DANIEL 5BABYLON FALLS 2 'Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.' Proverbs 16:18.
"Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein."Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone." Daniel 5:2-4.Here we continue to see this foolish young king heading for destruction. An army is camped outside the walls determined to conquer the city and the king is so cocky that he decides to throw a huge party! He invites a thousand important people and all the pretty ladies. He is so sure that he is safe that he just wants to ‘celebrate’.
Wine flows like water; rich food is heaped on the tables. Nothing is lacking in the music and entertainment; nothing except truth and godliness. Then if all this were not enough wickedness, Belshazzar, drunk with wine, decides to show off even more! He decides to prove once and for all that his grandfather’s ‘True God’ is nothing! Maybe some of the older nobles had reminded him that Nebuchadnezzar’s dream showed that Babylon WOULD fall, we don’t know but here’s what he did:  The sacred vessels from the temple of God are brought and alcohol poured into them and they drank out of them, laughing and joking about the ‘True God’ of the Jews. In the next verse we are given the thought that he may even have brought out the sacred golden candlestick from the temple and displayed it in the banquet hall. “In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.” Daniel 5:5.Just imagine the scene--everybody drunk and whooping it up; Foolishness and wickedness everywhere in the huge banquet hall; Music and noise and loud laughter; then suddenly somebody screams! Quickly the noise dies down, the musicians stop playing; all eyes turn to the site of a shining, bloodless hand, writing high up on the wall where all can see. The words it writes shine like fire!
“Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.” Daniel 5:6Remember what Isaiah foretold about the ‘loins of kings’? The young king, minutes before so bold, was pale and trembling, he well may even have wet himself. He screams out for someone to read the words and tell him what it all means; but no one can. "The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom." Daniel 5:7"Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied." Daniel 5:8, 9.
"Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed: There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation." Daniel 5:10-12.Now there is an interesting fact about these words written on the wall. The king could read them because they were in his language but he could not at all understand why they were there and what they meant. What actually were these words? They were numbers: The four words stood for MENE=50 SHEKELS; MENE=50 SHEKELS; TEKEL= I SHEKEL; UPHARSIN=25 SHEKELS. The Total Equaled 126 SHEKELS. The SHEKEL is 20 GERAHS: Exodus 30:13; Leviticus 27:25; Numbers 3:47; Numbers 18:16; Ezekiel 45:12; 20 Times 126 = 2520 GERAHS, or SEVEN TIMES = the number associated with God’s punishment for rebellion against Him. That night Belshazzar’s kingdom was finished. He had transgressed passed the point of return. His kingdom would be rent from him. Quickly the word goes through the palace until someone tells the old Queen either Belshazzar’s mother or more likely his grandmother. She comes and tells the terrified king, who doesn’t look so smart now, that he’d better send for Daniel who could read the writing for him. Now Daniel had not
been Belshazzar’s right hand man as he had been for Nebuchadnezzar. The
foolish young king so determined to do things his own way, had no desire to have
godly people around him. But now he sends word for Daniel to come right away. “And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom. Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.” Daniel 5:16,17.
Daniel wasn’t
impressed by the promises of rich rewards. He told the wicked king to keep them
for himself. But he would read the writing and tell him what it meant. Thus
Daniel, representing the living God, was brought before this foolish ruler to
declare his doom. "O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:"
"And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will."And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written." Daniel 5:18-24.It is interesting
that for many years no one knew why Belshazzar only said ‘third ruler’ in
the kingdom. Then when they found clay tablets and seals they learned that
Belshazzar was second ruler as his father was still also king. Before Daniel reads the writing he tells Belshazzar just what he should have remembered and never forgotten. He tells him all about the things that happened to his grandfather. He tells him that he should have known better than to do what he had done.
"And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
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