(See the Intro to Daniel here)
1 Many years later King Belshazzar gave a great feast for 1,000 of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. 2 While Belshazzar was drinking the wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups that his predecessor,[a] Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. He wanted to drink from them with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines. 3 So they brought these gold cups taken from the Temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 While they drank from them they praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. 5 Suddenly, they saw the fingers of a human hand writing on the plaster wall of the king’s palace, near the lampstand. The king himself saw the hand as it wrote, 6 and his face turned pale with fright. His knees knocked together in fear and his legs gave way beneath him.
7 The king shouted for the enchanters, astrologers,[b] and fortune-tellers to be brought before him. He said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed in purple robes of royal honor and will have a gold chain placed around his neck. He will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom!”
8 But when all the king’s wise men had come in, none of them could read the writing or tell him what it meant. 9 So the king grew even more alarmed, and his face turned pale. His nobles, too, were shaken.
10 But when the queen mother heard what was happening, she hurried to the banquet hall. She said to Belshazzar, “Long live the king! Don’t be so pale and frightened. 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has within him the spirit of the holy gods. During Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, this man was found to have insight, understanding, and wisdom like that of the gods. Your predecessor, the king—your predecessor King Nebuchadnezzar—made him chief over all the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers of Babylon. 12 This man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, has exceptional ability and is filled with divine knowledge and understanding. He can interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.”
Background/Insight:
- Belteshazzar was a name given to Daniel by the Assyrians. It means, “Bel, (a false god) watch over you” this is in contrast to his Hebrew name which means, “Yahweh is my judge.”
- While Belshazzar, the king, is having a feast with his nobles his nation was being besieged by the Persians. He must have felt safe within the walls of his city even if the rest of his nation burned.
- The banquet showed his contempt for men and then his worshiping of idols showed his contempt for God as the silver and gold they were worshiping had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem.
- To be clothed in purple was a great reward and meant being given royal authority.
- Read through and reflect on the text again.
- Have you ever been tempted to ignore the needs of others and pursue your own pleasure?
- Spend some time in confession and prayer. In what ways have you showed contempt for God?
Feel free to share any additional insights and prayers with everyone by commenting.
