My assignment was to cover Daniel 4, with an option to
delve into chapter 5 as well. But what I want to do is survey
Daniel 4 without reading every verseCjust to give us some
context, and then we'll take a slightly closer look at Daniel 5.
Daniel 5 is where we'll land and draw our major points.
Daniel 4 is one of the most unusual, unexpected, and
uplifting chapters in all of Scripture. It is the record of
document written by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar,
then included by Daniel in the inspired record.
If we were to take the entire biblical record of
Nebuchadnezzar and exclude this chapter, we would rank
him among the primary villains in all of Scripture. Of all the
heathen rulers mentioned in the Old Testament, he had the
most power, ruled the most territory, and did the most harm
to the Davidic dynasty in Judah.
Nebuchadnezzar was a Chaldean, and he was king of
Imperial Babylon. Babylon, of course, is the one political
entity in Scripture that most clearly symbolizes everything
unholy, everything worldly, everything that glorifies the
power of humanity. The book of Revelation repeatedly refers
to the regime of Antichrist as "Babylon the great." In
Daniel 5 2
Revelation 17:4, we encounter a symbolic "woman . . .
arrayed in purple and scarlet . . . holding in her hand a golden
cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual
immorality." That's the religious system of Antichrist. And
Revelation 17:5 tells us, "On her forehead was written a name
of mystery: 'Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of
earth's abominations.'" When an Angel who announces the
final destruction of the Babylonian system of politics and
religion, it goes like this: Revelation 18:2: "[The angel] called
out with a mighty voice, 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She
has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every
unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every
unclean and detestable beast.'"
Ancient Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar was likewise
both a religious and political entity. The king was deemed
the great high priest. He was considered the incarnation of
everything the Babylonians worshiped. They purposely tried
to exalt human glory over the name of YHWH. In fact, as
we're about to see, the Hebrew God became the focus and the
brunt of their worst blasphemies. They understood that He
stood against every religious and political value that was
precious to them.
Nebuchadnezzar was the founder of this wicked Empire.
He had a warlike disposition. He won a decisive defeat over
the combined Egyptian and Assyrian armies at the Battle of
Carchemish. That was a major turning point in world history,
Weighed and Found Wanting 3
and it's recorded in Jeremiah 46:2. From then on, no one
could stop Nebuchadnezzar from conquering anyone he
chose. So he picked fights with every other known nation
within his reach, and he overthrew them all. He defeated
Judah and laid waste to Jerusalem. He captured king
Jehoiakim, put him in chains, and carried him back to
Babylon. He also drove most of the inhabitants of Judah into
exile and slavery in Babylon. That was the start of the
Babylonian CaptivityCand it was seventy long years before
the Jews were allowed to return.
And listen to this (2 Chronicles 36:7 ): "Nebuchadnezzar
also carried part of the vessels of the house of the LORD to
Babylon and put them in his palace in Babylon." The second
verse of Daniel 1 likewise describes the same event.
"[Nebuchadnezzar brought] the vessels of the house of God . . .
to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the
vessels in the treasury of his god." Notice this: "the treasury of
[Nebuchadnezzar's] god" was part of the royal palace. He had
devised a religion based on his own power and human
achievements and the glory of his conquests. That's what he
worshiped, and in that regard, he was a very religious man.
The truth is, he thought of himself as godlike.
So Nebuchadnezzar was as proud and powerful as any
man who ever lived. If anyone ever thought of himself as the
captain of his own soul and the master of his own fate,
Nebuchadnezzar did. Ask any citizen of ancient Babylon
Daniel 5 4
who was the highest sovereign and the most powerful entity
in the universe, and without hesitation, they would say it was
King Nebuchadnezzar.
He was the living epitome of everything profane and
unholy; and the whole principle of his religion lay in the
overconfidence he placed in his own sovereignty. He was
perhaps the last human character in the entire Old Testament
record you would ever expect to be humbled, converted, and
persuaded to glorify God.
