Daniel 5
Belshazzar wanted cups from Temple brought verse 1- 2
Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords
and drank wine before the thousand
Belshazzar – while 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
his concubines might drink therein
Belshazzar drank to false gods with cups verse 3- 4
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 – silver
brass – iron – wood- stone
Finger of God appears and wrote on wall verse 5- 6
In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand
and wrote over against the candlestick
upon the plaster of the wall of
the king’s palace
and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote
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
Frightened King wanted interpretation
promised reward verse 7
The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers
Chaldeans – soothsayers and the king spoke
and said to the wise men of Babylon
Whosoever shall read this writing
and show me the interpretation thereof
shall be clothed with scarlet have a chain of gold
about his neck
shall be the third ruler in the kingdom
None of the wise men of Babylon could interpret verse 8- 9
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 astonished
Grandmother gave Daniel’s name verse 10- 12
Now the queen – by reason of the words of the king and his lords
came into the banquet house
and the queen spoke and said
O king – live for ever – let not your thoughts trouble you
nor your countenance be changed
there is a man in your kingdom
in whom is the spirit of the holy gods
and in the days of your father light – understanding
wisdom – like the wisdom of the gods
was found in him
Whom the king Nebuchadnezzar your father – the king – I say
your father – made master of the magicians – astrologers
Chaldeans – soothsayers
Forasmuch as an excellent spirit – knowledge – understanding
interpreting of dreams – showing of hard sentences
dissolving of doubts – were found in the same Daniel
whom the king named Belteshazzar
now let Daniel be called
and he will show the interpretation
Daniel comes to Belshazzar verse 13- 16
THEN was Daniel brought in before the king
AND the king spoke and said to Daniel
Are you that Daniel
which are of the children of the captivity of Judah
whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?
I have even heard of you – that the spirit of the gods is in you
and that light and understanding
and excellent wisdom is found in you
And now the wise men- astrologers – have been brought in before me
that they should read this writing
and make known unto me the interpretation thereof
BUT they could not show the interpretation of the thing
and I have heard of you
that you can make interpretations and dissolve doubts
now if thou can read the writing
and make known to me the interpretation thereof
You shall be clothed in scarlet have a chain of gold about your neck
shall be the third ruler in the kingdom
Daniel tells king to keep gifts verse 17
THEN Daniel answered and said before the king
Let your gifts be to yourself
and give your rewards to another
YET – I will read the writing unto the king
and make known to him the interpretation
Daniel gives Belshazzar a history lesson verse 18- 21
O you king – the most high God GAVE
Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom
and majesty – glory – honor
AND for the majesty that HE gave him
all people – nations – languages
trembled – feared before him
whom he would he slew
whom he would he kept alive – whom he would he set up
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
he was driven from the sons of men
his heart was made like the beasts
his dwelling was with the wild asses
they fed him with grass like oxen
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 appointed over it whomsoever HE will
Daniel confronts Belshazzar verse 22- 24
AND you his son – O Belshazzar – have not humbled your heart
through you knew all this
BUT have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven
and they have brought the vessels of HIS house before you
and you and your lords
your wives and your concubines
have drunk wine in them
And you have praised the gods of silver – gold – brass – iron
wood – stone which see not – nor hear – nor know
AND the God in whose hand your breath is
and whose are all your ways
have you not glorified
THEN was the part of the hand sent from HIM
and this writing was written
Daniel gives interpretation of writing on wall verse 25- 28
AND this is the writing of the thing:
MENE – MENE – TEKEL – UPHARSIN
this IS the interpretation of the thing:
MENE – God have numbered your kingdom – and finished it
TEKEL – You are weighed in the balances and are found wanting
PERES – Your kingdom is divided and given to the
Medes and Persian
King gives Daniel gifts promised verse 29
THEN commanded Belshazzar
and they clothed Daniel with scarlet
put a chain of gold about his neck
made a proclamation concerning him
that he should be the third ruler
in the kingdom
Handwriting on wall fulfilled verse 30- 31
IN THAT NIGHT was Belshazzar
the king of the Chaldeans slain
AND Darius – the Median took the kingdom
being threescore and two years old (62)
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone. (NKJV)
DEVOTION: Here we find a party going on with everyone drinking. Then in the middle of the party the king decides to go into the treasury house and get the golden cups that were taken from the Temple in Jerusalem.
