THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL
                                                 DANIEL 5:1-31

INTRODUCTION

   Sometimes when we feel or think something bad is going to happen ,we say, "The handwriting is on the wall".  Maybe this expression will mean more to us when we read about the handwriting on the wall for Belshazzar. This chapter begins with a new king reigning on the throne of Babylon.  The king of Babylon is now Belshazzar.  The king was either a grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, or son as some speculate from Daniel 5:11.  Whatever his lineage to Nebuchadnezzar  the fact is that he now rules the Babylonian Kingdom at this time, Daniel 5:10,28.
 
 

                                 THE PARTY OF THE KING

Belshazzar threw a big party one night.  This party was very big, to say the least.  The king held this party which was a great banquet or feast for a thousand of his lords.  Imagine the splendor, pomp and ceremony that was on display!  This feast no doubt was the social event of the season.  Men wore their best tunic tuxedoes and the women put on there most beautiful party dresses.  I am sure many rode in on chariots and they rode their finest camallacs to see and be seen.

This great feast was for all the elite, and no expense was spared.  The purpose may have been to show off for the King. Belshazzor called for the vessels from the temple of God to be brought to the dinner tables.  These vessels were the ones that Nebuchadnezzar had carted off after he conquered Judah.

Dan.  5:2  Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and
                 silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple
                 which was in Jerusalem; that the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines,
                 might drink therefrom.
 
It is one thing to pollute and desecrate the objects of idols, but to profane the sacred vessels of the God of heaven is deadly!

People desecrate the church when the offer innovations of men into her worship.  Burning incense, sprinkling babies, instrumental music and removing the Lord Supper from every Lord's Day, are just a few ways people profane the sacred.

Maybe the flowing wine influenced the king to become more foolish and sinful.

Prov. 20:1  Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging and those deceived thereby are not wise.

Drinking can cause people to do terrible things,  just as Belshazzar profaned the sacred.  Under the influence of alcohol people have committed many hellish sins.

Lot had sexual relations with his daughters while he was drunk.

Gen. 19:20-21  behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one. Oh
                          let me escape thither (is it not a little one?), and my soul shall live.
                         And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing
                         also, that I will not overthrow the city of which thou hast spoken.

The Christians were warned that  "no drunkard would inherit the kingdom of God".

I Cor. 6:9-10 Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?
                      Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate,
                      nor abusers of themselves with men,   nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards,
                      nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

The princes and the lords of the palace drank praises to their idols and false god's, with the vessels of the temple.  As they mocked God they toasted their idol's,  but soon would know that they had gotten God's attention.  Belshazzar toasted his idols and mocked the Lord.

Dan.  5:3-4  Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple
                     of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king and his lords,
                      his wives and his concubines, drank from them.  They drank wine, and
                      praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
 
Gal. 6:7  "Be not deceived God is not mocked.".

                GOD DELIVERS HIS MESSAGE TO THE KING

From the fingers of a mans hand with no arm, a message is written on the wall.

Dan.  5:5   In the same hour came forth the fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over
                  against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and
                  the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

The King had not sent an invitation to God, yet when he mocked and profaned the sacred vessels,  God showed up.  We might say that God was a party pooper on this occasion.  God crashed this party and brought the mood of celebration too terrible fear and fright.  The king turned as pale as possible, He had terrible thoughts swirling around his addled brain.  The knees and the joints of the King ,shook and knocked.  The King was in a nervous condition to say the least.

Dan 5:6    Then the king's countenance was changed in him, and his thoughts troubled him;
                  and the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.

The king began to call for the wise men to interpret the message written on the wall.  Thats how a lot of people are today.  Something bad happens and scares them, then they call for a preacher.  The king wants his Chaldeans, soothsayers, astrologers, and physic friends to come talk with him.

Dan. 5:7  The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers.
                The king spake and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing,
                and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain
                of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.

The wise men came to the King and looked at the writing.  None could interpret the message.  The King offered a large amount of money and power even to be third regent to the throne.  Sometimes to get w preacher's attention, people pull out their billfolds.  The party was over as far as the drinking and carousing, everybody was stone cold sober and serious seeing the king in such a panic.  The queen arrived and told Belshazzar that she remembered that Daniel was still around and that he could interpret the dream.

 Dan.  5:8  Then came in all the king's wise men; but they could not read the writing, nor
                   make known to the king the interpretation.
 
 
                                                DANIEL AND THE KING
 

Daniel arrived to find the party was over but everybody was still hanging around.  The King told Daniel about the hand and fingers that was with out an arm that wrote on the wall.  The King offered his riches and power to Daniel, if he will just let him know what the message said on the wall.  Daniel looked over the words and realized the wealth of the king was not going to amount to much very soon.