And yet, that is precisely what happens in Daniel 4, and
we have Nebuchadnezzar's own testimony about it. He had
already had at least two significant encounters with the
Hebrew God. Daniel had interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's
dream in chapter 2. In Daniel's interpretation of the dream,
Nebuchadnezzar was told that his kingdom would be
superseded by a succession of kingdoms, each one less
glorious than the previous ones. This, of course, was not
good news for Nebuchadnezzar, but he was clearly
impressed with Daniel's ability to interpret the dream, and at
the time he gave lip service to Daniel's God (2:47): "Truly,
your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of
mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery." And
he elevated Daniel to a position of supreme authority under
the king, and gave him first place among all his wise men.
But those words of praise at the end of chapter 2 were not
from his heart. Nebuchadnezzar clearly didn't believe in the
Weighed and Found Wanting 5
sovereignty of God, because he didn't believe the prophecy
was fixed and inevitable. (If you don't believe in
predestination, there's no logical way to believe any
predictive prophecy. Prophecy is simply speaking in advance
what God has predestined.) Anyway, Nebuchadnezzar's
response in chapter 3 was to build a massive golden idolCan
image that in Nebuchadnezzar's mind probably represented
himself. And he set the idol up to be worshiped. That golden
image was an altered echo of the dream in chapter 2, as if to
say, forget the "chest and arms of silver . . . thighs of bronze . . .
legs of iron, [and feet] of iron and . . . clay." There's no need for
more than one empire. The idol, I believe, represented his
view of Babylonian power and gloryCdifferent from the
divine prophecy. He was saying, in effect, No empire of
lesser glory will ever overthrow my mighty works.
Nebuchadnezzar was determined to write his own history.
This was quite simply a rejection of God's sovereignty.
Then Nebuchadnezzar had a second encounter with the
Hebrew God, when the Lord saved Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego from the fiery furnace after they refused to bow
and worship Nebuchadnezzar's colossus. At the end of
chapter 3, Nebuchadnezzar makes a second halfhearted
acknowledgement that YHWH was greater than he reckoned,
and not someone to be trifled with (3:28): "Blessed be the
God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego . . . " And verse 29:
"Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that
Daniel 5 6
speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in
ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this
way."
But this is still not a genuine expression of true faith.
These are, I think, reluctant concessions. Nebuchadnezzar is
a superstitious man. He can see that God is capable of
causing him great troubleCbut he doesn't want to
acknowledge God as sovereign God over him.
Then Nebuchadnezzar's experience in chapter 4 changes
all that. This chapter is Daniel's record of a document the
king himself wrote to declare his conversion.
Nebuchadnezzar starts and ends the chapter with powerful
statements of faith (v. 2): "It has seemed good to me to show
the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.
How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom
is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from
generation to generation." He exalts God. Then he tells his
story.
Time doesn't permit us to read all of chapter 4, but turn
there with me so you can follow along, and we'll survey
some of the highlights:
Verse 4: It's near the end of Nebuchadnezzar's career. He
is "at ease in [his] house" and he has a terrifying dream. So,
like he did in chapter 2, he summons the wise men to
Weighed and Found Wanting 7
interpret the dream. Again, Daniel is the only one who can
interpret the dream.
Verse 10: It's a dream about a massive tree (v. 11), "its top
reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole
earth." But a message comes from heaven (v. 13), saying,
"Chop down the tree and lop off its branches." Verse 16: "Let
his mind be changed from a man's, and let a beast's mind be
given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him."
When Daniel hears the dream, verse 19 says he was
astonished and dismayed, and he remained silent for "about
an hour" (that's what the Hebrew means). He is stunned.
Then (v. 24) he gives the interpretation: "It is a decree of the
Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, that you shall
be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the
beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and
you shall be wet with the dew of heaven"Cfor seven long years,
"till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and
gives it to whom he will." Until you acknowledge the
sovereignty and majesty of God. Verse 26: Until "you know
that Heaven rules."
And that's what happened. Verse 28: "All this came upon
King Nebuchadnezzar." First, he was given a year's
opportunity to repent. But (v. 29) " At the end of twelve
months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of
Babylon," Still enthralled with his own greatness; musing to
Daniel 5 8
himself about the glories of his own achievements; talking to
himself about how great he was.
