12 October 539 B.C. Hubris, Arrogance, Stupidity, Indifference,
Nonchalance and God’s Judgment in Belshazzar’s Time—MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. A word for reprobates and the unconverted, be
advised. Being a rebel to His Majesty is never un-requited. Take note.
A
word of encouragement to the elect.
Backstory.
The
Babylonian Empire had prevailed backwards to 626 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar had taken the Jews to
Babylon. The Church went into
exile. Nabonidus, a son-in-law, and his
son, Belshazzar, ruled.
Cyrus
II, King of Persian, commanded Medo-Persian forces against Babylon. Belshazzar
was in charge of Babylon.
Herodotus,
the Greek historian, notes:
“A battle was fought at a short distance from
the city, in which the Babylonians were defeated by the Persian king, whereupon
they withdrew within the defenses. Here
they shut themselves up and made light of this siege, having laid in store of
provisions for many years in preparations against this attack.”
In
spite of the approach of the Medo-Persians, on 12 October 539 B.C., Belshazzar held a party with free-flowing
booze for 1000 nobles. He dared to
disrespect the articles and vessels of His Majesty’s Temple.
Daniel
5.1-14. He earned the handwriting on the
wall, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. Terror gripped the mere mortal and mere
King. The soothsayers and enchanters failed at the interpretation.
Daniel
5.1-28. Upshot, kings fall too. Empires fall.
Disrespect to His Dread and Sovereign Majesty never prevails.
Daniel
5:1-24
1599
Geneva Bible (GNV)
5 5 Belshazzar king of
Babylon seeth an handwriting on the wall. 8 The soothsayers called of the king,
cannot expound the writing. 25 Daniel readeth it, and interpreteth it also. 30
The king is slain. 31 Darius enjoyeth the kingdom.
1 King [a]Belshazzar
made a great feast to a thousand of his princes, and drank wine [b]before
the thousand.
2 And
Belshazzar [c]while
he tasted the wine, commanded to bring him the golden and silver vessels, which
his [d]father
Nebuchadnezzar had brought from the Temple in Jerusalem, that the king and his
princes, his wives, and his concubines might drink therein.
3 Then were brought the
golden vessels, that were taken out of the Temple of the Lord’s house at
Jerusalem, and the king and his princes, his wives and his concubines drank in
them.
4 They drank wine, and
praised the [e]gods
of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
5 At the same hour
appeared fingers of a man’s hand, which wrote over [f]against
the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king
saw the palm of the hand that wrote.
6 Then the king’s
countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of
his loins were loosed, and his [g]knees
smote one against the other.
7 Wherefore the
king cried loud, that they should bring [h]the
astrologians, the Chaldeans and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said
to the wise men of Babel, Whosoever can read this writing, and declare me the
interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with purple, and shall have a
chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.
8 Then came all the
king’s wise men, but they could neither read the writing, nor show the king the
interpretation.
9 Then was king
Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his
princes were astonied.
10 Now the [i]Queen
by reason of the talk of the King and his princes, came into the banquet house,
and the Queen spake, and said, O king, live forever: let not thy
thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed.
11 There is a man in thy
kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods, and in the days of thy father,
light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods, was found in
him: whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy
father, made chief of the [j]enchanters,
astrologians, Chaldeans, and soothsayers,
12 Because a more
excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding (for he did expound
dreams, and declare hard sentences, and dissolved doubts) were found in him, even
in Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he
will declare the interpretation.
13 ¶ Then was Daniel
brought before the king, and the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art
thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom my
father the king brought out of Jewry?
14 Now I have heard of
thee, that [k]the
spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and that light and understanding,
and excellent wisdom is found in thee.
15 Now therefore wise men and
Astrologians have been brought before me, that they should read this writing,
and show me the interpretation thereof: but they could not declare the
interpretation of the thing.
16 Then heard I of thee,
that thou couldest show interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst
read the writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed
with purple, and shall have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be
the third ruler in the kingdom.
17 Then Daniel answered,
and said before the king, Keep thy rewards to thyself, and give thy gifts to
another: yet I will read the writing unto the king, and show him the
interpretation.
18 O king, hear
thou, The most high God gave unto [l]Nebuchadnezzar
thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and honor, and glory.
19 And for the majesty
that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages trembled, and feared
before him: he put to death whom he would: he smote whom he would: whom he
would he set up, and whom he would he put down.
20 But when his heart was
puffed up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly
throne, and they took his honor from him.
21 And he was driven from
the sons of men, and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was
with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet
with the dew of the heaven, till he knew that the most high God bare rule over
the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it, whomsoever he pleaseth.
22 And thou his son, O
Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all these things,
23 But hast lifted thyself
up against the Lord of heaven, and they have brought the vessels of his House
before thee, and thou and thy princes, thy wives and thy concubines have drunk
wine in them, and thou hast praised the gods of silver and gold, of brass,
iron, wood and stone, which neither see, neither hear, nor understand: and the
God in whose hand thy breath is and all thy ways, him hast thou not glorified.
24 [m]Then
was the palm of the hand sent from him, and hath written this writing.
Footnotes:
Daniel
5:1
Daniel reciteth this history of king Belshazzar, Evil-merodach’s son, to show
God’s judgments against the wicked for the deliverance of his Church: and how
the prophecy of Jeremiah was true, that they should be delivered after seventy
years.
Daniel
5:1
The kings of the East parts then used to sit alone commonly, and disdained that
any should sit in their company: and now to show his power, and how little he
set by his enemy, which then besieged Babylon, he made a solemn banquet, and
used excess in their company, which is meant here by drinking wine: thus the
wicked are most dissolute and negligent, when their destruction is at hand.
-
-
Daniel
5:4 In
contempt of the true God, they praise their idols, not that they thought that
the gold or silver were gods, but that there was a certain virtue and power in
them to do them good, which is also the opinion of all idolaters.
-
Daniel
5:6 So
he that before contemned God, was moved by this sight to tremble for fear of
God’s judgments.
Daniel
5:7
Thus the wicked in their troubles seek many means, who draw them from God,
because they seek not to him who is the only comfort in all afflictions.
Daniel
5:10
To wit, his grandmother Nebuchadnezzar’s wife, which for her age was not before
at the feast, but came thither when she heard of these strange news.
Daniel
5:11
Read Dan. 4:6, and this declareth
that both this name was odious unto him, and also he did not use these vile
practices, because he was not among them when all were called.
Daniel
5:14
For the idolaters thought that the Angels had power as God, and therefore had
them in like estimation, as they had God, thinking that the spirit of prophecy
and understanding came of them.
Daniel
5:18
Before he read the writing, he declareth to the king his great ingratitude
toward God, who could not be moved to give him the glory, considering his
wonderful work toward his grandfather, and so showeth that he doth not sin of
ignorance but of malice.
Daniel
5:24
After that God had so long time deferred his anger, and patiently waited for
thine amendment.
The
Medo-Persian army diverted the waters of the Euphrates River that flowed
through Babylon, just enough to reduce the riverbed, allowing the army to enter
under the cover of night.
They
captured Babylon and killed Belshazzar.
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