Dan.  5:13-17  Then was Daniel brought in before the king. The king spake and said
                      unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, who art of the children of the captivity
                      of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah?  I have heard of
                      thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding
                      and excellent wisdom are found in thee.   And now the wise men, the enchanters,
                      have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make
                      known unto me the interpretation thereof; but they could not show the interpretation
                     of the thing.    But I have heard of thee, that thou canst give interpretations, and
                     dissolve doubts; now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the
                     interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold
                     about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.    Then Daniel answered
                     and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another;
                     nevertheless I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the
                     interpretation.

Daniel informed the king that Nebuchadnezzar had once been under the judgment of God.  Belshazzar was without excuse and should have learned from Nebuchadnezzar's experience.

Dan.  5:18-23  O thou king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father the
                        kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and majesty: 5:19and because of
                        the greatness that he gave him, all the peoples, nations, and languages
                        trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew, and whom he
                       would he kept alive; and whom he would he raised up, and whom he would
                       he put down.   But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened
                       so that he dealt proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took
                       his glory from him:    and he was driven from the sons of men, and his heart was
                       made like the beasts', and his dwelling was with the wild asses; he was fed with
                       grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; until he knew that
                       the Most High God ruleth in the kingdom of men, and that he setteth up over it
                      whomsoever he will.   And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thy
                      heart, though thou knewest all this,   but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of
                      heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou and
                      thy lords, thy wives and thy concubines, have drunk wine from them; and thou hast
                      praised the gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not,
                      nor hear, nor know; and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy
                      ways, hast thou not glorified.

 Daniel stated that Belshazzar had not humbled his heart before God.

Dan. 5:22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thy heart, though thou knewest all this,

Daniel then began to interpret the words on the wall.

Dan.  5:25-28  And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL,
                        UPHARSIN.    This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath
                        numbered thy kingdom, and brought it to an end;   TEKEL; thou art
                        weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.  PERES; thy kingdom
                        is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

Mene meant God had numbered the kingdom and was finishing it.

Daniel 5:26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy
                     kingdom, and brought it to an end;

Tekel  Belshazzar had been weighed on God's scales a didn't amount to much.  The king was found wanting.

Dan. 5:27   TEKEL; thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
 
 "Peres",  The kingdom was to be divided to the Medes and Persians.

Dan. 5:28  PERES; thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians
 

The words were startling and sobering.  They message was of doom and gloom.  The king was a man of his word and rewarded Daniel with royal clothing, a fancy chain of gold, and he proclaimed Daniel as ruler of one third of the kingdom.

Dan.  5:29  Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a
                   chain of gold about his neck, and made proclamation concerning him, that he
                   should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
 
 

                                 TURN OUT THE LIGHTS THE PARTY IS OVER
 
 

That very night the party was over, and the words on the wall were read.   Belshazzar was killed that night.  According to history the mighty Euphrates was diverted by the Medes and the Persians.  The Persian armies slipped under the great walled fortress of Babylon in the dried riverbed.  The army conquered the kingdom in record time. Some speculate the priests of Marduk aided the attackers.   Belshazzar was killed by the attackers that very night.

Dan. 5:30-31  In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean King was slain. And Darius the Mede
                      received the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
 

The sixty-two year old Darius the Mede took the kingdom from Belshazzar.  The end of Babylon had arrived, and now the world-wide empire was controlled by the Medes and Persians.

Dan. 5:30-31 In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean King was slain. And Darius the Mede
                       received the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
 

Everyone that thinks they can rebel and blaspheme God should remember this account.

Truly the way of the transgressor is hard.

Prov. 13:15  Good understanding giveth favor;  But the way of the transgressor is hard.

The wages of sin is death.

Rom. 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ
                   Jesus our Lord.

The judgment of God was sure and certain.  One day all of us will stand before the throne of God and be weighed spiritually.  We will be judged on the deeds of the body here in this lifetime,.

II Cor. 5:17 Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things
                     are passed away; behold, they are become new.

The swift destruction of Belshazzar and Babylon should wake us up!
 
 

CONCLUSION

   The child of God will never regret serving God on judgment day.  Just as Belshazzar had a rude awakening so can we.  Are you a servant of the Lord today?

Have you obeyed the terms of pardon?
                                                         Believe Jesus is the son of God, John 8:24
                                                         Repent and turn from sin, Luke 13:3-5
                                                         Confess  Christ before men, Matthew 10:32
                                                         Immersed, baptized for remission of sins, Acts 2:38
                                                         Faithful unto death, Revelation 2:10