By the way, the monuments Nebuchadnezzar had built for
himself were stunningly magnificent by any human standard.
He built the Ishtar Gate, a massive edifice of glazed bricks.
That gate was located by German archaeologists in the early
20th century and moved brick by brick to Berlin, where you
can see it today in the Pergamon Museum. (I've seen it, and it
is spectacular.) Nebuchadnezzar built colorful temples and
shrines to all the gods whose people he had conquered. The
main street of Babylon was a wide processional paved with
bricks and lined with fabulous buildings. He dug canals and
reservoirs and built dams. He made The outer walls of the
capital city 350 feet high and eighty-seven feet thick. Inside
those walls were two more rows of inner walls and moats
arranged in an ingenious way to make the city of Babylon
impenetrable. If an army attacked from the north, he could
open floodgates that would deluge the area north of the city
and make it impossible for either footmen or horsemen to
mount an effective assault. The city was decorated with
massive statues and monuments, bronze bulls, brazen
serpents, and gold-covered structures. The Hanging Gardens
of Babylon were one of the true wonders of the ancient
world, and ample water was available a through a
sophisticated irrigation system. In its prime, Babylon was a
magnificent display of human achievement and earthly glory.
Weighed and Found Wanting 9
So here's Nebuchadnezzar in the prime of advanced years,
walking on the roof of his opulent palace, looking over all he
had accomplished (verse 30): "and the king answered and said
[to himself], 'Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my
mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my
majesty?'" And (v. 31)C
While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice
from heaven, "O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken:
The kingdom has departed from you, and you shall be driven
from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts
of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox,
and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know
that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to
whom he will."
So for the next seven years, Nebuchadnezzar suffered
under the delusion that he was a cow; he lived like a cow; he
ate like a cow; he slept outdoors like a cowCand he held fast
his stubborn unbelief like a donkey. (By the way, this is a
known form of mental illness. It's called clinical lycanthropy.
Look it up on Wikipedia). It's a rare psychiatric syndrome
where the affected person thinks and acts and lives like an
animal. In this case, it was clearly God who afflicted
Nebuchadnezzar this way. God literally drove him crazy and
kept him in that state until Nebuchadnezzar confessed the
sovereignty of God.
Daniel 5 10
This is what's known as irresistible grace. I have known
some crazy Arminians, but this one takes the cake. You
might wonder why in seven years' time the Babylonians
didn't get a new king. But this wasn't a democracy, where
you can simply elect a new leader. World history is full of
czars and dictators who were stark, raving mad. Look that up
on Wikipedia. (In fact, there's a Wikipedia entry titled "List
of mentally ill monarchs." Some interesting reading material
there.) Anyway, this wasn't as unusual as you might think.
Nebuchadnezzar's madness lasted seven years, and then
Nebuchadnezzar looked up from the cow pasture and made
this thoroughly Calvinistic confession of faith. Verse 34:
At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to
heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the
Most High, and praised and honored him who lives
forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and
his kingdom endures from generation to generation;
35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as
nothing, and he does according to his will among the host
of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and
none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you
done?" [That verse, by the way is a perfect summary of
the theme of Daniel. "God does all His will, and no
one can thwart His plan or challenge it." The whole
story of Daniel is all about the sovereignty of God. I'll
Weighed and Found Wanting 11
come back to that later, but here's the rest of
Nebuchadnezzar's testimony:]
36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the
glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to
me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was
established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was
added to me.
37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the
King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are
just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.
This time there is every reason to think Nebuchadnezzar
has genuinely been converted. Scripture says nothing about
him after this. By the time we get to chapter 5, he is dead.
But I think if this were a false conversion, Scripture would
not have recorded it in Nebuchadnezzar's own words, and we
would also have been told about his falling away. I gather
this is the sincere confession of a genuinely converted man,
and I expect to meet him in heaven.
