Daniel: Excellence in Exile
Lesson Six: A Feast Unfit for a King
Text: Daniel 5:1-31
INTRODUCTION:
Proverbs 16:21 states, “It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established in righteousness.”
God holds leaders to a high standard. In this chapter, we learn that God tested Belshazzar and he came up short. In one night, God took from him the kingdom that had taken Nebuchadnezzar years to establish by conquest. In fulfillment of the dream given to Nebuchadnezzar, the head of gold was removed and the silver empire of the Medes and the Persians took its place. The hand of God reached down and began to write a new chapter in world history, Babylon having served its purpose in the plan of God
Historians link the fall of Babylon to the political bungling of Nabonidus, Belshazzar’s father, and to the military genius of the Persian army. Daniel gives us a different picture. He lets us see the fall of Babylon from God’s perspective. The nation fell because of the pride and blasphemy of its co-regent, Belshazzar. Drunk with wine and flushed with a sense of self-importance, Belshazzar decided to prove once and for all that the God of the Jews was highly over-rated. He commanded that the holy vessels taken from the temple in Jerusalem be brought to the feast. No doubt to the cheers of those in attendance, he began to drink from them and toast the idols of Babylon. Within the hour, his fate was sealed. An empire was lost, not because of the incompetence / lack of skill of its leaders, but the iniquity of Belshazzar.
- I. The King’s Amusement (Verses 1-9)
Belshazzar’s Debauchery
His Banquet
Archaeologists have excavated much of ancient Babylon, uncovering banquet halls capable of seating between 5,000 and 10,000 people at a time.
Since the king was present with his wives and concubines, it is likely that the thousand lords also had their wives and escorts.
Wine flowed freely. Wealth was on display. Women danced seductively for entertainment. There is every reason to believe that this royal banquet, like many before and since, was little more than a drunken feast and orgy.
His Blindness
As Belshazzar feasted, the Babylonian Empire was crumbling.
The Medo-Persian army had captured Belshazzar’s father Nabonidus, the supreme ruler of the kingdom.
Most of the empire was already under Persian authority and the Babylonian army – along with thousands of refugees – had retreated into the city of Babylon
A large Medo-Persian force was encamped nearby and was in the process of cutting off the city.
Like the builders of the “unsinkable” Titanic, Belshazzar believed that his city was invincible.
The city wall was 15 square miles, 300 feet high, wide enough for four chariots to run abreast, and defended by more than 100 towers.
Food was stockpiled to withstand a siege for 20 years and the Euphrates River flowed beneath the wall, cutting diagonally across the city. There was also arable land within the walls.
Belshazzar’s Desecration
His intoxication
The phrase “whiles he tasted the wine” implies that Belshazzar was under the influence of the alcohol he had consumed.
Emboldened by the alcohol, his judgment impaired, the king made a decision he would not live long enough to regret.
Proverbs 31:4 declares that it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink.
The Bible condemns the use of alcohol in all forms. Proverbs 23:29-35 tells us that drunkenness leads to sorrow, sensuality, sickness, and slavery.
Under the influence of alcohol, men act in ways they never would if sober. See Lot and his daughters in Gen 19:30-38.
His sin / transgression
At the king’s command, the sacred vessels from the House of God were brought to the banqueting hall.
Following the king’s lead, the crowd drank from these holy vessels, toasting the gods represented by the idols that decorated the room.
The reason for this blasphemous act may be revealed in verse 22, where Daniel reminds Belshazzar that he knew of the way in which God had dealt with Nebuchadnezzar.
Perhaps he viewed Nebuchadnezzar’s conversion as a sign of weakness and was willing to prove his superiority by defying the God to whom Nebuchadnezzar had bowed.
Belshazzar’s Distress
The fear of the king
The reason for the king’s fear was the sudden appearance of a hand, writing upon one of the walls, not in a dark corner, but on a section illuminated by a candlestick.
