Grace Still Amazes

We are in Daniel chapter 5.  So far we’ve seen Belshazzar, as prophecy had predicted, engaged in a drunken revelry.  Even worse, he had blasphemed the Most High God by taking some of the vessels of the Jewish temple and drinking wine from them in honor of his own gods, the gods he believed were superior to the god of the forsaken Jews.

But all of that was about to come to an abrupt stop.

What is the significance of the handwriting on the wall?  Lennox writes, “It would be hard to imagine a more spectacular breach of the first commandment: You shall have no other gods before me.  Centuries earlier the hand of God had written the Ten Commandments on two tablets of stone and given them to Moses, the great lawgiver.  That [same] hand had now written once more: this time on the wall of Belshazzar’s palace” (John Lennox, Against the Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel in an Age of Relativism, p. 182).

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. 

Suddenly, a hand appeared and began writing on the wall.  Belshazzar was terrified. The music stopped, and the dancing girls stood still.  All eyes are now on the king.  Even a belly full of wine couldn’t make him courageous in this ominous setting.  Belshazzar sobered up pretty quickly.

“Immediately” underscores how quickly judgment fell in response to the actions recorded in the previous verse.  Again, it magnifies the similarity with Nebuchadnezzar’s proud boasting (Dan. 4:31) and how quickly that triggered God’s humiliation of these proud kings.  This was in order that the offender might recognize that his punishment was not inflicted upon him for any other reason but his blasphemy.

Holed up within what was believed to be an impenetrable fortress with supplies sufficient for many years, Babylon’s lords believed themselves secure and invulnerable.  Their confidence was in their fortifications and their false gods.  Yet, they would find themselves in a similar position as the rich man who trusted in his many goods:

19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:19-21)

Neither powerful defenses nor plenteous riches will protect us from eternal judgment.

Whenever we find ourselves in a time of peace or surplus, there is a tendency to begin to trust in our conditions and to forget how they came to be—by the mercy and grace of God.  The longer these conditions prevail, the more likely we [misattribute] blessings from God to another cause—attributing them to our own cleverness or prowess—in a vain pattern of self-elevation.  But each day we live, each meal we eat, each breath we take, is ultimately a gift from God.  We need to remember to retain an understanding of dependency and thankfulness to our Lord.  The more we remember God in consideration of our place, the less surprised we will be when and if our condition changes—even if suddenly and radically.  The wicked, being mindless of the things of God, are unprepared for their sudden loss (Job 15:20-27).  This unpreparedness for coming judgment—continuing in blasphemy and riotous living as it nears—is a characteristic of an ungodly culture.  The intrusion of the future Day of the Lord upon a God-rejecting world will make the fall of Belshazzar’s Babylon look insignificant in comparison. (Andy Woods, https://www.spiritandtruth.org/teaching/Book_of_Daniel/commentary/htm/chapters/05.html#36786)

2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 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. (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3)

Now, getting back to our text…

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. 

God used this supernatural manifestation to rivet the attention of everyone at the feast.  The sight was designed to frighten the celebrants and elicit the sober attention of the king. “Belshazzar must have set the all-time record for sobriety.  Gone was the smirk, the defiance of God; instead he had a look of stark terror” (David Jeremiah, Handwriting on the Wall, p. 105).

“Suddenly the king’s eyes went wide.  The bowl fell from his hands and clattered to the table.  Wine dribbled down his beard, and he collapsed in his chair, staring in horror above the Temple lampstand” (David Jeremiah, Agents of Babylon, p. 143).

“This writing appears on a wall “near the lampstands” so the king can clearly see the hand writing the words.  This writing is an inscription and is a parody of Assyrian or Babylonian official writing.  Just as the King of Babylon inscribes words on statues or walls, so too the Lord is inscribing his own imperial edict for the king to read” (Philip J. Long, https://readingacts.com/2020/02/01/daniel-55-12-what-was-the-meaning-of-the-handwriting-on-the-wall/)

The detached hand wrote on the wall “opposite the lampstand,” which illuminated the writing for all to see. This “lampstand” may have been one of the items from the Jerusalem temple.  In the actual Jerusalem temple, the bread of the Presence had stood opposite the lampstand (1 Kings 7:48-50; Exod. 25:23-26:37) to remind the people of Israel of God’s provision and sustenance.  If this lampstand was now in Belshazzar’s palace, then instead of illuminating an object of provision, it was illuminating a sign of judgment (Rodney Storz, Daniel: The Triumph of God’s Kingdom).

Belshazzar’s Feast, Rembrandt

The hand wrote upon the “plaster” on the wall.  Here is a significant detail in the Scriptural record that may seem unimportant: the material the fingers wrote upon, plaster.  This detail has archaeological and biblical significance.  The plaster is archaeologically significant because the hall where this event likely transpired has been excavated confirming this detail. The walls of the banquet hall included an area opposite the entrance that, like the ruins of palaces at Nineveh, was covered in white plaster.

“In the ruins of Nebuchadnezzar’s palace archaeologists have uncovered a large throne room 56-60 feet wide and 173 feet long which probably was the scene of this banquet.  Midway in the long wall opposite the entrance there was a niche in front of which the king may well have been seated.  Interestingly, the wall behind the niche was covered with white plaster as described by Daniel, which would make an excellent background for such a writing” (John Walvoord, Daniel: The Key to Prophetic Revelation).

The plaster is biblically significant due to a theme running throughout Scripture: God’s standard of judgment written on stone (or materials related to stone, such as dust):

• The Ten Commandments were written by the finger of God upon stone (Exod. 24:12; 31:18; 32:36; 34:1, 28; Deut. 5:22; 9:10; 10:4).
• Judgment against Belshazzar is written in plaster (made of dust from stones, Dan. 5:5).
• Jesus appears to have written concerning judgment in the dirt, in response to the accusers of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:6).
• Believers are an epistle of God written on the heart rather than stone (2 Cor. 3:3-7).
• Believers will receive a new name written on stone (Rev. 2:17).

The writing on the plaster of the wall by the finger of God serves a similar function in this chapter: Belshazzar is evaluated and found wanting—he does not even come close to measuring up to God’s standards, as set forth in the Ten Commandments and the rest of the law.  The common theme among these passage involves: 1) the finger of God; 2) writing on stone-like material; 3) the divine requirements or evaluation of the character of men.

The writing on stone serves as a witness against those whom it evaluates (Josh. 4:9, 20; Josh. 8:32). In some passages, stones themselves become a witness (Matt. 3:9; Luke 3:8; 19:40).  A special irony is found regarding the judgment of Babylon written in plaster.  The kings of Babylon had sought to immortalize their glory by writing on their own stones!

Norman W. Porteous (1898-2003) summarizes, “The mysterious hand had written not so much in warning as in judgment.” (Porteous, Daniel: A Commentary (Old Testament Library), 81). For Belshazzar, the party was over.

So Belshazzar saw the back of God’s hand, writing an ominous message upon the wall.  But what did it say?  What did it mean?

6 Then the king’s color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together.

Up to now, the king’s demeanor had appeared bold, as if assured of Babylon’s impregnability.  But Jeremiah reveals he feared what might come of the siege.  Jeremiah 50:43, “The king of Babylon heard the report of them, and his hands fell helpless; anguish seized him, pain as of a woman in labor.”

He experienced what is technically called delirium tremens—wild, terrifying hallucinations brought on by heavy drinking.  Only these weren’t just hallucinations in his own deranged mind, but something that everyone could clearly see with their own eyes.

“The king’s body was seized by a fit of uncontrollable trembling.  Gone now were the proud glance and the sheering score.  The man shook in his shoes.  Moreover, his thoughts troubled him.  Conscience was awake at least and baying in his soul.  It could be seen on his whitened countenance.  The apparition had appeared too hard on the heels of the king’s blasphemous boasts and guilty behavior.  Belshazzar could have had no doubt that Jehovah, the God of the Jews, whose golden vessels he had desecrated, had spoken.  The message was there, etched on the wall by the finger of God, over near the golden candelabrum.  But the writing made no sense” (John Phillips, Exploring the Book of Daniel, p. 88).

