Read Daniel 5:1-31.

Introduction⤒🔗

There was once a young man—a lawyer by profession—who was converted to Christ. Following his conversion, with his newfound peace with God and joy in the LORD, he witnessed to everyone he met. But in particular, he witnessed to and prayed for one close acquaintance.

This acquaintance was a local magistrate and had been elected to the New York State legislature. This man was deeply convicted of sin. The young Christian was praying for his friend daily and urging him to give his heart to Christ. The man’s conviction became very deep; but still, from day to day, he put off the necessary submission to Christ and did not obtain the hope of salvation. “My concern for him increased,” reported the young Christian.

One afternoon, several of his political colleagues held a lengthy interview with this man concerning a political deal they desired him to secure for them at the state capital in Albany. The next morning, when the young Christian encountered his friend for whom he was so greatly concerned, the man declared,

I shall have nothing more to do with the question of submission to God until I return from the legislature. I stand committed to my political friends to carry out certain measures in the legislature that are incompatible with my first becoming a Christian and I have promised that I will not attend to the subject of becoming a Christian until after I have returned from Albany.

What happened on the night previous to this announcement, and what happened upon the man’s return from Albany, is the rest of the story. But for now, suffice it to say, that man, by defying God, did a very dangerous and deadly thing. That man knew he had to submit to Christ; but instead, he willfully and defiantly committed himself to promoting evil.

In the passage of Scripture presently before us we likewise meet a man who knew he had to humble himself before the LORD; but instead, he, too, willfully defied God. He wound up suffering the awful consequences for his defiance. Because it is such a dangerous and deadly thing to do, Scripture urges us not to defy God, but rather, to render unto Him the submission He demands.

Don’t Defy God, by Blatantly Scorning Him←⤒🔗

Verse one of Daniel chapter five speaks of a great feast that was held in the high courts of Babylon. Belshazzar the king made a banquet for one thousand of his lords. In this passage the king’s drinking of wine is especially emphasized as being the trigger that unleashes the awful wickedness that follows. When one comes under the influence of intoxicating drink the outward restraints and controls are relaxed and the latent sinfulness of the human heart surfaces to express itself.

As he tastes the wine, Belshazzar commands that the gold and silver drinking goblets that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the LORD’s temple in Jerusalem be brought to the banquet (vs. 2). His intention, as we learn from the latter part of verse two, is that he and his royal guests might drink from these sacred cups and goblets. As one O.T. commentator remarks, here was “a deed that was unparalleled in the records of antiquity.”¹. Foreign gods were venerated; even though their peoples and their lands may have been conquered, the gods themselves were still revered. Nebuchadnezzar’s act described in Daniel 1:2 was an act of venerating the things of the LORD:

the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into [Nebuchadnezzar’s] hand, along with some of the vessels from the temple of God. He carried them to the land of Shinar to the temple of his god, and he put the vessels in the treasure house of his god. Dan. 1:2

What was Belshazzar doing by means of this act? He was intentionally desecrating the sacred vessels by employing them for a common and even an immoral use. At the same time, he was assuming for himself a divine prerogative and position by using vessels set apart exclusively for the LORD’s service. It was a gross act of defiance, calculated to insult the God of Israel and hold Him in contempt.

Why did Belshazzar select the vessels of the LORD? Why not those of some pagan deity? Was he openly defying God because of, and in spite of, what the LORD had done to his father, Nebuchadnezzar? The divine act of humbling the great king is described by Daniel: in Daniel 5:18-21,

O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father the kingdom and the greatness and the glory and the majesty. ¹⁹Because of the greatness he gave him, all the peoples, nations, and [men of every] language feared him and trembled before him. He killed whomever he desired, and he kept alive whomever he desired. He promoted whomever he desired, and he demoted whomever he desired. ²⁰But when his heart became arrogant and his spirit was hardened, so that he behaved in a proud manner, he was deposed from his royal throne and they took his glory from him. ²¹He was driven away from men and his mind became like that of the beasts. He lived with the wild donkeys, he was given grass to eat like the cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men and that he sets over it whomever he desires. vs. 18-21

Furthermore, with his moral restraints having been “liberated” by the wine, Belshazzar is expressing the innate defiance of God that dwells deep within the human heart. As the Apostle Paul testifies, “the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law” (Rom. 8:7). Finally, there was also a demonic element present. Belshazzar, though responsible for his evil deed, is being used by the devil to give vent to the devil’s own defiant hatred of God.

Belshazzar and his guests use the sacred vessels of the LORD to blasphemously toast their own pagan deities (vs. 4). In doing so, they were treading on very dangerous ground.

Let us not defy God, by blatantly scorning Him. When the LORD says, “Give Me your heart,” it is dangerous to blatantly scorn Him and refuse to do so. (As we shall see was the case with the New York legislator mentioned in the Introduction.) When the LORD says, “Go and make amends for a particular sin, seek forgiveness and reconciliation," it is dangerous to blatantly scorn Him and refuse to do so. When the LORD says, “Let go of a personal immoral habit, turn it over to Me,” it is dangerous to blatantly scorn Him and refuse to do so. When the LORD says, “Reform your business practices,” it is dangerous to blatantly scorn Him and refuse to do so.

