Sabbath School Lesson for February 1-7, 2020
Overview
The story of Belshazzar’s riotous party and God’s handwriting on the wall, just prior to Babylon’s fall to the army of Cyrus, is told in Daniel 5…
- the details of the feast that got out of hand (Sunday)
- the words of warning, written by the hand of God (Monday)
- finding Daniel to interpret the words (Tuesday)
- what the words meant and how Belshazzar received them (Wednesday)
- how the Medo-Persians conquered the city that very night (Thursday)
Introduction
What we see in the fifth chapter of Daniel, seems almost a replay of Nebuchadnezzar’s battle with pride (Daniel 4), but this time it is being played out with his grandson Belshazzar, now on the throne. The young king also went too far in his defiance of God, but, unfortunately, the outcome this time did not lead to humility, but destruction.
Using the vessels of the Jerusalem temple in their pagan orgy definitely showed a lack of reverence for God. Even his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar at least respected the sacred articles enough to store them quietly away in one of his temples.
Memory Text: “And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.” Daniel 2:21 NKJV
The mighty kingdom of gold that was described in Nebuchadnezzar’s famous dream of chapter two was replaced by the next kingdom, represented by silver. Once again, we see the hand of the Sovereign King of the Universe, allowing nations to rise and fall, according to His divine plan.
The destruction of the mighty city of Babylon is important for our prophetic understanding, because similar wording and events are repeated in Revelation 17:4-6. Visions that covered the same prophecies and time periods that Daniel recorded in the second half of his book.
Sunday: Belshazzar’s Feast
With the city surrounded by a massive foreign army, one must question the wisdom of the king in holding such a festive party, as described by Daniel. Belshazzar, no doubt, feels little threat behind the city’s wall, which reached a height of about forty feet and was twenty-five feet in width. In addition, there was enough food stockpiled and enough water supplied by the Euphrates River, which ran through the city, to last several years.
The young monarch therefore placed his trust in his own devices for protection, and saw no reason not to plan and attend the lavish banquet that would show his subjects that there was nothing to fear from the forces outside their city.
As the party got into full, inebriated swing, the king ordered the ornate cups and utensils from Jerusalem’s temple brought to the table. Ignoring their sacredness, the king raised and drank from one of the golden cups, ignoring its holy status and proceeded to praise the heathen gods he had grown accustomed to worshiping.
Note that the gods that were worshiped that night consisted of the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone. Six gods–remember that their mathematical system consisted of the number six, unlike our decimal system today. These gods also remind us of the materials of the image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream so many years before.
Discussion Questions:
Read Daniel 5:1, 2 and 1:1, 2. What difference do we see here in how Belshazzar treats the temple articles, as opposed to his grandfather?
Read Daniel 5:3, 4 and 2:44, 45. Why do you suppose they were worshiping the gods of these materials that represented kingdoms? What in essence had Satan taught them to worship?
Read Revelation 17:4-6. What is there about this prophecy about end times that reminds us of Belshazzar’s feast? How does the ancient kingdom of Babylon, which originated with the Tower of Babel, resemble the confusion of people in the last days?
Monday: An Uninvited Guest
Just as wine glasses were being raised to the Babylonian gods, a “party crasher” made a mysterious and fearsome entrance. This was not the type of party that would welcome such an interloper as this one turned out to be.
Although obviously uninvited, God made His presence known by theatrically writing something on the palace wall that grabbed the attention of all the party goers. Seeing only the fingers of a hand write the message caused the king to be so terrified, his knees were knocking (Daniel 5:6).
His immediate reaction was to call for all the wise men of his kingdom to come and interpret the meaning of the words. The astrologers (those who looked for revelations in the stars), Chaldeans (astrologers who belonged to the royal dynasty), and soothsayers (fortunetellers) were called in, reminiscent of the call that went out after Nebuchadnezzar had his fearful, forgotten dream.
Just like his grandfather, Belshazzar offers great rewards to anyone who can tell the meaning of the mysterious words on the wall. He promised…
- purple clothing (a royal color)
- a gold chain to wear (signifying wealth and high social status)
- the honor of being the third ruler in the kingdom
Although the words on the wall were in Aramaic, none of the wise men called were able to decipher their meaning.
Discussion Questions:
Read Daniel 5:5, 6 and Exodus 31:18. Why did God choose to write these two messages with His own hand? Why were they both important?
Read Daniel 5:7 and 2:5, 6. Why do you think Belshazzar didn’t offer punishment if they couldn’t interpret the mysterious words on the wall?
Read 1 Corinthians 1:20, 21 and Daniel 2:20. What kind of truths are too important for humans to figure out for themselves? Why was God needed to understand the handwriting on the wall?
Tuesday: Enter the Queen
Word quickly spread through the palace about the mysterious handwriting on the wall, and the queen, thought to be the mother of Belshazzar, came quickly to the banquet hall with some important information about Daniel.
Bible scholars think this queen was most likely Nitocris, the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar and wife of Nabonidus. She proceeded to remind her son about the presence of the aging prophet Daniel. She even uses his Hebrew name Daniel, adding that the king called him Belteshazzar, a name closely similar to Belshazzar’s (almost a namesake?)
