“And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven” (Daniel 5:22-23, ESV).

You have certainly heard and probably used the expression, “the writing is on the wall” or “the handwriting is on the wall.” The phrase is often used whenever an inevitable result or imminent danger has become apparent. In Daniel 5, what should have been apparent and inevitable to King Belshazzar of Babylon seemed to allude him.

Belshazzar’s feast in Daniel 5 took place years, possibly decades, after the events of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4 and under the kingship of a different king of Babylon. King Belshazzar was once thought to be a fictional king because ancient records named Nabonidus as Babylon’s last king. Later cuneiform discoveries showed that Belshazzar was Nabonidus’s son and served as co-regent while Nabonidus was away from Babylon.

Belshazzar also could have been Nebuchadnezzar II’s grandson through his mother though this is not certain. Daniel’s ascribing him as Nebuchadnezzar’s “son” in vs. 22 is consistent with ancient usage where the term often means descendant or royal successor.

In this chapter King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of all those gathered for the feast. Belshazzar commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem be brought in so that he and his lords, his wives, and his concubines could drink from them (vs. 1-3). Basically, they were indulging in a drunken revelry and debasing sacred Jewish temple vessels by using them as wine goblets.

Suddenly, a disembodied hand began to write words on the palace wall during the feast. The king saw the hand as it wrote and became quite alarmed and called for the wise men of Babylon to interpret the writing. The wise men were perplexed and couldn’t interpret the handwriting. The queen then urged Belshazzar to have Daniel brought in to interpret the handwriting on the wall.

We don’t know what words were written on the wall until Daniel gave his interpretation. But, before interpreting the words Daniel reminded King Belshazzar about the events we read about in Daniel 4. King Nebuchadnezzar was humbled by God until he recognized that the Most High God rules the kingdoms of mankind and designates who rules over them according to His will.

The words written on the palace wall were “Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin.” The words were of Aramaic origin. Literally, the expression meant two minas, a shekel and two parts or alternatively numbered, weighed, divided. Daniel’s interpretation was based on an elaborate wordplay, relying on the fact that each word can denote a different coin and the third word can be interpreted as Persia.

Daniel’s interpretation was a divine verdict against King Belshazzar:

• Mene – God has numbered your kingdom.
• Tekel – You have been weighed and found wanting.
• Peres – Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.

King Belshazzar’s offense resulted in the loss of his life and his kingdom (see vs. 30-31). But, his offense was not merely a drunken act of disrespect and sacrilege….

Belshazzar’s offense was that he challenged the authority of God. “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” (vs. 23).

And, Belshazzar could not plead ignorance to this offense (see vs. 22). It was a deliberate act of spiritual rebellion!

While immoral behavior is certainly offensive to God, it can often be a sign of a much greater offense that is even more concerning to God–that is, spiritual rebellion.

Belshazzar’s downfall was inevitable because he knowingly exalted himself against the God of Israel despite the witness of Nebuchadnezzar’s experience. The handwriting on the wall was not merely a prediction of Babylon’s fall but a declaration that the Most High God alone determines the rise and fall of the kingdoms of this world.

And, as we shall see as we study Daniel that this is a theme that culminates in Daniel’s later visions of God’s ultimate kingdom overcoming every human and spiritual empire.

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? (Hebrews 2:1-3, ESV)