Don’t Defy God, by Ignoring His Warning←⤒🔗

When he is called upon to interpret the handwriting on the wall, Daniel reminds Belshazzar of God’s dealings with his father, Nebuchadnezzar (vs. 18-21). The LORD gloriously blessed Nebuchadnezzar with the great empire of Babylon and even gave him God-like dominion:

O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father the kingdom and the greatness and the glory and the majesty. ¹⁹Because of the greatness he gave him, all the peoples, nations, and [men of every] language feared him and trembled before him. He killed whomever he desired, and he kept alive whomever he desired. He promoted whomever he desired, and he demoted whomever he desired. Dan. 5:18-19

We might compare what Daniel says of Nebuchadnezzar's authority with what the Scriptures say about the LORD's own divine authority:

The LORD puts to death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. ⁷The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. 1 Sam. 2:6-7

Daniel goes on to remind Belshazzar that the LORD greatly humbled Nebuchadnezzar for his pride:

But when his heart became arrogant and his spirit was hardened, so that he behaved in a proud manner, he was deposed from his royal throne and they took his glory from him. ²¹He was driven away from men and his mind became like that of the beasts. He lived with the wild donkeys, he was given grass to eat like the cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men and that he sets over it whomever he desires. Dan. 5:20-21

But the LORD graciously restored Nebuchadnezzar when he humbled himself before God: “He was driven away from men...until he acknowledged that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men and that he sets over it whomever he desires” (vs. 21b).

Daniel then proceeds to rebuke Belshazzar for his insolent and arrogant behavior:

Yet you, his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this. ²³On the contrary, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines, drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, [gods] that cannot see or hear and do not have intelligence. But the God who holds your life in his hands and who governs all your ways, you have not glorified.vs. 22-23

He charges Belshazzar with having known all that had happened to his father when his father’s heart was lifted up in pride, but refusing to learn from his father’s experience. On the contrary, Belshazzar has intentionally done worse than his father.

According to verse twenty, Nebuchadnezzar’s “heart became arrogant,” (literally, “his heart was lifted up”). Now, in verse twenty-three, Daniel confronts Belshazzar with the fact that, “you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven,” (literally, “you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven”). What Daniel is saying is that whereas Nebuchadnezzar’s pride was a natural sinful response to wealth and success, Belshazzar’s insolence was a willfully sinful response against the LORD.

Belshazzar refused to learn from the experience of his father, and he refused to listen to the counsel of his father, when he warned: “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just, and he is able to humble those who walk in pride” (Dan. 4:37). Belshazzar insisted upon going contrary to all the testimony offered to him by the LORD.

Let us not defy God, by neglecting His warnings. Referring to the judgments that befell Old Testament Israel, the Apostle Paul warns us, “these things happened to them as examples [for us], and they were written for our instruction; [for us] upon whom the end of the ages has come” (1 Cor. 10:11).

Don’t Defy God, because the Ultimate Consequence is Damnation←⤒🔗

In verses 24-28 Daniel reports God’s message and its interpretation. Each of the terms that appeared on the wall is a play on words containing a double meaning: "MENE" (NUMBERED): God has sovereignly counted out for Belshazzar the length of his rule, and now the countdown has reached zero, his time is up; "TEKEL" (WEIGHED): Belshazzar has been measured in the divine scales of justice, and he does not measure up; "PERES" (DIVIDED): Belshazzar's kingdom is broken up ( סרֵפְּ ), and this breaking up will be done by the Persians ( סרַפָּ ).

At Belshazzar’s command, Daniel is now made the third ruler in the kingdom (vs. 29). Why? Was Belshazzar hoping to appease God by honoring God’s servant? Was Belshazzar hoping to impress God by keeping his promise? Note the promise he made to Daniel recorded in verse sixteen, “if you can read this inscription and make known to me the interpretation of it, you shall be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.” Whatever his motivation, there was no true repentance; and there is no further extension of mercy. Verse thirty informs us that in that same night—within hours of the announcement­ Belshazzar was killed and the empire of Babylon was divided up by the Medes and the Persians.

Let us not defy God, because the ultimate consequence is damnation. Let us heed the warning issued by the Apostle Paul:

...do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? ⁵But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself on the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. ⁶God will give to each man according to what he has done. Rom. 2:4-6

Conclusion←⤒🔗

What became of that New York legislator who was so deeply convicted of sin, but chose to defy God? What happened on that night before he left for Albany? And what happened upon his return?

The young Christian who was so concerned about the spiritual welfare of his friend tells the rest of the story:

On the evening of that day [when the young Christian’s friend pledged himself to secure a political deal for his colleagues], I attempted again to bring his case to God, as the urgency in my mind for his conversion had become very great. In my prayer, I had drawn very near to God. I do not remember ever having been in more intimate communion with the Lord Jesus Christ than I was at that time. Indeed, his presence was so real that I was bathed in tears of joy and gratitude and love, and in this state of mind I attempted to pray for this friend.

