Daniel 5:13-31--Daniel Interprets the Handwriting

Daniel 5:13-31
English Standard Version

Daniel Interprets the Handwriting
13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. 14 I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not show the interpretation of the matter. 16 But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. 18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. 19 And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. 20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. 21 He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. 22 And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, 23 but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.

24 “Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; 28 Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

30 That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. 31  And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

---

It seems the king had no idea who Daniel was apart from what the queen mother told him, but he wasn't about to let Daniel know that as he pretended to recognize Daniel and know everything about him when he saw him.  He tells Daniel that he has been summoned because all of the wise men of Babylon have failed to provide an answer to the handwriting on the wall, but he has heard that Daniel can solve difficult problems that no one else can solve.  The the king, this isn't a clear message, it is a riddle with a hidden meaning, but the LORD has spoken clearly in the language of His people.  The reason the king couldn't understand it was that his people were too busy trying to make everyone else learn their language to learn any of the languages of the people they conquered.  We need to be careful to not treat God's Word this way--to try to seek some "deeper" and "hidden" meaning when we don't want to know the obvious meaning because the LORD likes to communicate clearly to His people.  If you find the Bible impossible to understand no matter what translation you read, it is possible that it is because it would be like a Babylonian trying to read Hebrew--it is impossible.

The king then makes the promise to Daniel that he made to all the wise men that if Daniel can give him the interpretation, he will make Daniel the third-highest ruler in the kingdom.  Daniel tells him to keep his gifts because he cannot buy favor with the LORD or the LORD's prophets.  The message will not suddenly become favorable because he has offered a large sum of wealth and power to Daniel.  Daniel will only tell the king that words which the LORD has spoken.  Daniel then interprets the meaning of the words written on the wall.  The king's heart has been weighed by the LORD and found wanting.  This very night, his kingdom would be given over to the kingdom of the Medes and Persians and all those who had been gathered together desecrating the holy objects of the LORD's Temple to toast the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone will know that the LORD alone is God and He is King of heaven and earth and all that is in them.  He is not just the god of people and land of Israel, nor is His power diminished because of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Daniel tells how King Nebuchadnezzar learned this lesson when the LORD took his mind and throne from him for a time and gave him the mind of a beast and he lived among the wild donkeys.  However, Belshazzar has failed to learn the lessons of history and is therefore doomed to have to learn those lessons for himself the hard way.  This will happen because the king and the people have not humbled themselves before the LORD who has clearly revealed himself to their kings as the only God (remember the royal decree for all people from every nation and tongue to only worship the LORD?).  It is not like these people have not heard God in their native tongue.  Nebuchadnezzar's decree was written in the common tongue and carried to every province of his kingdom (to the uttermost parts of the earth at that time).  Yes this young king who probably grew up in close proximity to King Nebuchadnezzar ignored all of Nebuchadnezzar's words from the end of his life and focused on his very early reign when he was savage, brutal, and a worshiper of the Babylonian gods (especially Bel, whom this king is named after, and who they tired to name Daniel after, but he refused to take a Babylonian name).

Daniel tells the king that there is no comparison between the LORD and the false gods they have been praising.  The LORD is the living god.  He is not like the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone that have no life and no ability to do anything to save the people that worship them.  I already mentioned the interpretation, but it is at this point after this history lesson and theology lesson that Daniel gives the interpretation to the king.  The king fulfills his vow, even though Daniel told him that he didn't want anything the king had to offer, and the words that Daniel spoke came true.  That very night, the kingdom of Babylon fell, and the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians arose.  Even the age of Darius the Mede was given (sixty-two years old).  The rest of the historical narrative portion of this book will follow events that occur during the reign of King Darius.