That's one of my favorite episodes in Old Testament
history, right up there with the revival in Nineveh during
Jonah's time. In fact, those two events (the revival of
Nineveh and the conversion of Nebuchadnezzar) are
remarkable for precisely the same reasons. Both accounts
stress the absolute sovereignty of God in the salvation of the
lost. Both incidents have to do with the unexpected
Daniel 5 12
conversion of hostile Gentiles. Both events are simply and
dispassionately recorded in just one chapter apiece (without
much drama or elaboration). Neither event is ever mentioned
anywhere else in the Bible or in secular history. And
although both the revival in Nineveh and the conversion of
Nebuchadnezzar might be expected to signal a massive
change in the flow of human history, neither event had any
long-term effect on the course of this world. Nineveh
reverted to hard-core paganism within a generation and was
overthrown completely in about a hundred years.
Nebuchadnezzar died and his heirs tried to erase the memory
of Daniel's God from the collective national consciousness.
That's precisely what we see in chapter 5. Fast forward
about twenty-five years. According to the best records of
secular history, the event described in Daniel 5 occurred on
October 12, 539 BC. (The month and day are certain; the
year differs slightly according to various secular historians.)
But it's autumn of the year. Nebuchadnezzar had by now
been dead for about 23 years. In fact, after Daniel 5, he is
never mentioned again in Scripture, and in this chapter, it's
clear that he has been dead awhile.
The ruler who is the subject of Daniel 5 is Belshazzar.
Verse 2 refers to Nebuchadnezzar as his father, but it's using
the word in a Hebrew sense. It means "ancestor."
Nebuchadnezzar was actually Belshazzar's grandfather.
Weighed and Found Wanting 13
Some of the gaps in the biblical account are perfectly filled
in by secular history.
The record shows that after Nebuchadnezzar died in 562
BC, there were two and a half decades of political upheaval
in Babylon. The king who succeeded Nebuchadnezzar was
called Evil-Merodach. He is mentioned in 2 Kings 25:27 and
Jeremiah 52:31. Those two verses are practically identical
and both say Evil-Merodach graciously released Jehoiachin
from prison, 37 years into the captivity. But secular
Babylonian records record that he ruled only 2 years, and he
was succeeded by Nergal-Sharezer (mentioned twice in
Jeremiah 39). He reigned for less than four years, and was
succeeded on the throne by another ruler who held the throne
for less than a year, and he was overthrown by Nabonidus,
the last king of the Babylonian empire. Nabonidus was
apparently married to one of Nebuchadnezzar's daughters,
and his firstborn son was Belshazzar. So Belshazzar was
Nebuchadnezzar's grandson.
Nabonidus made Belshazzar co-regent, giving him the
same rights and powers he enjoyed as king. And when
Nabonidus took the Babylonian army out to answer the
assault by the Medes and Persians, Belshazzar remained in
command over the city of Babylon. He occupied the palace
and had full authority over the nation's affairs. And he
decided to host a banquet. It was a massive banquet, with the
emphasis on drunkenness and revelry (verse 1): "King
Daniel 5 14
Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and
drank wine in front of the thousand."
Now, don't get the wrong impression here. Belshazzar was
about thirty-five years old at this time. He not your
run-of-the-mill adolescent throwing a big party in the palace
while Dad is away. This is much more than that. Untold
thousands of armed Medes and Persians were camped just
outside the city walls, and they had been occupied with some
kind of digging project for weeks. The Babylonians thought
they were trying to undermine the city's outer walls or build
a siege ramp to get over the walls. But with so many layers
of interior walls and moats, the Babylonians had no fear for
their safety.
And this gala is a deliberate public statement to show that
Belshazzar is completely safe, secure, and defiant in the face
of his adversaries' assault. In fact, it's not just a party. It's a
pagan religious ceremonyCa Bacchanal offered as a
sacrament to summon the aid of a broad pantheon of pagan
deities. Verse 4: "They drank wine and praised the gods of gold
and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone." There's a lot of
debauched carousing, tooCwith sexual overtones. That's the
point of the women who are mentioned in verse 3:
"[Belshazzar's] wives, and his concubines." These girls are
drinking along with the men of the Babylonian ruling class.
This is a wicked celebration from every perspective, but it's
also a religious event.
