Belshazzar's Feast

1. Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. 2. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. 3. 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 princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. 4. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. 5. In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 6. Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. 7. The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. 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 thereof. 9. Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied. 10. Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed: 11. There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; 12. Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation. 13. Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry? 14. I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. 15. And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing: 16. And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom. 17. Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation. 18. O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: 19. And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, 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 set up; and whom he would he put down. 20. But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him: 21. 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: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will. 22. And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; 23. 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 in 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: 24. Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. 25. And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. 26. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. 27. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. 28. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. 29. Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. 30. In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. 31. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.

*Jeremiah 50:1-2, "The word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet. Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces."

The absence of the name of Belshazzar on the monuments was long regarded as an argument against the genuineness of the Book of Daniel. In 1854 Sir Henry Rawlinson found an inscription of Nabonidus which referred to his eldest son. Quite recently, however, the side of a ravine undermined by heavy rains fell at Hillah, a suburb of Babylon. A number of huge, coarse earthenware vases were laid bare. These were filled with tablets, the receipts and contracts of a firm of Babylonian bankers, which showed that Belshazzar had a household, with secretaries and stewards. One was dated in the third year of the king Marduk-sar-uzur. As Marduk-sar-uzar was another name for Baal, this Marduk-sar-uzur was found to be the Belshazzar of Scripture (*Easton's Bible Dictionary). Belshazzar means "Bel (or Baal) save the king."

After Nebuchadnezzar's death Evil-merodach, his son, took the throne. It was during the beginning of his reign, in 562 B.C., that Jehoiachin was set free. *Jeremiah 52:31-34, "And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison. And spake kindly unto him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon, And changed his prison garments: and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life. And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life."

Nergal-sharezer, one of the princes of the king of Babylon, accompanied him in his last expedition against Jerusalem. *Jeremiah 39:3, "And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergalsharezer, Samgarnebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon."

Nergalsharezer was also one of those who were sent to release Jeremiah from prison by the captain of the guard, Nebuzaradan. *Jeremiah 39:11-14, "Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying, Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee. So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent, and Nebushasban, Rabsaris, and Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon's princes; Even they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison, and committed him unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home: so he dwelt among the people."

From historical accounts and inscriptions, we are led to conclude that he was the Neriglissar who murdered Evil-merodach in 560 B.C. and succeeded him on the throne of Babylon. He was married to a daughter of Nebuchadnezzar and was succeeded by his son, Labashi Marduk, who was murdered after a reign of nine months by a conspiracy of the nobles. Nabonadius, who was among these nobles, ascended the throne and reigned for a period of seventeen years (B.C. 555-538).

There has been much controversy over who Belshazzar actually was. Daniel refers to him as the King of Babylon. From historical accounts and research we can conclude that Belshazzar was the son of Nabonidus by Nitocris. In 550 B.C. religious disputes and military pressures weakend the rule of King Nabonidus. While he was in Arabia, Nabonidus gave control of his empire to his son Belshazzar.

Heir to the throne, Belshazzar ruled for ten years in his father's absence and was in charge of the troups who defended Babylon against the Persians. Nitocris, his mother, was the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar and the widow of Nergal-sharezer. In Daniel chapter five she is referred to as "the queen."

*Jeremiah 51:10-12, "The LORD hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God. Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple. Set up the standard upon the walls of Babylon, make the watch strong, set up the watchmen, prepare the ambushes: for the LORD hath both devised and done that which he spake against the inhabitants of Babylon."

In 539 B. C. Belshazzar made a great feast for one-thousand of his lords. They drank wine and while he was intoxicated he commanded his servants to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem. So they brought him the golden vessels and the king, his princes, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine and praised the gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone. While they drank fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

Now God had commanded Moses to make the vessels of the tabernacle of pure gold. *Exodus 25:29, "And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them." *Exodus 37:16, "And he made the vessels which were upon the table, his dishes, and his spoons, and his bowls, and his covers to cover withal, of pure gold." These vessels were sanctified and cleansed then used by the priests during their service in the tabernacle for the shewbread, drink offerings, and meat or meal offerings.

These offerings were hallowed unto the Lord and the priests were given commandments concerning them. *Leviticus 22:2-3, "Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am the LORD. Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your seed among your generations, that goeth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence: I am the LORD."