What did he want to do? He wanted to use the cups from the Temple to worship the false gods of the land. Notice that they mention the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone. They had many gods but not the TRUE God of the Bible.
However, the TRUE God did something to cause them concern. HE wrote on the wall with HIS finger. HE gave them a message they would never forget. That night God send judgment.
Sometimes God waits to judge but at other times HE judges quickly. This was a quick judgment. HE didn’t appreciate them using HIS cups for worship to false gods.
When people are drinking too much wine they don’t think straight. They do and say things that they will regret later if they even remember. The LORD doesn’t want HIS servants to be drunk with wine or any other strong drink. HE wants us to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Christians have to make choices regarding social habits. There are some who have no problem limiting their use of drink but the better testimony is to not be involved in strong drink. Our social habits are part of our testimony as I have mentioned before.
CHALLENGE: We are not to worship the gods of possessions or other lands.
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: 5 Suddenly, they saw the fingers of a human hand writing on the plaster wall of the king’s palace, near the lampstand. The king himself saw the hand as it wrote,
: 6 and his face turned pale with fright. His knees knocked together in fear and his legs gave way beneath him. (NLT)
DEVOTION: What would your reaction be if you saw a hand writing on the wall next to you? Would you be afraid? Would you run away?
God wanted to get the attention of the people who were not honoring HIM. They were taking something that belonged to HIM and using it for something that was not pleasing to HIM.
Once HE got their attention HE gave them HIS message. They were not living the way they were supposed to live and they were going to suffer for it. That same night the kingdom of Babylon was conquered. They were defeated.
Sometimes when we do things that are not pleasing to the LORD HE has to discipline us. We don’t like spankings from our parents for doing something wrong. Many parents today don’t spank but they use time out or other methods. They use them to get the attention of their children, so that, they don’t do things that are wrong. If parents don’t discipline in any way then the children will not learn what is right or wrong.
Parents have the responsibility to care for their children in this way, so that; they grow up to be healthy and socially accepted. If parents don’t do their jobs correctly then we have children who become adults that have children that don’t know how to train their children and then society is the worse for it.
The Bible says that all parents are to “train up their children in the LORD.” Nebuchadnezzar was a pagan king who didn’t train his children right and his grandchildren didn’t get proper training as well. The one having the drinking party was thought to be his grandson.
CHALLENGE: The LORD gives parents an awesome responsibility toward their children.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 12 Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing 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 show the interpretation. (7001 “doubts” [qatar] means difficulties, knotty things, problems, an enigma, hidden difficulties, or riddle.)
DEVOTION: The New Testament informs us that the Holy Spirit gives gifts to those who are followers of Jesus Christ. Some of us get one gift while others might get more than one gift. The Holy Spirit gives gifts to those who can handle them.
There are some people who think they have a gift from the Holy Spirit but they don’t. They are working on getting it themselves which is wrong. Some institutions that are religious try to teach people how to get gifts that the Holy Spirit has never given and never intended to give them. This is wrong and sinful. We need to accept the gifts the Holy Spirit gives us for our work in the church and move on.
When you read the list above we find that Daniel was given many gifts from the Holy Spirit. The heathens didn’t understand this but thought he received them of the gods which is wrong. He received them from the ONLY TRUE GOD of the universe, the God of the Bible.
Now we can be given the ability to discern things. We can have an excellent spirit. We can have knowledge and understanding in a limited sense.
