Bible Reading
Daniel 5 “King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand. Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from 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. Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. Then the king's color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared to the wise men of Babylon, 'Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.' Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, 'You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not show the interpretation of the matter. But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.' Then Daniel answered and said before the king, 'Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored. Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.' Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.”
[04:42]Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
[29:08]2 Corinthians 4:18 “As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
[30:13]Observation questions
- What does Belshazzar do with the sacred items from God’s temple, and what gods does he praise during the feast? [06:34]
- How does Belshazzar’s appearance and behavior change after the writing appears on the wall? [08:10]
- What do the Babylonian wise men fail to do, and how does Daniel respond when he is offered rewards for interpreting the message? [11:43]
- What three outcomes does Daniel announce through the words Mene, Tekel, and Peres, and how quickly is the final warning fulfilled? [26:29]
Interpretation questions
- Daniel tells Belshazzar that he honored idols that could not see, hear, or understand while failing to honor the God who held his life and ways. What does this reveal about the difference between worshiping created things and worshiping God? [13:05]
- Belshazzar had knowledge of what happened to Nebuchadnezzar, yet he still chose pride instead of humility. Why can knowing God’s past work still fail to change a person’s heart?
- Daniel refuses to soften God’s message even though the king has power over his life. What does Daniel’s courage show about speaking truth when it may be costly? [12:19]
- Jesus calls His followers to seek God’s kingdom first, and Paul calls believers to focus on what is eternal. How do these two commands challenge a life organized mainly around comfort, money, success, or immediate enjoyment? [30:13]
Application questions
- Belshazzar treated holy things as if they were ordinary party supplies. Are there ways God’s gifts—time, money, relationships, abilities, or opportunities—can be treated casually instead of being used to honor Him? [27:27]
- A person’s days are numbered, but heaven gives believers real hope. How would remembering eternity change the way you handle an offense, a disappointment, or a fear you are carrying right now? [28:34]
- If you audited the past week of your time, what would it reveal about what has been first in your life? Is there one specific change you could make this week to give God your first and best rather than your leftovers? [22:04]
- What noise most often fills the quiet spaces in your day—your phone, entertainment, work, worry, or something else? What would a realistic practice of silence with God look like this week? [25:33]
- Has God been giving you a warning sign through Scripture, conviction, wise counsel, or circumstances? What might it look like to respond with humility rather than ignoring it as Belshazzar did? [23:43]
- Where has God placed you to have influence for His kingdom—at home, work, school, in a friendship, or in the community? What is one tangible way you can use that influence to point someone toward Jesus this week? [27:20]
