Week 15: The Most High Shows the Back of His Hand
WEEK 15 | Daniel 5:1-12
Day 1 Deeper Daniel Father, open my eyes to see the truth in Your Word that I may know and love you more deeply.
As we study Daniel 5, we are going to be reading the story of King Hezekiah of Judah. For reasons you will discover in our last Daniel 5 lesson, we are going to start with the end of King Hezekiah’s reign, instead of the beginning.
Read 2 Kings 20 and 2 Chronicles 32:24-26.
Note that the envoys sent from Babylon are spies, actually, seeking intel on whether Hezekiah could fund their revolt against Assyria, the conquering empire of this time.
1. What do Hezekiah’s words and actions reveal about his heart for God and his heart for himself?
Connection to Daniel – In Daniel 1:1-3, we see what Isaiah predicted in 2 Kings 20:17-18 fulfilled. The very vessels Hezekiah showed off to the Babylonian envoys (spies, actually, who sought to see if Hezekiah could help fund their revolt against Assyria) God delivered into Nebuchadnezzar’s hands. And some of his descendants have become eunuchs serving in the palace of the king of Babylon. Consider the account of Hezekiah’s prayer and sin of pride and repentance in the texts you read. Consider that despite Hezekiah’s repentance, God still fulfilled His plan to deliver the vessels of His own temple and the sons of His own king into Nebuchadnezzar’s hands.
2. What does all this reveal about the God both Hezekiah and Daniel worshiped?
3. Reflect on how Hezekiah was thankful that Babylon would not be invading Judah during his own lifetime. He would end his days in peace and security.
Read 2 Chronicles 32:27-31.
The last we read of Hezekiah is that “God left him to himself” in the matter of the envoys of Babylon “in order to test him and to know all that was in his heart.”
Reflect on God’s sovereign purpose in this in Hezekiah and in Nebuchadnezzar and in the sons of Israel and in the sons of Babylon. We know God’s plan will be established. We know our choices have consequences.
Pray about how you would like to live your life from now to the end of your service in God’s kingdom.
Days 2-3 Central Passage Father, open my eyes to see the truth in Your Word that I may know and love you more deeply.’’
Historical Context – The year is 539 B.C., and at least twenty-three years have passed since Nebuchadnezzar turned to God and God restored to him the kingdom. After his death, the throne passed to a son (2 Kings 25:27-30; Jeremiah 52:31-34), then a son-in-law (Jeremiah 39:3, 13), then a grandson, and finally to his son Nabonidus. It is speculated that Nabonidus offended the Babylonian priests by introducing gods who did not belong in Babylon, so he left the ruling city. Regardless if that true, he settled in Teima, a city in Arabia he had brutally conquered and then repopulated. There he remained for ten years, leaving his son Belshazzar to rule Babylon as second in command under his authority. Nebuchadnezzar’s prophetic dream recorded in Daniel 2 is about to be fulfilled: the Babylonian golden head empire is tumbling, and the Medes-Persian silver chest-arms is now encroaching.
Who ruled this silver empire? A king whom God explicitly named through His prophet Isaiah years before this Gentile king: “It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, and he will carry out all My desire.’ And he says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’ And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid’” (44:28 NASB).
Where is Cyrus’ army on this very night? Cloistered with his general Ugbaru, just a few kilometers outside Babylon.
Where is Nabonidus, the son of Nebuchadnezzar? Borsippa, defeated after advancing against the Medes-Persian army.
Where is Belshazzar, the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar? At the palace, hosting a little party....
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 [grand]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.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. Daniel 5:1-4 ESV
OBSERVE DETAILS Ask and answer simple w-questions v when? where? who? what? how?
Drawing a passage is another way to practice the observation step, the essential reading step preceding interpretation. This week I have no observation questions, no labeling of the divisions of the text, no details charts. This time you are going to draw.
General Directions – Childlike stick figures are totally acceptable. The point is to somehow put each detail Daniel included on paper visually. You will have to get creative. For example, you cannot draw 1000 lords along with Bel’s wives and concubines, so draw a bunch of stick figures and a bunch of stick figures with dresses; label that 1000+++ and call it a day. You have a flashback to what happened in Daniel 1:2 so find a way to convey the taking of the vessels as something that happened 60 + years ago. You can also get creative with speech balloons and thought bubbles like those used in comic strips. Setting up your drawing with boxes like a comic strip is also fine.
Have fun with it! This is not a drawing contest but a reading comprehension exercise.
Steps –
1. Get a blank sheet of paper. Anything will do. Get a pencil (with an eraser ).
2. Underline every when, where, who, what, how in the passage.
3. Keep in mind you will be drawing Daniel 5:5-12 too. So you might want to give that a skim to plan your space.
4. Draw Daniel 5:1-4 following the general directions above.
5. Above every detail you underlined in the text, put a little check if you managed to get that in your drawing.
6. After reading Daniel 5:5-12, draw again.
7. Bonus – Once you finish the interpretation questions, review your drawing. Is there anything you want to change or add to reflect your deeper understanding?