This next gift is one that I am not sure anyone has today but the LORD is able to give it. The “interpreting of dreams” was given to Daniel because the LORD spoke in people’s dreams in the Old Testament. HE spoke to Jacob, Samuel, and others. In the New Testament HE spoke to Joseph, Ananias and others. The book of Hebrews seems to state that that time had ended. We are in the last days and now HE is speaking through HIS Son Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:2).
The last two seem to be teaching about solving riddles and difficult problems. The LORD gave Daniel the ability to solve problems. We should be able with the help of the Holy Spirit to solve problems in our life and in the lives of those who ask us for counsel. The Bible has answers to all of life’s problems. Sometimes they are not simple answers but they are answers.
CHALLENGE: Realize that the LORD can use you if you are willing to humble yourself before HIM when you need to help solve some problems in your life or in the life of others.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 22 And you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this. (8214 “humbled” [sh@phal] means to be or brought .low, abase, subdue, or put down. This is another Aramaic word.)
DEVOTION: Belshazzar was the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar and he knew what had happened to him but still didn’t listen to the lesson. He saw his grandfather turn into a wild man. He saw him recover from his spell and honor the God of Daniel as the most high God.
However, he still worshipped the gods of gold, silver, etc. He was having a drinking party with his princes, wives and concubines. They were using the golden cups from the Temple of God that was in Jerusalem.
They had been part of the booty that Nebuchadnezzar had brought back from Jerusalem. They were in storage. The cups were supposed to be used in the worship of the only true God and now they were being used to worship the false gods of Babylon. The one god that is mentions is the god of money.
As they were partying, a finger appeared and wrote something on the wall. They were frightened. They called for an interpretation. The wise men were called but they couldn’t read what was written. The king’s grandmother came and told him about Daniel. Daniel was called. Daniel gave the interpretation. It was not good for Babylon.
We have things happen to us in our lives that scare us into wanting to find out what is going on. We listen to the Word of God and see what happened in the past to people.
However, sometimes we don’t listen to the warnings the LORD is sending our way as an individual or family or nation. The LORD warns us about what is going to happen to those who worship the wrong gods.
Are we worshipping the God of the Bible or other gods in our culture? Are we trying to be politically correct or Biblical correct? We need to stand up for the LORD at all times!!!! Daniel did and the LORD blessed him.
CHALLENGE: Knowing about humility and practicing it are two different things. It takes work to practice humility in our life. We all need to work on it regularly.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name) verse 3, 21, 23, 26
House of God (Temple) verse 3
Most high God verse 18, 21
Lord – Adonai (master, owner) verse 23
Lord of heaven verse 23
God in whose hand is breath of humans verse 23
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Holy Spirit verse 11, 12, 14
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Belshazzar the king of Babylon verse 1- 9, 22, 29, 30
Nebuchadnezzar his father verse 2, 18- 21
Astrologers verse 7, 11, 15
Chaldeans verse 7, 11
Soothsayers verse 7, 11
Wise men of Babylon verse 7, 15
Read and interpretation verse 7
Wife of Nebuchadnezzar – queen verse 10
Magicians verse 11
Darius the Median (62 years old) verse 31
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Drank wine from Temple vessels verse 2- 4
Praised the gods of gold, silver, etc verse 4, 23
Astrologers verse 7, 11, 15
Soothsayers verse 7, 11
Magicians verse 11
Pride verse 20
Not humble verse 22
Not glorified God verse 23
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Indwelling of the Holy Spirit verse 11, 14
Light verse 11, 14
Understanding verse 11, 12, 14
Wisdom verse 11, 14
Excellent Spirit verse 12
Knowledge verse 12
Interpreting of dreams verse 12, 16
Showing of hard sentences verse 12
Dissolving of doubts verse 12, 16
Denial of pay verse 17
Know the Most High rules verse 21
Humble verse 22
Glorify God verse 23
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Temple in Jerusalem – gold and silver vessels verse 2, 3
Daniel (Belteshazzar) verse 12- 29
Excellent spirit
Knowledge
Understanding
Interpreting of dreams
Showing hard sentences
Dissolving of doubts
Third ruler in Babylon
Interpreter of writings on wall
MENE
TEKEL
PERES
Children of captivity of Judah verse 13
Jewry verse 13
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
5:22–24 Then Daniel delivered a stinging rebuke to the arrogant monarch who sat before him. “But you” at the beginning of v. 22 is emphatic and expresses a strong contrast between Nebuchadnezzar’s actions and those of Belshazzar. Nebuchadnezzar had been proud, yet he repented. On the other hand, Belshazzar, “his son,” had refused to humble himself before God, although he knew all that had happened to Nebuchadnezzar. Commenting on this verse, Montgomery asserts: “There is no finer example of the preacher’s diction in the Bible than this stern and inexorable condemnation.”80
