Daniel 5:1-31 God’s Graffitti: Writing on the Wall the Word of Wrath For Forgotten Facts

Introduction: Writing on the Wall: Judgment is Coming

Wouldn’t it be good if you could forecast disaster? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you had the gift of foresight?

The Global Financial Crisis is coming. So sell, sell, sell. And then when everything is devalued, buy, buy, buy.

The Aussie dollar is 45 US cents. Exports are cheap. Sell, sell, sell. The Aussie dollar is 110 US cents Imports are cheap. Buy, buy, buy.

A tsunami is coming, so go up the hill. A bushfire is coming, so go back down into the city. A riot or an earthquake is coming, so move back into the country.

This years crop will be good and demand is up, so invest. Hail or locusts or drought is coming, so take precautions. Demand is down and prices are poor, so don’t bother.

Foresight would be good. It is good to have time. It is good to have warning. It is good to be prepared.

Now, in English parlance, the phrase ‘the writings on the wall’ speaks of reading the signs. It’s a government realizing they’re unpopular and preparing to lose the next election, so they take evasive action – shred files, choose a disposable leader to take the fall, save their real leader for the next election, keep their powder dry.

It is jumping before you’re pushed. It’s an employee realizing their going to get the sack. So they’ve lined up a new job and then resign. I’ve been trained in obsolete technology, so I get retrained.

Context

But the writing on the wall in Daniel 5 is not a warning. It is a judgment. There is no time to read the signs, and to change because of the incoming disaster. It is the announcement of the judgment that is now come.

There was ‘writing on the wall’ before the ‘writing on the wall’. The ‘writing on the wall’ should never have been necessary. For there had been plenty of signs for Belshazzar the King.

Last week, you will recall, we saw Nebuchadnezzar’s pride and fall. That was Daniel chapter 4. Nebuchadnezzar took pride in his city that sung his praise. But God cut him low with insanity in the midst of his pride, until he praised the God of Heaven rather than himself. Nebuchadnezzar needed to confess that the God of heaven, not himself, ruled. He needed to learn that God gives the Kingdom to the humblest of men. It took 8 years for him to learn the lesson. It was a lesson learnt by both King and nation. For Nebuchadnezzar published it in his Epistle sent to the ends of the earth. That was chapter 4.

Who’s Who? ‘King’ Belshazzar, ‘Father’ Nebuchadnezzar, the ‘Queen’, Daniel

Now, the first thing we read in chapter 5 is the name ‘King Belshazzar’. Now, for many centuries, this figure King Belshazzar was only known from the Bible. His name did not appear in any of the ancient histories. And so some critical scholars doubted whether Belshazzar actually existed. They thought that he was a fiction, made up by the book of Daniel[1].

However in the 19th century some barrel shaped cylinders with inscriptions were found in a pagan temple in modern day Iraq. They mentioned the Babylonian King Nabonidus and a prayer for his eldest son, Belshazzar[2]. So the Bible wasn’t wrong, after all. A Royal Belshazzar did exist ruling over Babylon.

The Nabonidus Cylinder confirms Belshazzar's existence: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belshazzar

Subsequently, materials were found that said that Nabonidus had ‘entrusted the kingship’ to his eldest Son while he went and fought a distant campaign[3]. In fact, Nabonidus lived for 10 years in a far off country while Belshazzar his son reigned in Babylon. Belshazzar was kind of a co-regent. That is probably why he offers Daniel the third place in the Kingdom (Daniel 5:16). His father Nabonidus had first place, and he wasn’t giving up the second.

Then the question comes, why does the Daniel call Nebuchadnezzar, and not Nabonidus, the Father of Belshazzar?

The answer is that the word we translate ‘father’ has a very broad meaning. It can mean father, or it can mean ‘predecessor’ or ‘ancestor’[4].