Weighed and Found Wanting 15
Every detail Scripture gives us in this chapter portrays
Belshazzar as an obstinate unbeliever. He is hostile to the
truth, secure in his unbelief, committed to pagan spirituality,
and impervious to reflection, correction, or any other
expression of humility.
Daniel purposely recounts this whole incident right after
he posts Nebuchadnezzar's testimony. Chapter 5 is actually a
continuation of the theme of chapter 4Cwhich as I said, is the
central theme in the book of Daniel: the sovereignty of God.
Here we see, side by side in the span of two chapters, both
sides of Romans 9:18: "[God] has mercy on whomever he wills,
and he hardens whomever he wills." Nebuchadnezzar (who as
an evil person was by far more notorious, more smug, more
pleased with himself) was nevertheless shown grace. God
first put him on notice and on probation for a year, during
which time Nebuchadnezzar had every opportunity to repent
but only became more pleased with himself. And then, in an
agonizing seven-year-long ordeal that was really an act of
amazing grace, God humbled him, redeemed him, and
elicited from him a testimony that ultimately gave all the
glory to God.
What you're going to see in chapter 5 is that Belshazzar,
in stark contrast to his grandfather, was given no warning
and no opportunity to repent. He was doomed from the time
he is introduced to us. And he stands only as a lesson about
the dangers of unbelief.
Daniel 5 16
This chapter highlights at least six features of unbelief
that guarantee the doom of Belshazzar, and I want to point
them out as we follow the narrative. They form a neat
acronym for the first six letters of the alphabet, so I'll call
them the ABCs of unbelief. First isC
A. ARROGANCE
Bear in mind that Babylon is under siege. Belshazzar is
both oblivious and unconcerned about the threat posed by the
invading armies camped at the city gates. The engineers and
defense experts of Babylon had assured the people that the
city defenses were strong enough to withstand a siege of 70
years. Belshazzar is so brashly and pompously certain that
the Medes and the Persians pose no imminent threat to his
safety that he puts on this massive, drunken orgyCas if to
show his disdain for his enemies in the most graphic way
possible. The text says, he "made a great feast for a thousand
of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand." The
implication is that he was purposely drinking wine in
copious amounts, deliberately getting drunk in the most
public manner, showing his contempt for the Medes and
Persians by intentionally drinking to excess.
The armies of the Medes and the Persians were under the
command of Cyrus II of PersiaCCyrus the Great. The secular
records reveal that Belshazzar's father, Nabonidus, had taken
an army to mount an attack against Cyrus. That left
Weighed and Found Wanting 17
Belshazzar in charge of the capital city. Unbeknownst to
Belshazzar, his father's troops had surrendered to Cyrus just
two days before Belshazzar threw his banquet. That makes
his cocksure arrogance doubly appalling. He was engaged in
this drunken orgy, oblivious to the doom that was already
beginning to overtake him.
And the more he drank, the more arrogant he became.
Verse 2 highlights the second evil feature of his unbelief:
B. BLASPHEMY
The depraved character of this drunken celebration now
manifests itself. This, as I said, is a pagan religious
sacrament with eucharistic overtones. And now it becomes a
deliberate act of blasphemy against the Hebrew God.
Remember how Nebuchadnezzar had ransacked the Temple
in Jerusalem and carried away some of the sacred vessels?
The vessels he took are listed in 2 Kings 25:14-15: He "took
away the pots and the shovels and the snuffers and the dishes
for incense and all the vessels of bronze used in the temple
service, the fire pans also and the bowls." Pretty much
everything made of precious metal and small enough to
carry. There were lots of them. When the Jews returned from
their exile, they brought them back, counted, and catalogued
them. The details are recorded in Ezra 1:9-11:
This was the number of them: 30 basins of gold, 1,000
basins of silver, 29 censers, 30 bowls of gold, 410 bowls of
Daniel 5 18
silver, and 1,000 other vessels; all the vessels of gold and
of silver were 5,400. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up,
when the exiles were brought up from Babylonia to
Jerusalem.
Those same vessels make an appearance here in Daniel
5:2:
Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the
vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his
father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be
brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his
concubines might drink from them.
