The Handwriting On The Wall
Millions of native English-speakers understand the idiom “the writing on the wall” to mean a sign, indication, or harbinger of something bad. I’ll bet most of them don’t know that it came from a supernatural incident in ancient Babylon.
Robert Lewis Stevenson, Charles Dickens, Lord Byron, and many other English writers have used the phrase. And I found out that a James Bond musical theme, (introduced in the 2015 film Spectre), is called “Writing’s On The Wall.”
Well. Call me shaken, not stirred. 🍸
This chapter opens on a banquet with the new king, Belshazzar.
Historical records show that a usurper named Nabonidus [nab-oh-NIE-dus] came to power after a coup that overthrew Nebuchadnezzar. If I had to guess, I’d say this happened while Nebuchadnezzar was out in the field and out of his mind. It is widely believed by historians that Nabonidus was a royal son-in-law, married to a daughter of Nebuchadnezzar and that Belshazzar was his son (and thus Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson).
We know that when Nebuchadnezzar’s sanity returned, he also returned to the throne. But when he died, Nabonidus retook the throne but Belshazzar was co-regent with his father who is recognized as the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.
Remember the vessels of gold that were looted from the temple in Jerusalem? We found them.
“Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his Lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.”
Daniel 5:3-4 ESV
You’d think that knowing about Daniel’s incredible ability to know the impossible, the fiery furnace incident, and what happened to Nebuchadnezzar… you’d think that Junior King Belshazzar would have some respect for the God of Israel.
Nope.
See? I told you he was a wretch.
Not only are these vessels – which had at one time been consecrated as holy to Yahweh – not only are they being used in a drunken banquet of heathens, they are using the vessels to make toasts honoring their idol gods. The implication is they are celebrating that their gods are mightier than Yahweh because here they sit drinking out of Yahweh’s cups and daring Him to do something about it.
What Belshazzar thought they were doing:
What they were actually doing:
Nobody deliberately provokes the Almighty like that without Heaven responding.
And respond He did.
👉 🟫
Look at the expression on his face…
The king was understandably terrified.
I love the detail of the itty-bitty crown perched precariously on his turban. Apart from the fact that the figures are porcelain white Europeans and the writing on the wall is in Hebrew letters that did not yet exist in Daniel’s time, it’s a fantastic work of art.
It is permanently housed at the National Gallery in London and is considered priceless. It was sold to the National Galley by the Earl of Derby in 1969 for a mere 76,000 pounds (roughly $213,000). Experts say if it had gone to auction it would’ve brought more than 2.1 million the time.
Verse 6 has some interesting attempts at translation:
“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.”
Daniel 5:6 KJV
He probably went white as a sheet and his knees were knocking. But how are we to understand “the joints of his loins were loosed.”?
The NASB has “his hip joints loosened.”
😆 Like Elvis? 🕺🏼
No. I don’t think that’s what it means.
The LEB has “his hip joints gave way.”
The ESV has “his limbs gave way.”
The NLT has “his legs gave way beneath him.”
I know exactly zero words in Aramaic, but I don’t think loins and the legs are the same. And while he may indeed have collapsed from fright, the late Chuck Missler in one of his teaching videos said that it might suggest something else. And I wasn’t sure about it so I asked The Google so you don’t have to have questions like this in your search history. You’re welcome.
Well. So maybe that’s a possibility.
😏 The next time I have diarrhea I’m gonna tell people that “the joints of my loins were loosed.” 🚽🧻
Moving on…
The writing seems to have been in Aramaic letters but they must’ve been encrypted in some way because no one could read it.
The Queen Mother – which may have been one of Nebuchadnezzar’s wives or perhaps his daughter (wife of Nabonidus, mother of Belshazzar)- she hears of the hullabaloo at the banquet hall and knows just who to call.
🤓 If I was there and saw a ghost-hand writing on the wall, I know who I’d call…
🤓 Cue the music please…🎵🎶🎤 If there’s somethin’ strange…in your neighborhood… who you gon’ call? (Call Daniel!)
If there’s somethin’ weird… and it don’t look good… who you gon’ call? (Call Daniel!)
🪩🕺🏼
😑 Ho boy…
Thank you for that… song.
But I think that the only ghost haunting Belshazzar was the Holy Ghost.
But I love how the queen recognized the specialness of Daniel and had total confidence in his ability to interpret the writing on the wall.
Daniel is brought in and the king offers him wealth and power if he can interpret the words. I love his response:
“Daniel answered the king, “Keep your gifts or give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means.”
Daniel 5:17 NLT
It’s a good reminder that we not use the gifts God has given us to seek riches or power.
Before he tells the king what the writing means, Daniel takes him to task for having known what Nebuchadnezzar went through, and still refusing to humble himself and for intentionally dishonoring Yahweh.
When Daniel reads the words, they are 3 standard Aramaic words of commerce: numbered, weighed, and divided. The fact that nobody could read these normal words is what leads many to suspect that the letters were scrambled or encoded in some way.
It’s not good news. This is the end of your kingdom. And that very night, Belshazzar was killed and the army of Persians invaded and conquered without a fight.
🤓 Boy, that’s one way to break up a party real fast. Being told you’re gonna die really puts a damper on things.
😐 Uh… I think the floating hand, writing an encrypted message on the wall did that.
Yeah. I can practically feel Daniel rolling his eyes as they drape him in royal robes and put a gold chain around his neck and name him 3rd highest ruler in the land.
😐 3rd highest ruler for like 4 hours.
Exactly.
This is yet another story showing how Yahweh is in control of the kingdoms of this world. This was no random event triggered by a random banquet and a foolish, arrogant king making bad choices. The Persians (with the Medes) had been preparing this takeover for a while. They are the chest and arms of silver from Nebuchadnezzar’s first dream. Yahweh is in control even if the people have no idea how their choices are fitting into His eternal purpose.
The next story is everyone’s favorite.
See you in the lion’s den. 🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁
To The Reader 