This is not unusual in Dynastic lines. Take King David, for instance. He is called ‘father’ of those in his line, even though they are separated by generations or even hundreds of years (eg 1 Kings 15:3; 11, 24; 22:50; 2 Kings 14:3; 16:2; 18:3; 20:5; 22:2). David is even said to be the ‘father’ of Jesus, though they are separated by a thousand years (Luke 1:32). And the same also applies to the word ‘son’. Jesus is also the Son of David, just as David also is described as his father, even though Jesus was born about 1000 years after David lived.

Such usage is well attested. So Nebuchadnezzar is probably the grandfather of Belshazzar, but according to this wider usage is called Father[5].

Likewise, the wise Queen who enters the scene is not Belshazzar’s wife. Belshazzar’s wives and concubines are already said to be in the feast (Daniel 5:2; 23). Rather, she is probably Belshazzar’s grandmother[6]. The Jewish Historian Josephus says the same thing. Josephus refers to this queen as the grandmother of Belshazzar.

It would be a bit like this. Imagine Prince Charles in his younger days was having a party. And the Queen Mother, his grandma, comes in to give him a piece of regal advice. And she reminded him of the life and times of George the 6th. Now, George the 6th wasn’t Prince Charles’ father, but his grandfather. Prince Charles’ father is actually Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh. And the Queen Mother ceased to be Queen when good George the 6th died. But there is a real sense in this scenario, that you could truly say, the Queen comes in to give the Crown Prince a piece of Royal Advice learned by one of his fathers, or perhaps even, his father.

And we need to remember that the Daniel called in before Belshazzar is now an old man. He is in his 80s, having been long ignored by the Young Arrogant Crown Prince and co-regent.

Eat, Drink & Be Merry, for tomorrow … (verses 1-4)

Well, so much for identifying who the characters were. Now to the story.

It is said that those who will not learn the mistakes of history will be doomed to repeat them. Every generation, it seems, wants to relearn the lessons themselves. We make the same mistakes over and over again. We will not learn from history, but from our own painful experience.

That is the spirit of King Belshazzar. Blissfully unaware of how he ended up with power. Assumes it is his birthright. He has become the royal party boy.

Daniel chapter 5 verses 1 to 4:

1 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. 2 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. 3 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. 4 As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone. (NIV)

Secular history of this period tells us that prior to the fall of Babylon, Cyrus had just defeated the Babylonian army. The Babylonians have withdrawn into their city behind their walls, with plenty of stores for a long siege. Belshazzar is so confident in his walls and stores that he orders a vast banquet. Let us eat, drink and be merry. As a King, he lived 17 years on the capital and conquests of others. And though the end of his kingdom is nigh, all he can do is feast and party.

Meanwhile, Cyrus the Persian is stopping up the river Euphrates so his men can wade into the city of Babylon under the cover of darkness[7].

During the feast, Belshazzar orders the sacred objects looted from the Jerusalem temple. What is he doing?

He is remembering the glory days. Remember what we did to the Jews.

And Belshazzar goes one better than his predecessor. Nebuchadnezzar merely puts them in the temple of his god. But Belshazzar seeks to defile them by using them in his religious party. The gods he worshiped were the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood & stone. Perhaps you find similar people in the commodities markets today. He is typical of all who worship created things rather than the creator. He stands for all who turn God’s good gifts into the gods they worship.

The Writing on the Wall (verses 5-9)

But then the word of doom comes in the form of a disembodied human hand. It writes it’s cryptic message on the King’s wall. And we see his reaction to what he sees in chapter 5 verse 6:

His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way. (NIV)

The phrase ‘his legs gave way’ is one way you can understand it. But what it literally says is, ‘the knots of his loins were loosed’[8]. Most probably this doesn’t mean that his legs gave way, but that his bowels gave way. He was so frightened that he soiled his trousers[9].

Well, Belshazzar wants to know what God’s graffitti means. And as we’ve come to expect, the Babylonian wise men have no idea.