“’Then the king’s face grew pale,’ instantly all the blood drains out of his face, ‘and his thoughts alarmed him;’ I want you to notice that this is a principle here that’s true of every carnal Christian and every non-Christian.  When an individual is on negative volition and operating on the sin nature his conscience is always sensitive and will always give testimony to his failures, given the right circumstances.  And no matter how skilled you might be at covering up your conscience and hardening your conscience and suppressing it, sooner or later you’re going to get into some situation and all of a sudden all those things in your conscience are going to come bubbling to the surface and you’re going to become overwhelmed with guilt and guilt always comes along with its handmaiden, fear, which is the fear of discovery and the fear of having to pay the consequences for our actions” (Dean, Lessons on Daniel, 22.261).

“The writing on the wall he could neither read nor understand; but his conscience had written bitter things against him, which now being held to the fire of God’s wrath become legible.” (John Trapp)

Just the appearance of the hand would have alarmed him, but his fears would have multiplied at the thought that the message must be ominous.

While Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams caused him to be “troubled” or frightened,” Belshazzar’s reaction is absolute terror, he turns pale, and his legs give way.  Literally this is the “bands/knots of his legs were loosed”, he comes very near to fainting and falling over.  This idiom can be translated a number of different ways, the NRSV, for example, has “his knees knocked together.”  Seow suggests that the idiom could be translated “his bowels were loosed” (Daniel, 79).  We know what that means!

A prophecy by Isaiah concerning the overthrow of Babylon by Cyrus may have this event in view.  Isaiah prophesies:

Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
    whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
    and to loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
    that gates may not be closed (Isaiah 45:1)

Belshazzar would have been better served studying the Hebrew Scriptures rather than the palace’s wine-tasting menu!

“One might have thought the king was having a heart attack.  Barely able to stand, his face was ashen and seized with terror.  The raucous laughter turned to deafening silence with all eyes on the king.  The king’s eyes were fixed upon the hand as it wrote.  As a sense of foreboding and panic fell on the crowd, all eyes turned to the mysterious writing on the wall.  The king’s actions alarmed all who were present” (Bob Deffinbaugh, Daniel: Relating Prophecy to Piety).

It is an appalling scene when a sinning mortal knows that the great God has come to meet him in the very midst of his sins!—How changed the scene from the glee of his blasphemous revelry to this paleness of cheek, convulsion of frame, remorse of conscience, and dread foreboding of doom!  Many a sinner has had a like experience, and other thousands must have it!—Cowles.

Oh that God’s Spirit might bring every sinner to such a bracing experience, that they might cry out for mercy!

Well, Belshazzar certainly wanted to know what this message was.  The ominous silence descending upon the gathering at the sight of the hand and the king’s startled reaction was shattered by the panicky summons of the king for his advisors.

He “screams out” in alarm and urgency and the verb here is a participle, used with a to-be verb to imply a continuous action: he “was screaming” for his advisors.

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 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.

Just like his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 2:2; 4:6) and Pharoah before him (Gen. 41:8) the king summons his best advisors in his time of need.  And, just like Nebuchadnezzar and the Pharaoh, the assembled wisdom of those without knowledge of God will prove inadequate.

By now these people must have been some of the most nervous folks in Babylon.  So far, they had batted a big zero in interpreting any king’s visions and dreams.  Their score was to remain unchanged.  The blindness of the wise men went deeper than their inability to interpret the message; they could not even read it.

Where was Daniel?  It is possible that Daniel was in retirement.  “Historians tell us that after Nebuchadnezzar died, all of the ministers who were at the core of the palace regulars were banished and sent away from the throne….When Belshazzar sent out invitations to his Debauchery Ball, Daniel was not on the guest list” (David Jeremiah, Handwriting on the Wall, p. 99).

“Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation” is the request of the king.  This is the common futile pattern of secular leaders seeking secular wisdom.  Assemble the best of the (secular) best while rejecting those who fear and acknowledge God and possess a genuine understanding of His revelation.  Instead, rely on these secular “experts” to explain things that ultimately originated with God.

Again, there is a promise of riches: “shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck…”  Clothing someone in purple meant giving him royal authority (cf. Esth. 8:15).  The necklace of gold would have had symbolic as well as monetary value. 

Daniel would later reluctantly receive this honor (Dan. 5:29) but had little use for it because he possessed the true riches of God.

This offer of being third ruler remained a puzzle for hundreds of years. If Belshazzar was king, why wouldn’t he offer Daniel the position as second ruler, as Pharaoh offered Joseph (Gen. 41:40-44) and Ahasuerus offered Mordecai (Esther 10:3)?  Again, the Nabonidus Cylinder reveals that Belshazzar shared a co-regency with Nabonidus, his father; thus he could only legitimately offer the prized person “third ruler.”

But, as in every case in the book of Daniel, the king’s advisors could not help him.  They “could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation.”   Tom Constable wittily observes, “Scholars have wearied themselves trying to figure out how Daniel got his interpretation from these three apparently Aramaic words.  They have been as unsuccessful as Belshazzar’s original wise men were.”

We are still examining what Daniel says about Belshazzar’s ill-fated party on the night that the Medo-Persians invade and conquer Babylon and kill king Belshazzar.  So far we’ve read…

1 King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand.  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.

The biggest mistake that Belshazzar made that night was treating the vessels from God’s house in a profane manner.  This was something, as we saw, that Nebuchadnezzar had never done.  Even worse, it was a direct offense against the Most High God.

The Scriptures tells us that these gold and silver goblets were holy unto the Lord, like the pieces of the tabernacle the Lord told Moses to make.  For example, the altar of incense (Exodus 30:1-10) was “most holy to the lord.”  

There were special instructions on to how to treat this altar.  Special poles were made to carry the altar of incense so no human hand would ever touch it.  The ark of the covenant was another piece of the tabernacle that was “most holy to the Lord.”  It too was to be carried using poles, so no human hand would touch it. 

In their previous dedication and service of God, some of these vessels were so holy that, on penalty of death, they could not even be handled by Levites.  They were reserved for use by the Aaronic priesthood (Num. 18:1-4).  Some of them had carried the blood of solemn sacrifices.

God revealed how seriously He takes the holy nature of these special objects in the days of King David.  When the Israelites were returning the ark to Jerusalem, they ignored the rule of treating the ark as holy by carrying it with two poles.  Instead, they set the ark on a new cart.  As they were walking, the oxen stumbled, and the ark began to fall off.  Uzzah reached out his hand to keep the ark from falling, and God struck him dead instantly “because of his irreverent act” (2 Samuel 6:7).

What?  Why did God do that?  Even King David was upset with God. “David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah” (v. 8).  What we need to realize is that God is holy, and we are sinful.  We are much more filthy than the ground upon which the ark would have fallen.  We must not profane the holy things of God.  If that is how God treated Uzzah who truly was trying to help, how much more was Belshazzar in trouble by using God’s holy vessels for such revelry.

And what about us?

We don’t have the holy temple vessels anymore, but that does not mean there is not an application for us to realize here.  Paul wrote about this in his letters. “Flee from sexual immorality. … Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).

And in another place he wrote, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-6).  We are the holy vessels of God and should use our bodies only for holy, not profane, ends.

Belshazzar seems to choose only the more valuable gold vessels for his purpose.  Belshazzar made three mistakes: (1) he took the sacred vessels and used them for a profane purpose.  (2) instead of worshipping the God of heaven as he drank from them, he praised the gods of silver and gold.  (3) and most significantly, he took for himself that which belonged to God.  In doing all this Belshazzar was taunting the Hebrew God with this act of desecration.

These vessels had remained in the temple treasury, but now Belshazzar calls for them to be brought out so that his wives, concubines, and lords could drink from them—an act that would certainly outrage a Jew.  And it was not pleasing to the LORD God either! 

“The presence of the king’s ‘wives’ and ‘concubines’ was usually not tolerated at banquets.  It was, however, permitted when degeneracy began to run rampant” (Leupold, p. 216. Cf. Esth. 1:10-12).  The wives and concubines may not have been present when the feast began but were brought in as the wine eroded restraint.

