DANIEL SIMPLIFIED

 

CHAPTER 5.1.Introduction

Gleanings from the Book of Daniel:

A Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series

 

DANIEL

Chapter Five

                                         The Feast of Belshazzar

 The Fall of Babylon

 

 

Introduction

Daniel Chapter 5 is an interesting and favorite Bible account for all ages. It is a record of events that transpired before the fall of the great Kingdom of Babylon fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel 2:39a,…after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee. Thence, the closing scene transitions from the head of gold, according to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue dream, to the breast and arms of silver, i.e., the Medo-Persian Empire.

 

Historical Background

There is a time between Chapters 4 and 5 of about 20 years. Daniel, by this time, is in his eighties. Apart from the Bible, most historical events are verifiable through extant literature and extra-biblical sources (also read: Revelation Simplified Study 17.5a - Historical Babylon: Rise and Fall of an Empire).

 

After a 43-year rule, King Nebuchadnezzar died on October 7, 562 B.C. Unlike the stability of his reign, his successors had a fomented and unstable past.

 

Listed are kings of the Neo-Babylonian Empire…

Seven Kings of Babylon

1. Nabopolassar (627-605 B.C.)

a.  The founder and first king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire

b.  Victorious over the Assyrians who ruled Babylonia for over 100 years

c.  Appointed his son Nebuchadnezzar II as his successor

 

2. Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 B.C.)

a.  Destroyed Jerusalem and deported Israel and Judah into Babylonian captivity

b.  Infamous for his building projects

c.  Appointed his son Evil-Merodach to the throne

 

3. Evil-Merodach (562-560 B.C.)

a.  Released imprisoned King Jehoiakim of Judah and gave him a position in the court (cf. 2 Kings 25:27-30; Jeremiah 52:31-34)

b.  Assassinated by his brother-in-law Neriglissar in August 560 B.C. (cf. Jeremiah 39:3, 13)

 

4. Negriglissar (560-556 B.C.)

a.  Son-in-law to Nebuchadnezzar

b.  Served as General under Nebuchadnezzar when Jerusalem was destroyed (586/587 B.C.)

 

5. Labashi-Marduk (556 B.C.)

a.  A young mentally challenged son of Negriglissar

b.  Ruled the Kingdom for 2 months (May - June 556 B.C.) before he was beaten to death by conspirators

 

6. Nabonidus (556-539 B.C.)

a.  Married either one of Nebuchadnezzar’s widows or a daughter to legitimize his succession to the throne

b.  A scholarly king having a preferred interest in archaeology and restoring ruined pagan temples

c.  Assigned his son Belshazzar as co-regent of Babylon while he remained 10 years in Tema, Arabia

d.  The lawful Monarch when Babylon was conquered by the Medes and Persians under Cyrus in 538 B.C.

 

7. Belshazzar (553-539 B.C.)

a.  Grandson to Nebuchadnezzar

b.  Reigned over 5 years leading into Daniel 5:1

 

Note: Names of kings have various spellings, some according to Chaldean rendering, and others interchangeably with their deities.

 

 

Chapter 5 Outline

1. The Feast of Belshazzar (v. 1)

2. The Folly of Belshazzar (Vv. 2-4)

3. The Furor of God (v. 5)

4. The Fear of Belshazzar (Vv. 6-9)

5. The Fame of Daniel (Vv. 10-16)

6. The Faithfulness of Daniel (Vv. 17-23)

7. The Finger of God (Vv. 24-25)

8. The Forewarning of Daniel (Vv. 26-28)

9. The Furthering of Daniel (v.29)

10. The Fall of Babylon (Vv. 30-31)

 

 

1. The Feast of Belshazzar (v. 1)

(Verse 1)

 

Belshazzar the king made (held) a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.

 

Belshazzar’s Ball

Chapter 5 opens the narrative with King Belshazzar of Babylon holding a grand festival, most likely an annual feast honoring one of its primary deities. Meanwhile, the Medo-Persian army had the entire city surrounded.    

 

Feasts

Festivals in Eastern cultures were lavish. Belshazzar had 1,000 of his noblemen in attendance. By comparison, Persian monarchs normally had 15,000 guests at a meal. Later, history records 10,000 invites to attend Alexander the Great’s wedding banquet.

 

Belshazzar…drank wine before the thousand

According to custom, Belshazzar was seated on an elevated platform in the huge ballroom of his palace before 1,000 dignitaries. Archaeology discovered a 157-foot long by 73-foot wide room with an alcove in one wall, which would have been the place where the King’s table was set.

 

Scripture records Belshazzar drinking wine in front of his guests. But, Proverbs informs:

Proverbs 31:4-5 - …it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.