But the moment I did so, my mouth was shut. I found it impossible to pray a word for him. The Lord seemed to say to me, “No, I will not hear.” As anguish seized upon me, I thought at first it was a temptation. But the door was shut in my face. It seemed as if the Lord said to me, “Speak no more to me of that matter.” It pained me beyond expression. I did not know what to make of it.

The next morning, the young Christian continues, I saw him, and as soon as I brought up the question of submission to God he said to me, “Mr. Finney, I shall have nothing more to do with it until I return from the legislature. I stand committed to my political friends to carry out certain measures in the legislature that are incompatible with my first becoming a Christian and I have promised that I will not attend to the subject [of becoming a Christian] until after I have returned from Albany.”

From the moment of my experience the evening before, I had no spirit of prayer for him at all. As soon as he told me what he had done, [upon his return from Albany], I understood it. I could see that his convictions were all gone, and that the Spirit of God had left him. From that time, he grew more careless and hardened than ever.

He remained in his sins, finally fell into decay, and died at last, as I have been told, a dilapidated man.²

The Scriptures exhort us, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Heb. 3:15).

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. What had Nebuchadnezzar done with the sacred vessel he took from the LORD’s temple (cf. Dan. 1:2b); but instead of honoring them, what does Belshazzar now do with them? See Dan. 5:2 Is there any way in which you are knowingly dishonoring the LORD? Note Mal. 1:6a and 1 Sam. 2:30b; also consider Psl. 139:23-24,

...the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels from the temple of God. He carried them to the land of Shinar to the temple of his god, and he put the vessels in the treasure house of his god. Dan. 1:2

While Belshazzar was drinking wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines, might drink from them. Dan. 5:2

A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my reverence? says the LORD of hosts.Mal. 1:6

...those that honor me, I will honor; but those that despise me, shall be lightly esteemed. 1 Sam. 2:30b

Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; ²⁴and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.Psl. 139:23-24

2. What was Belshazzar’s intention in drinking from the vessels set apart exclusively for the LORD’s service? Note Dan. 5:23a How is the LORD disparaged today? What diabolical desire resides in the heart of sinful man? Note Gen. 3:5-6; 2 Thess. 2:3b-4,

...you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines, drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, [gods] that cannot see or hear and do not have intelligence. But the God who holds your life in his hands and who governs all your ways, you have not glorified. Dan. 5:23

...the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die; ⁵for God knows that in the day you eat the fruit of that tree your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be like God, knowing good and evil. ⁶And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired as a means of making one wise, she took of its fruit, and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it. Gen. 3:4-6

...the man of sin...the son of perdition ⁴ ...opposes and exalts himself against all that is called “God” or that is worshipped... 2 Thess. 2:3-4

3. In what condition, or under what influence, was Belshazzar at the time he committed this despicable act? See Dan. 5:1 What does Scripture warn us are the effects of coming under the influence of intoxicating drink? See Prov. 20:1; Prov. 23:33 What exhortation does the Apostle Paul give us with regard to the use of intoxicating beverages? Note Eph. 5:18,

Belshazzar the king gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. Dan. 5:1

Wine is a mocker, intoxicated drink arouses brawling; and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. Prov. 20:1

Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart will utter perverse things. Prov. 23:33

...do not become drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit... Eph. 5:18

4. When Daniel is summoned to interpret the handwriting on the wall, for what does he rebuke Belshazzar? See Dan. 5:18, 20-23 If, like Nebuchadnezzar, your heart becomes arrogant and the LORD finds it necessary to chastise you, will you respond like Nebuchadnezzar, or like Belshazzar? Note 1 Pet. 5:5b-6,

¹⁸O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father the kingdom and the greatness and the glory and the majesty... ²⁰But when his heart became arrogant and his spirit was hardened, so that he behaved in a proud manner, he was deposed from his royal throne and they took his glory from him. ²¹He was driven away from men and his mind became like that of the beasts...until he acknowledged that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men and that he sets over it whomever he desires. ²²Yet you, his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this. ²³On the contrary, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven...But the God who holds your life in his hands and who governs all your ways, you have not glorified. Dan. 5:18, 20-23

...God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. ⁶Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the appointed time... 1 Pet. 5:5-6

5. What does Belshazzar do in response to Daniel’s interpretation of the writing on the wall; why do you suppose he does this? See Dan. 5:29 But what does Belshazzar fail to do? Note Prov. 28:13b When the LORD demands your repentance from a particular sin, what do you give Him? Do you offer Him excuses, empty promises, special donations, or do you give Him what He requires?

Then, at Belshazzar’s command, they clothed Daniel in purple and placed a gold chain around his neck, and he was proclaimed to be the third highest ruler in the kingdom.Dan. 5:29

...whoever confesses and forsakes [his sins] will obtain mercy. Prov. 28:13b