3 Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been
taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem,
and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines
drank from them.
4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver,
bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
This is deliberate blasphemy, performed with evil mirth and
drunken laughter. Bear in mind that most of the vessels are
not designed for drinking. They include shovels and snuffers
and incense holders and fire pans. But Belshazzar hauls them
out and drinks his wine from them and urges his princes and
concubines to join in the revelry, and they dedicate the whole
blasphemous ceremony to their pagan idols of "gold and
silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone."
Weighed and Found Wanting 19
That's a pretty strong clue that the whole point of this
religious ceremony from the very start was a public
repudiation of Nebuchadnezzar's conversion and the God
who through Daniel had foretold the fall of Babylon and the
rise of a succession of empires. As openly as possible,
Belshazzar was showing his defiant unbelief in that
prophecy, and he was exhibiting his utter hatred for the true
God, whom his grandfather had embraced. This was a
conscious, calculated, resounding act of deliberate
blasphemy.
All unbelief has an element of blasphemy in it; here
Belshazzar makes his blasphemous disdain for the Hebrew
God as graphic and as flamboyant as possible.
Now here's a third evil feature of unbelief:
Daniel 5 20
C. CONFUSION
There's an inherent cluelessness in all unbelief. First
Corinthians 2:14: "The natural person does not accept the
things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not
able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."
But Belshazzar is profoundly stupid, and you see that in
everything he does. His carefree attitude while his nation's
very existence is being threatened is one expression of that
stupidity. After everything his grandfather experienced,
Belshazzar's open show of defiance and loathing for God
trumps everything for sheer stupidity. But now while he is in
the very act of blaspheming God, the Lord Himself crashes
the party with a visible display of sovereign power.
Belshazzar hasn't got a clue what is happening.
Verse 5:
Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and
wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace,
opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it
wrote.
6 Then the king's color changed, and his thoughts
alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked
together.
7 The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the
Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared to the
wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing, and
shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple
Weighed and Found Wanting 21
and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the
third ruler in the kingdom."
8 Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not
read the writing or make known to the king the
interpretation.
9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color
changed, and his lords were perplexed.
Suddenly the whole gathering is thrown into confusion.
Belshazzar was well into a drunken state anyway. He
suddenly realizes that something profound is happening that
is far beyond his power to command or control or
comprehend. The arrogance suddenly evaporates from his
attitude. The blood drains from his face (repeatedly the text
tells us that "his color changed"). He calls for his magiCthe
wise men. His fear and confusion are evident in the fact that
it says he "called loudly to bring in the enchanters" and
soothsayers. The hand appears; it writes. The noise of
drunken revelry suddenly grows silent, and Belshazzar's
voice pierces the silence with a loud call for help. He
promises a reward of gold and a promotion to third place in
the kingdom. Nabonidus was first. Belshazzar himself was
second. Whoever deciphered the handwriting on the wall
would be third.
But the wisest men in the kingdom couldn't explain or
interpret the writing. All that collective wisdom, and not one
man among them had any insight into the meaning of this
Daniel 5 22
phenomenon. So (verse 9), "King Belshazzar . . . and his lords
were perplexed."
Confusion. It's one of the inevitable features of unbelief.
Here's a fourth feature:
D. DULLNESS
This whole dilemma echoes a scene from years before.
Compare verse 8 with Daniel 2:27: "No wise men, enchanters,
magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that
the king has asked." Same thing happens again in Daniel 4.
The very wisest men in Babylon never do seem able to
interpret any prophetic sign from the Lord. That's because
their wisdom was "not the wisdom that comes down from
above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic"Cto borrow words
from James. As Jesus said to the Pharisees in John 8:43:
"Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you
cannot bear to hear my word." Their unbelief made them dull
of hearing, and it dulled all their spiritual senses.
What stands out here is that Belshazzar seems utterly
oblivious to the history of his grandfather's dealings with
Daniel. Remember that when Daniel interpreted
Nebuchadnezzar's dream in chapter 2, he was promoted to
viceregent (second in command) in the capital province.
