Most know the story of the handwriting on the wall in Daniel 5. Belshazzar was the king of Babylon in Daniel 5. He is called the son of Nebuchadnezzar in 5:22 but historical records say that he was the son of Nabonidus (556-539 BC). The Hebrew word for “son” is bar: Son, heir, pure, clean. There is no physical lineage back to. Nebuchadnezzar although some say that Belshazzar was a son in law to Nebuchadnezzar, or maybe it just means he was an heir to the throne following Nebuchadnezzar. Belshazzar actually co-reigned with his father Nabonidus but appears to be the one in charge.

The story begins with a feast. Daniel 5:1 Belshazzar the king held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand. ² While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines could drink out of them. ³ Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank out of them. ⁴ They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone.” In other words, they were having a drunken feast! They praised their god idols that were made out of gold, etc. They drank wine out of the gold vessels taken from the temple in Jerusalem when King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 586 BC. You can see why God is going to destroy Babylon b/c of their arrogance and blasphemy of the one true God Yahweh.

Daniel 5:⁵ Suddenly the fingers of a human hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing. ⁶ Then the king’s face became pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his hip joints loosened and his knees began knocking together.” Sorry but I just have to thrown this image of a boy whose knees knocked in fear. Belshazzar had to look something like this:

None of his diviners or sorcerers could interpret the handwriting. Daniel 5:⁹ Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, his face grew even more pale, and his nobles were perplexed.” The queen reminded him of how Daniel had interpreted the vision of the statue for Nebuchadnezzar, so Daniel was summoned. The king offered to make Daniel third in the kingdom if he could interpret the handwriting, but Daniel refused any reward. Daniel reminded the king of how the great Nebuchanezzaar was humbled by God to live like an animal b/c of his pride (Daniel 4). He told Belshezzar: Daniel 5:²² Yet you, his ^[v]son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this, ²³ but you have risen up against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives, and your concubines have been drinking wine out of them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see, nor hear, nor understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ways, you have not glorified.”

Daniel then gave the interpretation: Daniel 5:26 This is the interpretation of the message: ‘Mene’—God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it. ²⁷ ‘Tekel’—you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. ²⁸ ‘Peres’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” Daniel was promoted to being third in the kingdom but that didn’t last long!

Daniel 5:³⁰ That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. ³¹ So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.” There is no historical records of a Darius the Mede, but we trust God’s word that he did exist in history. Many times there is no historical record of some event or person in the Bible, only later to find archaeological evidence that proves that the Bible was accurate. Such was the case with the discovery of archaeological proof of the existence of the Hittites. Darius is mentioned again in Daniel 9:1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans. The Medes had actually joined Babylon to defeat the Assyrians in 612 BC. Whoever this Darius was, he had a major part in defeating the Babylonians and took over their kingdom in 539 BC. Cyrus the Great, the king of Persia, is given credit for conquering Babylon in 539 BC according to history. Both the Babylonian Chronicles and the Cyrus Cylinder describe Babylon being taken “without battle”. “King Cyrus the Great diverted the Euphrates River to conquer Babylon. He dug trenches upstream to create a reservoir, which lowered the water level in the city. Cyrus’ soldiers waded into the river at night. They marched up the riverbed to Babylon’s gates, which were left open. The Persians took the city with little resistance. The Babylonians were partying and had left the gates open and unguarded. The Babylonians also felt so secure that they didn’t expect an attack.” (AI) That matches the story in Daniel 5 of the feast that night. History says that Belshazzar was killed and Nabonidus was captured and exiled.

“The Cyrus cylinder: clay cylinder; a Babylonian account of the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus in 539 BC, of his restoration to various temples of statues removed by Nabonidus, the previous king of Babylon, and of his own work at Babylon.” (From theBritishmuseum.org). Cyrus is the king that Isaiah the prophet predicted would defeat the Babylonians and allow the Jews to return to the holy land. He predicted Cyrus by name over 100 years before Cyrus was even born! Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel had all predicted the fall of Babylon due to her idolatry, cruelty, and arrogant blasphemy of Yahweh.