David Jeremiah makes the point that normally these social strata of people don’t associate together.  So, for example, when Persian King Xerxes gave a banquet for his officials, scripture tells us that Queen Vashti had her own feast for the women (Esther 1:2-3, 9).  “When this protocol was violated, it usually meant that sensuality was involved” (Agents of Babylon, p. 150).  “This was a real taboo, but he threw all restraints aside and did exactly as he pleased” (David Jeremiah, Handwriting on the Wall, p. 99).

In doing this, Belshazzar went beyond anything “Nebuchadnezzar his father” had done.

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.

Not only does Belshazzar profane God’s glory by using the holy vessels for profane uses, but he also used them to worship his gods.  By using these holy objects for the purpose of drinking in praise of his own gods he was making the Most High subservient in his mind.  And why not?  These Jews had been subservient to the Babylonians his whole life.

The Babylonian’s incorrectly attributed their ascendancy (and assumed invulnerability during the siege) to their false gods instead of the One True God.  Yet Habakkuk 1:6-11 reveals the truth—that it was the God of the Jews who had raised up and empowered Babylon to judge His people:

6 I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own.  7 They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor.  8 Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen come from afar. They fly like an eagle swooping to devour; 9 they all come intent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand.  10 They mock kings and scoff at rulers. They laugh at all fortified cities; by building earthen ramps they capture them.  11 Then they sweep past like the wind and go on— guilty people, whose own strength is their god.”

The way the holy vessels were employed at the party seems to have been an intentional slight of Israel’s God—placing Him below Babylon’s gods—who had seemingly been proved superior due to the capture of “His people” and the vessels from “His house.”  The sacred vessels of the living God were being desecrated in praise of dead idols.

Relocation of the vessels to a Babylonian god’s temple (1:2) had defiled them already, but the attendees of the banquet defiled them further not only when they “drank wine” from them but also when they “praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.”

Drinking from the Temple items is done before an audience.  This is a public mocking of the God of the Judean exiles.  Even Nebuchadnezzar had treated the Temple items with some respect when he placed them in the house of his gods (Dan 1:1-2).  Even for a Babylonian, Belshazzar has lost all sense of decency!

But the God of Israel will not be made subservient to any other god.  He says, “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10).  Again he says, “For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to feared above all gods.  For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens” (Psalm 96:4, 5).  He will not share his glory with another!  To do so is idolatry.  Belshazzar is now openly mocking the one true God.  It was an open insult to the Most High.

Why does God get so upset over this?  Why is it important to Him to receive the praise that is due Him?

As a young man, C. S. Lewis was more than a little agitated by the persistent demand, especially in the Psalms, that we all “praise God.”  What made it even worse is that God himself called for praise of God himself.  This was almost more than Lewis could stomach.  What kind of “God” is he who incessantly demands that his people tell him how great he is?  Lewis was threatened with a picture of God in which he appeared as little better than a vain woman demanding compliments.  Thanking God for his gifts was one thing, but this “perpetual eulogy” was more than Lewis could stomach.

Early in his Christian life, C.S. Lewis struggled with the idea that God demands our praise and commands us to give Him glory.  However, he soon realized that this “stumbling block” was due to his misconception of God and a misunderstanding of what praise really is.  He writes in his book, Reflections on the Psalms:

The most obvious fact about praise—whether of God or anything—strangely escaped me.  I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honour.  I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise unless …shyness or the fear of boring others is deliberately brought in to check it.  The world rings with praise—lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favourite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favourite game – praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, even sometimes politicians or scholars.  I had not noticed how the humblest, and at the same time most balanced and capacious, minds, praised most, while the cranks, misfits, and malcontents praised least…Except where intolerably adverse circumstances interfere, praise almost seems to be inner health made audible.…

I had not noticed either that just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: “Isn’t she lovely?  Wasn’t it glorious?  Don’t you think that magnificent?”  The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about.  My whole, more general, difficulty about the praise of God depended on my absurdly denying to us, as regards the supremely Valuable, what we delight to do, what we indeed can’t help doing, about everything else we value.

I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation.

It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed… If it were possible for a created soul fully… to “appreciate”, that is to love and delight in, the worthiest object of all, and simultaneously at every moment to give this delight perfect expression, then that soul would be in supreme beautitude…

The Scotch catechism says that man’s chief end is “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”  But we shall then know that these are the same thing.  Fully to enjoy is to glorify. In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him.¹

While God as our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer certainly deserves our praise, isn’t it amazing again to realize His lovingkindness towards us, as in commanding us to give Him praise, He is offering us the supreme in joy and fullness of life.  It makes you want to shout out loud and share the goodness of God with others.

Belshazzar and his guests may have directed their attention to the gods because of the encroaching Medo-Persian army, which—according to the Babylonian Chronicle—had defeated Nabonidus and the Babylonian army merely fifty miles from Babylon two days earlier.  In all likelihood, Belshazzar had become aware of this defeat, yet he held the banquet in a brazen display of invincibility—and, as it turned out, delusion.  Lennox writes, “For Belshazzar, nothing was sacred, except possibly himself—his position, wealth, and power” (John Lennox, Against the Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel in an Age of Relativism, p. 182).

David Guzik notes: “The scene of partying while a hostile army surrounded the city reminds us of the spirit of our present age.  Many today have the idea that the best response to the seeming danger of the times is to forget about it and escape into the pursuit of pleasure.”

It reminds me of what Jesus said about the generation preceding the return of Christ: “37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24:37-39)

And in the Gospel of Luke (21) Jesus warns: 34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

People and nations may come and go, but human nature remains the same.

Gathering the vessels from the Jewish temple served the purpose of reminding the partiers of a previous victory, and Belshazzar hoped it would boost morale.  “As if these dung-hill deities had mastered and spoiled the God of Israel… This was blasphemy in a high degree, and therefore presently punished by God.” (Trapp)

In his book Voices from Babylon, Joseph Seiss writes, “Not only their ill-timed merriment, their trampling on the customary proprieties, and their drunkenness, but even their foolhardy and blasphemous insults to the most high God, is veiled over and cloaked with a pretense of devotion!  This was as far as it was possible for human daring and infatuation to go.  It was more than the powers of Heaven could quietly endure.  The divine resentment broke forth on the spot” (pp. 145-146).

It was at this point that God unmistakably records his judgment against King Belshazzar.  In what happens next, God was basically telling Belshazzar, “Enough is enough.  Your number is up!”

⁴ Do you not know this from of old,
    since man was placed on earth,
⁵ that the exulting of the wicked is short,
    and the joy of the godless but for a moment?
⁶ Though his height mount up to the heavens,
    and his head reach to the clouds,
⁷ he will perish forever like his own dung;
    those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’ (Job 20:4-7)

Zophar’s words were not appropriate to Job, but they would certainly apply in this moment to Belshazzar, and to anyone who defies the holiness of God.

Belshazzar didn’t know it, but he was celebrating his own funeral.  The prophet Jeremiah gave specific details about Babylon’s fall more than fifty years before it happened.

• A northern nation would conquer the city (Jeremiah 50:1-3, 9, 41).
• This nation would be associated with the Medes (Jeremiah 51:11, 26, 28-29).
• Babylon was described as a greatly fortified city, in which they would trust (Jeremiah 51:53 ,58).
• Babylon would be taken by a trick or a snare (Jeremiah 50:24).
• The city’s demise would involve the drying up of water, her “fountain” (Jeremiah 51:36-37), obstructing the flow of the Euphrates river (Jere. 51:32)
• This would be accomplished while a great feast was in progress (Jeremiah 51:39).
• Both government officials and military officers would be so drunk they would be sleepy (Jeremiah 51:57).
• This would be accomplished when Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson was in power (Jeremiah 27:6-7).

The word “immediately” or “suddenly” shows that the party suddenly took a sharp turn.  God crashed the party.  The music stopped and every eye turned to the handwriting on the wall.