The vessels were sanctified, i.e. set aside or separated, for this purpose; however, it was the offering that was hallowed. Whatever was placed in these vessels was to be holy and used as a praise unto the Lord their God. But Belshazzar chose to use them to praise the gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone profaning the name of the LORD.

In the same hour a man's hand wrote upon the wall opposite the lampstand, "MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN." Then Belshazzar's appearance changed and his thoughts troubled him. His body became weak and his knees knocked together. He was frightened out of his wits and he shouted, "Bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers." He promised them that who ever could read the writing and give him the interpretation would be clothed with scarlet, have a chain of gold for his neck, and be the third ruler in the kingdom. But no one in all his kingdom could read the writing nor tell him the interpretation. Then was king Belshazzar's spirit greatly troubled, his facial expression was changed, and his lords were astonished.

*Jeremiah 50:22-24, "A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction. How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations! I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD."

When the queen heard of the words spoken by Belshazzar and his lords she came into the banquet house. Then she spoke to the king and said, "O king, live for ever! Don't be afraid. There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. During the time of your grandfather light, understanding, and wisdom was found in him. King Nebuchadnezzar made him master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. Because an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting of dreams, revealing words, and dissolving doubts were found in Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, let Daniel be called. He will give you the interpretation."

When Daniel was brought before the king Belshazzar told him that he had heard of him and requested that he interpret the writing promising Daniel all the things that he had promised his magicians. But Daniel refused his gifts and exclaimed to Belshazzar, "The most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar your grandfather a kingdom, majesty, glory, and honour. Because of this all people, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whoever he wanted, he killed. Whoever he wanted, stayed alive. Whoever he wanted to exault he set up and whoever he removed would be brought down."

"But when he became vain and he exaulted himself he was deposed from his kingly throne. They took his glory from him and he was driven from the sons of men. His heart was made like a animal and he lived with the wild donkeys. They fed him grass like oxen and his body was wet with the dew of heaven. He remained like this until he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that He appointed over it whomever he desired."

"You, his grandson, Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself even though you knew all this. You have stood against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you. You, your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drank wine in them. You have praised the gods of silver, gold, brass, iron, wood, and stone which cannot see, nor hear, nor understand. The God in Whose hand is your breath, and in Whom are all you have, you have not glorified."

Daniel's words were not filled with the empathy and the respect he displayed before Belshazzar's grandfather Nebuchadnezzar. As Daniel entered the banquet hall and looked at all that Belshazzar had done his spirit must have filled with anger and jelousy for the Lord his God. The king had committed an act of irreverance and disrespect for his God. This was something that neither Daniel nor the Lord could pardon.

*Jeremiah 51:27-29, "Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; appoint a captain against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough caterpillers. Prepare against her the nations with the kings of the Medes, the captains thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and all the land of his dominion. And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant."

As Daniel read the words and gave the interpretation he pronounced the judgment of God upon the head of Belshazzar. "And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians," (*Daniel 5:25-29).

After Nebuchadnezzar's death in 562 B.C. the Babylonian empire grew steadily unstable. At the same time, a major uprising was taking place in the Median Empire. The rebellion was led by Cyrus the Persian, king of a Median vassal state in southern Iran. Babylonia's leaders eagerly supported him, confident that the fighting would leave Media too weak to threaten their own security. This proved to be a fatal mistake.

Cyrus waged a brilliant campaign, gaining the Median throne in 550 B.C. and expanding his domain with frightening speed. By 546 B.C. the new Persian Empire extended westward to the Aegean Sea, and in 539 B.C., after securing his holdings to the north and east, Cyrus moved south into Babylonia.

While Belshazzar was feasting in the great banquet hall Cyrus was preparing to make his triumphal entry into the capital. That night Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, was killed. Darius the Mede was appointed governor over the kingdom of Babylon.

&Next we will look at Daniel chapter six. This will bring us to year 539 B.C. and Daniel's sixty-sixth year in captivity. This chapter not only brings us into the lion's den but also the form of government which the Medo-Persian empire employed. Please begin reading Haggai and Zechariah which will give you a greater insight into what was occurring with the Jewish people while the Persian's were in control.

It was once said, by a wonderful teacher, that you can take the entire book of Daniel and hang all the prophesies of the Bible on its contents. This is so true and hope that the Lord is showing you this as you study and compare the scriptures of the Old Testament prophets with the scriptures of Daniel. We will look at more of the New Testament prophesies further into the study.