Daniel 2:48: "Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many
great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of
Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon." So
Weighed and Found Wanting 23
in his prime, Daniel was a man of great influence and power,
in charge of all the wise men in Babylon. Daniel appointed
three associates, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to assist
him in that capacity. And at the end of chapter 3, they are all
still in positions of prominence.
But not now. Sometime during that twenty-year gap
between Daniel 4 and Daniel 5, Daniel and friends were
demoted, or retired, or otherwise relieved of their high
positions. And by Belshazzar's time, he seems like the king
doesn't even know who Daniel is. This is another clue that
the current regime has done everything possible to purge the
memory of Nebuchadnezzar's conversion and the influence
of the Hebrew God from their collective consciousness.
The Babylonian concept was that the state is the
incarnation of God. (Very similar to what's happening in our
nation right now.) The state is the source of truth, and virtue,
and domestic securityCthe final judge of right and wrong
and the ultimate arbiter of morality. The ruler is the
undisputed high priest. (Does that sound familiar, or what?)
Any hint of the Hebrew God was an unwelcome challenge
to that point of view. The history of Daniel's dealings with
Nebuchadnezzar was therefore written out of the official
record. Belshazzar had totally missed the main lessons he
might have learned from his grandfather's experience. His
spiritual perception, his conscience, and his memory had all
been systematically dulled.
Daniel 5 24
But the queen still remembers Daniel. Chapter 5, verse
10:
The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords,
came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, "O
king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your
color change.
11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of
the holy gods. In the days of your father, light and
understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods
were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your
father--your father the king--made him chief of the
magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers,
12 because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and
understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and
solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king
named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will
show the interpretation."
This is now Belshazzar's only hope of understanding the
writing on the wall, so he summons Daniel. Now we see
feature 5 of his unbelief, and it is a remarkable display ofC
E. EGOMANIA
Belshazzar speaks to Daniel in a very subtly
condescending way. Verse 13:
Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king
answered and said to Daniel, "You are that Daniel, one of
Weighed and Found Wanting 25
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."
Belshazzar has nothing but contempt for the Jews. He
pretends to know nothing about Daniel, and in his very first
sentence, he reminds Daniel that he's Jewish. Daniel is an
exile; he was conquered and deprived of his freedom by
Nebuchadnezzar. And furthermore, any advantage or any
glory Daniel ever enjoyed is a borrowed Babylonian benefit.
Even Belshazzar's recitation of Daniel's accomplishments is
muted and inaccurate. "I have heard of you that the spirit of the
gods is in you"Cno mention of the one true God, whom
Belshazzar had just been blaspheming. Belshazzar refuses to
acknowledge God.
Daniel 5 26
But still the king offers gifts and status to Daniel if he can
interpret the writing on the wall. That too is a backhanded
insult. Remember, Daniel had once held a higher position
than Belshazzar was now offering himCback when
Belshazzar was still in diapers. This is either incredible
ignorance. Or more likely (as we're about to see) it was a
deliberate insult on Belshazzar's part. Either way, it shows
what an unbelievable egomaniac he was.
And Daniel, who is in no mood to mince words, is about
to expose Belshazzar for what he is: an evil, unbelieving,
egomaniacal fool. And here's the sixth feature of all unbelief:
F. FOOLISHNESS
"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" There's a
built-in foolishness in all unbelief, and it is on full display
here. Verse 17: "Then Daniel answered and said before the
king, 'Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to
another. [Tonight, of all nights, Daniel had no desire to be
third in the kingdom.] Nevertheless, I will read the writing to
the king and make known to him the interpretation.'"
And then (before explaining the handwriting), Daniel
preaches a sermon to the king, using the king's grandfather as
his illustration. He rehearses the history of Nebuchadnezzar's
conversion:
O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your
father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty.
Weighed and Found Wanting 27
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. [And here in one
simple sentence, Daniel sums up, exposes, and indicts
Belshazzar for his arrogance, his blasphemy, his
confusion, his dullness, his egomania, and his
foolishness:]
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.