She recommended Daniel in glowing terms that spoke of his wisdom and understanding, which led to his position as chief over all the astrologers, magicians, and soothsayers in the kingdom. The king, extremely fearful, listens attentively and follows her suggestion to summon Daniel.
Discussion Questions:
Read Daniel 5:8-10. What troubled the king, besides seeing the mysterious hand writing a message on the wall? Why was it so important to have it interpreted?
Read Daniel 5:11, 12. What made the queen so sure of Daniel’s ability to interpret the writing? What made her willing to risk her life by suggesting Daniel’s help?
Read Romans 1:21-23. How does this description fit the astrologers and soothsayers vain attempts to interpret the words? How did it even make the king foolish?
Wednesday: Weighed and Found Wanting
After hearing the king’s gracious offer of rewards if Daniel can interpret the words on the wall, Daniel accepted, but then offered them back to the king or to be given to someone else. Daniel knew privately already that these gifts would be worthless when Cyrus completed his attack on the city.
He then indicted the king on three major mistakes he had made in his life:
- He ignored the experience of humility so dramatically illustrated in the story of his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar.
- He praised his heathen gods and lived a life that only served himself.
- He failed to glorify God, the one who held his every breath and kept him alive.
The meaning of MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN that he then gave the king was brief…
- MENE MENE (God has numbered–investigated–Belshazzar, and finished the investigation)
- TEKEL (God judged the king, and found him wanting–not worthy)
- UPHARSIN–PERES (God would punish the king by dividing his kingdom and allowing it to fall to the Medes and Persians)
Even though a harsh sentence was about to be given, Daniel went out of his way to gradually lead the king to an understanding of what brought him to that point.
In the end, all the earth will also know that God is merciful and just in punishing the wicked. Their deeds will be revealed, and the result of their sin presented to them in as loving a way as possible. In the end, they will know they have caused their own destruction, just like Belshazzar. See Philippians 2:9-11 and Isaiah 45:23, 24.
Discussion Questions:
Read Daniel 5:22, 23, Isaiah 41:11, and Romans 2:5, 6. Why is God just in punishing the wicked?
Read Romans 14:12, 13. Why is it not our place to judge others? How can our judging others be a stumbling block to someone? What other ways are we stumbling blocks to someone’s finding God and salvation?
Read Matthew 12:36, 37. Why do our words matter so much?
Thursday: The Fall of Babylon
The historian Herodotus tells us how Babylon fell that very night of the banquet. Nabonidus, Belshazzar’s father, had already left the city and surrendered to the conquering rulers. Evidently, the Persian army surrounding the city of Babylon were not idle. They were busy digging a canal to divert the Euphrates River which ran through the city.
The emptied riverbed that resulted from this canal allowed the army to march under the gates of Babylon without detection and attack the palace and kill the king. The city fell easily and the golden kingdom of Babylon was taken over by the Medes and Persians. A new empire was thus established.
Beltshazzar, with ample knowledge of Daniel’s God, was lost in the end. He stubbornly worshiped the wrong gods, and left himself prey to the enemies of his kingdom.
Discussion Questions:
Read Daniel 5:29. What must Daniel have been feeling when the gifts were given him by the king?
Read Daniel 5:30, 31. How was God’s sovereignty and mercy revealed in the quick way the city was taken?
Read Jeremiah 50:38 and Revelation 16:12. How do these prophetic predictions inform us about how quickly the end of sin will someday be accomplished?
Final Thoughts
Every one of Daniel’s experiences during his time of captivity brings us more understanding about what will occur in the very last days of earth’s history. A central theme that runs through all of them is the question of worship.
We must each choose who, how, and why we worship. Daniel’s stories, and visions later, illustrate how important it is to choose God, rather than Satan. We can either embrace the God of love, mercy, and forgiveness, or we will find ourselves becoming just the opposite–hateful, vengeful, and selfishly unforgiving toward those around us.
The highly symbolic visions given Daniel in coming chapters are more easily grasped by our finite minds when these early stories of defiance, faith, and deliverance have been fully absorbed into our hearts.
Seeing Nebuchadnezzar’s return to the throne, only after humbly accepting the full sovereignty of God, has been seen in contrast to his grandson Belshazzar, who refused all God’s efforts to redeem him. This led to a quick end for the proud, self-seeking king.
How can we not see in these stories parallels to the final judgment God will have on all the earth? We, like Daniel, must proclaim God as our Supreme Commander and follow Him, no matter how rough our life might prove to be.
Have faith that our eternal destiny with God is guaranteed. Remember how Daniel survived and even thrived under the realm of two empires, with many emperors, both friendly and unfriendly toward him. Don’t think for a minute that God has forgotten you, when you have given Him your whole heart. He doesn’t let go and will see all of us to the very end.
Next Week’s Lesson: From the Lions’ Den to the Angel’s Den (Daniel 6)
To read the Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly or see more resources for its study, go to https://www.absg.adventist.org/
Other Outlook blogposts by Teresa Thompson, are at http://outlookmag.org/author/teresathompson/
