Living in Babylon Today
Read the Writing on the Wall: Daniel 5:1-5:31
Imagine if you gave a Summer party—and you had a stranger show up? In the first verses of Daniel chapter 5, we join a rather wild party being thrown by the king of Babylon - Belshazzar. Right in the middle of the party, just as it gets to its loudest and wildest, an unexpected and unusual guest suddenly appears and brings the party to an abrupt end. The uninvited visitor is a disembodied set of fingers. In view of all the astonished party revelers, the hand writes a mysterious message on the palace wall that no-one understands.
The meaning of that message is what we are going to consider today. But in
order to make sense of it, lets start with the historical setting.
The Context : The Hand Behind the Writing
King Nebuchadnezzar ruled over Babylon for almost forty-five years. By the time of Daniel 5, he had been dead for about twenty-five years. The fourth king after him was Nabonidus. Nabonidus had a son named Belshazzar. Belshazzar and his father Nabonidus were co-regents over Babylon for about twenty years. From 559-539 BC they reigned together. Nabonidus was living in what is today Saudi Arabia, while Belshazzar is in Iran.
Belshazzar is a very insecure man, the kind of young man who indulges in very wild and loose living as a way of covering up his many insecurities. As we join the party, the great kingdom of Babylon is under attack from the kingdom of the Medes and Persians. In fact, the capital city is actually surrounded by the Medo-Persian armies.
They have already captured his father Nabonidus. And Belshazzar knows it. So why is he throwing this big feast? Because he and his people think they were invincible. Over a million people live in Babylon. The city is 60 miles around its circumference, surrounded by a wall 350 feet high and 87 feet across. You can race four full chariots side by side around the top of the wall. Guards are constantly on watch as if they were guarding a prison wall. The Euphrates River ran through the middle of the city. There is a 30 foot mote outside the wall that runs around the city. The city is considered impregnable. No contemporary military strategy can ever break through this wall. So the city is under siege. But no one is worried because they have twenty years of supplies. If they never grow another crop, they can live twenty years off the surplus.
So the people of Babylon are secure. By 6th Century BC standards they are smug, sophisticated and superior. Belshazzar was so sure of himself that he arranged this great banquet for 1000 of his nobles to show he does not fear the army surrounding his city. But in our lesson today we shall see what happens when God crashes the party.
1. Belshazzar’s Arrogance (5:1-6)
King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank
wine with them. While 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. So 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. As they drank the wine, they
praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.” (Daniel
5:1-4)
This party was unashamedly blasphemous. It was designed to exalt the gods of Babylon and mock the true God of Israel. They even dared to drink their wine out of the sacred Jewish vessels, which had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem years before under king Nebuchadnezzar. Belshazzar has no respect for his father. No respect for his enemy. No respect for God.
Picture the scene: The slave that had been sent for the holy vessels finally
arrived back in the banquet room. The dancing stopped. The musicians put down
their instruments. The house lights were turned up. Belshazzar took the goblet.
He filled it with his own private wine and then, smirking with arrogance,
slopped the wine to his inebriated lips. As it dribbled down his beard, a
thousand people looked on in amazement at such a daring act. The place was then
filled with cheering and loud applause. The music and dancing started up again,
but now with a new fervour.
Then suddenly there is a startling interruption of the party. “Suddenly 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” (5:5). I don’t know if anyone has every calculated the shortest period of time it takes for someone to sober up, but this instance would have to be in the running!
Verse 6 describes the king’s reaction: “His face turned pale and he was so
frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way.” Belshazzar
was so overcome by what he saw that he went totally limp. The application for
us is this: God has a way of getting our attention and bringing things back to
reality when we need it. Daniel’s message is simple. In Galatians 6:7 Paul put
it this way, “Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked.” Be very careful not to
misread the silence of heaven after you have sinned to think that somehow,
because you were not struck by lightning, you can get away with your sin before
God. Always remember: Slow justice is not no justice, but a gracious display
of God’s patience. Belshazzar’s Arrogance. Second, observe
2. Daniel’s Boldness (5:7-17)
“The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers and diviners to be brought
and 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.’” (Daniel
5:7)
The reason he said third highest ruler is because he and his father were first and second. The man who read and interpreted these words would be just beneath the authority of the co-regents. But none of the wise men in Babylon can interpret these words—in spite of the great rewards. The king becomes even more alarmed than before.
Then the queen came on the scene (5:10). She was probably Belshazzar’s mother,
and the daughter of king Nebuchadnezzar. She enters the banquet hall and tells
Belshazzar that Daniel will be able to interpret these words. Daniel is well in
his 80s. He had been through many experiences as the Prime Minister of Babylon.
He has served under five Babylonian kings. And yet Daniel’s life remains untainted
by the ungodly culture of Babylon. Through it all, he maintains a deep devotion
to God.