How would Belshazzar have been aware of Nebuchadnezzar’s humiliation? Certainly the story would have been known, but evidence exists that indicates that Belshazzar may have seen these events firsthand. Belshazzar served as chief officer during the administration of King Neriglissar in 560 b.c. according to Babylonian historical texts. This means that the king was old enough to fill a high position in government only two years after Nebuchadnezzar’s death (562 b.c.). Since Nabonidus was an official in Nebuchadnezzar’s administration, Belshazzar would have lived in Babylon and would have observed personally the last years of the great king’s reign. Thus Daniel’s rebuke is even more understandable. Belshazzar had seen with his own eyes what happened to Nebuchadnezzar, and yet he had refused to humble himself before the Most High God.
This made Belshazzar’s blasphemy against Israel’s God even more inexcusable. Instead of glorifying Yahweh, he purposely defied him (“set yourself up against the Lord of heaven”) by desecrating his holy things in using them to praise his idols (v. 23). By committing this act of sacrilege, Belshazzar had actually issued a challenge to “the Lord of heaven.”
In spite of the knowledge of Yahweh’s reality and power demonstrated through Nebuchadnezzar’s experience, Belshazzar had deliberately chosen to worship the idols of Babylon. Daniel used blunt language in describing these gods as mere objects “of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand” (cf. Deut 4:28; Ps 115:4–7; 135:15–17). Young rightly comments: “These words well illustrate the folly of any way of life which is not founded upon true theism, for all idols, whether they be of wood or stone, the creation of men’s hands, or finely-spun philosophies, the creation of men’s minds, cannot see nor hear nor know.” Belshazzar praised this pantheon of lifeless idols, but the living God, who held his very life (lit., “breath”; cf. Gen 2:7) and all his “ways” (his life’s course) in his hand, the king had refused to honor.
Daniel concluded his “sermon” by telling Belshazzar that it was because of his blasphemous, defiant actions that the hand was sent from the living God (v. 24). The old prophet’s words demonstrated great courage in the face of a monarch who held the power of life and death over him. (Miller, S. R. (1994). Daniel (Vol. 18, pp. 163–164). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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18–24 Studying the inscription on the wall and understanding its message, Daniel prefaced his interpretation with a homily on the reason for the judgment it contained. He reviewed the experience of Nebuchadnezzar in being humbled by the decree of the Lord God Almighty (vv.18–22). These experiences of his grandfather were well known to the young king, and he should have remembered what they taught about humility and respect for Yahweh (v.22), the God of the Hebrews he had been mocking in this very banquet hall. He was guilty of blasphemy in using the Lord’s holy vessels as common dishes for his drunken orgy (v.23). How could he hope to measure his puny human strength against the power of the Almighty, on whom his very life depended and who was completely sovereign over all his fortunes? This was the crime that led to the handwriting on the wall (v.24), with its proclamation of Belshazzar’s doom. (Archer, G. L., Jr. (1986). Daniel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Daniel and the Minor Prophets (Vol. 7, p. 73). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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5:22–24. Belshazzar … knew what his predecessor had experienced, and should have learned from it. However, Belshazzar had not done so; in fact he had openly challenged the Lord of heaven (cf. “the King of heaven,” 4:37) by drinking from the goblets taken from the temple in Jerusalem (5:2–3) and by praising man-made gods (v. 4). They have no life, but by contrast the true God not only has life, but held Belshazzar’s life in His hand. Perhaps Daniel intended an interesting wordplay by adding that God, who held Belshazzar’s life in His hand, sent a hand to write him a message. Belshazzar, knowing about God, failed to honor Him. (Pentecost, J. D. (1985). Daniel. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1346). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Ver. 22. And thou his son, O Belshazzar, &c.] His grandson; see the note on ver. 1: hast not humbled thine heart; so as to acknowledge the most high God, and his dependence on him; to own him as his Sovereign, by whom he held his crown and kingdom, and to whom he was accountable; but, on the contrary, lifted up his heart in pride and haughtiness against him: though thou knewest all this; either by the relation of others, his father and mother, and others; or being an eyewitness of it himself; wherefore his sin was the more aggravated, since he had had an example before him of pride being humbled in a very awful manner, and yet look no warning by it. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, p. 309). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
2 Kings 6
When the Syrians threaten Elisha, they are struck blind.