The Nabonidus Chronicle. ” The Babylonian Chronicles (consisting of 45 tablets), specifically the “Nabonidus Chronicle,” provide a detailed account of the fall of Babylon, describing its conquest by the Persian king Cyrus the Great without a battle, and are considered a primary source for this historical event.” 

That’s a lot of history! The story in Daniel 5 reinforces that “pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Nebuchadnezzar died before Belshazzar was born, so Belshazzar did not actually see Nebuchadnezzar becoming like an animal due to his pride, but Daniel said that Belshazzar knew about it. Daniel 5:²² Yet you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this.” History repeats itself unless we learn from the mistakes of the past and correct them. Pride makes some rulers think their kingdoms are invincible even though they read of earlier rulers falling even though they thought their kingdoms were invincible. We read about the fall of the Roman Empire, but we don’t really think that the U.S. could fall one day. From AI: “The fall of the Roman Empire was caused by a combination of factors including political instability, economic decline, overexpansion, military overspending, barbarian invasions, civil wars, corruption within the government, and a weakening Roman army; with the most significant factor being the constant pressure from Germanic tribes migrating into the empire’s borders, leading to numerous invasions and weakening the empire’s defenses.” We find several of those same facors in our country, do we not? Government overspending has created a deficit that might bankrupt our country (don’t think that could not happen). We have political instability in my opinion and are deeply divided politically. We have government corruption and wasteful spending. We have the constant threat of terrorists. We have violence as evidence by the many shootings. We have moral decline and a rejection of the Bible’s definition of sin and the approval of homosexuality (the LGBQT movement). We have the breakdown of the family unit with over 50% divorce rate and with homosexual marriages.

Can you pray this prayer with me? “God, please help our country return to You and to Your word. Whatever it takes, humble us before it is too late. Give us leaders who will not just make America great militarily and economically, but will lead us back to You. Forgive us for forsaking Your word and our Judeo-Christian roots. We still have so many resources that can be used to do Your work all over the world, so it would be sad to see America fall or lose those resources. Give us a grass roots revival like the first and second great awakening. Purge out the churches that no longer hold fast to your word. Thank for you the material blessings that you have given so many of us. Thank you for the remnant of conservative Christians who still hold fast to Your word. Thank you for sending your Son to die for our sins, providing eternal life no matter what happens in our country or in the world. Amen. ”

He was one of the greatest kings ever in terms of his power and of his kingdom of Babylon. He reigned for 43 years (605 – 562 BC). He is know for his construction projects such as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (supposedly one of the 7 wonders of the world). He was a warrior-king who defeated the Egyptians (605 BC) and the Assyrians (612 BC). God used him to. destroy Jerusalem and the temple in 586 BC. His name is used 88 times in the Bible! God used him to judge the evil nations surrounding Judah as was predicted by the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. God had already used the Assyrians to take the northern kingdom of Israel capative and destroy the capital Samaria in 722 BC. God used even pagan nations to judge other nations. That really bothered Habakkuk the prophet. Habakkuk questioned God, “I know Judah needs to be punished for her sins but how can you, God, use such a pagan evil nation like Babylon to punish her?” God told him that in due time Babylon would also be judged for her sins, and she was when Cyrus and the Persians conquered Babylon in 539 BC, which was predicted by the prophets. Daniel 2:20-22 says, “He removes kings and raises up kings”. Judah would remain in captivity in Babylon for 70 years before Cyrus allowed them to return to rebuild the temple in 536 BC.

A closer look at Daniel 4. I don’t think I ever noticed that much of Daniel 4 is written in the. first person. “I, Nebuchadnezzar” is used often (4:4, 18, 34, 37), and a lot of “I, me, my”. Most of this chapter is Nebuchadnezzar telling his own story of his own belief in the God of Daniel and Judah! This is his personal testimony! Daniel 4 begins: “Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and populations of all languages who live in all the earth: “May your peace be great! ² I am pleased to declare the signs and miracles that the Most High God has done for me. ³ How great are His signs and how mighty are His miracles! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.” That would be his conclusion after the 7 years of madness and living like an animal. He then in 4:1-18, in 1st person, tells about his dream of a great tree cut down to a stump and the stump being given an animal’s mind for 7 period of tme to humble him. His magicians could not interpret the dream, so Daniel came and interpreted it for him. Daniel had earlier interpreted his vision of the statue in Daniel 2, so the king had confidence in Daniel’ ability to interpret dreams.