“So 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? I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight,
intelligence and outstanding wisdom. The wise men and enchanters were brought
before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not
explain it. Now 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.” (Daniel
5:13-16)
But Daniel cannot be bought! Verse 17 says that 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.” (Daniel 5:17)
Daniel refuses to give in to the seduction of power. The pressure of the influential is a pressure every one of us has to face. As you seek to live for Christ in this life, you will inevitably come face to face with very real temptations to prostitute your convictions and principles as a disciple of Christ. You see, the wealthy and the influential may sometimes make you promises—if you will only do as they please or request. The larger the influence, the greater the pressure. Being under the pressure of an ungodly influence is a very difficult place to be. You may be there now. People are trying to make promises and bargains with you, if you will only do what they want. As a Christian, this is something you must resist. You must determine whose approval really matters—the living Christ or other people. In Galatians Paul asks,
“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10)
Daniel gave up trying to win the approval of men years earlier. I’m afraid many
of us are still in bondage to the approval of others. There is no freedom like
the freedom from intimidation. Belshazzar’s Arrogance. Daniel’s Boldness.
3. God’s Judgement (5:18-31)
Daniel begins his interpretation in verses 18-21 by reminding Belshazzar of the
greatness of Nebuchadnezzar’s rule. The key verse of this section is verse 20
where Belshazzar was reminded:
“But when his
heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal
throne and stripped of his glory. He was driven away from people and given the
mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like cattle;
and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that
the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them
anyone he wishes.” (Daniel 5:20-21)
Daniel then said,
“But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. Instead, 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 honour the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.” (Daniel 5:22-24)
Now for the interpretation of this strange inscription, beginning with verse
25, Daniel said, “This is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL,
PARSIN.” (Daniel 5:25)
The first word was “Mene.” This means “numbered.” “God has numbered the days of
your reign and brought it to an end” (5:26). The word was repeated to denote
intensity.
The second word is “Tekel.” This means “weighed.” “You have been weighed on the
scales and found wanting” (5:27).
The third word was “Peres.” This means “divided” or “separated.” “Your kingdom
is divided and given to the Medes and Persians” (5:28).
The ancient Greek historian Heroditus corroborates this account of Daniel. He
tells us that on the eve of the overthrow of Babylon there was a great
city-wide banquet. And during that banquet, the Medo-Persian military commander
ingeniously devised a way to divert the Euphrates River that ran into the city
so that the water levels around the moats sank just enough to allow his armies
to wade across, thigh deep, under the cover of darkness. Babylon, supposedly
secure behind massive walls was now being conquered at the very moment Daniel
was talking to Belshazzar.
Belshazzar thought he was safe. But he was killed that very night. His city was
conquered. The party was over. The fall of this great Babylonian Empire is
simply recorded for us in the last two verses “That very night Belshazzar, king
of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at
the age of sixty-two” (5:30-31).
Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin. Numbered. Weighed and found wanting. Secure in the
world. Arrogant before God. No contest!
What is God saying to us here? It’s an age-old message. King Solomon summarized
it this way, “God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden
thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14). The names change. The
situations vary. But ignoring this truth has always led people into bitter
consequences. Like Belshazzar, there are walls we try to erect to hide our sin
from the eyes of God. But we must see the walls for what they are—foolish
defences that must be abandoned for our own ultimate welfare. There is no wall
so high, no fortress so secure, no activity so hidden that it can protect us
from the judgment and wrath of an all-powerful, all-knowing, holy God who will
one day bring every dark thing to light and judge sin.
Belshazzar’s Arrogance. Daniel’s Boldness. God’s Judgement.
We can learn much from history, from fallen leaders. Through Belshazzar’s
experience, God is warning us strongly not to forget that one day we too will
be held accountable for our thoughts, our words and actions. The apostle Paul makes
the same point “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that
each one may receive what is due him” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
But the good news is that Paul goes on to tell us that the reason why God warns
us so strongly is because he loves us so dearly. In Romans tells us “But God
demonstrates His own love in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for
us.” (Romans 5:8)
There is no warning like the cross of Jesus Christ.
The message of the cross reinforces all the Old Testament warnings about judgment. The cross warns us of the type of destruction and awesome wrath that a just and holy God must pour out on sin—because of who he is. The penalty is death.
But the Scriptures tell us the real glory of the cross is that it does more than warn us of sin’s penalty. It also saves us from it!
The blood of Jesus blots out the handwriting of condemnation that has been written across all of our lives—if we will come to Christ in sincere repentance and faith. The prophet Isaiah promised, “Though your sins are like scarlet they shall be as white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:18). God himself promises that on that final judgment day, when we stand before his throne, when he looks at us, He will see Jesus. Instead of our sin, he will see Jesus sinlessness.
Let me leave you with a thought. When you get home tonight. You make yourself a drink. You sit down to watch the evening news when suddenly. A hand begins writing on your living room wall. What words would that hand be writing for you? Numbered? Weighed? Divided? Peace? Forgiven? Humble? Child of God?
What exactly is the writing on the wall saying to you tonight? Let’s read the writing on the wall. Lets not ignore the signs. Let’s rest in God’s solemn promise: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1).
Lets pray.
With
grateful thanks to Freddy Fritz for much of the inspiration for this sermon,
and also assistance from the sermons on this passage by Jerry DePoy, Charles Salmon,
Howard McGlamery, Don Jones, Joseph Smith, Bradley Boydston
and Todd Coget found at www.sermoncentral.com