Daniel 5 ‘The writing on the wall’Home Groups 14th February 2018
Read Daniel Chapter 5
Nebuchadnezzar has died and four kings have come and gone before the reign of Belshazzar. He is reigning with his father Nabonidus who has formed a co-regency with his son. Nabonidus took the throne in 556 B.C. ‘Historical documents indicate that Belshazzar managed Babylon for ten years while Nabonidus was in Teima for religious reasons’.[1]
The banquet recorded in Daniel 5 has been identified as occurring in October 539 B.C., two days after the Persians had conquered the town of Opis (modern day Baghdad), which is about 50 miles north of Babylon. Nabonidus fled and then later surrendered to Cyrus in Babylon.
The country was under attack, the enemy army was very close by and yet Belshazzar held a banquet. What reasons may have underpinned his decision to do this?
This feast was in honour of one of the great Babylonian gods.‘Archaeologists have unearthed palaces at Babylon containing great halls large enough to entertain a thousand guests. They have also discovered that the walls were covered with a white chalklike substance, which explains the matter of the handwriting on the wall’.[2]
The ‘1000’ nobles, ‘symbolically represents all surviving high officials in Babylon after the military defeats nearby’.[3] The kings’ table would have been prominently positioned so that all at the banquet could see him. The term used in verse 2 for ‘drinking’ more likely connotes a routine ‘tasting the wine’, so it is possible that he was not ‘drunk’.While the king was ‘drinking’ his wine he ordered that the gold and silver goblets taken from the temple in Jerusalem many years earlier (by Nebuchadnezzar) were to be brought and used in the banquet.
Specifically what were the gold and silver goblets to be used for?
The way that they were used was an act of blasphemy – the king was not content to drink wine to his gods, he wanted to blaspheme the God of the Jews as well. ‘From the giving of the law through Moses, God set His people apart as holy (Exodus 19 verses 4 – 6) and expected them to treat Him and His name as holy (Exodus 20 v 7; Leviticus 19 v 12; Deuteronomy 5 v 11)’.[4]
What should be our responseto blasphemy?
Babylon was a strong city with walls 350 feet high and eighty-seven feet thick. The Euphrates River ran diagonally through the city, and great brass gates controlled the city entrances. How could any invading army capture such a city?[5]Given the strength of his city, his position in the banquet and all that he (thought) he had, what sin was to be found in the heart of Belshazzar?
Does God care about pride? If so, why? How might pride enter our lives and what should we do about it?
In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the banquet, Belshazzar observes a hand writing on an area of the wall illuminated by a lampstand. The room falls silent and the sense of awe and amazement is palpable. The description of the king is telling (v6). The wise men are called and they (as previously) fail to interpret the writing. ‘The ignorance of the wise men made the king even more terrified… the time had come when political authority, wealth, power and human wisdom could do nothing to solve the problem. Once again, the Lord had exposed the ignorance of the world and the futility of human power to discover the mind and will of God’.[6]
The positivity of the Queen Mother might be misplaced, but she brought Daniel to her son’s attention. He had had the opportunity to get to know Daniel earlier in his reign, but clearly hadn’t used that opportunity to acquaint himself with Daniel.
Daniel is called and the scene that confronted him must have seemed oh so familiar! A fearful king, incompetent wise men and Daniel called in to save the day. As he spoke to the king Daniel was respectful but he wasn’t afraid to tell the truth!What can we take from Daniel’s actions to inform our own way of speaking to people?
Read verses 18 – 23.
‘Before explaining the handwriting, Daniel preached a sermon to the king, using the king's grandfather as his illustration. He warned the king about his pride and sin and reminded him that God judged Nebuchadnezzar severely. "And you knew all this," Daniel exclaimed, "yet you persist in living such a wicked life. Now God has sent you a message of judgment and it is too late." God gave Nebuchadnezzar a year to repent (4:28-33), but there was no year for Belshazzar to repent. He was doomed’.[7]
Within hours Darius the Persian entered the city (his army had built a canal, diverted the Euphrates and entered the city under the gates). The Babylonian Empire was at an end.
Read 1 Thessalonians 5 verses 1 – 3. In what ways are the circumstances the Apostle Paul describes similar to the scenes confronting Daniel as he went in to Belshazzar’s feast and similar to the society in which we live? What should our response be?
Prayer: Let us give thanks this evening that God is sovereign, and that all the answers to the problems of human kind are to be found in Him. Let us also prise Him for His Son who through His death and resurrection has made it possible for us to have a wonderful relationship with Almighty God. But, let us also pray this evening that we will fully appreciate that God will judge the people of the world; and that in understanding that judgement is coming that we will be even more motivated to play our full part in winning for the Lord those around us who are not Christians.Next time – A new king, an old problem… (Daniel 6).
[1]Ronald W Pierce, Teach the Text Commentary Series, Daniel, Baker Books, 2015
[2]Warren W Wiersbe, Expository Outlines on the Old Testament, Victor Books/SP Publications, 1993
[3]Ronald W Pierce, Teach the Text Commentary Series, Daniel, Baker Books, 2015
[4]Ronald W Pierce, Teach the Text Commentary Series, Daniel, Baker Books, 2015
[5]Warren W Wiersbe, Expository Outlines on the Old Testament, Victor Books/SP Publications, 1993
[6]Warren W Wiersbe, Be Resolute, David C Cooke, 2000
[7]Warren W Wiersbe, Expository Outlines on the Old Testament, Victor Books/SP Publications, 1993