The reaction of the king was significant:
His countenance change – means the smile was wiped from his face
His thoughts troubled him – means he was suddenly plagued with a bad conscience
The joints of his loins were loosed – means he wet his pants
His knees began to knock
The failure of his wise men
In response to the king’s frantic cries, his counselors were called to interpret the writing.
Although promised a large reward, none of his advisors could interpret the writing.
- II. The Queen’s Advice (Verses 10-16)
Note: The queen was not Belshazzar’s wife (see verse 3). Some suggest she was Nebuchadnezzar’s widow. More likely, she was Nabonidus’ wife, Nebuchadnezzar’s only daughter, and Belshazzar’s mother. Belshazzar was actually the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar. In oriental culture, father is used of any head of the family, whether living or dead. That is why the Jews called Abraham their father when arguing with Jesus.
Daniel’s Reputation (10-12)
His character
The queen remembers Daniel as a godly man, superior to all Nebuchadnezzar’s advisors.
Between 30 and 35 years had passed since the events of chapter four. In all that time Daniel had done nothing to tarnish his reputation or diminish his testimony.
The Queen’s confidence
The queen’s confident recommendation of Daniel suggests that she had been present when Daniel was serving Nebuchadnezzar, which would be the case whether she was his wife or his daughter.
The King’s Review (13-16)
Belshazzar remembers Daniel
The transition between rulers following the death of Nebuchadnezzar had not been smooth. Three successors were assassinated before Nabonidus assumed power.
In the shuffle, it is likely that Daniel was removed from office. This would account for the fact that Belshazzar did not recognize Daniel.
Yet, the words of the queen had reminded him of the legendary wisdom of Daniel.
Belshazzar repeats his offer
Citing the failure of his advisors, Nebuchadnezzar promises to enrich Daniel and make him the third ruler of the empire, after Nabonidus and himself.
- III. The Prophet’s Answer (Verses 17-29)
Daniel’s contempt for the King’s reward (17)
Daniel did not attempt to veil his contempt for the king, refusing the rewards he offered. He plainly let Belshazzar know that his services were not for sale. He would speak as the prophet of God, not one of the king’s paid advisors.
Daniel’s condemnation of the King’s behavior (18-24)
Reviewing Nebuchadnezzar’s past (18-22)
Belshazzar made a fatal mistake in ignoring the lessons he should have learned from God’s work in the life of Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel reminds Belshazzar of how God humbled his grandfather, taking away his kingdom and reducing him to a beast, until he acknowledged that God ruled in the kingdom of men, appointing over it whomsoever He will.
That night, Belshazzar learned that God held him accountable for the truth that was available to him.
Rebuking Belshazzar’s pride (23-24)
In pride, Belshazzar had defied God and profaned his Name by using the holy vessels of the temple to praise the lifeless idols of Babylon’s false gods.
Foolishly, Belshazzar had failed to glorify the God who controlled his life’s breath and judged all his ways.
Daniel’s communication of the King’s sentence (25-29)
The inscription
The message was composed of just three little words, one of which was repeated. God didn’t have to write a book to get his message across to Belshazzar.
Archaeological finds have shown that all three words were common Aramaic words. It wasn’t the meaning of the words that eluded the king, but the message they conveyed.
The interpretation
Mena means to number. God was saying to Belshazzar that “his number was up.”
Tekel means to weigh. God had measured Belshazzar and the king came up short.
Upharsin is the plural of the word “peres,” which means to be divided. God used a play on words to inform Belshazzar that the Persians would divide his kingdom.
CONCLUSION:
History records that while the king feasted, the Persian army completed a channel they had dug for the Euphrates River. That night, they dammed the main river course, diverting the river into its new channel. Persian soldiers marched under the city walls on the “dry” riverbed. Finding the city undefended, they opened the city gates and the city was taken almost without bloodshed. Belshazzar was captured and executed, one of the few casualties in the fall of the city. Cyrus, king of Persia kept most of Babylon, but gave a portion to be ruled by Darius the Mede.