Daniel 5:8, commentary and pictures

Daniel 5:8 records that when all of Belshazzar's wise men were brought into his banquet hall they were utterly unable to read the mysterious writing on the wall or to tell the king what it meant, so that Daniel had at last to be brought in to interpret it. It belongs to the sacrilegious feast in Babylon's decline, when with reason beclouded by wine Belshazzar led his princes in riot and blasphemy, drinking to idols of gold and silver from the vessels consecrated to Jehovah and putting them to profane use. No offer of honor, wealth and power could overcome their failure, for heavenly wisdom cannot be bought or sold, and as with those who could not interpret Nebuchadnezzar's dreams, rulers who had turned from God lacked understanding and had to seek light from one who honored God. Their very ignorance struck terror into their sinful hearts, for their aroused consciences read the unreadable letters as a denunciation, filling king and princes with suspicion, fear and alarm. The unseen Witness who traced those living characters was making a history to testify to the close of time, pronouncing doom upon defiance that had passed the limit of forbearance, and what was unintelligible then will soon be read, for Babylon's fall in an hour of revelry will be repeated at the end of the world.

Feast Setting and Failure

The writing appeared in the reign of Belshazzar, under the successors of Nebuchadnezzar as Babylon was declining toward its fall. That fall came in an hour of feasting and revelry.

The setting was Belshazzar's sacrilegious feast, where with reason beclouded by wine he led his princes and lords in riot and blasphemy amid music, dancing, feasting and idolatrous sacrifice. Drinking from the vessels consecrated to Jehovah while praising the gods of gold and silver, he and his courtiers put what was consecrated to profane and licentious use. While the revelers had forgotten God, God as unseen witness had not forgotten them but looked on the desecration.

A mysterious bloodless hand guided by an unseen power traced characters of awful and terrible significance on the palace wall. A light like lightning followed the forming of every letter and lingered there, making them living characters unintelligible to the king. His destiny was thus traced before him in characters he could not read.

Then all the king's wise men were brought in, but they could neither read the writing nor make known to the king its interpretation. Their failure could not be overcome by the king's offer of honor and promotion, nor by wealth and power, because heavenly wisdom cannot be bought or sold. They were as unable to interpret the writing as the wise men of an earlier generation had been to interpret Nebuchadnezzar's dreams, since rulers who had turned from God lacked understanding and had to seek explanation from Daniel, who honored God and received heavenly light. So Daniel was finally brought before the king to interpret it.

Their very ignorance of the flashing letters sent terror to their sinful hearts, for their aroused consciences interpreted the unreadable writing as a denunciation against them. Suspicion, fear and alarm took hold upon king and princes. Belshazzar himself was unable to see his peril.

Divine Judgment and Warning

The writing belongs to Belshazzar's feast, where after the king and his lords profaned the sacred vessels a mysterious hand traced characters of destiny on the wall that were unintelligible to the king. While Belshazzar, his reason beclouded by wine, led his princes in riot and blasphemy, drinking from the vessels consecrated to Jehovah and praising the gods of gold and silver amid music, dancing, feasting and idolatrous sacrifice, God had not forgotten the revelers though they had forgotten God. As an unseen witness He looked on the sacrilege and was making a history to testify against them to the close of time. The king and his courtiers were terrified, and through His servant their doom was pronounced, bringing judgment on those who defied Him.

Belshazzar's coming calamity resulted from disregarding heaven-sent light, for he ignored the light given to Nebuchadnezzar and lost the benefits obedience could have brought. His reign is marked by pride and neglect of the lessons from Nebuchadnezzar. He advanced in presumption and defiance, showing that blasphemy and disobedience can reach the limit of God's forbearance, after which God intervenes to end them.

The fall of Babylon came at an hour of feasting and reveling after God had brought the kings of Babylon into reasoning relation with Daniel concerning prophecies against Babylon and other kingdoms, and that fall at a time of feasting and reveling will be repeated at the end of the world. The same condition exists now among those who are reckless, insensible of the results of sin, and heedless of warning, who like Belshazzar are unable to see their peril. To them the handwriting on the wall is now unintelligible, but soon it will be read. Therefore a straight testimony must be borne to churches and institutions to arouse the sleeping ones.