The revelry soon took a sharp turn for the macabre when a disembodied hand crashed the party (Daniel 5:5).  One wonders:  Was Belshazzar initially ticked that someone was writing graffiti on his wall??  But his drunken high would be suddenly replaced by a dreadful fear.

In Daniel 5 King Belshazzar, king of Babylon, throws a mega party.  This is the chapter of the hand writing on the wall and it spells doom for Belshazzar, so why is Belshazzar partying the night away?  We saw last week that in Daniel 5:1 our text reads: “King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand.”  This might put Beverly Hills and New York City parties to shame!

But why did King Belshazzar do this?

First, it could have been a show of power the day before a big battle, just like the banquet King Xerxes hosted in the days of Esther before he left to try to conquer the Greeks.  Knowing the Persians were ready to attack Belshazzar was perhaps boasting about his power and strength to his nobles.  He may have felt invincible or maybe he was trying to bolster the confidence of his generals. There seems to be no mention of this in the text, however.

A second possibility is that realizing that the Persians were right at the door, in a fatalistic way, he knew there was nothing he could really do about it and was basically saying, “Eat, drink, for tomorrow we die.”  The Babylonian Chronicle indicates that only a few days earlier, Cyrus the Persian had defeated Nabonidus and the Babylonian army near Sippar, only fifty miles north of Babylon. Thus, Belshazzar could have been struck with fear and been resigned to defeat.

A third scenario seems most plausible.  King Belshazzar, although he likely had information about the surrounding Persian forces and their recent victories, remained blissfully ignorant and completely oblivious to the fact that Babylon the Great was about to be invaded.  He didn’t let himself believe that this danger was imminent.  “He was a riotous, arrogant young man who loved his wine and loved to throw banquets.  Banquets like this were celebrated on a regular basis.  It just so happened this occurred on the night that Babylon would fall” (Daniel 5:30)

This scenario seems most plausible because history records that the Persian army conquered Babylon with a sneak attack. The city of Babylon was considered invincible.  The city of Babylon had not fallen to an invading army for 1,000 years because of its strong fortifications.  There were double walls all around the city, and the walls were too thick to destroy by ancient methods.  There were 100 gates of bronze.  There was also a wide moat full of water that surrounds the wall and forms its outer boundary.  The Euphrates river ran through the middle of the city, but its waters were large, deep, and swift.

“Belshazzar felt secure, for the drawbridges had been drawn up, the brazen gates barred, and  Belshazzar knew that the walls of the city were impregnable; and he was confident that his soldiers from their position on the lofty walls would be able to destroy any who should attempt to batter down the gates.  The city also was provisioned for several years’ siege, and with the tillable ground within the city walls its capture could be postponed indefinitely” (Clarence Larkin, Book of Daniel).

“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.” (1 Thess. 5:3)

But the Lord had determined that Babylon’s time had come: “The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.  The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations” (Psalm 33:10-11).  The will of God would be done, no matter what.

“Belshazzar had been indifferent to the information God had given his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar in his famous dream (Dan. 2).  It was decreed that the head of gold (Babylon) would be replaced by the breast and arms of silver (the Medo-Persian Empire).  Daniel had seen this truth further verified in his vision recorded in Daniel 7, when he saw the Babylonian lion defeated by the Medo-Persian bear (Dan 7:1-5).  This was in the first year of Belshazzar (Dan. 7:1).  In his arrogant false confidence, Belshazzar was defying the will of God.  “He says to himself, ‘Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble’” (Psalm 10:6)” (Warren Wiersbe, Wiersbe Bible Commentary:  Old Testament, p. 1361).

Belshazzar’s name means “Bel has protected the king,” which may have given him an added sense of invincibility.  Herodotus and Xenophon both mention that a festival was underway in Babylon when the city fell and Joyce Baldwin comments, “With the armies of a conqueror pressing at the capital this deputy ruler took refuge in an orgy of wine” (Joyce Baldwin, Daniel: An Introduction and Commentary, p. 119).

But the Euphrates River ran right through the middle of the city, and the plan was for some men from the Persian army to go upstream and dam the river. In a few hours the water stopped flowing, and the Persian army walked into the city under the walls using the muddy riverbeds.  There was no resistance by the Babylonian army, and Babylon fell that very night as a result of the judgment of God.  Why didn’t King Belshazzar see the handwriting on the wall?  Oh, but he did. (Daniel 5:5-7)

Daniel was not present at these festivities (cf. v. 13), either because he had not been invited or because his former prominence had discontinued under Belshazzar’s rule (cf. v. 10-12, where the queen informed the king about Daniel, as if he was unknown to him).  Possibly Daniel had retired from public service.

“The handwriting on the wall” has come into the English language as an idiom that means there are clear signs or indications that something bad or difficult is about to happen.  It is an ominous warning.  It is a signal that should provide us a warning not to continue on the path we are traveling.

Tim Challies, Canadian blogger, writes: “It seems that it was first used as an English idiom beginning in the eighteenth century. In 1720 we find Jonathan Swift writing: “A baited Banker thus desponds, / From his own Hand foresees his Fall; / They have his Soul who have his Bonds; / ‘Tis like the Writing on the Wall.”  Since that time it has come into common use, though most people have little knowledge of its origins.  A search of just one week’s news stories turns up hundreds of uses.

Daniel chapter 5 tells the story of the humbling of Belshazzar and the final defeat of Babylon.  At a great feast, King Belshazzar commands that the temple vessels—which had been taken from Jerusalem in successive deportations—be used for wine and the praise of pagan gods (5:1-4).  In response to this act, a hand appears at the feast and writes on the palace wall (v. 5), but none of the king’s men can decipher the message (vv. 7-8).  The queen suggests Daniel as the most likely interpreter (vv. 10-12), and when he arrives, he rebukes Belshazzar for not heeding the lesson about humility that Nebuchadnezzar had learned (vv. 20-22).  The writing on the wall is a message of judgment against Belshazzar and the Babylonian kingdom (vv. 24-28).

In this chapter we learn things about the nature of God and what our response to him should be, whether we are a prince or a pauper. Since God is a God of justice, we must humble ourselves before him.

Once again, the chapter forms a chiasm.  That is, it is organized literarily like the Greek letter chi, which is formed like our letter “x.”

Daniel 5 begins and ends with Belshazzar.  The opening verse reports a great feast (1), and the final verses report the king’s death (1′).  The intervening sections explain why Belshazzar does not survive the night of the banquet.  On two occasions in the story, he gives explicit commands, one for the temple vessels to be brought to the banquet (2) and the other for Daniel to be rewarded for his help (2′).

The drama picks up the pace once a hand appears and writes a message on the palace wall (3). In the literary arrangement of the chapter, the matching section (3′) records the interpretation of the cryptic writing. The wise men cannot discern the meaning (4) while Daniel can (4′). The verses in 4 are framed by an inclusio, for verses 6 and 9 both speak of the king’s alarm and change of color.  In the center of the chiastic structure is the queen’s glowing endorsement of Daniel’s abilities (5).  These are her only words in the story—and in the book as a whole—and their location in the narrative indicates their importance.

Daniel 5 is the final chapter of the narratives involving Babylon.  (The events of chapter 6 take place under Medo-Persian rule.)  In these chapters, only chapter 5 features a Babylonian king other than Nebuchadnezzar.  However, the connection between the two kings in chapters 4-5 is evident—these two chapters are the center of the Aramaic chiasm (chs. 2-7) and each narrates God’s judgment on a Babylonian king:  chapter 4 is the judgment of proud king Nebuchadnezzar and chapter 5 is the judgment of proud king Belshazzar.  Obviously, pride is “an abomination” to God (Prov. 6:16).  Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.

Nebuchadnezzar learned from his humiliating experience (Daneil 4).  In the case of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, the humbling he should have learned from was not his own but that of his (grand)father, Nebuchadnezzar.  But he did not.  Instead, he would have to learn his lesson the hard way, through personal humiliation.

This story transpired many years after the events of chapter four.  Nebuchadnezzar had died in 562 B. C., after forty-three years of reign, which included his seven years of insanity.

