Daniel 5 - Bible Study, Explanation, and Application

Daniel 5 Bible Study

TIMELINE:

• The Book of Daniel opens in the 3rd year of the reign of King Jehoiakim, 606 BC. Daniel was a contemporary of Ezekiel in Babylon. Daniel was taken to Babylon about 14 years before Ezekiel was called by God to be a prophet (Ezekiel 1-2).

• Daniel 1:21 informs us Daniel was in the palace of Babylon until the first year of King Cyrus (539 BC).

• The events of Daniel 5 date to 539 BC (67 years after the book opens), the year the Medes and Persians overthrew the Babylon.

• Below is a useful list of kings of Judah and dates for their reign:

  • Amon (642-640 BC)

  • Josiah (640-609 BC)

  • Jehoahaz (also known as Shallum, 609 BC)

  • Jehoiakim (initially known as Eliakim, 609-598 BC)

  • Jehoiachin (also known as Jeconiah or Coniah, 598-597 BC)

  • Zedekiah (His reign ended when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem, (597-586 BC)

WHAT WE'VE STUDIED SO FAR IN DANIEL:

• Daniel 1 – Daniel and his friends are taken to Babylon and educated for 3 years to work in the king’s court. Daniel requests to be exempted from eating the king’s food in order to keep God’s dietary laws.

• Daniel 2 – Nebuchadnezzar has a dream about a great image made of 5 different materials. Daniel interprets the dream for him, telling him about an everlasting kingdom that God would set up in the latter days.

• Daniel 3 – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s image of gold and were thrown into the fiery furnace. God miraculously saved them from the fire, and Nebuchadnezzar praised God and honored Him throughout the kingdom.

• Daniel 4 – Nebuchadnezzar praised God as the Most High and the Eternal King. He recounted how God humbled him by turning him into an animal-like being that lived outside and ate grass like an ox.

OUTLINE:

• THE WRITING ON THE WALL (5:1-12):

  • King Belshazzar, one of Nebuchadnezzar’s descendants was now on the throne of Babylon.

  • He threw a great feast for his officials, with thousands in attendance.

  • In a move of arrogance, he called for the gold and silver vessels that had once been part of God’s Temple in Jerusalem to be brought out and used as wine glasses.

  • They drank from the vessels and praised their idols.

  • As soon as they did this, they were stunned to see a disembodied hand writing words on the wall with its finger.

  • “The king’s color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together” (5:6).

  • None of the king’s wise men or astrologers could interpret the writing.

  • Everyone was perplexed until the queen recommended calling for Daniel, who she called a man “in whom is the spirit of the holy gods” (5:11).

• DANIEL INTERPRETS THE WRITING (5:13-29):

  • Daniel was called and promised power and riches if he could translate the writing.

  • Daniel dismissed the king’s gifts. He rebuked Belshazzar for his pride and not learning the lesson God taught Nebuchadnezzar when he allowed himself to be proud.

  • Belshazzar was told that the hand he observed writing on the wall was sent from the God of Judah, the God Belshazzar had just disrespected by drinking from His gold and silver vessels.

  • The writing on the wall was inscribed “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.”

  • Daniel gave the interpretation of each word.

    • MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end.

    • TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting.

    • PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

  • After hearing the interpretation, Belshazzar kept his word, gave Daniel clothing of purple, a gold chain, and made him the third most powerful ruler in the kingdom.

• THE FALL OF BABYLON (5:30-31):

  • Daniel’s new appointment was short lived.

  • That very night, God sent the Medes and Persians into Babylon.

  • They conquered the city and killed Belshazzar.

APPLICATION:

• If you don’t know God’s work and words from the past, you won’t know how to solve present problems.

• Belshazzar didn’t know God’s work well enough to know about Daniel. He had to be reminded by his wife. Belshazzar was at a loss until his wife came and told him how to solve his problem.

• You are going to struggle to cope, manage, and navigate through modern problems if you don’t know God’s ancient principles.

• Unfortunately, there are a lot of people in the world, and even Christians, that don’t know the Scriptures well enough to recall principle that are relevant to pilot them through the varied circumstances of life.

• There is especially a male application in this passage. Men are tasked with leading their households spiritually. Don’t be the man who knows so little about the Bible that your wife needs to remind you and teach you about basic spiritual principles when difficulty arises in your life.