DANIEL - Chapter 5

Daniel – Chapter 5

Preached by:  Pastor Carolyn Sissom

“YOU HAVE BEEN WEIGHED IN THE BALANCE AND FOUND WANTING”

Sunday Evening Service, October 30, 2011

Belshazzar was the Son of Nabonidus and grandson of Nebuchadnezzar.  The inscriptions show that he was co-regent while his father went to meet Cyrus in battle.  Chapter 5 follows chapters 7-8 in chronology, for the vision of chapter 7 was seen in the 1^st year and that of chapter 8 in the 3^rd year of Belshazzar. 

The stories of Daniel 1-6 are set in the sixth century B.C.  Historians do not always agree on the accuracy of the time sequence. 

Daniel belongs to a time when no national Israelite state existed, no Davidic ruler had to be recalled to covenant duties, so it prepares for a kingdom of God transcending physical limitation.

5:1-4:  Belshazzar the king held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand.  When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, in order that the king and his nobles, his wives, and  his concubines might drink from them.  Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.  They drank the wine and praise the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.”

It was sinful enough for such drinking to be going on, but to use the sanctified vessels from the house of God in Jerusalem in such a drunken brawl was going too far.  In this sumptuous feast, he was in defiance of God’s judgments.  Belshazzar’s city was now besieged by the Medes and still he shows no fear of God.  His life and kingdom lay at stake.  He should have proclaimed a fast, but as one in rebellion to God, he proclaims a feast. 

5:5-6: “Suddenly the fingers of a man’s hand emerged and began writing opposite the lamp stand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing. Then the king’s face grew pale and his thoughts alarmed him; and his hip joints went slack, and knees began knocking together.”

Five-fold description of fear and terror: 

1. The face grows pale.
2. The mind becomes agitated.
3. There is weakness in the whole frame.
4. The whole body trembles and shakes.
5. A cry of distress is given.

Belshazzar followed the pattern of his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar in calling for the so-called wise men of Babylon.  Again, those who are in sin and want to keep on sinning will not go to a man/woman of God.  They want someone who will give them an easy message.

As with his grandfather, none of the astrologers, Chaldeans or soothsayers could interpret the hand writing.  This could not have been an ordinary language from the empire.  Had it been Hebrew, Chaldee, Arabic, or some common language of the empire, many could have read and interpreted it.

We know what it means today because Daniel interpreted it for us.  The original may have been a heavenly language of angels or one of any number of earthly languages not known to men in the Babylonian Empire.  Whatever it was it took a man gifted by the Holy spirit, one possessing the gift of interpretation, to read and interpret it.

There is no indication here that Daniel could read this because he was acquainted with a particular language.  This would be doing away with the supernatural element in the interpretation.  It was done by the Holy Spirit as much as the previous interpretations were.

5:9-12:  “Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, his face grew even paler, and his nobles were perplexed.  The queen (mother) entered the banquet hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen spoke and said, ‘O king, live forever!  Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your face be pale.  There is a man in your kingdom in who is a spirit of the holy gods; and in the day of your father, illumination, insight, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him.  King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, the king, appointed him chief of the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans and diviners.  This was because an extraordinary spirit, knowledge (power of knowing) and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of riddles, and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar.  Let Daniel now be summoned, and he will declare the interpretation.”

The merrymaking ceased, the revelry stopped, and a death-like silence came over the banquet hall because of the hand-writing.  The queen broke the silence by informing the king of Daniel.  The queen, Nebuchadnezzar,  and others recognized that the Holy Spirit was in Daniel.

Seven-fold Testimony of Daniel:

1. He had the Holy spirit in him.
2. He had an excellent spirit.
3. He was full of knowledge (power of knowing).
4. He had great understanding.
5. He had the gift of interpreting dreams.
6. He could solve hard sentences.
7. He could dissolve all doubts.

Seven-fold Spirit of God:  Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Might, (Power) and the Fear of God.

Daniel had the fullness of the seven-fold Holy Spirit dwelling in him.  He also had the gift of interpretation of tongues.

The queen had absolute faith in Daniel for he had never failed.  Men in their natural knowledge and understanding could not read the writing, nor show the interpretation.

