A September 2022 study by the Pew Research Center, demonstrates that the United States may become a nonreligious majority country by 2070. They found that in 2022 about 64% of Americans (including children) identified as Christian. In 1972 that number was 90%. In 1972 only about 5% identified themselves as “religiously unaffiliated” – atheist, agnostic, or as no religion in particular. In 2022 that number is 30%. Without going into the details, their research suggests that the number of US Christians in 2070 will be somewhere between 54% at its high estimation, and 46%, 39%, or 35% given several other scenarios.
Society is becoming increasingly secular. Many people assume that what defines something as wrong or sinful is up to the individual’s own code of morals and ethics rather than that of a religion, a wisdom, a state, or just common sense. Under these conditions being a bold witness for God sometimes means speaking hard truth. Humanity has long tried to rationalize away our sin, but that does not change the reality that sin is sin, and it will bring consequences. Even as Daniel boldly confronted sin, believers can point to God as they point to sin as rebellion against the power that created EVERYTHING including the individual.
We look at Daniel 5:13-17, and 22-28. Almost seventy years after Daniel was taken into captivity to Babylon, and about thirty years after the last event of chapter 4. King Nebuchadnezzar had died and his son Evil-Merodach (also known as Amel-Marduk) ruled for two years until he was assassinated. A couple of other relatives or descendants of Nebuchadnezzar reigned for short periods. Then King Nabonidus, as part of a conspiracy that overthrew the last of Nebuchadnezzar’s descendants, and assumed the throne in 556 BC.
Daniel 5:13-16
13 Then Daniel was brought before the king. The king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the Judean exiles that my predecessor the king brought from Judah?
14 I’ve heard that you have a spirit of the gods in you, and that insight, intelligence, and extraordinary wisdom are found in you.
15 Now the wise men and mediums were brought before me to read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not give its interpretation.
16 However, I have heard about you that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Therefore, if you can read this inscription and give me its interpretation, you will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain around your neck, and have the third highest position in the kingdom.”
Because Daniel never wavered in his commitment to God, he gained a reputation for integrity and godly wisdom.
King Nabonidus worshiped the moon god, Sin, while most Babylonians worshiped Marduk, the king of the gods and patron deity of Babylon. So Nabonidus moved five hundred miles south to Tema in Arabia and built a palace there. Upon departing Babylon in the third year of his reign (553 BC), Nabonidus appointed his first-born son, Belshazzar, co-regent. Belshazzar was a wicked and morally depraved ruler whose name means “Bel, protect the king.” Belshazzar was, apparently was related to Nebuchadnezzar as his mother, Nitocris, seems to have been Nebuchadnezzar’s daughter, thereby making Belshazzar Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson.
Belshazzar held a huge banquet to which an enormous number of the Babylon city nobles were invited. It was P A R T Y-time in Babylon. To display his power, Belshazzar ordered that the holy vessels Nebuchadnezzar had looted from the temple in Jerusalem be brought in so the revelers could drink out of them and praise their Babylonian gods. While this was happening, “the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the king’s palace wall”. The king turned pale, was “terrified,” and even “soiled himself”.
Presumably after he cleaned himself, the king called for all the various kinds of wise men, but none of them could read or interpret the writing. The queen mother came in. Seeing the situation, she informed her son that “there is a man in your kingdom who has a spirit of the holy gods in him”. She told him what Daniel had done in the time of Nebuchadnezzar, and suggested Belshazzar summon Daniel and let Daniel interpret this phenomenon. So that is what Belshazzar did.
This year was 539 BC. Daniel had been taken captive sixty-six years earlier. Assuming Daniel was in his mid or late teens when taken captive, an old man in his 80s now approached the king. The king’s question, and the fact the queen mother had to inform him about Daniel, means Belshazzar was not acquainted previously with Daniel.
Bel-shazzar addressed Daniel by his Hebrew name rather than his given Babylonian name, Belte-shazzar. Both Daniel and the king had names honoring Bel, the chief of the Babylonian gods. Years earlier, Nebuchadnezzar had used the expression “a spirit of the holy gods” about Daniel. Even the queen mother had used the word “holy”, thus making Belshazzar’s omission all the more glaring. He merely noted that Daniel had “a spirit of the gods.”
Not being personally acquainted with Daniel, Belshazzar stated what he had heard about Daniel. King Belshazzar attributed great skills to Daniel. “Insight” involves illumination from the gods—or in this case, the one true God in whom light dwells. “Intelligence” is not mere intellect, but the ability to use it rightly. “Extraordinary wisdom” involves the supernatural ability to interpret dreams and visions.
What Belshazzar was looking for was an explanation of the words, not merely a translation of them. Even if the wise men could read the words on the wall, those words made no sense to them. Daniel was known especially for his ability to interpret supernatural phenomenon.
Belshazzar promised the aged Daniel the same threefold reward he earlier had promised his mediums and diviners if they could interpret the writing. “Purple” was the extremely expensive color of royalty. A gold chain around the neck was an item only persons of rank were allowed to wear, and then only if it had been given to the person by the king. It was akin to saying I will clothe you royally and make you an officer in my court. Belshazzar could only promise his wise men, diviners, Chaldeans, and Daniel “the third highest position in the kingdom” because as co-king, Bel-Shazzar himself was number two after the king Nabonidus.