 

Royal Etiquette

During the time of the Babylonian Empire, public protocol held to certain principles:

1. It would have been beneath the dignity of a king to imbibe at courtly spectacles. If he desired to drink, it was usually done in private

 

2. It would have been improper for women to attend diplomatic banquets. Drinking in the presence of women added sensuality to the affair and usually resulted in debauchery

 

3. It would have been extremely rare for wives or concubines (enslaved mistresses) of a king’s harem to come out of seclusion

 

 

A precedent is set in the Book of Esther. King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) gave a feast at his citadel in Susa. His military leaders, nobles, and princes of the provinces of Media and Persia were in attendance. Alcoholic beverages were in excess at this celebratory event.

 

It is noted Queen Vashti concurrently held a separate banquet for the women:

Esther 1:9 - Also Vashti the queen made (held) a [separate] feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus.

 

A common practice in Persia required men and women not to take their meals together unless in the privacy of domestic life.

 

 

2. The Folly of Belshazzar (Vv. 2-4)

(Verse 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.

 

The Summons of the King

The phrase, he tasted the wine, implies Belshazzar became exceedingly inebriated. Once again, there is a warning in Proverbs applicable to the King in this situation:

Proverbs 23:31-32 - Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it swirls around smoothly; At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper.

 

It appears the wine got the best of Belshazzar. In a brazen attempt to spice up the party, he commanded the gold and silver accouterments that had been taken from the Temple in Jerusalem to be fetched (cf. 2 Chronicles 38:18; Daniel 1:2). They had earlier been stored in the Babylonian temple’s museum by Nebuchadnezzar.

 

Next, Belshazzar ordered the sacred vessels to be filled with wine for everyone to drink. At the end of Verse 2, some insight into the party is displayed.

Notice the list of attendees:

1. The King

2. The King’s noblemen

3. The King’s wives

4. The King’s concubines

 

Note: Since there is no word in Hebrew or Chaldean for grandfather, the word father was used in its place.

 

 

 (Verse 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.

 

The Sacrilege of the King

Blatantly, Belshazzar desecrated God’s holy cups and goblets before pagan deities. His audacity has been described by one commentator in this fashion:

       Drinking from the cup of the Lord,

       …The wine of the Devil.

 

The sacred golden vessels taken from Israel’s Temple were originally made by King Solomon (cf. 1 Kings 7:48-51), according to the plans given to him by David from God (cf. 1 Chronicles 28:9-19). Thus, the debaucherous act itself was in open defiance to the Most High God of Israel.

 

 

(Verse 4)

 

They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

 

The Toast

All attendees of Belshazzar’s ball drank wine from the cups of the Temple.  They contemptuously worshipped the representations of the Babylonian pantheon of deities.

 

Interestingly, the elements of these false idols are mentioned:

1. Figures of gold

2. Figures of silver

3. Figures of brass

4. Figures of iron

5. Figures of wood

6. Figures of stone   

 

Notice the descending material values. Also, gold, silver, brass, and iron are emblematic of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue dream (cf. 2:32-33). Additionally, they are a reminder to Israel of their seventy-year chastisement.

 

Idolatry

In the Old Testament

A second aspect of the unconditional Mosaic Covenant (Deuteronomy 28) is conditional. The Israelites would be blessed if they adhered to His ordinances, but if they were disobedient, God would pronounce chastisement upon them. Relevant to His first and second commandments, He gave an explicit warning to them against idolatry. However, God foresaw the nation’s revolt from Him to idols:

Deuteronomy 4:28 – And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

 

In the New Testament

Their actions are symptomatic of the depravity of mankind. The trumpet judgments of Revelation 8 and 9 pronounced by God to elicit repentance from mankind produced an identical result:

Revelation 9:20 – And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk.

 

Three questions to ponder:

1. Is Verse 4 an echo of Israel’s actions?

2. Is Verse 4 exclusive to Babylon’s behavior?

3. Is Verse 4 inherent to man’s nature?

 

Commentary

With the entire Empire in danger, it is hard to conceive Belshazzar could host such a huge banquet while the city was surrounded by the Medo-Persian army. But, with a sense of pride and invincibility, he relied on Babylon as the most heavily fortified walled city in the world. Belshazzar wasn’t the least bit worried.

 

Belshazzar also had amassed provisions in the granaries, enough to sustain them for years.  Not only that, but the Euphrates River flowed under the walls through the middle of the city and provided a constant water supply (cf. Revelation Simplified Study 17.5a).  

 

 

As the party was at the height of its enjoyment, a dramatic incident disrupted and changed the entire mood of Belshazzar’s feast. The ongoing study continues the drama.

 

 

QUESTIONS:

1. How many kings ruled the Neo-Babylonian Empire?

2. Who was Belshazzar?

3. Why does the storyline open with a grand feast?

4. What was the role of women in ancient Eastern cultures?

5. How was Belshazzar related to Nebuchadnezzar?

6. How did Belshazzar blaspheme the Temple?

7. What was the sin of Israel the Babylonians practiced?

 

 

If this study was a blessing to you, make it a blessing to others.

SAVE AND FORWARD THIS LINK

http://breadoflifeministriesassoc.blogspot.com/