Article

Reading & Devotional Guide: Daniel 5

Passion City Church
October, 20, 2024

Click here to listen to this week’s episode of Further In, in which members of the Passion City Church DC team discuss the passage of scripture we’re studying and consider how to apply the truths of God’s word to our lives.

 

 

This week’s reading: Daniel 5

 

Before diving into Chapter 5, it’s helpful to recall the events of Daniel 4. Nebuchadnezzar, the proud king of Babylon, was humbled by God, living like an animal for a time until he repented and acknowledged the LORD. By the end of his life, Nebuchadnezzar was praising the one true God.

 

In Daniel 5, we see a new ruler on the throne. Years after Nebuchadnezzar’s reign ended, we meet… Belshazzar. The Greek historian Xenophon referred to Belshazzar as “the wicked king.” He also recorded a moment when Belshazzar murdered a governor’s son on a hunting trip out of jealousy. Pride, violence, and arrogance marked Belshazzar. Interestingly, most historians believed the records of Belshazzar to be ancient myths until archeological evidence was found supporting the existence of Belshazzar in the 19th century. 

 

As the saying goes, “Pride comes before the fall.” It is Belshazzar’s pride that leads to the collapse of Babylon. The fall of Babylon has been recorded by many historians, but Daniel 5 tells the collapse of one of the greatest empires in history from Heaven’s perspective…

 

—Read Daniel 5—

 

What happened?

Daniel 5 opens with prideful, petty, and violent King Belshazzar holding a lavish banquet for his nobles. In a drunken act of disrespect, he ordered that the sacred vessels from the temple in Jerusalem be brought out so he and his guests could drink from them (Daniel 5:1-4). These were the same vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had taken during his conquest of Jerusalem, and they were meant to be holy and set apart for God. But Belshazzar used them for a drunken party, praising false gods. The sensual party turned sacrilegious as Belshazzar mocked the LORD of heaven.

 

Suddenly, a hand appeared and began writing on the wall. The mysterious writing terrified Belshazzar, and none of his wise men could interpret it. His mother remembered Daniel, who had once served Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel was brought in to interpret the writing (Daniel 5:5-16).

 

Daniel boldly confronted Belshazzar. He reminded him of Nebuchadnezzar’s humbling experience and how God had taught Nebuchadnezzar to acknowledge His rule. Despite knowing all this, Belshazzar refused to humble himself and continued to worship lifeless objects. 

 

What was the writing on the wall? MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN— a message of judgment. Daniel explained that Belshazzar’s days were numbered, he had been weighed and found wanting, and his kingdom would be divided and given to the Medes and Persians (Daniel 5:17-28). To be found “wanting” was to be found lacking or deficient. Because of his refusal to repent, Belshazzar lacked any sort of right standing with God and would be divided and judged. 

 

That very night, Belshazzar was killed, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, fulfilling God’s judgment (Daniel 5:30-31).

What to remember?

  • King Belshazzar (the new ruler of Babylon) displays his power with a great feast (5:1-2)

  • At the feast, King Belshazzar mocks the LORD’s vessels (5:3)

  • The hand writes on the wall (5:5-9)

  • Daniel recalls Nebuchadnezzar’s story and confronts Belshazzar (5:18-23)

  • Daniel interprets the writing on the wall (5:25-28)

  • Belshazzar is judged and killed, and the kingdom falls (5:30-31)

 

Meditation

  • You have been weighed and found wanting (5:27)

Belshazzar was weighed in God’s balance and found wanting… or lacking. His refusal to repent led to his downfall. Similar to Belshazzar, we all feel a sense in which we have been weighed in God’s balance and lack righteousness within ourselves. We are helpless within our own means before judgment… 

 

However, the beauty of the Gospel is that “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). In the world’s greatest moment of love, Jesus bore our judgment so that we could have his righteousness. Unlike Belshazzar, we do not turn inward to find righteousness within ourselves (because it’s lacking!), but we turn to Jesus, who became our righteousness on the cross.

 

  • You did not honor the God who holds your life in His hands (5:23)

Daniel’s rebuke of Belshazzar hits hard: You have not honored the God who holds in His hand your life and all your ways. Belshazzar failed to recognize that his life and his kingdom were derivative from God. 

 

We often forget that every breath we take is sustained by God’s hand. This moment reminds us that every aspect of our life is under God’s sovereign control. Do you live with an awareness of God’s constant provision in your life? Do you honor Him in the way you live, work, and interact with others? 

Prayer

Father,

Help me to live with a heart 

that is humble before you.

May I live each day with a sense of your holiness

and a deep desire to walk in your ways.

I love you, LORD.

Amen.

Scripture References

The Writing on the Wall

1King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. 2While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. 3So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.

5Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. 6His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.

7The king summoned the enchanters, astrologers and diviners. Then he said to these wise men of Babylon, “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.”

8Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant. 9So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled.

10The queen, hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “May the king live forever!” she said. “Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! 11There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. 12He did this because Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.”

13So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? 14I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom. 15The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it. 16Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. 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.”

17Then Daniel answered the king, “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.

18“Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. 19Because of the high position he gave him, all the nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled. 20But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.

22“But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. 23Instead, 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. 24Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.

25“This is the inscription that was written:

mene, mene, tekel, parsin

26“Here is what these words mean:

“

Mene
: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.

27“

Tekel
: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.

28“

Peres
: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

29Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.

30That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, 31and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.

Passion City Church
Passion City Church
Content created by the team at Passion City Church. Passion City Church is a Jesus Church. A small tribe of His followers connected by our common faith and a deep desire to see our city [and the world] come to know His power and beauty. We are not perfect. But Jesus is. Thankfully, we are a Jesus Church.