Daniel’s God-given wisdom allowed him to interpret three divine warnings for Babylonian kings: the dream of Nebuchadnezzar symbolizing three future
kingdoms that would rule in his stead (Daniel
2:1-45); Nebuchadnezzar’s dream foretelling
how God would humble him (Daniel 4:4-27),
and God’s handwriting on the wall (Daniel 5:5-28).
This third warning interpreted by Daniel was one of three instances in Scripture where the
hand of God actually wrote. The first time God used His finger to engrave the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone
(Exodus 31:18; 32:15-16,
19; 34:1); the second time He wrote
on the plaster of a stone wall in Belshazzar’s palace (Daniel 5), and the third time, Jesus traced unknown words in the sand as the Pharisees wanted Him to
condemn the woman caught in adultery (John
8).
In the case of the handwriting on the wall at the royal
banquet, it appears that the sins of the fathers were visited on the children (Exodus 34:7),
for Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, desecrated the sacred gold and silver
vessels his father Nebuchadnezzar had stolen from God’s temple in Jerusalem. Belshazzar
allowed his princes, wives and concubines to join him in drinking wine from these holy vessels as
they praised their pagan gods, made of valuable metals (gold, silver, and brass), or even of commonplace
materials (iron, wood,
and stone; Daniel 5:1-4).
So we see even from the beginning of the chapter that the
Chaldean rule was marred by three sins: theft,
adultery (the king with his multiple
wives and concubines), and idolatry,
dishonoring God and honoring false gods. During this pagan revelry at the palace
a disembodied hand appeared, writing on the plaster wall where it was illuminated
by the candlestick, so that the king could clearly see it (v. 5).
The king was so troubled by this apparition that his fear
was evident in his facial expression,
his lower body losing power to
support him upright, and his trembling
knees (v. 6). He cried out for the
astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers (fortune tellers) to interpret the vision. Although he
offered to whomever could do so scarlet
robes, gold jewelry, and promotion to be the third ruler in the kingdom, none
could read, let alone interpret, the foreign writing (v. 7-8).
Their failure caused Belshazzar
to be greatly troubled, his facial
expression to reveal even greater fear, and his lords to be astonished. The queen joined the king
and his lords to offer the king
three greetings: live forever; let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed (v. 9-10).
She recommends that the king consult Daniel, a man filled with
light, understanding and wisdom,
for in him was the spirit of the holy
gods and the wisdom of the gods,
and Nebuchadnezzar had given him rule
over all the wise men (v. 11). She
continues to praise Daniel for his excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding, which enable him to interpret dreams, explain difficult sayings, and remove
doubts.
Belshazzar’s
queen was one of three women whom God placed in positions of
power “for such a time as this” (Esther
4:14), using their influence over the ruler to accomplish His purposes.
Queen Esther convinced Ahasuerus to spare
the lives of the Jews (Esther 8),
and Pilate’s wife warned him that
she had had a dream convincing her that Jesus was innocent (Matthew 27:19).
King Belshazzar summons Daniel, repeating his queen’s words
that he has light, understanding and excellent wisdom, and offering him the same three rewards that he offered the other wise men if he could
interpret the writing. Daniel declines all
rewards, but offers to read the
foreign writing and interpret it for
the king (Daniel 5:13-17).
Daniel explains that God had blessed Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom
with majesty, glory, and honor, causing
all people, nations, and languages
to fear, respect and obey him.
But Nebuchadnezzar committed the sin of
pride, thinking he himself was
responsible and failing to realize
that God deserved all the glory. God’s judgment was to depose him from the throne, strip
him of his glory, and remove him
from human society. His heart, dwelling place, and nourishment were like those of a wild
beast until he recognized God’s power (v.
18-21).
Like so many others in Scripture
(Ezekiel 18), in all recorded history, and in our own lives, Belshazzar tragically
failed to learn from his father’s experience,
wisdom, and understanding. He acted in pride,
rebellion, and open defiance against God, worshiping dumb idols that could not see, hear, or know.
Ultimately his father learned to be humble toward God, Who is Creator, Sustainer, and Guide,
but Belshazzar had not learned this vital lesson and would now suffer the
consequences (Daniel 5. 22-23).
Sadly, we see this pattern going back even to Adam, the
first human father, and his rebellious son Cain (Genesis 4:1-16). Adam and Eve must have taught their
children that God created them and provided for them, but that He had judged their sin. We can see
from their son Abel that they taught their children to fear God, obey His
commandments, and offer Him the
first of the flock as a blood sacrifice. And yet Abel pridefully offered the fruit of his own labor, hated Abel because God was pleased with him and not with Cain, and
ultimately murdered Abel.
Having shown
Belshazzar his sins against God, Daniel read the foreign writing and interpreted
it as a warning of God’s imminent judgment. The disembodied hand wrote three
words (the first repeated for emphasis): Mene,
Mene, Tekel, Upharsin, which Daniel interpreted as follows:
Mene: God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished
it.
Tekel:
Thou art weighed in the balances, and
art found wanting.
Peres:
Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the
Medes and Persians. (v. 24-28)
To reward Daniel for his interpretation, Belshazzar clothed him with scarlet, put a gold chain around his neck, and proclaimed
that he would be the third ruler in
the kingdom. But as predicted, Belshazzar was murdered that very night, and
Darius from Medes seized the Chaldean kingdom (v. 29-31).
Just as God engraved the Ten Commandments in stone to convey
His judgment against all sinners, this second instance of God’s handwriting reveals
His judgment against the king for the sins of pride, rebellion and idolatry. May it serve as a sober
warning to all rulers who falsely think they obtained their power through their
own merit instead of as a gift from God (James
1:17)
May we as a nation, especially all who are saved by placing
our faith in the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), have wisdom to humble
ourselves before God. If we pray, and seek His face, and turn from
our wicked ways, then He will hear
from Heaven, forgive our sin, and heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14).
© 2016 Laurie Collett
