13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. 14 I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not show the interpretation of the matter. 16 But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. 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.”
17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. 18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. 19 And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. 20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. 21 He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. 22 And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, 23 but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in 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, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.
24 “Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; 28 Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. 31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old. Daniel 5: 13-31
Daniel 5: 13-31 Daniel Interprets the Writing on the Wall
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.… Hebrews 12: 1-2
You are that Daniel - Crazy, since Daniel was high up in the kingdom under Nebuchadnezzar, and we will see that it is not even an excuse from ignorance because of knowledge withheld, but rather ignorance from knowledge rejected. Why wouldn't you, as king, know the person your forefather found to be wiser than all the wise men, the so called scientists of that day, and appointed over them?
That the spirit of the gods is in you - You just heard that from your mom a little while ago, and it is the Spirit of the Holy God, which you don't know, and given what is going on in the palace at the time of the writing, Daniel's God you reject and to the point of blasphemy. Daniel was of no use to you until now because he served a God that rejected all the things you love, your drunkenness, orgies, greed and pride. I have seen people wait till the last minute of their life to ask the most important questions of life, and some so hardened that they laugh at the thought of the question. I went back and forth with an old woman at the end of her life till she could no longer speak anymore, and I tried at every opportunity to take her back to the gospel, that which she had rejected for another gospel a long time ago. My only hope for her was the story of the thief on the cross, but I wanted to be innocent of her blood when she left, because she had asked hard questions at the end, questions that her friends had given her very worldly, false hopes for. You see, you can't just know Daniel, but you have to know Daniel's God, that's what makes him different.
Wiersbe notes that "Daniel had “done the king’s business” in the third year of his reign (Da 8:1, 27), which would have been 554BC. What a tragedy that the ruler of the mighty city of Babylon should ignore one of the greatest men in history and turn to him only in the last hours of his life when it was too late. (Be Resolute [Daniel]- Determining to Go God's Direction). - Precept Austin
Now the wise men, the enchanters have been brought - This is an awesome aspect of Daniel, and people will mock you and say that you are trying to appear pious, but first of all, he is not at the party, and he is sadly the last resort. Neb saw him as above these other men, yet Daniel walked much differently as well, he always comes in later, and he is okay with that. When you start to see Who God is, and you have that call on your life, it's not that you are antisocial, but the God you love is holy. Everyone gripes at you because you don't play the game, you don't mingle, you don't go to cocktail hour, but your door is open whenever they need you for something real. I don't look down on them, but I can't have some of the conversations they are having, I can't look at some of the things they are sharing because it hurts now. My Savior died for those very things, the God I worship hates those things, so how can I take part in that? How can I talk about it so lightly with you, or why would I want to watch you drink to the point that you bring out the vessels of God and start mocking Him even more? They went to the people they felt most comfortable around, the "wise men" that weren't bothered by their sinful behavior, some of whom were probably at the party, but they couldn't help.
…10For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has shut your eyes, O prophets; He has covered your heads, O seers. 11And the entire vision will be to you like the words sealed in a scroll. If it is handed to someone to read, he will say, “I cannot, because it is sealed.” 12Or if the scroll is handed to one unable to read, he will say, “I cannot read.”… Isaiah 29: 10-12
You shall be clothed with purple - The same offer he extended to the wise men previously, he is that stressed about this. See Part 1 purple for royalty, gold because it was the most precious thing in this kingdom, a sign of wealth and then the biggest promotion one could get.
Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another - So he doesn't want the promotion, but it would only be for a few hours anyway, remember the Medes and Persians are making progress, Cyrus has devised a plan to divert a large portion of the Euphrates into the marsh, and then send soldiers under the gate. It won't change what is about to happen, yet men need to think that what they have to offer you is grand, an offer that can't be refused. Everyone has a price, they say.
Keep your gifts (Nebuchadnezzar's offer Da 2:6-note) - Daniel is not interested in the temporal reward from a pagan king, but only desires the eternal reward from the King of kings (cp Da 12:13-note). Daniel had no desire for material gain and would not let himself be deterred from speaking the absolute, divine truth. God's men cannot be bought off by offering them the passing pleasures (or "trinkets") of this present evil age (see Abram's refusal to accept gifts from the king of Sodom - Ge 14:21, 22, 23, 24 and Elisha's refusal of the offer by the Syrian Naaman - 2Ki 5:15, 16). - Precept Austin
…19“Give me this power as well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God.… Acts 8: 19-21
…35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and for the gospel will save it. 36 What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?… Mark 8: 35-37
Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king - Daniel has freely received this gift of wisdom and understanding from the Lord, and so he freely gives. He has never sought his promotions, but always to honor God.