INSIGHT
We often have no idea what is going on around us in the spiritual realm. Spiritual battles explode before our very eyes, but we neither see them nor hear them (Daniel 10:13). Guardian angels minister to our needs (Hebrews 1:14). We entertain angels “unwittingly” (Hebrews 13:2). How real and alive is the spiritual realm; yet without the Scriptures, we would know little about it. The Syrian army is camped around Dothan, but Elisha is not concerned because an army of the angels of the Lord encircles the horizon. We walk by faith and not by sight. (Quiet Walk)
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A DEEPER KNOWLEDGE OF GOD
…that I may know thee. Exodus 33:13
Moses was not content with a mere knowledge of the fact that he was accepted by God and that he was in God’s care. He knew that, but he was not content with it; he wanted more. “That I may know thee,” said Moses. He wanted a personal knowledge of God. He wanted a direct knowledge of God.
And here is something that you will find in the lives of all the great saints of God in the church throughout the ages. The first thing that happens to them is that they themselves feel this desire for a deeper knowledge of God. They begin to feel a hunger and thirst for something bigger and something deeper. They are no longer content with what I may call the ordinary condition of the church. They want something extraordinary, something unusual.
Let me give you some lines from a hymn that seem to me to put it very well indeed.
Speak, I pray thee, gentle Jesus;
Oh, how passing sweet, thy words,
Breathing o’er my troubled spirit,
Peace, which never earth affords.
And then it goes on to say:
Tell me thou art mine, O Savior;
Grant me an assurance clear….
William Williams
That is the thing. He knows that the Savior loves him. But you see what he wants:
Tell me thou art mine, O Savior.
Only the man who knows the Savior’s love asks Him for that. Here is a man asking for something special, something unusual, something additional.
A Thought to Ponder: They feel a desire for a deeper knowledge of God. (From Revival, pp. 177-178, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Whom Shall I Fear?
“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)
David had more than his share of opposition. His father and older brothers thought little of him. King Saul relentlessly pursued him. His generals oftentimes conspired against him. His own son tried to usurp his throne. If anyone had opportunity to trust God for deliverance, David did.
In this psalm—an anthem of trust—David reveals his special relationship with his God that buoyed him in times of trouble. As we read in our text, his Lord was his light, salvation, and strength, and so He is to us.
The Lord is my light: When we walk in His light, we do not stumble. Enemies are not able to hide in the dark and catch us by surprise. He vanquishes the darkness. “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me” (Micah 7:8; see also 1 John 1:5-7).
The Lord is my salvation: God delivers His children from physical and spiritual danger, including deliverance from the penalty of sin. “Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name’s sake” (Psalm 79:9).
The Lord is the strength of my life: God is our defense, a place of refuge. “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower” (Psalm 18:2).
Even in the face of seemingly overwhelming opposition, we have no need to fear. Our focus should be on the source of deliverance rather than on the problem. “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Psalm 27:14). (JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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