BELSHAZZAR’S FEAST—BABYLON’S “WISE MEN” AGAIN FAIL.
“Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.” Dan. 5:1. Here is an indication of profligacy such as is not intimated against the great Nebuchadnezzar. While Nebuchadnezzar, after the arduous and manifold duties of building up and establishing the golden kingdom of Babylon, became puffed up with pride, and lived sumptuously, he would not have given way to drunkenness and revelry while the capital of his kingdom was menaced by a hostile army. But times had changed. After the death of Nebuchadnezzar the kingdom degenerated at a fearful rate. Wealth and self-confidence had bred corruption in the government, and unchecked corruption must eventually culminate in disaster. After Nebuchadnezzar’s death, his son Evil-Merodach reigned but two years. He is said to have been murdered by his brother-in-law, Neriglissar (also called Nergal-shar-uzar), who reigned but three and a half years. He was succeeded by his son, a mere child, whose reign lasted but nine months. He was murdered by his courtiers, and one of their own number, Nabonadius, was made king. This Nabonadius was married to a daughter of Nebuchadnezzar, and had a son, named Belshazzar, whom he associated with him in the kingdom. The gradual weakening of the kingdom became so perceptible that minor powers began to assert themselves. The combined provinces of Media and Persia were especially aggressive. Cyrus commanded the combined armies of the Medes and Persians, and, after defeating the forces of Lydia and Egypt under Croesus, he attacked Babylon. After one battle, King Nabonadius and his army took refuge in Borsippa. This left Belshazzar in charge of the government in Babylon, which Cyrus kept under siege for more than a year. The great city was too strongly walled and fortified to be carried by assault, and appears to have been provisioned and otherwise prepared for a long siege. Belshazzar evidently felt secure, and was determined to enjoy his position. So, on this festal occasion, he proposed to make an unusually grand display; and, in the height of his bibulous hilarity, he “commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father [margin, “grandfather”] 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.” This order was carried out, and “they drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.” This was a tremendous fall from the testimony of Nebuchadnezzar, after his restoration from the awful humiliation of companionship with the beasts. At that time Nebuchadnezzar was forward to “praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and His ways judgment.” He also testified unto all his kingdom that the King of heaven is able to abase all who walk in pride. And this testimony is about to be verified in the case of his blasphemous grandson Belshazzar; for “in the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.” Thus suddenly are the pleasures of the wicked often brought to an end. The king was a young man, and was facing a crisis in his own life and in the course of his kingdom. But he had not appreciated his opportunity. To such the Scripture says, “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.” Eccl. 11:9. When Belshazzar saw the fingers writing on the wall, his “countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.” Yet he did not know what was written; then why was he so frightened? Was he not praising the gods in which he trusted? There must have been a consciousness that any manifestation of life and activity could not come from lifeless idols, the work of men’s hands. Evidently the Spirit of the God of heaven, whose name the revelers were blaspheming, had stricken terror to the king’s heart, had smote him with a consciousness that, in some way, the writing betokened judgment. Such, also, will be the experience of all unbelievers when the Lord appears in the heavens. See Rev. 6:12–17. Then “the king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” But there was a repetition of Nebuchadnezzar’s experience with Babylon’s “wise men”—their wisdom was proved to be sheer pretense. They all came at the king’s call, but “they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.” And the “wise men” of spiritual “Babylon” in the last days are a counterpart of those who deceived and misled the kings and people of the ancient kingdom. See Rev. 17:1–5. In a future article we will consider Babylon’s last appeal to the prophet of the God of heaven to make known the mystery with which she is confronted.