In the 40-plus-year period between chapters 4 and 5, Daniel received additional revelation as recorded in chapters 7 (the sequence of Gentile kingdoms represented as rapacious beasts) and 8 (the identities of the 2^nd and 3^rd kingdoms as Medo-Persian and Greece).

Besides revelation God had provided directly to Daniel, he was an avid student of Scripture and studied the writings of the contemporary prophet Jeremiah (Dan. 9:1). In addition, Daniel was undoubtedly acquainted with the predictions concerning Babylon and Medo-Persia made by other prophets such as Ezekiel and Isaiah.

As this chapter opens, Daniel, as a student of Jeremiah’s prophecies, would have already known:

• The kingdom of Medo-Persia would overthrow Babylon (Isa. 13:1, 17; 21:2, 9; 45:1; Jer. 50:9; Jer. 51:11, 28-31; Dan. 2:32, 39; 7:5; 8:3-8, 20-21.
• Cyrus would initiate the Jew’s release from Babylon and the temple’s reconstruction in Jerusalem (Isa. 44:27-28; 45:1-5).  This, in turn, implies Cyrus would gain ascendancy over Babylon—the nation holding the Jews captive.
• The overthrow of Babylon would enable Jews to return to Israel (Jer. 50:4-5, 8, 19, 28; 51:45).
• The reign of Babylon would end with Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson (Jer. 27:6-7).
• The seventy years of servitude were nearing fulfillment (Jer. 25:11-12; 29:10).

“Daniel believed God.  He took God’s Word at face value.  No mystical, allegorical, theoretical interpretation of the Scriptures for him!  His method was down-to-earth, literal interpretation.  So Daniel took Jeremiah’s prophecies at face value and he staked his life on them.  No wonder he was so bold to speak up to the evil Belshazzar!  He knew that Babylon’s day was done and that the city was doomed.  The handwriting on the wall only ratified what he had known for a long time.”

Our chapter opens with Belshazzar throwing a grand party.

King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand. (Dan. 5:1)

As Nero is said to have fiddled while Rome burned, so Belshazzar feasted while Babylon fell.

Life in the magnificent city of Babylon, with its Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, seemed normal on the night of October 12, 539 B.C.  Just over a decade earlier, Cyrus the Great had conquered the Medes and formed the mighty Medo-Persian army, and now he leads his army to the doorstep of the Babylonians.  But on the city’s agenda this night was a huge party thrown by the new kid on the block, the Babylonian king, Belshazzar.  The party was likely thrown in honor of the god Bel.  After all, that is who Belshazzar was named after.

King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand. (Dan. 5:1)

Belshazzar, successor to Nebuchadnezzar, threw a “great feast” for a thousand lords, feasting and drinking before them.  In the days of Esther, the Persian emperor Xerxes threw a big enough party, indeed (Esther 1:1-12), but the feast conjured by Belshazzar was greater far.

Doing these deeds “in front of” the crowds illustrate both his high privilege and also his arrogance.  If he was concerned about building morale, he would have wanted to have a maximum number of people present.  “Oriental despots took great pleasure,” says Warren Wiersbe, “in hosting great banquets and displaying their wealth and splendor (see Esther 1)” (The Wiersbe Bible Commentary:  Old Testament, p. 1361).

He goes on to say: “This feast was a microcosm of the world system and focused on ‘the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life’ (1 John 2:16).  ‘What shall we eat?’ and ‘What shall we drink?’ are the questions most people want answered as they go through life (Matt. 6:25-34), and they’re willing to follow anybody who will entertain and gratify their appetites” (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary:  Old Testament, p. 1361).

Just like in Daniel 4 God determined to humble another proud Babylonian king, so here the Most High takes the initiative to humble King Belshazzar.  How will we respond when we are confronted, unsettled, and accosted, in the moments when our semblances of control vanish and we’re taken off guard by life in a fallen world?  Will we repent like Nebuchadnezzar, or will we stubbornly proceed on our way or ignore God’s warnings by indulging in our own pleasures?

Now, for some time, there was doubt that a person named “Belshazzar” actually existed in history.  For centuries there was no independent archaeological evidence for the existence of any king of Babylon named Belshazzar.

Two things we must always remember concerning archaeological evidence for the Bible.  First, there is a massive amount of archaeological evidence already that does prove that the Bible is a historical, factual record.  Second, there has never, ever been any archaeological discovery that contradicted the Bible in any way.  Having said that, it is true that not every detail of the Bible has been independently proven yet.  But remember that “absence of evidence does not mean evidence of absence.”

In this case we do have evidence that Belshazzar actually existed!  In 1854 the Nebonidus Cylinder was discovered by Sir Austen Henry Layard and is now displayed in the British museum.

https://ferrelljenkins.blog/2012/02/12/

According to Ferrell Jenkins, several kings had ruled Babylon since the days of Nebuchadnezzar, none for very long.

Evil-Merodach (562-560 B.C., just two years) was assassinated by Nergal-Sharezer, who ruled as king of Babylon for four years. Nothing about his reign is recorded in the Bible, but he is mentioned in Jeremiah 39:3 and 13 from the time of the destruction of Jerusalem (587 B.C.).  At that time he served as one of the officials of Nebuchadnezzar.

After four years on the throne, Nergal-Sharezer was followed by his son, Labaši-Marduk, who ruled only 9 months.

Nabonidus, who is not named in the Bible, then came to the throne in 556 B.C.  According to Wiseman the king,

… campaigned in Syria and N. Arabia, where he lived at Tema for 10 years while his son BELSHAZZAR acted as co-regent in Babylon.  About 544 his people and the kings of Arabia, Egypt and the Medes being favourably disposed, Nabonidus returned to his capital…, but by this time the country was weak and divided. (New Bible Dictionary (3rd ed.), 115).

Fant & Reddish provide this translation of the relevant portion of the Nabonidus Chronicle:

“As for me, Nabonidus, king of Babylon, save me from sinning against your great godhead and grant me as a present a life of long 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” (Lost Treasures of the Bible, 233).

Nabonidus seems to be concerned that his son was irreligious (although Nabonidus was no better).  Ironically, he prays to his god that Belshazzar would “be sated with a life of plentitude.”  This was exactly his problem on this fateful night: indulging in an orgy of plentitude, satiating himself with wine and women.

Nabonidus and Belshazzar, father and son, thus functioned as co-regents, Belshazzar ruling in Babylon and Nabonidus in Tema.  According to one account, Nabonidus “entrusted the kingship” to Belshazzar. — BAR 11:03 (May/June 1985).

Apparently Belshazzar was a “godless” young man, giving reverence to no one.  His name probably meant, “May Bel protect the king,” but Belshazzar doesn’t seem to have been very religious.  He was out to have a good time, making his desires preeminent.  His own drive for pleasure was his god, his idol.

By the way, three factors indicate that this book was written by a contemporary to this scene.

First, the idea that Belshazzar was in charge of Babylon at this time was lost by the Maccabean era.  “Shea comments that if the book had been written in the second century [as some liberal scholars believe], the name ‘Nabonidus’ probably would have been inserted rather than the then-forgotten ‘Belshazzar.’  How did the author come to possess such exact knowledge?  The most logical explanation is that Daniel 5 contains a firsthand report by one who lived through the events” (Stephen R. Miller, Daniel in E. Ray Clendenen, Kenneth A. Mathews, and David S. Dockery, eds., The New American Commentary, p. 150)

Second, the offered reward of becoming “third ruler in the kingdom (Dan. 5:8) posed a difficulty not understood in the Maccabean era down to the modern era.  The Nabonidus Chronicle indicates the option of a co-regency, which would mean that the “third ruler in the kingdom” was the highest ranking that Belshazzar could offer to anyone, for he was “second ruler.”

Third, it also explains the absence of Nabonidus from Babylon.  Daniel locates Belshazzar there and implies that Nabonidus was absent from the palace or city at that time, by not mentioning him. The Nabonidus Chronicle confirms this implication by noting that Nabonidus had fled from Sippar just two days earlier and had not yet returned to Babylon by the time it fell to the Persians.