4:¹⁹ “Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his thoughts alarmed him.” Imagine telling the king of the then known world that he is about to become like an animal for 7 years! Daniel told him that the tree was the king and the stump was that he would be cut down and humbled to live like an animal for 7 periods (probably 7 years) until he would recognize that the Most High (i.e. Yahweh the God of Judah) is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes. A stump, if not dug up and its roots destroyed, can grow into a tree again and Daniel told the king that he could regain his reign over his kingdom if he humbled himself. Daniel advised him: “wipe away your sin by doing righteousness, and your wrongdoings by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity.” (4:27)

Nebuchadnezzar did not heed the warning of the dream for a year. 4: ²⁹ Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. ³⁰ The king began speaking and was saying, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty?’ “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). While he was still saying this, a voice told him that he was about to lose his sovereignty and that he would live like an animal for 7 periods until he recognized that it was Yahweh who had made him great. 4:³³ Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.”
Notice that 4:34-37 goes back to 1st person. 4:³⁴ “But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; for His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and His kingdom endures from generation to generation. 4:³⁶ At that time my reason returned to me. And my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the honor of my kingdom, and my state counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my sovereignty, and surpassing greatness was added to me. ³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just; and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.” He learned his lesson the hard way! But he did learn his lesson and gave God the glory for his greatness as king of Babylon. He resumed his sovereignty and completed his 43 year reign. Did he quit worshipping the god Marduk, the patron deity of Babylon, after this? Did he have faith in the one true God, Yahweh? Did he ever lose that faith in God? Did he repent of his cruelty to Judah and the kings of Judah? Did he repent of his cruelty to many nations? Did he repent of making the golden image and requiring everyone to bow down and worship the image and the king (Daniel 3). Did he repent of throwing the 3 Hebrew lads in the fire? After that incident, he did make a decree that anyone who blasphemed the god of the Hebrews would be punished, but there is not mention of his person faith in their god. I wish we knew how his story ended.

On a side note, a lot of the book of Daniel is written by Daniel using the 1st person, “I Daniel ….”. There is a short video, “My name is Daniel and this is my story” by Holy Tales on youtube if you want to watch it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJc9_Yctz3c Here is a great 12 minute video on Nebuchadnezzar that include a discussioin of Daniel 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVDYObRu3HM&list=PLQmuFy0bsDto74obQhimrlIb-89175SaV&index=10

As Nebuchadnezzar concluded, God is “able to humble those who walk in pride.” Here is a site that gives verses in the Bible that warn against the sin of pride. https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-pride/

It is so easy for us to be prideful. Most of us have nice homes, good jobs, good money, good retirement, good insurance. We have worked for years and by great effort have achieved a certain level of success. It is so easy to go out on the porch and say, “Look at all that I have achieved; look at my possessions”. It might be then that God strikes us with something bad to humble us! Give God the glory for any success we achieve in life!

Does God still work among nations, to raise up kings and remove them when He wants to? We know he did that with the 4 kingdoms of the statue in Daniel 2 (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome). That led to the establishment of His church kingdom in the days of the Roman Empire, and of Jesus beginning his reign over that church kingdom (Daniel 7:13) and over all the kingdoms of the world (Revelation 11:15). God’s plan of redemption was wrapped up in 70 AD with the destruction of the temple and the fulfillment of all Old Testament prophecy (Luke 21:22). Did God have a specific plan for nations after 70 AD? Or did he just leave the fate of nations to the freewill of men? Did he leave it mainly to free will and then just intervened occasionally? We don’t know and there are no true prophets who can tell us how God is involved in nations? There is no prophet of God that can tell us why God allowed Hitler to do what he did, or Stalin.

9th-century-BC depiction of the Statue of Marduk, with his servant dragon Mušḫuššu. This was Marduk’s main cult image in Babylon. From wikipedia.