Daniel 5:7, commentary and pictures

At Belshazzar's riotous idolatrous feast, when the wine-besotted king and his lords profaned the vessels consecrated to Jehovah and praised gods of gold and silver, a hand traced mysterious characters on the palace wall that terrified them, and the king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, Chaldeans and soothsayers to read the writing and show its interpretation. He promised that whoever could do so would be clothed with scarlet and given a chain of gold about his neck and made the third ruler in the kingdom, the highest reward, honor and authority he could offer. The wise men of Babylon could not decipher it or explain its meaning, for honor, promotion and reward could not provide or purchase the heavenly wisdom needed, exposing confidence in royal power without recognizing responsibility to God. The writing was God's judgment pronounced against desecration and disregard of heaven-sent light, and as Babylon fell in a time of feasting and revelry, so the warning now unintelligible to reckless sleepers heedless of sin will soon be read and understood, calling for a straight testimony to arouse them before their peril overtakes them.

Feast, Writing, and Reward

Belshazzar's call belongs to an idolatrous feast when his reason was beclouded and gone under wine and he had forgotten God, leading his princes, lords and nobles in riot, revelry and blasphemy with music and dancing, feasting and sparkling wine while flames of idolatrous sacrifice rose in insult to the God of heaven. He and his lords profaned the vessels consecrated to Jehovah by drinking wine from them and praising gods of gold and silver, crediting human achievement for the kingdom's honor and glory. In the midst of that revelry a hand traced mysterious characters on the palace wall that set forth his destiny, yet they were unintelligible to the wine-besotted king. The writing brought terror to the king and his guests, while God was present as unseen witness making a history to testify against the revellers to the close of time.

Unable to read it, the king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans and the soothsayers, the wise men of Babylon, to read the writing on the palace wall and show its interpretation. They could not decipher it or explain its meaning, and Daniel was then brought before the king. Whoever could read the writing and show its interpretation would be clothed with scarlet, have a chain of gold about his neck, and be made the third ruler in the kingdom. It was the highest reward, honor and authority he could promise, the greatest honors he could offer.

The offer reflected confidence in royal power and failure to recognize responsibility to God. Honor, promotion and reward could not provide or purchase the heavenly wisdom needed to understand the writing. The scene is the closing hour of Babylon, whose fall came in a time of feasting and revelry.

Judgment and End-Time Warning

The mysterious writing belongs to the profaning of the sacred vessels by Belshazzar and his lords, and it brought terror because it was God's judgment pronounced through His servant against that desecration. Belshazzar's presumption and defiance in a scene of feasting and disregard for God show how men may persist until they pass the limits of God's forbearance, and when that boundary is reached God intervenes against insolence and disobedience. Babylon passed away because its rulers forgot God and credited human achievement with the honor and glory of the kingdom. Its coming calamity resulted from disregarding heaven-sent light, including the light given to Nebuchadnezzar, for failing to receive and practice God's instruction brings judgment.

Daniel stood in a most critical and trying position as a statesman in Babylon, doing his assigned work while plainly refusing any work that would militate against God. By God's providence incessantly at work over human affairs, this brought the king of Babylon into reasoning relation with Daniel concerning prophecies against Babylon and other kingdoms. What happened to Babylon at its fall in an hour of feasting and reveling will be so at the end of the world. This is a period of peculiar momentous importance when students of God's Word work away from the customs and appointments of the world's great counselors, do not say My Lord delayeth His coming and all things remain as from the beginning of creation, and like wise virgins are prepared with oil in their vessels with their lamps to go forth to meet the Bridegroom.

The warning written on the wall is now unintelligible to those who are reckless, insensible of the results of sin, and heedless of warning. Like Belshazzar, who could not read the writing and could not see his peril, they are unable to see their danger. Soon the handwriting will be read and understood. Therefore a straight testimony must be borne to churches and institutions to arouse the sleeping ones before their peril overtakes them.