The Queen: History Lesson No 1 (verses 10-12)

And at this point, the Queen steps in and reminds the young King of the resources he has heretofore neglected. On the last night of the Babylonian Empire, Belshazzar receives unasked for history lesson number 1. Verses 11 and 12:

11"There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king, I say—appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. 12 This man Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.” (NIV)

Know you so little about your Kingdom that you don’t know these things? Why did we pay all those school fees?

Daniel: History Lesson No 2 (verses 13-23)

The wisdom of age responds to ignorance of youth. So in comes Daniel, in his 80s, out of retirement. And it is clear that Belshazzar has never condescended to talk to him. Verse 13: “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah?”

Belshazzar probably preferred the advice of the young men like himself. There was nothing the oldies could teach him. Moreover, Daniel is just a defeated refugee. You’re just an immigrant, aren’t you. An old man, the last of a defeated and subjugated people. But I’m desperate, and need of a new set of pants, so I’ll listen to you today. And just as Belshazzar shunned Daniel throughout his reign, Daniel now shuns the Belshazzars unsolicited gifts. Verse 17: “You can keep your gifts for yourself”. They’re yours to give for one night only. Tomorrow, they will be someone else’s.

And then Daniel provides Belshazzar with unwelcome and unasked for History Lesson Number 2. Starting from verse 18:

18 “O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. 19 Because 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. (NIV)

That was Nebuchadnezzar. He was much more powerful than you, Belshazzar. Nebuchadnezzar was the zenith of Babylonian power and influence. And do you know who gave him all that power and glory? My God. The God of Heaven. The God of the Jews. Not the gods of gold and silver and wood and stone. Verses 20 and 21:

20 But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21 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. (NIV)

In other words, God humbled the proud prince, your grandfather. And he got an ‘until’. At least he got a second chance, and an opportunity to repent. But you won’t. He got to acknowledge the Most High is sovereign. And he sent out a letter to the four winds telling everyone what he learnt. And what have you done Belshazzar, with your copy of Nebuchadnezzar’s letter? Verse 22:

22 “But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this." (NIV)

Don’t pretend this is all news to you. Don’t say you didn’t know about it. None of this was done in a corner. Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity wasn’t the dark family secret no-one was allowed to talk about. He himself published it far and wide. You have sinned against knowledge. No, you knew exactly what you were doing, Belshazzar. Verses 23 and 24:

23 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 honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. (NIV)

In those first and last sentences, we see the heart of Belshazzar’s sin. Indeed, we see the very essence of sin. What is sin? It is setting yourself up against God. It is not honouring and glorifying God, even though he’s got the whole world in his hands, including your life and mine. And just like we might see ourselves as little Nebuchadnezzar’s, so we can see ourselves in Belshazzar. For his sin is simply the sin of the humanity. Romans 1:21 to 23:

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. (NIV)

The anatomy of sin is the same. Dethrone God. Rebel against God. Put ourselves in God’s place. And fail to give him the honour he deserves. And so be doomed to commit the same stupid sins that our fathers committed.

What must our response be? We must give honour to the God who holds in his hand our life and all our ways. We can learn from Belshazzar by doing the opposite.

Belshazzar didn’t see the beauty of such a God and his concern for us. The God of Heaven holds in his hand our lives and all our ways. He sees us, he knows us, he upholds us, he holds us in the cup of his hands. Belshazzar felt it oppressive and limiting. I want to be God. God is holding me back. He could have looked it a different way. I’m not God. God is holding me up. And so we are driven back to Nebuchadnezzar’s hard won doxology of chapter 4:

Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. 35 All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?” (Daniel 4:34-35 NIV)

The Writing on the Wall: Not Warning But Wrath (verses 24-30)

Now, the way we use ‘writing on the wall’ in common parlance suggests that you have time to do something about it. The writing’s on the wall, so I’ll jump before I’m pushed, I will make wise decisions given the reality that I’m faced with. But not so for Belshazzar. There is no opportunity for repentance. No second chance, like Nebuchadnezzar. No seven years in the wilderness. Just immediate judgment and condemnation. Verses 26 to 28:

Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.

Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.

Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.

It’s over now. You won’t be here in the morning. Goodbye.

Verse 30: That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, 31 and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two. (NIV)

The secular historian Xenophon tells the story of one of Cyrus’ generals entering the city and killing the Babylonian king, who was a ‘riotous, indulgent, cruel and godless young man’[10].

Writing on the Wall for the Great Babylon

So, you see, it is not good to have writing on the wall. Writing on the wall is not an opportunity to repent. It is the word of God’s judgment and wrath. It is received by the hard-hearted. It comes at the end of plenty of opportunities to repent. And it signals that punishment has now come.

The fate of Babylon and it’s King is the type of the fate of our wicked world. Revelation chapter 18 speaks of the fall of ‘Babylon the Great’. Just as Belshazzar was overthrown on that night, the Great Babylon of Revelation 18 is overthrown in one hour.

And there is no stopping the doom that is coming to that Babylon. The Great trading city of Babylon with all it’s wealth will be undone. So Revelation chapter 18 verses 10 to 13:

Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!’ 11 “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more— 12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men. (NIV)

The Great Babylon of Revelation 18, like the Babylon of History, loves the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron and wood. It love it’s feasting and partying and sexual sin. It is rich. But the Great Babylon hates God’s people. Revelation chapter 18 verse 24:

In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth. So what she is to receive is God’s carefully measured judgment. For both Babylon’s have been weighed and found wanting. (NIV)

So what can we do? We cannot turn God’s wrath from Babylon the Great, just as Daniel could not turn God’s wrath from the Babylon of History. So the only thing we can do is flee from it. Revelation chapter 18 verses 4 and 5:

Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; 5 for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. (Revelation 18:4-5 NIV)

The judgment is on it’s way. So get away from her. Peter likened the world in which he was living as Babylon (1 Peter 5:13). And friends, our beautiful city of Sydney, which we love, which is rich, and which is prosperous, and which is pretty much all we know in this world, is our Babylon. The message for us is, ‘Come out and be separate’. Do not participate in the sins of our city Don’t be yoked to unbelievers. But Dare to be a Daniel who says, ‘You can keep your gifts’. And then speaks of the judgment coming on the one set against God.

Let’s pray

[1] J M Boice, Daniel, 64 cites Hitzig

[2] "As for me, Nabonidus, king of Babylon, save me from sinning against your great godhead and grant me as a present a life long of days, and as for Belshazzar, the eldest son -my offspring- instill reverence for your great godhead in his heart and may he not commit any cultic mistake, may he be sated with a life of plenitude.": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nabonidus_Cylinder; also at http://www.livius.org/na-nd/nabonidus/cylinder-ur.html

[3] The Persian Verse Account of Nabonidus says: ‘he entrusted the army [?] to his oldest son, his first born, the troops in the country he ordered under his command. He let everything go, entrusted the kingship to him, and, himself, he started out for a long journey. The military forces of Akkad marching with him, he turned to Temâ deep in the west.’: http://www.livius.org/ct-cz/cyrus_I/babylon03.html. Cited by E J Young, Daniel, 116; E C Lucas, Daniel, 126.

[4] So E J Young, 119; E C Lucas, 128

[5] This conforms with Herodotus, Hist 1.188, who makes Nabonidus the son of Nebuchadnezzar: cited by Lucas, 127. Wiseman argues that Nabonidus married one of Nebuchadnezzar’s daughters: Lucas, 128. Either way, on either of these suppositions, Belshazzar is Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson.

[6] Nitocris, the wife of Nebuchadnezzar. Such is the opinion of Whiston, Josephus, Works, 283 fn e

[7] Herodotus (440BC), History, 1:190-191 at http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/hh/hh1190.htm; Xenophon (431-355BC), Cyropaedia, Bk 7 Ch 5: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/

[8] E C Lucas, Daniel , 121.

[9] Ian M Duguid, Daniel, 80.

[10] E C Lucas, Daniel, 127