But Daniel did not seek profit from his talents. Let’s see Daniel’s words.
Daniel 5:17,22-23
17 Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts and give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription for the king and make the interpretation known to him.
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22 “But you his successor, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this.
23 Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of the heavens. The vessels from his house were brought to you, and as you and your nobles, wives, and concubines drank wine from them, you praised the gods made of silver and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or understand. But you have not glorified the God who holds your life-breath in his hand and who controls the whole course of your life.
Daniel’s unwavering commitment meant he also spoke the truth, even hard truth about sin. His response to the drunken co-king may appear brisk and disrespectful, but unlike the Babylonian wise men Daniel would not interpret the words for personal profit. Even though Daniel had accepted rewards before, in this case Daniel told the king to keep his gifts for himself and to give the rewards to someone else.
Unlike his great predecessor Nebuchadnezzar, who—after exalting himself and being brought down by God—humbled his heart, Bel-shazzar had not humbled himself. Belshazzar “knew all this” about Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel reminded Belshazzar about what happened to Nebuchadnezzar. In fact, Belshazzar probably witnessed it with his own eyes. According to the Babylonian historical records, Belshazzar had been a chief officer during the reign of King Neriglissar in 560 BC, a mere two years after Nebuchadnezzar’s death. Further, Belshazzar’s father, Nabonidus, had been an official in Nebuchadnezzar’s court. Thus Belshazzar, living in the city of Babylon during the last years of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, would have had first-hand knowledge of what had happened. Nevertheless, Belshazzar not only refused to bow to the true God, he was even now desecrating the holy vessels from the Jerusalem temple by using them to celebrate idols in a drunken celebration with all the “beautiful people (nobles).”
Daniel noted that Belshazzar “Exalted yourself”, the opposite of humbling oneself. It refers to “haughtiness” involving self-proclaimed arrogance, presumption, and pride “against the Lord of the heavens”. What made Belshazzar’s actions of exalting himself rather than humbling himself so wicked was that he purposely had done this “against the Lord of the heavens” by committing sacrilege against Him in the use of His holy vessels to worship pagan gods made of silver and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
So Daniel used a negative understatement for what he was positively affirming, charging that Belshazzar not only had not glorified or honored the true God, he had in fact mocked, dishonored, disgraced, and debased Him who he should have praised, extolled, revered, honored, magnified, and worshiped. When he should have been honoring God in everything Belshazzar did.
Daniel 5:24-28
24 Therefore, he sent the hand, and this writing was inscribed.
25 “This is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin.
26 This is the interpretation of the message:
‘Mene’ means that God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end.
27 Tekel’ means that you have been weighed on the balance and found deficient.
28 Peres’ means that your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
All of Daniel’s words to this point in front of a frightened king and his guests was preliminary but necessary to the purpose for which Daniel had been summoned—to interpret and explain, the handwriting on the wall. The inscription had remained visible. Bible scholars debate the meaning of the words. Some believe they referred to measures of weight: the mina, shekel, and a half. Others believe the words refer to three coins—the mina, the shekel, and a half-mina or half-shekel. Although Bible scholars still debate the meaning of the words, Daniel was able to give the interpretation of the message.
The interpretation Daniel gave was based on the verb forms of the words rather than on the noun forms as written emphasizing that God already had decided the outcome of the matter.
Mene in the inscription on the wall is repeated twice. Mene is a form of the word “to number,” but was also used in the sense of “fixing a limit to,” as when we say someone’s days are numbered. Daniel informed Belshazzar that the days of your kingdom were numbered—and the days had actually run out: God had brought it to an end. Indeed, that very night, a coalition of Medes and Persians conquered Babylon. “Mene” probably was repeated twice for emphasis and to bring out the double meaning in the word.
Tekel the word literally means “to weigh” and then “to assess.” Using the imagery of a scale, Daniel informed Belshazzar you have been weighed on the balance and found deficient. The image is that God’s moral standards for a ruler were on one side of the scale and the wicked king and his actions were on the other side. On God’s scale, Belshazzar did not measure up.
Peres in Daniel’s interpretation of the writing, the last word is given as Peres, while in the inscription it is “Parsin”. “Parsin” is the plural form of “Peres.” It means “to break” or “to divide.” Thus it came to mean “to be destroyed” or “to be dissolved.”
Thus, mene, mene, tekel, parsin carries the message of “you’ve reached your limits, your days are numbered, your actions have been weighed, assessed and you are broken.” Daniel informed Belshazzar, Your kingdom has been divided or “broken up.” There is a double meaning to the word peres. The term also was used as a name for the Persians. Thus Daniel continued to inform Belshazzar that his empire had been given to the Medes and Persians. Not a very popular message to share with a co-king who had helped to do away with the previous king named Evil!
Significantly, Daniel referred first to the Medes, then to the Persians. At the time their coalition conquered Babylon, the Medes held the supremacy in their joint venture. However, the supremacy soon passed to the more important Persians, and so priority was given to them in the inscription. All this was prophesied by the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah, with Jeremiah even prophesying that Nebuchadnezzar’s line would end with his grandson.
The point is that Daniel spoke the truth boldly when it would have been easier to placate a spoiled drunken king.
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