BABYLON'S LAST APPEAL TO DANIEL.
THE failure of Babylon's wise men to read the handwriting on the wall, which had mysteriously appeared during the blasphemous feast which King Belshazzar had made for his lords, afforded another opportunity for the manifestation of the wisdom with which God had endowed His servant Daniel. When the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers had publicly acknowledged that they “could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof,” the queen was moved to refer back to former experiences of a like character. The queen here mentioned was evidently the mother of Belshazzar, he being king in conjunction with his father, who was then absent from Babylon, in command of the army. The queen assured the king that he need not be troubled in mind because of the failure of his “wise men” to read the writing; it was nothing new for them to fail. She said: “There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father [margin, ‘or grandfather’] light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father [grandfather], the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar; now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.” Then Daniel was called, and the king stated to him the situation. It would seem that Daniel had been retired from public office, and in a great measure forgotten at court, as Belshazzar merely says: “I have heard of thee.” He related the fact of the failure of the wise men to read the writing, and made to Daniel the same promise that had been made to them, namely, that he should be clothed in scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and be the third ruler in the kingdom. This was the highest honor that Belshazzar could bestow, for he was himself only the second ruler. But Daniel did not value the honor of being the third ruler in a kingdom that was about to pass out of existence. So he said, “Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.” Then the aged servant of God delivered to the young king a stirring rebuke, which contains a most valuable lesson for us all. Had Nebuchadnezzar’s successors heeded the lessons of his experience, and his example in recognizing true wisdom in the administration of governmental affairs, the golden kingdom would not have come to such an inglorious end. Daniel rehearsed to the king what God had done for Nebuchadnezzar in giving him dominion over all the kingdoms of earth; and when his heart was lifted up with pride he was humbled until “he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever He will.” Then he applied the lesson to Belshazzar in person: “And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; . . . and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: then was the part of the hand sent from Him; and this writing was written.” The writing was, “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.” And the interpretation was as follows: “MENE: God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL: thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES: thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” Taken all in all, here was a real Gospel sermon—a proclamation of the true God, and the consequences of rejecting Him. The majesty of the God of heaven, and His wonderful power to give the kingdom of men into whosesoever hands He chose, was eloquently portrayed; together with the blessings attached to obedience of His will, and the futility of all effort to set Him at defiance. Judgment was near to the king and many of his companions in revelry, but the merciful God sent a warning message in advance of the executioner. Belshazzar must have felt deeply impressed that the reading and the interpretation of the writing were true; for he at least tacitly admitted the fact by bestowing upon Daniel the promised reward. Whether that immediate company were in any way profited by the prophet’s exposition we do not know; but it was put into the sacred Record for the benefit of all who should afterward read it. It is a most remarkable instance of the fulfilment of a remarkable prophecy. In that very night the army of Cyrus found an entrance to the city through the gates which had been unwittingly left open; there was a general carousal in the city, and even the army was off guard. About one hundred seventy-four years before, Isaiah had prophesied: “Thus saith the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut.” Jeremiah also, more than fifty years before, had told of the great fall of Babylon. See chapters 50: 33–37 and 51: 47–58. So the record says: “In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom.” Thus ignominiously ended the great universal kingdom of Babylon, after a brief career of about sixty-eight years. King Nabonadius being absent from the capital, and King Belshazzar being slain, Daniel, as the “third ruler,” would be the one to enter into any negotiations that might arise. And this would be to the advantage of the captive people of God. And the next chapter shows that Daniel did receive high consideration from King Darius.