Some would also argue that Daniel was mistaken in titling Belshazzar as “king” of Babylon.  But as Nabonidus’ eldest son, Belshazzar was appointed coregent and directed the affairs of the city of Babylon in his father’s ten-year absence.

Since Belshazzar was second in the kingdom, serving as a co-regent along with his absent father, he could offer Daniel nothing greater than “third ruler in the kingdom.”

Even though Belshazzar is not literally Nebuchadnezzar’s direct son, he is as arrogant and pompous as Nebuchadnezzar.  In the ancient languages, the term “son” was a very elastic term extending several generations.  We will deal with this issue in more depth in the coming weeks.

The first thirty-three verses of Daniel 4 illustrate that God resists the proud, but these last four verses demonstrate that He also gives grace to the humble.

Do you like getting humiliated?  Chuck Colson tells how he climbed the ladder of power and prestige to become the Special Counsel to the President of the United States of America.  He was filled with pride as he walked in and out of the office of the most powerful man in the world any time he wanted.  That most powerful man was seeking advice from him, and Colson’s heart swelled with pride.

That was when he became involved in the Watergate affair of the Nixon administration.  John Dean blew the whistle in 1973, and Colson soon found himself a convicted criminal doing time in a federal penitentiary.  He was so humiliated that he lifted up his eyes to the King of Heaven and gave his heart to Jesus Christ.  (He was, in fact, reading Lewis’ Mere Christianity and his chapter on pride).  He still admits that the worst, most humiliating experience in his life was the best thing that ever happened to him.

In Luke 18:14 Jesus says, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s pride was stripped away along with all his achievements, until he came to recognize that whatever he possessed or achieved before was a gracious gift from God, who is able to exalt the lowliest of men to heights of power or bring down the mightiest of men to depths of humiliation.

Nebuchadnezzar once again picks up the storyline and speaks in the first person (cf. Dan. 4:1-3).  While a narrator recounted the details of his fall, Nebuchadnezzar wanted everyone to hear his repentance from his own mouth.

34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, [and what did Nebuchadnezzar do, he…] and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever,

Before, “I built all this…” Now, “I bow before the real King.”  We can summarize these verses:

He looked up—lifted his eyes to heaven.

He woke up—sanity restored.

He spoke up—praised the Most High.

Just as suddenly as judgment had fallen upon him, it was lifted.  Mission accomplished.  His chains fell off.  He looked up and saw the heavens above.  “He has the use of his reason so far restored to him that with it he glorifies God, and humbles himself.  Men never rightly use their reason till they begin to be religious, nor live as men till they live to the glory of God” (Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, p. 1090).  His sanity was restored, and his soul burst into song.

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?”

God’s rule never ends, unlike any man’s, even Nebuchadnezzar’s.  He realizes that now.  Also, he sees that “he does according to his will…and one can stay his hand” or ask “What have you done?”  God is accountable to no one.  He is the true sovereign.

None can stay his hand.  It’s not even a good fight with him.  There’s no fight.  He is God. He does as he pleases.  He is sovereign.  God of gods.  Able to rescue as he chooses.  And his power and reign will not expire.  His kingdom is everlasting.  None can hold him back.  None can stay his hand.

This once-pagan king now openly declares the praises of God.  He has truly gotten the message. God can do anything he wants to do, and no one can stand against him.  Earthly kings rule by God’s permission and they stay on the throne only so long as it pleases God to give them power and authority.  Nebuchadnezzar has learned the truth the hard way.  Now he proclaims it for all the world to hear:  God has the right to do everything he wants and everything he wants is right to do.

Before, Nebuchadnezzar would have pointed back to some military victory or building exploit as he greatest moment, but from here forward he will always look back to this moment when God humbled him and he came to the full realization that God is God and not me.  That God can do what He wants because He is God.

Notice that Nebuchadnezzar’s reason returned to him when he took his eyes off of himself and off of his accomplishments that he had done, and turned his eyes “to heaven,” to God, “the Most High.”  Lifting one’s eyes to heaven suggests both faith and submission.  “To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!” (Psalm 123:1)  “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth!  For I am God, and there is no other” (Isa. 45:22).

This is what God was looking for in Nebuchadnezzar—repentance.  Now he would look to the true God in heaven and bow before Him instead of expecting everyone to bow before him as king of Babylon or his golden image.

By a miracle of grace his mind was suddenly healed and his reason returned.  He knew what had happened to him and remembered Daniel’s warning and prediction.  Overwhelmed by this demonstration of Yahweh’s limitless power, Nebuchadnezzar prostrated himself before the Ruler of heaven and earth.

This was an act of acknowledgement and an act of dependence and supplication, as well as worship.  It is likely that as his eyes were opened to perceive God Most High in heaven, that his reason was returned and his mouth was opened to acknowledge and worship the true God.

True humility is not looking on ourselves and believing ourselves as worthless.  It is to get our eyes off of ourselves entirely and to gaze upon the beauty and greatness of God Most High.  True humility acknowledges that everything I have, everything I’ve accomplished and all that I am is because of what God has graciously done for me.

Seven years before, the king had considered himself a great man and his kingdom a great kingdom, but now he has a different viewpoint, “all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,” and Nebuchadnezzar includes himself now, in that number.

Perhaps Daniel had previously quoted the prophet Isaiah to the king: “Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales” (Isa. 40:15), “It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers (Isa. 40:22) and then “who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness” (Isa. 40:23).

Even this terrible experience could be considered as God’s hand of gracious discipline upon Nebuchadnezzar, while yet an unbeliever!  Notice that a time limit was set upon it.  It wouldn’t be forever and by the end of it it was expected that the lesson would have been learned.  Also, there was a definite purpose in the ordeal, and that is that Nebuchadnezzar would learn “that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, [and] gives it to whomever He will.”

The sovereignty of God over the affairs of human beings is one of the great lessons we learn from this chapter.  Five times in our text that message is plainly declared:

• “the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men” (Dan. 4:17).
• “the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will” (Dan. 4:25).
• “your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules” (Dan. 4:26).
• “until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will” (Dan. 4:32)
• “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” (Dan. 4:34).

This last verse is Nebuchdnezzar’s own recognition of that truth.

We are all called to bow before the sovereignty of God, but the heart of sinful man will always chafe and rebel at the very idea of a sovereign God, for the human heart wants to be “free” of all outside control and determine our own way.  Few sinners realize that they are not actually “free” but are in bondage to their fallen, fleshly nature and the forces of Satan (2 Timothy 2:26).  Charles Spurgeon was very balanced in his theology, writing:

“Most men quarrel with this [the sovereignty of God].  But mark, the thing that you complain of in God is the very thing that you love in yourself.  Every man likes to feel that he has a right to do with his own as he pleases.  Oh, for a spirit that bows always before the sovereignty of God” (Charles Spurgeon, The New Park Street Pulpit, vol. 4, p. 82)

The end result of it all is that Nebuchadnezzar’s humbling became an even greater occasion of exaltation because of his repentance.

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.

I don’t think Nebuchadnezzar felt embarrassed about his seven years of insanity.  If he had been, he wouldn’t have written the story down for the whole world to know.  You can know that you have made a spiritual breakthrough when you can tell your own story without feeling a need either to embellish or to cover up the negative aspects.  When all the glory goes to God for rescuing you from yourself and your own foolish choices.

God had truly taught Nebuchadnezzar by priceless experience that “all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”  It was a painful experience, but a valuable one.  It was a lesson that every political leader must learn: God rules; we don’t.  God rules; I don’t.

No truth is more fundamental than the one Nebuchadnezzar discovered: He’s God and We’re Not.  This is where all true spiritual growth begins, bowing before the sovereignty of God.  As Ray Pritchard says, “Here is some good news.  If you are ready, you can rip that big G off your sweatshirt.  Since you aren’t God, you can stop playing God.”

The fear of the Lord was beginning to be formed in Nebuchadnezzar’s heart and God could trust him with “more greatness.”  The “head of gold” had bowed in humble submission to the God of Daniel (v. 37).  Can God trust you with greater greatness, or will it go to your head and make you proud?