Belshazzar greeted Daniel in a way which can be called “gracious” and/or “haughty”.  He showed awareness of his past, but was not concerned with anything but his present problem.  Daniel replied with courtesy and courage refusing the reward to show his integrity, and placed himself in a better position to denounce the king.  He slights the offer of rewards, for he is not one of those that divine for money.  Daniel preached to Belshazzar giving him the exact cause of his ruin.  His sin was the same as that of Nebuchadnezzar.

Six sins of Belshazzar:

1. Did not humble himself in his heart.
2. Dif not profit by the dealings of God with his grandfather.
3. Exalted himself against God.
4. Desecrated the sanctified vessels of the house of God.
5. Praised idol gods.
6. Refused to glorify the true God who gives life to all.

5:17-19b:  Then Daniel answered and said before the king “keep you gifts for yourself, or give your rewards to someone else; however I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him.  O king, the Most High God granted sovereignty, grandeur, glory and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father.  Because of the grandeur which he bestowed on him, all the peoples, nations, and men of every language feared and trembled before him…”

He then recounts to the king God’s dealings with his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar.  He describes the great dignity and power to which the divine Providence had advanced Nebuchadnezzar.  His ability was so strong that it was irresistible.  His authority was so absolute that it was uncontrollable.

5:22-25:  “Yet you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this.  You have exalted yourself against the Lord of Heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before you,  and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking from them.  You have worshipped gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood and stone which do not see hear or understand.  But the God in whose hands is your life-breath and your ways; you have not glorified.”

Our dependence upon God is as our Creator, preserver, benefactor, owner, and ruler.  From his hand was our breath at birth, and in his hand our breath is until we leave this earthly body.   He holds our souls in life and if he takes away our breath, we die.  We must glorify him, devote ourselves to his honor and serve Him.  We have all sinned, and have come short of the glory of God.

Daniel now proceeds to read the sentence, as he found it written upon the wall.  “Then” says Daniel when you have come to such a height of impiety as to trample upon the most sacred things, then when you were in the midst of your sacrilegious idolatrous, feast, then was the part of the hand, the writing fingers, sent from him, from God.   He sent them.  “If this be from the finger of God, what would happen with His arm laid bare?” (M.H.)

 Then the hand was sent from Him, and this inscription was written out.  Now this is the inscription that was written:  “Mene, Mene, Tekle, Upharsin”.

Mene, Mene – means numbered, numbered--- repeated for the sake of emphasis.  “God has numbered your kingdom and it is finished.”

Tekel – means weighed.  “You are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting.”

Upharsin or Pharsin is the plural of Peres--- means division.  “Your kingdom is split up and given to the Medes and Persians.”

5:29:  “Then commanded Belshazzar and they clothed Daniel with scarlet and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

Satisfied with the solution, despite the note of doom, Belshazzar repeated his promise to honor the interpreter.  He was unaware he would not see the dawn.  Very few in the day of trouble will receive the Word of Truth by the Holy Spirit of Truth.  Daniel spoke to Belshazzar by the power of the Holy Spirit of Truth.  Belshazzar received the word as the true translation of the unknown tongue.  Belshazzar rewarded him according to his word, but Daniel did not exercise third ruler-ship over Babylon due to the fact that the Medes and Persians took over the kingdom that very night.  Thus ended the kingdom of Babylon after holding Israel in captivity for 70 years. (Jer. 25; Dan. 9:2)

Chains of gold around the neck indicated political dignity.

5:30-31: “That same night, Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at abut the age of sixty-two.

Historical writers speak of Cyrus’ taking Babylon by surprise, with the assistance of two deserters that showed him the best way into the city.  Now from the head of gold, we now descend to the breast and arms of silver.  Darius the Mede took the kingdom in partnership with, and by the consent of Cyrus, who had conquered it.  A Babylonian text gives the date October 12, 539 B.C.  Greek writers tell how Persian forces eventually captured Babylon by diverting the Euphrates and wading up its bed through the massive defenses, taking the defenders by surprise as they feasted.

Taught by:  Pastor Carolyn Sissom

Eastgate Ministries, Inc.

www.eastgateministries.com

Scripture from N.A.S.; Quotes from Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible; F. F. Bruce Bible Commentary, A. R. Millard; Matthew Henry’s Commentary.  Comments and conclusions are my own and not meant to reflect the views of those from whom I have gleaned.