…45And I will walk in freedom, for I have sought Your precepts. 46I will speak of Your testimonies before kings, and I will not be ashamed. 47I delight in Your commandments because I love them.… Psalm 119: 45-47
O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar - He proceeds to give the testimony of his forefather, Neb, and how the Lord made known to him, by humiliating him to the point of reality, that the Most High God rules over the kingdom of men. He learned about the sovereignty of God. You can read about this in chapter 4, Eating Grass.
His mind was made like that of a beast - Again, you can read about this in the link above. Neb was a much greater king than what is probably his grandson here, but when he was proud God brought him low, so that he would know where his intelligence came from, Who allowed him this greatness.
Maclaren sets the stage for the indictment of this arrogant king - Daniel’s tone is noticeably stern. He has no reverential preface, no softening of his message. His words are as if cut with steel on the rock. He brushes aside the promises of vulgar decorations and honors with undisguised contempt, and goes straight to his work of rousing a torpid conscience. (Daniel 5:17-31 Mene, Tekel, Peres) - Precept Austin
24Then all the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD. I bring the tall tree down and make the low tree tall. I dry up the green tree and make the withered tree flourish. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done it.’” Ezekiel 17:24
…14Otherwise, I will send all My plagues against you and your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth. 15For by this time I could have stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with a plague to wipe you off the earth. 16But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power to you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.… Exodus 9: 14-16
And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this - Wow, so Daniel won't let him off for ignorance, won't let him claim that. Daniel is innocent of his blood and so is Neb, because this was passed down to Bel, and Daniel doesn't say I will do this for a fee, but throws the previous "I have heard of you" speech back in the face of this flatterer. Who cares whether you have heard, if you have not listened? Imagine, a king of all men, if you gave a command, knowing that you could humble, even kill the person who disobeyed it, and when the command was not followed, the job was not done, well, we already know what these kings would do. Neb lifted himself up against the only true God, he was proud, and God warned him through a vision, Daniel interpreted it and even offered him advice unto repentance, God gave Neb a whole year to ponder this, but he ended up a jackass in a field. Neb threw 3 of the greatest men in his kingdom into a furnace for not following his order, but these kings don't like to recognize that above them is God, the creator of the universe. Daniel is accusing Bel of refusing light, sinning against knowledge, ignoring the reality of the true God. No wonder he doesn't know Daniel well, he has been running away from the truth for quite some time, and in our minds we contrive this alternate universe where ignorance is bliss, yet think ourselves wise.
…28Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29How much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.”… Hebrews 10: 28-30
…2For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every transgression and disobedience received its just punishment, 3how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, 4and was affirmed by God through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will.… Hebrews 2: 2-4
You have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven - Daniel doesn't let the infraction, the challenge that started this earlier in the evening slide by, no, he confronts the king on his blasphemy. I have heard a lot of people challenge God, I have myself, it is so stupid and gross, as if He has to respond to me. It's not that He won't, eventually He will respond to everyone's sin, but He doesn't owe me, you or this Belshazzar anything but the wages of sin. I refused knowledge about God because I loved my drugs, fornication, cussing, fighting, puffing up my chest, thinking highly of myself and thinking that I needed to be constantly entertained. Even when I had to acknowledge the existence and superiority of the God of the Bible, I still wanted to twist it into some kind of work, a sinners prayer sort of assurance from a book of spells, or that "I had a really big hear, was a good person, did nice things that outweighed all the bad." That is in no way a Christ honoring life that acknowledges Him as Lord. I worshiped with my mouth but my heart was far away.
Mene - God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it. We know from reading Isaiah and Jeremiah that this captivity was coming, but we also know, as did Daniel once this occurred, that it would only last 70 years. Those who know God is sovereign know that nothing can happen outside of His purpose, and in Isaiah we even find Cyrus called to His purpose, for this very moment.