That's the damning charge: "You knew all this." Your sin has
been deliberate. Verse 23: "And the vessels of [God's] house
have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your
wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And
Daniel 5 28
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." You sinned directly against God, waving
your unbelief in His face.
Verse 24 (Daniel continues):
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."
Literally, then, the writing meant, "Numbered, numbered,
weighed, and divided. It was a declaration of judgment and a
pronouncement of doom.
This was also a direct confrontation of Belshazzar's belief
system, along with every other pagan religion and every
sub-orthodox attempt to rewrite biblical soteriology. The
image of a judgment with scales is what most people expect,
and it's the very thing fools hope for. This is the epitome of
human self-righteousness. Every religion ever invented by
Weighed and Found Wanting 29
the human mind has at its core the foolish notion that we can
earn favor with God by doing enough good works to atone
for and outweigh our sins. That's the driving notion of our
culture as well: Steve Jobs must be in heaven because he
accomplished so many things that change the way we live.
Mother Teresa has to be there because of all her
philanthropic works. Every unbelieving rich person and
worldly power-broker hangs his hopes on that same rickety
coat rack. But there's not a person alive, or anyone who has
ever lived who can be weighed in the balances and not be
found wanting. Belshazzar is a prime example: one of the
world's most powerful and advantaged people, he utterly
wasted every advantage he had. He had never humbled his
heart, even though he knew the truth about God.
Belshazzar was one dull-hearted, confused
unbelieverCand a fool. Even after hearing the prophecy of
doom, he made a public show of fulfilling his promise to
Daniel. Verse 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." Belshazzar clearly
still doesn't believe God. Why is he declaring Daniel third
ruler in the empire now? He clearly does not believe his
doom is about to catch up with him, and the empire will be
overthrown.
Daniel 5 30
Remember I mentioned that the armies of Cyrus had a
digging project going outside the city walls? They weren't
building a rampart or trying to tunnel under the moat. They
were diverting the flow of the Euphrates River, which flowed
under the wall to bring water into the city. When the water
level dropped, Cyrus and his men simply slipped under the
wall where the river flowed. (It's a poetic bookend to the fall
of Nineveh, exactly 73 years earlier. The Khosr river flowed
under Nineveh's massive walls and through the heart of that
city. But the Khosr flooded and caused a large section of the
wall to collapse. That's what finally exposed Nineveh to
invading Armies.) Here, Cyrus simply diverted the river, and
the water level dropped enough to let his soldiers under the
wall and into the city. Cyrus's army arrived in the city that
very night, while Belshazzar and all his princes were still
drunk from their winefest. Verse 30: "That very night
Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. And Darius the Mede
received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old."
The situation reminds me of the warning of things yet to
come in 1 Thessalonians 5:3: "While people are saying, "There
is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon
them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will
not escape."
But the central lesson here is exactly the same as chapter
4, and it's the overall theme of Daniel: "[The LORD's] dominion
is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from
Weighed and Found Wanting 31
generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are
accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among
the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and
none can stay his hand or say to him, 'What have you done?'"
God is absolutely sovereign.
And the correlative truth is the very heart of the gospel:
Only God can save. If you think your own accomplishments
will be enough to win you favor in God's eyes, when you are
weighed in the balances, you will be found wanting. The only
hope of salvation is unconditional surrender to the one true
and sovereign GodCwho promises to save all who come to
Him through Christ. Furthermore, "Everyone who calls on the
name of the Lord will be saved." That's Romans 10:13. You
have that very same promise in Acts 2:21, and it echoes the
promise Jesus Himself made in John 6:40: "This is the will of
my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in
him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last
day."
If Nebuchadnezzar can be saved, you too can be saved, no
matter how dark your history of sin. If the power and
influence of Belshazzar couldn't save him, neither can your
accomplishments give you any hope. The same corruptions
that fed Belshazzar's unbeliefCarrogance, blasphemy,
confusion, dullness, egotism, and foolishnessCare the
common sins of fallen humanity. All of us are guilty of those
Daniel 5 32
same transgressions. And the only remedy is graceCbut the
good news is that God is gracious to all who call upon Him.