Pride was the sin of Lucifer, who was enthroned in heaven on high as the anointed cherub, the most gifted and glorious of all of the angelic hosts.  Pride!  It was the sin of Eve—to Iisten to the serpent, mishandling God’s Word, and succumbing to the dangled delusion—‘Ye shall be gods.’  It was the sin of Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:20-23).  It was the sin of sins.  It still is.  Let us beware!

At the end of the seven years not only was Nebuchadnezzar’s reason returned to him, but also the majesty and splendor of his kingdom.  His cabinet sought him out and restored him to his throne, with even more glory than before!

John Phillips reminds us how amazing this is: “The madness of Nebuchadnezzar ordinarily would have unleashed a power struggle, and the king’s life would be terminated as a triumphant conspirator seized the throne.  A mad emperor must have been an enormous liability to those who actually ran the everyday affairs of the empire.

Yet for seven years, the king was protected from the people who would have exploited his madness and would have seen in it sufficient cause to murder him and seize the reins of power for themselves.  The fact that the king’s condition was not exploited points to the Holy Spirit who, as the great Restrainer, sovereignly restrained all such intrigues.  God kept faith with the poor lunatic.

So the kingdom was returned to Nebuchadnezzar when his sanity was restored.  This restoration awed the king and caused him to acknowledge the works, ways, and wonders of God” (John Phillips, Exploring Daniel, p. 82).

This is Nebuchadnezzar’s own personal confession of faith in Israel’s God, and it is the last word we hear from his lips in the Bible.  This great and mighty persecutor of Israel, the destroyer of Jerusalem, has now been humbled by God’s grace and brought to confess His mercy.  If a person like Nebuchadnezzar can be humble and restored, then surely no one is beyond the reach of God’s mercy!

How different from Pharoah’s response to what the Lord did in Egypt!  Instead of bowing to God’s sovereignty and acknowledging His authority, Pharoah continued to rebel again and again against God’s will, saying, “But Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover, I will not let Israel go” (Exodus 5:2).  As a result of his rebellion, he and his country were destroyed.

Mankind doesn’t think pride is such a big deal.  But pride idolizes self and God won’t share His glory with anyone.  In Isaiah 13:11 Yahweh says, “I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.”

“Will we see King Nebuchadnezzar in heaven?  That’s difficult to know.  He certainly had a life-changing experience with the merciful God.  But we can never know the true state of his heart.  Did he recognize the Lord as the one true God, or did he just shift Him to the top of his Top Ten Deities list, bumping himself down to number two?  There is coming a time when we’ll know for sure.  I, for one, hope to meet him one day in eternity” (Amir Tsarfati, Discovering Daniel, p. 95).

Matthew Henry adds: “It was not long after this that Nebuchadnezzar ended his life and reign, Abydenus, quoted by Eusebius (Preap. Evang. 1.9) reports that upon his deathbed he foretold the taking of Babylon by Cyrus.  Whether he continued to live in the same good mind that here he seems to have been in we are not told.  If our charity may reach so far as to hope he did, we must admire free grace, by which he lost his wits for a while, that he might save his soul for ever” (Commentary on the Whole Bible, p. 1090).

If you are God’s child (through believing in Jesus Christ alone), God will not allow you to live in sin forever.  God loves you far too much to allow you to go on in your sinful rebellion forever.  Sooner or later He will intervene, sometimes in ways both public and painful, so that He can bring us back home again.  Like the prodigal, you may have to wallow in the pig pen and despair of life, but hopefully it will stir your hunger for home, for God.

Before his humbling, Nebuchadnezzar was a proud pagan, but afterwards, he began to sound like a Puritan theologian, fully convinced of the sovereignty of God.  Our God reigns.

Our God reigns.  That is a monumental and paramount truth.  It is a reality that changes everything.  When you wake up in the morning, you do not wake up to a world that is void of purpose.  No, our God reigns.  When you go throughout your day, there are no accidental conversations or interactions.  Why?  Our God reigns.  When you go to bed at night after a day full of turmoil in seeing sin paraded in the country on the news, in hearing sin praised in your workspace, in knowing the sin that you’ve committed yourself, you do not go to bed to bed without hope… no, again, our God reigns.  (Henry Anderson)

We are in Daniel 4 and today we’re going to look at the second dream given to Nebuchadnezzar by God, the purpose of which was to help Nebuchadnezzar avoid the judgment that is the natural consequence of pride.  However, knowing that Nebuchadnezzar was not going to heed that warning, his downfall is predicted in the dream.  Here is the dream…

10 The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. 11 The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

Okay so far, right?

Oh, if only the dream could have ended there with “and they lived happily ever after.”  But there was a significant problem.  There was a sickness in the tree that could no longer be countenanced.  It was time for judgment.

David Jeremiah points out several positive characteristics of this tree:

• It is strategically located: “in the midst of the earth.”
• It is strong: “the tree grew and became strong.”
• It stretched to the heavens: “its top reached to heaven.”
• It was seen by the entire world: “visible to the end of the whole earth.”
• It was superbly productive: “its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant.”
• It supplied nourishment for everyone: “in it was food for all…all flesh was fed from it”
• It sheltered the animals: “the beasts of the field found shade under it.”
• It sustained the birds: “the birds of the heavens lived in its branches”

13 “I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. 14 He proclaimed aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. 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. 17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’ 

Nebuchadnezzar is obviously troubled and needed Daniel to tell him what this dream meant.  Thus after commending Daniel, he says “tell me the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation” and then recounts the dream.

It involved a very large tree, which was obviously important due to its height and strength.  It was visible in “the whole earth.”  It benefited the animal kingdom by its beauty and the benefits of abundant food, shade and protection (a resting place for birds).

Porteous notes that Bentzen “refers to a building inscription of Nebuchadnezzar in which Babylon is compared to a spreading tree” (Norman W. Porteous, Daniel: A Commentary, p. 68).  Young states, “Among the commentators Haevernick particularly has illustrated the fondness with which the Orientals depicted the rise and fall of human power by means of the symbol of a tree” (Young, p. 101).

A lofty, pre-eminent, verdant, protective, fruitful, long-lived tree is a common symbol for the living, transcendent, life-giving, sustaining Cosmos or Reality or Deity itself. A sacred tree at the center of the earth symbolically links earth and heaven; a tree of life grows in God’s garden; world history can be symbolized as a tree (John Goldingay, Daniel, vol. 30, Word Biblical Commentary, p. 87).

It wasn’t uncommon in the Bible for a tree to be used for symbolic purposes (2 Kings 14:9; Psalm 1:3; 37:35; 52:8; 92:12; Ezekiel 17).

Nebuchadnezzar is like a tree reaching from earth to heaven (4:8, 17, 19 [11, 20, 22]) and protecting the birds, which themselves defy the separation between earth and heaven (4:9, 18 [12, 21]); yet he is subject to judgment from heaven (4:10, 20, 28 [13, 23, 31]). The heaven to which he reached will supply his humble needs as it supplies those of the rest of creation (4:12, 20, 22, 30 [15, 22, 25, 33]; 5:21). In the end he will need to look to heaven as the real source of help, rather than pretending to be self-sufficient, to acknowledge that heaven rules, and as a king on earth to worship the King of heaven who rules in heaven as on earth (4:23, 31, 32, 34 [26, 34, 35, 37]; cf. “Lord of heaven,” 5:23).  (John Goldingay, Daniel, vol. 30, Word Biblical Commentary, p. 89).

As Nebuchadnezzar observed the scene, an actor appears in the form of “a watcher and an holy one” who is described as coming “down from heaven.”  An angel came down from heaven and proclaimed, “Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit.  Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches” (Dan. 4:13).  This was the troubling part of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.  It was an immediately harsh, but ultimately hopeful, picture.

Our text calls this angel a “watchman.”  John Goldingay indicates: “An earthly king had watchmen, for instance, who were the eyes and ears whereby he controlled and provided for his realm (see n. 3:2.c).  The heavenly king governs his realm by similar means, members of the Council of Yahweh (1 Kgs 22:19–22; Job 1–2; Ps 89:6–8 [5–7]; Jer 23:18) who act as his eyes (2 Chr 16:9; Zech 4:10; cf. 1:9), keeping him informed on the affairs of his realm and seeing that his will is put into effect throughout it.  (Daniel, vol. 30, Word Biblical Commentary, p. 88).