1In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes, a Mede by descent, who was made ruler over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— 2in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the sacred books, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.… Daniel 9: 1-3
…17so that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who does these things 18that have been known for ages.’ 19It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not cause trouble for the Gentiles who are turning to God.… Acts 15: 17-19
Tekel - You have been weighed in the balances and found wanting. It is given to men once to die and then the judgment, no one escapes this.
Whitcomb writes that "The Egyptian Book of the Dead pictured men being weighed in balances after death to determine whether their sins outweighed their worthy deeds. But Scripture makes it plain that salvation is never determined that way, for none are worthy (Ro 3:23). Nevertheless, men are weighed by God to determine degrees of reward or punishment (1Sa 2:3; Job 31:6; Ps. 62:9; Pr 16:2). (Ibid) - Precept Austin
…8Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah 9Lowborn men are but a vapor, the exalted but a lie. Weighed on the scale, they go up; together they are but a vapor. 10Place no trust in extortion, or false hope in stolen goods. If your riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.… Psalm 62: 8-10
It is well frequently to weigh ourselves in the scale of God’s Word. You will find it a holy exercise to read some psalm of David, and, as you meditate upon each verse, to ask yourself, “Can I say this? Have I felt as David felt? Has my heart ever been broken on account of sin, as his was when he penned his penitential psalms? Has my soul been full of true confidence in the hour of difficulty as his was when he sang of God’s mercies in the cave of Adullam, or in the holds of Engedi? Do I take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord?” Then turn to the life of Christ, and as you read, ask yourselves how far you are conformed to his likeness. Endeavour to discover whether you have the meekness, the humility, the lovely spirit which he constantly inculcated and displayed. Take, then, the epistles, and see whether you can go with the apostle in what he said of his experience. Have you ever cried out as he did—“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Have you ever felt his self-abasement? Have you seemed to yourself the chief of sinners, and less than the least of all saints? Have you known anything of his devotion? Could you join with him and say, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain”? If we thus read God’s Word as a test of our spiritual condition, we shall have good reason to stop many a time and say, “Lord, I feel I have never yet been here, O bring me here! give me true penitence, such as this I read of. Give me real faith; give me warmer zeal; inflame me with more fervent love; grant me the grace of meekness; make me more like Jesus. Let me no longer be ‘found wanting,’ when weighed in the balances of the sanctuary, lest I be found wanting in the scales of judgment.” “Judge yourselves that ye be not judged.” (Morning and Evening) - C. H. Spurgeon
Peres - Your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.
The Aramaic word is perea which a Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon says "is probably used as a word play in Da 5:25, in the handwriting on the wall. "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin." The words can be taken to mean mina, a shekel and a half mina (or half shekel). This makes little sense and Daniel interpreted it as the verbs number, weigh and divide. The last verb may have a double word play in its similarity to Persia, which was about to conquer Belshazzar. The word "upharsin" is the conjunction "and" plus the plural of peres."
Has been divided - Notice Daniel does not say "will be" but speaks of it as if it has already happened, so certain is the judgment (and in fact it is possible that it might have been literally happening as they were speaking -- at this very moment it is highly likely that the Euphrates River was being diverted to provide access into the city under the mammoth walls). - Precept Austin
Belshazzar gave the command - This is contrary to what Daniel told him to do with his stuff, but some think maybe he did it like the Roman guards putting the robe on Jesus, the crown of thorns and the sign above His head that said, "King of the Jews", all to mock him. I don't know, I think it's possible that he held out some hope in the gesture, knowing that this was God's man, and also trying to save face because he said that this was what would be done for the interpreter.
Put a necklace of gold - Such necklaces could only be worn by the king's authority. In a way, this would have made Daniel a "marked man" and yet we know he survived and thrived under the reign of Darius the Mede. God's man is immortal until God has fulfilled that man's purpose for his life on earth! We see this principle in the Revelation, where the two witnesses are "immortal" until their job is done (their "job description" specified 1260 days)…
And when (not before!) they have finished their testimony (Rev 11:3, 4, 5, 6-note), the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. (Rev 11:7-note) - Precept Austin
That very night, Belshazzar the king was killed - As spoken by the prophet.
…19Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!” ’ 20But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’ 21This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”… Luke 12: 19-21
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