Daniel Chapter 5

 Daniel 5

The King  sees the  handwriting on the wall !

1Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. 2While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.

Daniel tells this story after Nebuchadnezzar had died.  He was called in to the party when  he got a distress call from  Belshazzar the king who unfortunately was not the great ruler his father was.  He  found  himself wealthy beyond anything he  could understand.  When you are  rich and famous it is easy to be surrounded by friends who want only to share in your wealth. 

The party had descended into the level of a drunken orgy  and  somebody  suggested  that the sacred  golden vessels that had been taken from the  Temple in  Jerusalem. I am sure some of the drunken friends intended to steal the  vessels and  pitchures, after all they were  of  solid gold and  were very valuable.

 It is not hard  for me to understand that actions like  that are displeasing to  God and   if

He wanted to provide a  miracle to illustrate  the point I cannot think  of a more dramatic  thing than to hve a big giant hand appear out of  nowhere and begin to write on the wall.  So they put in a call for  Daniel  the wise servant of the king. RGS Jr.

5In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 6Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other. 7The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 8Now all the king’s wise men came, but they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation. 9Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were astonished.

10The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. 11There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father-your father the king-made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. 12Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and £explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”

13Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel £who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? 14I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15Now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the thing. 16And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and explain enigmas. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

By the time  he got there I am sure the audience had been frightened  enough so  they would  listen.  This is  Daniels’s answer   RGS Jr.

17Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation. 18O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. 19And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. 20But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. 21Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. 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 rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.

22“But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. 23And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. 24Then the £fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.

25“And this is the inscription that was written:

£MENEMene, MENEMene, £TEKELTekel, £UPHARSINUpharsin.

26This is the interpretation of each word. MeneMene: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; 27TekelTekel: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; 28PeresPeres: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”£ 29Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of

            Daniel’s interpretation continued.

gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

30That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. 31And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

That is the way this chapter ends in the Bible.  Get ready for one of the  most amazing stories in the entire Old Testament and it  begins in  Chapter  6  and I will be there with you to try to be sure your interest  is kept focused on the fact that

God  is  in  Charge

RGS Jr.

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