 1:18-19). Through Christ's blood, we can be redeemed from the empty way of life. Christ gives us learning minds, so we can grow in his wonderful image every day. This life is wonderful if we have learning minds. "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day" (2 Cor. 4:16).
Look at verses twenty-four and twenty-five. “‘Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription. This is the inscription that was written: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin." After rebuking Belshazzar for his lack of a learning mind, Daniel started interpreting the meaning of the writing on the wall.
"Mene" means God had numbered the days of Belshazzar’s reign and brought it to an end (26). The first important step of gaining wisdom is to number our days. Moses prayed, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Ps 90:12). Number our days! This life is God’s gift. This is not meant to be wasted. Rather, this needs to be explored for good purpose. Last night I asked the members of our messenger team to share their hearts of wisdom. They all have some wonderful pieces of advice for younger people. They learned to number their days and gain hearts of wisdom. At this Friday meeting, the HBF students will present on Daniel’s life of faith. They will hear the hearts of wisdom of their parents and of those who have gone ahead of them.
“‘Tekel: you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting’" (27). "Tekel" means when God weighed Belshazzar on the scale, Belshazzar was found to be too light to be a king. In the sight of God, as the king of Babylon, he should have been as big as a huge oak tree. He was supposed to be in the heavy-weight category. But because of his drinking and lack of a learning mind, his inner man did not grow. As a result, he weighed the same as a mosquito-category boxer. He was too light to be a child of God, not to mention being a king. He fell short of the glory of God (Ro. 3:23). We all will stand before God’s judgment. We will be weighted in God’s scale. At that time, our weights are based on what God values. What would be your weights?
Loving God is to live in ways that God values. God values our faithful prayer lives. God values our prayers of giving thanks. God values our labors of love. God values our good work in this world. Whatever we do for those in love is not in vain. The work of our Lord Jesus is very precious; therefore, through him our good work is no longer “filthy rags.” They are useful for God and for his people. God remembers our good work for the glory of God. God remembers and rewards us. Therefore, value your good work before God.
"Parsin" means Belshazzar’s kingdom would be divided and given to the Medes and to the Persians. In other words, his kingdom would fall and be invaded by the Medes and the Persians. He would be killed, and his people would be dragged into captivity and would suffer as slaves. This tells us the fruits of his sin would cause all his people to suffer to death. According to Romans 6:23, the fruits of sin is death.
As soon as King Belshazzar heard what Daniel said to him, he commanded that Daniel be clothed in purple, have a gold chain placed around his neck, and be proclaimed as the third highest ruler in his kingdom. “That very night Belshazzar…was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two” (30-31).
Conclusion: King Belshazzar's sins were innumerable. Among them his sin of having no learning mind was the worst. He had a wonderful opportunity to learn from King Nebuchadnezzar's failures, but he wasted it. Though he was a king, he was a man of no content and a man of ignorance. King Belshazzar's ignorance caused him to commit sins of blasphemy and idol-worship.
May God help us to have holy desire like St. Paul, who said, "I want to know Christ…" (Phil 3:10). We must forget what is behind us. Instead, we must strain toward what is ahead. Press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:13-14). Like Daniel, keep learning and continue to grow up, even in your 80s. Your great teacher is the failures of those who are close to you. Put your faith in Jesus Christ and live as God’s holy people starting from today.
Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
