Then 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.
18“O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. 19Because of the high position he gave him, all the peoples and nations and men of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled. 20But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21He 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.
After 50 years of government service, Daniel knew how to address a king. Here in the presence of Belshazzar, however, he omitted any formal greeting. He was not being rude, although this contemptible king had by his blasphemous behavior forfeited the respect of his subjects. Daniel may well have known that Belshazzar’s hours were numbered and that there was no time to waste.
Daniel responded first by refusing the honors the king had offered: “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else.” Daniel had good reasons for saying that. For one thing, he wanted to avoid every appearance of self-interest. There was no incentive the king could offer him to induce him to interpret the mysterious writing correctly. More important, Daniel wanted to make it absolutely clear that he was under no obligation to say only what Belshazzar wanted to hear. He would declare the truth without hesitation, whether it would be pleasant or unpleasant for the king.
Having made that clear, Daniel declared his readiness to read the writing. Daniel realized he was God’s chosen representative in this critical situation. He had an unusual opportunity to let God’s voice be heard by the king and a thousand top leaders of Babylon, and he wasn’t about to let that opportunity slip. “I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.”
Daniel began his explanation by telling the king something he did not want to hear but which he needed to hear. The message Daniel brought the king certainly did nothing to stop Belshazzar’s knees from knocking. He recalled for the frightened king the history of his great ancestor Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel’s sketch showed Nebuchadnezzar to have been a truly great king. God had not only given him the kingdom but also the ability to manage it. Because he was so successful, on foreign battlefields as well as in his own capital, he received glory, the reputation of being a first-rate king. He was an absolute monarch. He had unquestioned power of life and death over people.
But when this great king became arrogant, God removed him from his throne and from his people, gave him the mind of an animal, and let him roam about with the wild donkeys. He lived the life of an animal until he humbly acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over people and nations. The point Daniel was making is that even great Nebuchadnezzar was responsible to God for the way he used his power. Daniel now applied this truth to Belshazzar.