Revelation 4:8 speaks of the four angelic creatures seen by John hovering around the throne of God, having “six wings [and] were full of eyes around and within.”  These angels are prepared to do his bidding, as David wrote:

Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!  Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! (Psalm 103:20-21)

So this watcher is most likely an angel sent from God even though the word angel is not used.  The expressions “watchers” and “the holy ones” are mentioned in verse 17 by the messenger himself.  Nebuchadnezzar seems to use the term in its heathen connotation as he understood it.  He probably would not have understood what was meant by using the term angel in this connection, although he used angel himself in 3:28.

“This immense tree, beautiful in appearance, beneficial and generous to all that sought food and shelter, was destined for the axe.  Not only would it be taken to the ground, but its branches would be stripped and its fruit scattered.  There it would lie, exposed to the elements, helpless and worthless” (Amir Tsarfati, Discovering Daniel, p. 85).

The tree was not utterly destroyed, however.  There was a ray of hope that the tree would be revived later.  “The stump would not be ground down or cut to pieces.  It would remain, and with it, the root system below.  True, it would be bound with an band of iron and bronze so that it could not grow.  But there would still be life” (Amir Tsarfati, Discovering Daniel, p. 85).  Matthew Henry says, “God in judgment remembers mercy; and may yet have good things in store for those whose condition seems most forlorn” (Commentary on the Whole Bible, p. 1089).

“This is so typical of God’s punishments.  They can be harsh and devastating, because that is often what is needed to wake us up to our sin.  Yet if we look hard into the darkness of our struggle, we’ll see a flicker of light.  That is where mercy waits.  That is where we will find forgiveness, reconciliation, and, once again, joy” (Amir Tsarfati, Discovering Daniel, p. 85).

The stump is to be surrounded by the tender grass of the field, to be wet with the dew of heaven, and to have its portion with the beasts of the earth.  It seems evident that the description goes beyond the symbol of a stump to the actual fulfillment in Nebuchadnezzar’s experience.

Thus, the stump was personified as a person who would spend a period of time away from the comforts of the palace, living in the wild and acting like a wild animal.  But the transition in imagery from stump to person didn’t last long.  This news wasn’t good.  Nebuchadnezzar was about to lose his sanity and live in the wild like an animal.

This would be for a period of seven years (cf. LXX).  This was the decision of the Most High God.  Literally it is “seven times,” but as we will see in Daniel 7:25 and 12:7 (confirmed by Revelation 12:14), this refers to “seven years.”  It is certain that the period is specific and not more than seven years.

One wonders who had political power during this seven years when Nebuchadnezzar was away from the throne.  Wiersbe suggests that Daniel and the other officers managed the affairs of the kingdom.

God could have destroyed both this king and his kingdom, but He still had purposes to fulfill for His people and His prophet Daniel.

The dream concludes with a purpose statement:

“The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.” (Daniel 4:17)

The purpose is that people living in the world may recognize the true God described as “the most High” and acknowledge Him as the true ruler of men, who has the power to place “the basest of men” over earthly kingdoms.  That God can set up in a position of power the lowliest of men is a common truth of Scripture (see 1 Sam. 2:7-8; Job 5:11; Psa. 113:7-8; Luke 1:52; and the story of Joseph).  This statement is a direct confrontation of Nebuchadnezzar’s pride in his own attainments and power.

Sinclair Ferguson has said, “The purpose of this dream and decree was not left to Nebuchadnezzar’s imagination.  It was to teach men that God reigns, that He sets up and pulls down kingdoms, that His action in history focuses on the work of humbling men in order that they may dispense with their foolish pride and acknowledge Him as their God.”

Every blessing in life, even Nebuchadnezzar’s position of power was a gift from God.  Nebuchadnezzar failed to realize that or refused to acknowledge that (Dan. 4:17, 25, 32; 1 Cor. 4:7), even though it was the truth.

The king could issue his decrees (2:13, 15; 3:10, 29; 6:7-10, 12-13, 15, 26), but it was the decrees from the throne of heaven that ruled events on earth (4:17, 24; 9:24-27).  “The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19 NIV).    Psalm 33:10-11 states: “The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.  The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.”  All rulers need to realize that they rule not because they are masters of their fate or captains of their souls, but only by the permission of God (Rom. 13:1, 4).  According to Paul all authorities are “appointed by God” (Rom. 13:2) and are “God’s servants” (Rom. 13:4).

This is God’s eternal purpose—that He would receive the glory as the sovereign ruler of the universe.  The Most High wanted to ensure that the king knew who He was, the Jews knew who He was, and the Gentiles of all the nations knew who He was.  This was the difficult lesson that Pharoah, another oppressive king, had to learn (Exodus 4-14).  This may be the most difficult lesson that we have to learn as well.  But when we do learn it, it provides an abundance of peace and security, knowing that God is in ultimate control of all things and that He is working all things together for our good and for His glory (Rom. 8:28-29).

We must remember that history is God’s story.  He reigns when the politicians we vote for get into office, and He reigns when those we oppose get elected.  God is sovereign over the rulers of this world (Dan. 4:17).  We can trust Him to do what is right because His “works are truth, and His ways justice” (Dan. 4:37).

Clyde Kilby of Wheaton College said one time,

I shall bet my life on the assumption that this world is not idiotic, neither run by an absentee landlord, but that today, this very day, some stroke is being added to the cosmic canvas that in due course I shall understand with joy as a stroke made by the architect who calls himself Alpha and Omega.

Even when life seems to be falling apart, when everything seems to be going against you, God is still in control.

According to Isaiah the very fact that God is God means he had a determinate purpose in history from the very beginning and that this purpose cannot be frustrated:

I am God and there is no other; I am God and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand and I will accomplish all my purpose.’ (Isaiah 46:9-10)

Jeremiah, in his Lamentations over Jerusalem, reflects on God’s capacity to wield the nations and concludes that no human commands are ever executed unless the Lord ordains it:

‘Who has commanded and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and evil come?” (Lamentations 3:27-38 cf. Isaiah 45:1-7)

Seventy-two times in the Bible, God uses the words “then they will know that I am the LORD
 or words similar to that.  Of that number, 58 are found in the writings of Daniel’s contemporary, the exilic prophet Ezekiel.  A key theme in Ezekiel was that God was bringing judgment upon His people so that the Jews would know that He is the Lord.

But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes but rejected my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; and my Sabbaths they greatly profaned.

Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to make a full end of them. But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. . . .

because they rejected my rules and did not walk in my statutes, and profaned my Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols. . . . But I withheld my hand and acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. (Ezekiel 20:13-14, 16, 22)

Ezekiel also records that God will ultimately deliver and bless Israel, again “for the sake of his name.”

Therefore, say to the house of Israel, thus says the Lord: “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name which you have profaned among the nations to which you came.  And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name. . .  It is not for your sake, that I will act says the Lord God; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel” (Ezekiel 36: 22, 23, 32).

But God would later restore the Jews to their homeland so that the world would know that He is the Lord.  Time after time in Ezekiel, the reason God gives for His present and future judgments and His present and future restorations was so that all people could see Him for Who He is.  He’s not just another God.  He’s the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Being troubled by this dream, Nebuchadnezzar reiterated his confidence in Daniel’s ability to interpret it in v. 18, saying “And you, O Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

John Phillips says, “The king was on tenterhooks.  The longer Daniel paused, the greater grew the tension and the deeper was the unease of the king.  Doubtless, by now he was inwardly terrified.  Daniel was not a man to sidestep unpleasant truth.  At the same time, he was a man of like passions as we are; he was not immune to fear.  He was fully aware that monarchs are apt to wreak fearful vengeance on those who assailed their ears with unwelcome news.  And Daniel well knew the temper of this particular king.  He sought diplomatically to prepare the king for the worst” (Expoloring Daniel, p. 76).