8. During group time, please send me a picture of a few of your creations!
Historical Context – One might wonder why Belshazzar is hosting such an extravagant feast when the Medes-Persian armies are so close. Commentators have a few ideas on that. The old Greek source of Daniel 5 (LXX0) states that the feast was held “on the festival day of the consecration of his [Belshazzar’s] palace.” Herodotus also records that the Babylonians were engaged in a festival. If this were an annual festival, or perhaps a customary feast to a god, then Belshazzar may have chosen to “carry on” and keep the date to bolster kingdom morale. Commentators also wonder if Belshazzar simply believed Babylon could withstand a siege. Around the entire city Nebuchadnezzar had built three forty-foot walls wide enough for two chariots to race alongside one another. These walls were built over the Euphrates River which flowed in the center of the city. Finally the Babylonians stored food in preparation for attack. History tells stories of armies who sought to destroy a fortified city, but who in the end abandoned their quest because they could not scale the wall and their own provisions ran dry.
To understand the significant history of the vessels, read at least 2 Kings 20:12-18 from Day 1’s text if you have not done so.
1. Belshazzar Takes His Life (and Babylon’s) in His Hands. Read verses 2-3 again. Underline what is repeated.
In Jerusalem, what was the purpose of these vessels? Note that the golden vessels were taken from the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctum of God’s temple.
What might we infer about Belshazzar’s motivation for serving wine to his lords, wives, and concubines from these particular vessels on this particular night? Consider what this text is saying about Bel’s character.
Recall where gold, silver, bronze, iron and even wood (tree) and stone have already been featured in Daniel. We see in yet another Daniel story, God’s declaration “I alone am the Creator of ALL!” Why are Belshazzar’s actions both so offensive and so sorrowful?
Consider the irony of this court story in light of Nebuchadnezzar’s former court stories, particularly our last. Imagine children sitting around a campfire with silver-haired Daniel telling them this story. What predictions could even children make about what Belshazzar was going to learn about the God of heaven?
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. 6 Then the king's color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. 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.
10 The queen [herself], because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, “O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change.11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers,12 because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problemswere found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.”
OBSERVE DICTION
Ask: Which words/phrases might provide clues to the author’s message? What do they literally mean?
Ex. father > father or grandfather. Underline the repetition in verses 10-11.
Ex. taken > nepaq to come forth. This verb describes Nebuchadnezzar’s action against God.
Ex. appeared > Note that the same verb describing Neb’s “taking out” is now used to describe what God’s hand now does in response. Remember in Daniel 1, it states that God Himself delivered the vessels in Neb’s hand to judge Israel.
Ex. plaster > whitewash
Ex. lampstand > brightly burning lamp
Ex. hand > lir “palm of the hand,” but effectively here the back of hand, knuckles (Tanner)
Ex. limbs > lit. loins: associated with reproductive organs/source of offspring or seat of strength
Ex gave way > knots were loosening
Ex. loudly > with strength
Ex queen > queen mother
Ex herself > Tanner, following Goldingay, adds herself to his translation due to the emphatic position of “queen.”
Ex riddles > “dark sentences” in Aramaic
Ex. solve problems > loosening of knots
Ex Daniel > God is my judge
Loose Dan 5:6; 12. This same word is used to describe Daniel’s friends whose hands were unbound in the fire (3:25).
Historical Context – Archaeologist Robert Koldewey published The Excavations at Babylon in 1914. He described the largest room, the throne room of the palace and stated, “If one would localize anywhere the ill-fated banquet of Belsh., it could be found with greatest warranty in this enormous room.” It measured approximately 56 x 170 feet, and the walls were covered in white plaster just as Daniel described
The King was second ruler after his father who was primary ruler. So the highest ruling position Belshazzar could offer was that of third ruler in the kingdom. In ancient times, the color purple was expensive to create; therefore it is associated with royalty and prestige.
Josephus referred to the queen as Belshazzar’s grandmother. Some commentaries refer to her, as the “queen mother.” Belshazzar’s wives are at the banquet so queen mother seems a better translation; however, it is not clear whether the queen mother is Nebuchadnezzar’s wife or Nabodinus’ wife. Regardless, she has greater knowledge of how Daniel employed his gifts when he was “on staff” at the palace. Daniel would be about 81 years old by now.
2. God Shows His Hand. Belshazzar Is Caught Red-Handed. No Wise Men Raise Their Hands.
Why do you think God chooses to reveal Himself in this particular way to this particular king? Keep in mind the reader does not know what God wrote or its interpretation yet.
Consider all the details that describe Belshazzar’s response to the hand. How is this scene both comical and sobering?
