Daniel 5    Surprise Party

King Nebuchadnezzar died in 563 B.C.  Chapter 5 takes place about 25 years after his death.  There was a succession of kings in Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar died.  Nebuchadnezzar's only son succeeded him and he was murdered by a brother in law.  That brother in law became king and then his son who only reigned a few months became king.  He was killed by another of King Nebuchadnezzar's sons in law.  Nabonidus, the last rular of the Babylonian empire spent much of his time away from the kingdom probably in the battle with the Persians that they are in and so his son Belshazzar was the acting king.   The Persians, led by King Cyrus attack the Babylonian army and then head toward Babylon. 
Bablyon had a big wall around it, the wall was 300 hundred feet high and wide enough for four chariots to travel around the city walls.  They had enough food and water to last for around 20 years inside the city, so they were basically self sufficient and would not have to go out and fight the Persians.l

Read Daniel 5:1  What was King Belshazzar thinking?  The city is surrounded with enemy troops and he throws a party?   It says that the party began with a big cocktail party.  So many people talk about our drug problem that our nation has today but how many discount alcohol as a big drug problem?   Billions of dollars are spent every year on alcohol and so many people don't see the damage that it is doing.  

Read Daniel 5: 2-4  Here he is called "father" because it was the custom to call an ancestor "father"  He was the best the grandfather of Belshazzar.   When we last saw Nebuchadnezzar he had been worshipping God.  What does Belxhazzar show is his attitude toward the true God of Heaven?   Belshazzar, being the evil and arrogant man that he is decides to show God what he thinks of him by having all of the guests drink out of the goblets from God's temple while praising other gods.   This was very stupid and arrogant.   Look at their list of gods:  gold, silver, brass, iron, wood and stone.  Do you think that people today have other gods?

Read Daniel 5:  5-6  Can you imagine seeing this?  Think how they must have felt.   

Read Daniel 5:  7-9  Why would Belshazzar make the person who decrypted the message the third highest? (Because his father was actually the king and then Belshazzar was under him and the second in control)
* How many do you think wanted a shot at winning this reward? (verse 8 says "all" the wise men showed up)

*God obviously wrote the message in a way that was difficult for the people to understand.  Why do you think he did that?  (I think it was to show the inadequacy of the king and his "wise" men.)

* It says in verse 8 that all of the wise men came in.   Had Daniel been demoted?  ( Yes, sometime after Nebuchadnezzar died he had been demoted)  

Read Daniel 5: 10-12  This queen that is referred to here was probably King Nebuchadnezzar's wife.

Read Daniel 5:13 - 17
What was the first thing Belshazzar asks Daniel?  (Were you a slave)  I would have thought that the first thing he would have said to Daniel was:  were you for many years the number one wise man in the kingdom?

This shows me that Belshazzar is arrogant and obnoxious.

In verses 14-16 we learn this could be Daniel's ticket back to fame and fortune.  But we see in verse 17 that he turns it down.  He says he will read the writing on the wall but he told Belshazzar that he had nothing to give that he values.  Can you imagine how Belshazzar felt when Daniel said this?

Read Daniel 5: 18-23   Daniel basically told Belshazzar that God had blessed Nebuchadnezzar.    And he also told Belshazzar that he had not humbled himself to God and that instead he had set himself up against God. 
Could this have gotten Daniel killed?  (Yes, and I really don't think that he cared.  He was a messenger for God and he was going to tell Belshazzar the truth.) 

Read Daniel 5:  24-28  Daniel liked Nebuchadnezzar and had always softend what he was telling him.  He would always give the good news first.  But when he starts talking to Belshazzar he does not soften it at all.  I thnk this is probably because he does not have any respect for Belshazzar.  The king is arrogant and obnoxious.   Nebuchadnezzar had been a world conqueror but Belshazzar had done nothing except get drunk and insult God. 

Read Daniel 5: 29  Belshazzar kept his word.  Why?

Read Daniel 5: 30  Judgement is executed aganist Belshazzar.  In the book of Isaiah chapter 21 it is prophesied about the destruction of Babylon.  Darius is now the rular of this area.