Quote to Ponder – “No Christian can avoid theology. Every Christian is a theologian. Perhaps not a theologian in the technical or professional sense, but a theologian, nevertheless. The issue for Christians is not whether we are going to be theologians, but whether we are going to be good theologians or bad ones.” R.C. Sproul
How to Read Your Bible – Polemic is word every theologian should know. “In the Bible a polemic is a strong, forceful argument used to expose and oppose false teachings or dangerous ideas (teachthebible.org). As early as Genesis 1, God engages a polemic to counter the false teachings of Egypt. He wrote through Moses and His immediate audience is the new nation of Israel birthed in the wilderness but, you know, kinda conceived in Egypt since they entered with merely 70 and exited four hunder years later with 600,000 men, plus women and children (Exodus 12:37). So Moses intentionally refers to the sun as the “greater light” and the moon as the “lesser light” because in the semitic languages, including Hebrew, these words sounded like the names of pagan gods. When Moses gets to the stars, well, let’s just say they are NOT the “stars of the show” as they are in astrology; they barely get a mention. Moses is clear: Sun, moon and stars are created entities, not deities controlling human fate. The true light of the world is God Himself.
Let’s consider Daniel’s polemic. How many times now have the Babylonian wise men been flummoxed?
How is that repetition in this series of true stories a polemic God intentionally authored?
3. The Queen Mother Shares First-Hand Information.
On a scale of 1-10, how confident is the Queen Mother that Daniel is (hands down) the man to call?
For the believing remnant reading Daniel 1-4, what is so satisfying about her knowledge and evaluation?
Warning: Hard Question – Belshazzar is described as one whose limbs “gave way” and Daniel, whom Nebuchadnezzar named Belteshazzar, is described as one who can “solve problems.” See your diction box and note how Daniel is making a word play here. How is this word play a polemic of its own?
Day 4 Deeper Daniel Father, open my eyes to see the truth in Your Word that I may know and love you more deeply.
We have talked a lot about the pride of Nebuchadnezzar. Pride wears many faces. In Daniel 5, so far, we see Belshazzar’s mockery of God expressed in the using of His golden vessels to get drunk and to praise false gods.
These sacred vessels were set apart as holy for the purpose of worshiping the Creator and Ruler of heaven and earth were then used by the created to express contempt towards Him. Contempt can be expressed as regarding another person as inferior or showing willful disobedience. It can received as being mocked or despised.
We know that idol worship of Baal and Asherah, his consort, included illicit sex and that feasts such as that depicted in our text often ended even in orgies. One question you may have regarding Israel’s constant battle with idol worship is why did Israel return to it again and again. Another might be why did God put Judah in exile in Babylon, the center of idol worship of the world, of all places? Got Questions’ article “Why was the worship of Baal and Asherah a constant struggle for the Israelites” provides some answers to those questions (gotquestions.org).
Read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
We know that all sin is an offense to God. Reflect, however, on the sin of getting drunk or getting high and the deadening impact those “out of mind and body” experiences have on your body and soul purchased by God. Reflect on the sin of covenanting your body to an illicit other and the deadening impact that has on your body and soul purchased by God.
1. How would you describe the face of pride that returns to these type of sins on the body and the soul?
Let’s let the Scripture we read, read our own heart by asking the Lord, “Why is the worship of _____ a constant struggle for me, one who is in Christ, one in whom the Holy Spirit dwells as His temple.” Read Romans 2:1-4.
2. Whether your worship takes the form of abusing substances or illicit sex, or another face of pride, consider how you might be showing contempt toward God.
Read Romans 2:5-11. Has contempt hardened your heart in the area you listed to such an extent that you do not fear the judgment of God? Is your attitude: God has not judged me yet, so I am invincible?
3. What are the dangers of hardening your heart?
On you? Your relationship with God?
On your family or future family?
On your service in His kingdom?
Thanks be to God that He has covenanted with you to forgive you again and again!
Memorize 1 John 1:9. Then pray through it. Know that you can turn from sin and turn to God again and again and again and again and again and again. In this process, you experience God’s kindness to you and your desire to give your body and soul to the god who hates you is changed to a desire for God Himself.
Day 5 Deeper Daniel Father, open my eyes to see the truth in Your Word that I may know and love you more deeply.
Isaiah 11:2 describes the sevenfold Spirit of God that shall rest upon the Messiah: As you read, underline each.
1. Did you see the sevenfold: Spirit of the Lord, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord?
How did Christ rest in the Spirit as the Spirit rested upon Him?
How did the Spirit sustain Christ so that He both began and finished well?
What was the result for us?
2. In Daniel 5, the queen describes Daniel in such a way that we see the Spirit rested upon him in such a way that even those who did not know the Most High God saw His power in His faithful servant.
Review that text and reflect.
Last week in our God-Centered Experience, we focused on the Spirit who lives in us. In Day 1 you began to pray about how you would like to live your life from now to the end of your service in God’s kingdom. Ask God. If Daniel who is not the Messiah could remain faithful in exile, how could I?
3. Seek God in prayer. Confess any sin, any ground that you have surrendered to the enemy of your flesh, the world, or to Satan. Ask God to cancel that ground and to renew you in His Spirit in wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of Him.
Group Reflection Faithful in Exile
Trios & Quad Time – Get together with your prayer and accountability partners.
Discuss Day 4 and share confessions and prayer requests.
Prayer
Pray we would all live all our lives in faithfulness to the Most High as we depend upon the Spirit of Christ.
God’s joy & strength to you!